Six Best Cash Advance Apps That Don't Use Plaid

Plaid is known for its simplicity and strong encryption, but it’s also taken heat over how it handles user data, including a major class-action lawsuit. That shook up its business model and led to a hefty fine. So it’s totally fair if you’re still wary about data privacy.

That’s why we’re diving into cash advance apps, like Current, that don’t use Plaid to connect to your bank. We’ll break down six apps that link to your checking account securely, no Plaid involved. Plus, we’ll give you a quick rundown of how each one works, what they offer, and who’s eligible.

Best: Current

Although Current primarily uses Plaid, it also offers an alternative method for linking bank accounts using debit cards. This process is done manually and does not involve Plaid.

Current Overdrive

Current has their Overdrive™ feature, which grants access to up to $200 without incurring overdraft fees. To be eligible, you must receive $500 or more in qualifying deposits into your current account within the past 30 days. Beyond its borrowing feature, Current boasts saving pods with competitive APY rates, a credit builder card, a points program, and the opportunity to receive your salary up to two days earlier.

• Advance amount: Between $25 to $200
• Processing time: Immediate
• Repayment date: Within 60 days.
• Membership fee: None
• More info: Read our Current review or visit the Current website
• FDIC-insured parter: Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC

2nd Best: Dave

The Dave app allows manual linking of your bank account by entering your account number and routing number. After this, Dave sends two small deposits to your account. You need to confirm these micro-deposit amounts to successfully link your account.

Dave ExtraCash™

Dave members can use the ExtraCash™ service to get up to a $500 cash advance transferred immediately to your account, free of interest charges or late fees. You can increase your eligibility for cash advances when you link your bank and have a 60-day account history of positive balances. A consistent income history and responsible spending habits will also improve your profile. One advantage is that Dave won't need a credit check from you to qualify.

• Advance amount: Up to $500 per pay period
• Processing time: 2-3 banking days. Instant feature expedites the process for $0.99-$3.99
• Repayment date: Your next payday
• Membership fee: $1.00 per month
• More info: Read our Dave comparison guide or visit the Dave website
• FDIC-insured parter: Evolve Bank & Trust, Member FDIC

3rd Best: B9

B9 offers two options: First, you can use B9's internal search engine to find your employer or payroll company to set up the link. Alternatively, you can opt for the manual deposit switch option. In this case, you'll receive a direct deposit form via email, which you can give to your employer to set up manual deposits.

B9 Advance℠

B9 Advance℠ is an optional cash advance service that allows members to qualify for cash advances between $30 to $100. To be a member, you'll need to pay $9.99 per month for the Basic Plan. To qualify for cash advances from $30 to $500, you'll first need to become a Premium Plan member for $19.99 per month. You'll be able to apply for an advance once you receive at least one direct deposit into your B9 account.

• Advance amount: Between $30 to $500
• Processing time: Within 1 hour
• Repayment date: Deducted from your next paycheck.
• Membership fee: $9.99 or $19.99 per month
• More info: Compare payday apps or visit the website
• FDIC-insured parter: Evolve Bank & Trust, Member FDIC

4th Best: MoneyLion

MoneyLion has a built-in search bar to find your bank. However, they recently partnered with Plaid to link bank accounts. Your best option now will be to link an account manually with its associated debit card. However, there is a 2.5% fee for adding money to your MoneyLion account using an external debit card, with a minimum fee of $0.25.

MoneyLion Instacash

You can qualify for Instacash in two ways. You can either link you bank account to MoneyLion with their built-in system. Or, you can sign up for a "RoarMoney" MoneyLion mobile banking account. The more regular direct deposits you receive in your checking account, and the larger the dollar amount, the more Instacash you will qualify for.

• Advance amount: $25 to $1,000
• Processing time: 1-5 banking days. Instant feature expedites the process for $0.49-$8.99
• Repayment date: Set in-app, deferrable up to 2 weeks
• Membership fee: $1.00 per month
• More info: Compare payday apps or visit the website
• FDIC-insured parter: Pathward, National Association, Member FDIC

5th Best: Cash App

Linking a bank account with Cash App is done manually by inputting your account number and routing number. Following this, Cash App sends two small deposits to your account, which you need to confirm to complete the linking process. Cash App also allows you to manually link a bank account via debit card.

