Editor’s Note: Overdraft Apps provides detailed product reviews and recommendations based upon extensive research and our own hands-on testing. We may earn a referral fee when you sign up for or purchase products mentioned in this article.
Mitchel holds a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from The Goizeta School of Business at Emory University and a Masters of Business Administration from The Haas School of Business at The University of California.
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Empower is one of the most popular cash advance apps, offering quick access to up to $300 with no credit check. The app also offers full service banking2, automatic savings and the ability to access your paycheck two days early. Empower gives you a great set of tools to conveniently manage and access your money, but it also charges higher fees than most other apps. Is it worth it? We dig into the details in our Empower app review.
The Empower mobile app offers cash advances from $10 to $300 to eligible users, including gig workers or freelancers.3
Empower also offers a $200 to $400 line of credit, called Thrive, and that limit that may grow to $1,000 so you can have the peace of mind of fast access to larger amount of extra cash. Plus, Empower reports your payment history to major credit bureaus which may help improve your credit score over time.4
Fees may be higher with Empower than some other cash advance apps – including an $8 per month subscription fee and express fees between $1 and $8 depending how much your advance is (or 3% of your advance amount if over $300).
New users can test Empower with a 14-day free trial so you can put the full list of features to the test before making a commitment.
These features include:
- Empower Cash Advances
- Empower Thrive Line of Credit
- Automatic Savings
- Credit Monitoring
- Spend Tracking
After downloading and testing the app, we found the fees to be higher than other cash advance apps. However, Empower may be useful in providing small advances quickly, which may be ideal for covering small emergencies or income gaps.
| 🤓Overdraft Apps Tip: There are two popular, but unrelated finance apps named Empower. Empower cash advance has a peach and black logo. The other Empower is a retirement investing platform (formerly known as Personal Capital), with a red and blue logo that resembles a waving flag. In the wrong place? Click here for the ‘other’ Empower app. |
How do Empower cash advances work?
To access an Empower cash advance, you’ll need to:
- Download the app: 14-day trial is available for first-time users. After this, you’ll need to pay an $8/month subscription fee.
- Connect your bank account: Empower will analyze your linked account via Plaid to create a custom cash advance offer within minutes.
- Accept your advance: Repayments are automatic via your next paycheck. You can change this date in the app. Empower does not charge late fees, but you won’t be able to take out another cash advance until your outstanding advance and fees are repaid
Empower doesn’t use your credit score to define you. You do not need to move your direct deposit to qualify. However, not everyone will qualify for a cash advance. The app considers how often and how much you get paid, your spending habits, and recurring bills you pay, among other things.
Like all cash advance apps, you can increase your chance of a successful application through regular, recurring deposits. These can be from multiple sources which makes Empower a handy app for freelancers or gig workers.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be able to request an instant cash advance up to $300.
Borrow up to $300 instantly >>> Check out Empower for yourself 👈
How much can I borrow from the Empower app?
There are two ways to access money through the Empower app.
- Empower Cash Advance: Offer amounts range from $10 – $300 and are based on Empower’s eligibility requirements. According to Empower, as of 11/30/2023, the average cash advance offer amount is $140. Your cash advance limit can increase as you build up a track record of repaying advances; you can check the amount you have available at any time in the app.
- Empower Thrive: Access a credit line between $200 to $400 with regular credit limit increases by successfully paying at least your minimum payment by the due date.
You can take out more than one Empower advance per month as long as you have fully repaid the previous advance. There are no late fees if you need time to repay, though you won’t be able to access more advances until you’ve repaid.
| 🤓Overdraft Apps Tip: Our testers each qualified for a $75 initial advance, compared to the $20 – $50 initial limit we’ve experienced with most other other apps, like Cleo or Grid Money. We had the $75 in our bank account about 15 minutes after downloading the Empower app! |
What other features does the Empower app offer?
In addition to cash advances, you can also use Empower as a full featured banking app.
Empower is a financial technology company, not a bank so your banking services are provided by nbkc bank. Any balances are insured up to $250,000. There are no minimum balance requirements to open an account.
You’ll also be sent a physical Empower VisaⓇ debit card which can be used at nearly 40,000 in-network ATMs with no fee, and earn up to 10% cashback on certain purchases. Empower does not charge overdraft fees, and if you set up direct deposit of your paycheck to your Empower account, you can access it up to two days before payday.
The app also provides some simple tools and alerts to help you track your bank balance and spending. Empowers AutoSave feature will move money to an Empower account when it looks like you have some extra cash on hand.
Empower also recaps your income and expenses at the end of each month, like a report card for your money. You can also set a monthly spending limit and receive real-time alerts on paychecks, bills, and purchases so you know exactly where and when your money is coming and going at all times.
| 🤓Overdraft Apps Tip: You don’t earn any interest on your Empower savings balance, so you may be better off comparing savings accounts to find one paying a high yield and setting up your own regular transfers. |
What fees does Empower charge?
You’ll face up to three fees for an Empower cash advance, and they can add up.
