Bree App Review: Cash Advances up to a $250 but Watch out for Hidden Fees

Overdraft Apps » App Reviews » Bree App Review: Cash Advances up to a $250 but Watch out for Hidden Fees

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30-SECOND SUMMARY: Bree lets you access up to $250 in cash advances to prevent overdrafts. With no interest and no fees, Bree runs on tips – which is optional but “greatly appreciated” (Bree’s words, not ours). A financial partner created exclusively for Canadians, Bree claims to have NO fees… yet it has a ton of hidden fees to watch out for. Don’t get caught out, read on for our full Bree app review.

Get a no interest cash advance for up to $250 >>> Check Out Bree 👈

Woman holding a phone that displays the Bree loans logo

What is the Bree app?

Bree, founded in 2021, offers interest-free cash advances to help avoid bank overdraft and NSF fees when you’re waiting for payday.

With Bree, you can access up to $250 in advances at 0% interest with no credit check and no late fees or penalties. A pretty handy boost for the estimated 50% of Canadians living paycheck to paycheck. 

You’ll need to connect your checking account to Bree to get started. Alongside a linked account, you’ll need to hit the following targets:

Unlike other Canadian online banking apps that come with a range of online banking features, Bree does one thing and one thing only – cash advances.

If you’re wondering if Bree is legit , you’ll know exactly what you’re signing up for.

Get a no interest cash advance for up to $250 >>> Check Out Bree 👈

Hand holding a phone that displays Bree cash advances

How do Bree loans work?

Sign up for an account and provide your personal information and bank account details to connect your checking account to Bree.

Once connected – and if eligible – you can request a cash advance (known as an ‘Advance Service’) through your dashboard.

You’re likely to receive closer to $10 as a new user, but Bree says this amount can be increased by keeping a sufficient balance in your account to pay all your bills after paying back your advance. This, and continued use of the app, lets Bree system know there’s no risk of overdrafting.

You’re in control of your delivery options. That means you can receive your advance with free standard delivery (up to 3 business days) or pay a small express fee to receive your funds in up to 2 hours (more on those fees below).

Standard advances will be delivered into your checking account and Express advances will be delivered to your connected debit card.

Bree cash advance app

How do Bree repayments work?

Bree is all about convenience, so you’re in control of your repayment date.

You’ll be the one to confirm your payback date inside the app before you request to borrow money. Then, repayment of your Bree advance (including any tips and express fee) will automatically be deducted when your next paycheck lands in your connected bank account

Since this happens automatically, there’s no need to manually transfer funds or worry about repayments.

If life gets in the way and you fail to repay your Bree advance on your scheduled payback date, you won’t be chased by debt collectors. Bree doesn’t actually do a credit pull at any point (not even a soft one), so your credit is completely unaffected if you miss a repayment.

There are no late fees (Bree goes out of its way to remind you that it is a “friend”) or penalties if you miss your payback date. But you might run into restrictions on future Bree advances if your advance remains outstanding.

Want up to $250 in quick cash? >>> Check Out Bree 👈

Woman's hand holding a phone that displays the Bree loan app

How much does a Bree cash advance cost?

Bree claims to charge no fees alongside no interest, with optional tipping the only potential cost… which is a pretty interesting claim.

A deep dive into their Terms & Conditions shows that’s not *exactly* true.  

While you can borrow from Bree without paying anything in fees during an initial 30 day free trial, Bree is a for profit business and has three ways that it makes money.

First, you’ll need a subscription. Bree charges a $2.99 auto-recurring monthly subscription fee to use the platform. The subscription fee is automatically debited from your linked external bank account every month.

You do get a 30 day free trial when you sign up for Bree and there is a loophole hiding in Bree’s Terms & Conditions.

You can request an Advance without purchasing the $2.99/month Subscription Service by emailing [email protected].

Include the subject line “Advance from Bree without Flinks connection” alongside your latest bank statements, ID, proof of address, and proof of income (via paystubs) to bypass the monthly subscription fee.

You’ll also face a fee if you don’t want to wait the three business days to get your advance. Express delivery (usually within five minutes) is available with the fee depending on the size of your advance.  

Express fees range from $2.99 to $17.99, with a $6.99 express fee on a $50 advance and $9.99 for a $100 Bree cash advance.

And then there are tips which are completely optional, though strongly encouraged.  

So suddenly the app that boasts ‘NO FEES’ can have a pretty meaningful cost to borrow from.  

If you paid the $2.99 subscription fee and took out one $100 cash advance that month with a $9.99 express fee, it would cost you $12.98. Toss on a tip of another $5 or $10 and you could wind up paying over $20 to borrow that hundred bucks!  

It may be a more convenient and perhaps even more affordable alternative to other options available to you, but Bree’s claims of ‘No Hidden Fees’, and its core values of Trust and Transparency can be a bit hard to swallow.

Know the fees and still want to get up to $250? >>> Check Out Bree 👈

Is Bree legit?

Vancouver-based Bree was founded in 2021, so it’s one of the newer players in the North American cash advance market.

Available in all Canadian provinces and territories and used by roughly 100,000 members, Bree’s website has all the legal documents and T’s & C’s you’d expect from a financial app. The website does have some confusing messaging and plenty of fees despite their repeated claims of being fee-free (and there’s no contact phone number on the site, either).

Bree’s FAQs claim that the app is free and requesting a cash advance costs nothing – though tips are heavily encouraged. As we detailed above, those sound like pretty dubious claims.

As a new provider, Bree app reviews are limited, though Trustpilot does show a healthy 4.7 rating from 500+ reviews.

Bree Trustpilot reviews

Apps like Bree in Canada

Bree is a new lender on the scene… but it’s not the only app promising cash advances for Canadians in a few clicks.

Like Bree, the Nyble app offers advances with no credit check required and no interest. Although Nyble only offers up to $150, compared to Bree’s $250 ceiling, the Nyble app offers extra features including credit building and a reward points scheme.

Koho is another popular Canadian banking and cash advance app. For $5/month, you may be eligible for an overdraft limit of up to $50. This can be increased to up to $250 through on-time payments.

WAIT! Why borrow quick cash when you can earn it?!

Cash advance apps can be a great tool for getting a little extra cash when you need it, but you’ll need to repay it – plus fees – wihtin a week or two. Did you know there’s an easy way to earn extra cash that’s yours to keep?

KashKick is a wildly popular service that lets you earn money for playing games, completing surveys, signing up for trial offers and more. (You’ll even earn cash for just completing your profile!) You can earn cash today and withdraw your earnings through PayPal once you’ve reached $10. You can earn over $100/month with KashKick – and you don’t need to spend a dime or take out your credit card to do it.

There are dozens of high-paying offers available on KashKick, and if you’re into playing new games on your phone, you can earn some serious cash for doing what you love. Though offers change regularly, there are currently1 more than three dozen offers available where you can earn cash – sometimes over $100 – just by downloading and playing popular games like Coin Master, Monoply Go, Bingo Blitz, and more. These games are all free to download, and no in-app purchases are required to earn with KashKick.

Get paid to play on your phone >>> Check out KashKick

Alexander Porter
  1. As of February 13, 2024. Offers may change and may not be available to all users. Eligibity requirements apply. See KashKick's Terms of Service for full details.

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