Cash App Borrow

Cash App has their "Borrow" loan service which allows eligible customers to access up to $200 when needed. Cash App charges a flat 5% fee for the loan, with a 1.25% finance charge per week if the loan is not paid back before the 4-week deadline. Note that this feature might not be accessible to all customers as it is currently available only to eligible users in specific states. In addition to its borrowing feature, Cash App has a direct deposit service that enables you to receive your earnings from your employer up to two days before the official payday.

• Advance amount: Between $20 to $200
• Processing time: Immediate
• Repayment deadline: Within 4 weeks
• Membership fee: None
• More info: Read our Cash App guide or visit the Cash App website
• FDIC-insured parter: Sutton Bank, Member FDIC

6th Best: DailyPay

DailyPay uses its internal system to help you locate your employer. After verifying your identity, your employer can set up direct deposits with DailyPay, allowing you to receive funds. It also links to Visa and Mastercard debit cards.

DailyPay On Demand Pay

DailyPay does not provide fixed cash advances like the other apps on this list. Instead, it works directly with several employers in the US. Your employer will be able to advance money from pay that has already been earned but has not been distributed yet.

Rather than get paid under a traditional monthly or bi-monthly paycheck calendar, DailyPay will track approved hours worked so you can build up a balance in your DailyPay account each day. That balance can be left in your DailyPay account, or you can transfer it to a bank account or debit card.

• Transferable amount: 100% of earned income
• Processing time: 1 business day. Instant feature expedites the process for $3.49
• Repayment deadline: N/A
• Membership fee: None
• More info: Compare payday apps or visit the DailyPay website
• FDIC-insured parter: The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC

What Is Plaid, Anyway?

Plaid is a financial technology platform (recently acquired by VISA) that authenticates your login credentials directly with your bank when you use a third-party app. Financial apps include the likes of Chime, Betterment, Venmo, and many more.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Plaid has grown to partner with over 12,000 financial institutions in the United States.

How Does Plaid Work?

When you want to link your primary checking account to a third-party financial app (like Current), Plaid will let you do so by using your bank login username and password. This is usually instantaneous, making it more convenient than linking bank accounts manually with account number, routing number, and micro deposits.

Once you enter your credentials, Plaid encrypts this information and works behind the scenes to link the app with your bank. This connection enables the app to access important account details, including the following:

• Your account and routing numbers;
• Account balance;
• Transaction history;
• Information on personal loans and credit cards;
• Investment holdings;
• Identity information for fraud prevention purposes.

Is Plaid Safe to Use?

Plaid is considered a secure option in the financial technology sector. Plaid employs best-in-class encryption protocols, such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES 256) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), to protect your information. These measures protect your financial data, and keep sensitive data secure even in the rare event of a database compromise.

However, it's important to note that Plaid did face a class-action lawsuit in 2020 over allegations of improperly gathering customers’ login data. Plaid has since claimed no wrongdoing but agreed to make changes to minimize the data it collects and stores.

Which Cash Advance Apps DO Use Plaid?

These are some of the best apps on the market that do use Plaid security technology to link to your main bank account. Brigit doubles as a good budgeting app, while Empower is well-rated by customers and Vola offers up to $500 in advances.

1. Brigit Instant Cash

Brigit's Instant Cash feature offers a $250 cash advance for qualifying Plus members. Brigit offers a free plan, which comes with financial planning tools to monitor spending and a marketplace for opportunities to earn extra income. Only Plus members can access Brigit's cash advances, fee-free overdrafts, and credit builder. If you often find yourself losing money to overdraft fees from your main bank, Brigit may be the right app for you.

