We all know short-term loans can be risky, but only if you accept them without checking the fees and the annual percentage rate.
Today, we’ll check out one of the biggest short-term money lending networks - CashAdvance.com.
APR depends on the lender
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Fortunly's Rating: Our editorial team determines the rating based on a set of evaluation criteria developed for each product and service category.
- No minimum credit score
- Free to use
- Soft credit score check run by CashAdvance
- Easy to use
- A vast network of lenders
- Quick and easy online application process
- Rates and fees vary by the lender
- Available in only 31 states
What Is CashAdvance.com?
One important thing you need to know right off the bat is that CashAdvance.com itself doesn’t lend you any money. Rather, it is an online networking platform that matches borrowers with lenders.
When you enter all the required data, your profile will be matched with registered lenders, and you’ll be provided with a list of companies willing to offer you a loan.
The matched company will inform you of all the details regarding the loan (APR, fees, etc.), and should you accept its offer, that company will lend you the money, not CashAdvance.com.
Loans can range from $200 to $10,000, but the exact amount you can borrow will depend on the lender you’re matched with. If you’re approved for a loan, you could have the cash deposited into your bank account as soon as the next business day.
People sometimes confuse short-term loans with cash flow loans, but there is a big difference between the two. The short-term loan is issued to a person, while the cash flow loan is a short-term loan issued to a company.
Is CashAdvance.com Legit?
The Ute Indian Tribe owns the CashAdvance.com website under Hawk LLC and is a registered member of the Online Lenders Alliance. This self-regulating body sets the best practices and standards for online lending businesses. That is a good sign in itself, but it’s also hard to verify because OLA doesn’t provide a list of its members to the general public.
We were able to verify that the website uses 256-bit encryption to protect its users’ sensitive information, which is one of the best commercially available encryptions.
The majority of user reviews are positive, but some claim they have been scammed. We decided to dig deeper and find out all the details.
We found that many people were not aware of the difference between CashAdvance.com and Cash Advance USA. The latter has been reported to the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), which has issued a warning stating that Cash Advance USA operates an advance fee scam. This company is not in any way related to CashAdvance.com.
Moreover, there are reports from users about potential scams, including one individual who applied for a loan on CashAdvance.com and was subsequently contacted via phone by someone claiming to be a representative of the company.
The supposed representative required the user to send a $120 payment as proof of their ability to repay the loan, saying that the amount would be refunded upon approval, only for the money to be withheld behind a transfer fee that was over twice the amount in question.
You should know that CashAdvance.com will never call you for anything. If you suspect somebody is trying to scam you, immediately contact CashAdvance.com customer support and report the number to the authorities.
However, CashAdvance.com isn’t entirely without blame here either, as the scammers managed to successfully register as a money lending company on the network. Either the inspection was lacking, or it was a legitimate company with dubious practices.
In any case, you should always remain vigilant and check each company you are matched with for any wrongdoing.
Regardless, this doesn’t change our opinion of the company. We still consider it to be a legitimate money lending networking platform. The company itself does its best to combat potential scammers and doesn’t omit or hide any information regarding its business practices on purpose.
How Does CashAdvance.com Work?
You should know that using the service is free, there are no fees for the borrowers, and there are no credit score requirements. So getting a loan with bad credit or even bankruptcy on your record isn’t impossible.
The first thing you need to do is go to its website and fill out the online form. The form will ask for personal information such as your name, address, email, phone number, date of birth, Social Security number, and how much you want to borrow.
You will also need to provide information about your employment and income.
Short-term unsecured loans are one of the ways people without a job can get a loan - but not through CashAdvance.com, due to its 90-day employment requirement.
Once you have submitted the form, CashAdvance.com will run a soft credit pull. This type of credit check won’t affect your credit score. After that, you’ll be presented with a list of lenders willing to work with you.
Bear in mind that some lenders may run a credit score check independently. When you pick the lender you’re willing to work with, review its offer and complete a loan application.
If the lender wants to offer you a loan, they’ll contact you shortly via email, phone, or text. You’ll have the option to review the terms of the loan before accepting anything, triple-check the lender’s agreement, and pay special attention to APR and fees.
Some lenders can have triple or four-digit APR values set for short-term loans. Accept the agreement only after you are confident that you understand everything about the contract.
The money will then be deposited into your account, and you’ll have to start making payments according to the terms of the agreement. The deals are usually formalized in minutes, but that can vary from lender to lender.
If no lender offers you a loan, the CashAdvance.com website may pass your contact information to their partners, who may contact you to provide you with credit repair, debt relief, or similar deals. If that is the case, you may want to look for another way to get a personal loan with a low credit score.
CashAdvance.com Requirements
To be able to register and apply for a loan, you need to meet certain requirements:
- You have to be 18 years or older.
- Only citizens and permanent residents of the United States can apply.
- You need to have a valid checking account.
- You need to have a valid home and work phone number, and an email address.
- You should be employed for at least 90 days and meet the lender’s minimum income requirements.
The following states can’t use the company's services:
- Oregon
- Montana
- Utah
- Arizona
- Texas
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- The District of Columbia
The minimum lending amount is $200, and the maximum is $10,000. The loan can be repaid anywhere between seven and 356 days, depending on your agreement with the lender.
As stated before, the lender sets the APR and fees on the loan itself.
The website provides a tool that may only provide a basic estimate of the APR and the amount that will be repaid to the lender.
Again, this is only a rough estimate. Double-check the terms before accepting any deal.
If you place the loan length to 12 months, you get an APR of 15%-30%
CashAdvance.com Alternatives
You may need quick cash to cover an unexpected expense, pay for an emergency medical bill, or buy a last-minute plane ticket. Whatever the reason, there are ways to get quick cash in an emergency, and some don’t include a loan. But if you need a larger amount, then you’ll probably need to take out a loan.
If you don’t like any of the loans offered through CashAdvance.com, you don’t have to accept any of them. You can simply cancel your loan request as there are no penalties or obligations, and check what other signature loans competitors have to offer.
How Does CashAdvance.com Compare to Other Lenders?
CashAdvance.com Summary
To summarize our review, we must emphasize that it doesn’t give loans directly but rather connects you to lenders willing to lend you money. This allows you to choose the best offer for your circumstances and expedite the process.
Don’t forget to carefully check the terms before accepting, or you could be stuck in a lousy deal with a high APR rate.
FAQ
Is CashAdvance.com a real company?
Cashadvance.com is a real-money lending networking platform operated by Hawk LLC since 1997.
Is CashAdvance.com a scam?
Some customers left negative testimonials, accusing the company of fraud. While writing our review, we extensively analyzed such claims and found no evidence to support them. We did find that some of the lenders who use its service have a higher than normal APR, so caution is advised before finalizing any loan deals.