First, you’ll need to subscribe to Empower for $8/month to access cash advances and the banking features.
Secondly, if you want your money transferred to your external bank account instantly, you’ll need to pay a delivery fee of up to $8 as well.
| Advance Amount | Instant Delivery Fee |
|---|---|
| $0-$10.00 | $1.00 |
| $10.01-$49.99 | $2.00 |
| $50.00 – $74.99 | $3.00 |
| $75.00 – $99.99 | $4.00 |
| $100.00 – $149.99 | $5.00 |
| $150.00 – $199.99 | $6.00 |
| $200.00 – $249.99 | $7.00 |
| $250.00 – $299.99 | $8.00 |
| $300.00 or more | 3% of Advance amount |
Thirdly, Empower will also ask you to leave a tip to help support the service, though this isn’t mandatory.
If you take out one $100 cash advance per month, pay the delivery fee and leave a 15% tip, you’ll owe Empower $28 in fees. We analyzed the costs of borrowing $100 from the 15 most popular cash advance apps and found that the average cost is $15.85. Empower was the most expensive option out of all 15 apps.
After testing the app, we found there are ways to reduce the cost. There is no delivery fee if you access your advance via the Empower debit card or wait 2 – 3 business days to have it sent to your bank account. The tip is optional and leaving a small tip or no tip at all won’t impact your cash advance limit, so it’s up to you whether you decide to tip or not.
To cancel your Empower subscription, you’ll need to go to the Billing section of the app; deleting the app will not cancel your subscription.
Looking to borrow up to $300? >>> Check out the Empower App 👈
How much does a $100 Empower cash advance cost?
Is the Empower app legit?
Yes. The Empower app has over 1 million users and frequently ranks as one of the top 50 most downloaded finance apps in the App Store and Google Play. The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2017 by former venture capitalist Warren Hogarth, who has gone on to raise $175 million in investment to fund the business.
Your money is safe with Empower. It is held in an account with Empower’s partner bank, nbkc bank, and your deposits are insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000. The Empower Visa debit card includes Visa’s Zero Liability Policy, which protects you from unauthorized charges if your card is lost or stolen.
Best cash advance apps like Empower
Empower may be popular, but there are other options if you prefer lower fees with similar (or higher) cash advance limits and no credit check. Here are a few worth checking out:
Why is Cleo one of our favorite cash advance apps?
- Super speed - Get up to $250 in your bank account today!5
- No, No, No! - No credit check, no interest, no tips, no late fees
- 😂 😂 🤣 - Hilarious, smart money advice you might finally listen to
Why is MoneyLion one of our favorite cash advance apps?
- Super speed - You could have up to $500 in your bank account in under 10 minutes!
- No, No, No! - No credit check, no interest, no tips, no late fees
- 🏗️ 💳 💵 - Get the only credit builder loan that gives you up to $1,000 right away, with no hard credit check6
Why have 14 million people ditched their high-fee bank for Chime?
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
Mitchel holds a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from The Goizeta School of Business at Emory University and a Masters of Business Administration from The Haas School of Business at The University of California.
- What Happens If You Can’t Repay a Cash Advance? Costs, Consequences, and How to Stop Automatic Repayments - January 28, 2025
- FloatMe Review – Simple $50 Cash Advances with Low Fees - January 22, 2025
- EarnIn App Review: The Easy Way to Get Cash Before Payday - December 12, 2024
- 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.
- Empower is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by nbkc bank, Member FDIC. Empower Thrive provided by FinWise Bank, Member FDIC.
- Not everyone will qualify for a Cash Advance offer. Offer amounts range from $10 – $300 and are based on Empower’s eligibility requirements. As of 11/30/2023, the average offer amount is $140. Instant delivery is optional, and fees may apply. See Empower’s Terms for instant delivery fee amounts.
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Subject to credit approval. Access to Thrive requires Empower membership of $8 per month. Customers who open a Thrive line of credit will not be eligible for Cash Advance while the line of credit account is open.
Empower reports your payments to the credit bureaus. Failure to make your monthly minimum payments by the payment due date each month may result in negative reporting to the credit bureaus, which may negatively impact your credit score.
If you apply for a Thrive line of credit, Empower performs a soft inquiry on your credit report, which does not impact your credit score.
- Subject to eligibility. Amounts range from $20-$250, and $20-$100 for first time users. Amounts subject to change. Same day transfers subject to express fees.
- When you apply for CreditBuilder Plus, MoneyLion will perform a soft credit pull to review certain financial information. This soft inquiry has no impact to your credit score and may or may not be recorded in your credit reports depending on the bureau. This is unlike a hard credit pull which affects your credit score and can appear on your credit report for two (2) years. Credit score improvement is not guaranteed. A soft credit pull will be conducted that has no impact to your credit score.
- Chime SpotMe is an optional, no fee service that requires a single deposit of $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the Chime Checking Account each month and Visa debit card activation. All qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their account up to $20 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals initially, but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on member's Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your limit. Your limit may change at any time, at Chime's discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe won't cover non-debit card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. See terms and conditions.
- Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.