• Advance amount: Up to $250
• Processing time: 2-3 banking days. Instant feature expedites the process for $0.99-$3.99
• Repayment date: Flexible due date that aligns with income schedule
• Membership fee: $9.99 per month for Plus

Brigit works by integrating with your primary bank accounts. As long as it can confirm that your account has been active for at least 60 days, has a balance above $0, and has 3 recurring deposits from the same source, you may be approved for a cash advance.

One great aspect about Brigit is that it is open to US residents. Like Chime® and Dave, you'll get access to a catalog of side gigs that you can choose from to get some extra income.

• More info: read our Brigit comparison guide or visit the Brigit website
• FDIC-insured parter: Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC

2. Empower Cash Advance

Empower provides you with cash advances by linking your primary bank account via Plaid. Empower then determines your eligibility for a cash advance by reviewing your transaction history and a consistent source of income. Cash Advance offers range between $10 - $250.

• Advance amount: Up to $250 per pay period
• Processing time: 2-5 banking days. "Instant" delivery for $1.00-$8.00
• Repayment date: Empower sets a flexible date within the app
• Membership fee: $8

Empower sets a repayment date, which you will be able to review before taking the cash advance. If you do not pay on time, you will be able to re-set the date, and Empower will not charge late fees or interest.

• More info: visit the Empower website
• FDIC-insured parter: nbkc bank, Member FDIC

3. Vola Instant Advance

Vola offers advances if your account with them is more than 3 months old, has activity on most days of the week, and has an average balance of over $150. It runs on a transparent subscription fee of $1.99 per month.

• Advance amount: Up to $500
• Processing time: Within 5 business hours. No instant transfer fees.
• Repayment date: Select your own date, within 15 to 30 days.
• Membership fee: $1.99

Perhaps the best perk of Vola is that it does not charge extra fees for its instant fees. If you request a cash advance by bank transfer, then you should receive it within 5 business hours. If you request it to your debit card, then the transfer should be instant — again with no instant or express fee.

In addition, the app comes with tools to build credit scores by reporting eligible payments like rent and utilities.

• More info: visit the Vola website
• FDIC-insured parter: Not specified

Why You Shouldn't Use Gerald (Plaid-Based)

While Gerald is often promoted by algorithms as a convenient cash advance app, it has several drawbacks. Gerald uses Plaid, but this is not the reason why we recommend against it.

The main reason is that Gerald lacks an FDIC-partnered bank. This raises our concerns about the safety and security of customer funds in the case of insolvency.

The app does not prominently advertize its $9.99 monthly fee on its homepage, leaving some customers feeling misled. Additionally, its customer support is limited to email and chat, with no phone support.

Lastly, a major downside is the requirement to spend a portion of the cash advance in Gerald's Cornerstore, restricting how you can access your funds.

These factors make it less appealing compared to other cash advance apps with more transparent policies and FDIC-partner bank support.

Bottom Line: Cash Advance Apps That Don't Use Plaid

Plaid is super common in the U.S. for linking bank accounts to financial apps. But if you’d rather steer clear because of privacy concerns, you’re not alone. The cash advance apps in this guide use other methods to connect to your bank, no Plaid needed.

• Dave is a membership-based app that allows manual linking with micro deposits.
• Current charges no overdraft fees and allows manual linking by debit card.
• B9 and DailyPay are employer-provided solutions that have manual capabilities.
• Cash App offers both manual linking to bank accounts or debit cards, and offers a loan advance to qualifying customers.
• MoneyLion is a membership-based app that uses Plaid, but allows manual linking by debit card or bypasses Plaid if you sign up for a MoneyLion RoarMoney account.

References Used In This Guide

Connecting your external account. Dave. Accessed on 26 January 2024.
How to set up direct deposit via B9 app. B9. Accessed on 26 January 2024.
MoneyLion Pricing. MoneyLion. Accessed on 26 January 2024.
How Do I Link My Bank Account? MoneyLion. Accessed on 26 January 2024.
FAQ. DailyPay. Accessed on 26 January 2024.
Add Bank Account. Cash App. Accessed on 26 January 2024.