30-SECOND SUMMARY: These 5 pay Advance apps make it easy to access your wages without asking your boss for your money early. With no credit checks and fees as low as a few bucks a month, read on for a breakdown of our favourite apps including minimum and maximum loan amounts, repayment cycles, and costs.

Short on cash?

Don’t ask your boss for your wages early. Don’t ask your mates for a loan. And don’t visit the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’.

With a new breed of Pay Advance Apps on the digital market, you can get an advance on the money you’ll earn on your next weekly, fortnightly or monthly paycheck. 

These super convenient alternatives to credit cards (and the high interest they often bring) or personal loans can help you out when you’re facing bills or unforeseen expenses.

So, which payday advance is best for getting $100 of your pay early?

We’ve reviewed:

• BeforePay
• CommBank Advance Pay
• MyPayNow
• WagePay
• Payactiv

Read on for a full breakdown of each Earned Wage Access (EWA) app, tips to get $100, and where to go when you’re ready to get started.

How do pay advance apps work?

Pay-on-demand apps offer quick access to a portion of your wages before your scheduled payday. 

Typically, these apps are linked to your bank account or facilitated through your employer. Whatever you borrow is typically deducted from your next paycheck, so you can focus on the bigger picture without worrying about repayments.

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5 best Australian pay advance apps

#1 – Beforepay: Cash out up to $2,000 of your wages early

Beforepay is one of the biggest players in the “pay advance” game. The app works by giving you up to $2,000 of your pay before payday.

To be eligible, you’ll need to hit the following marks:

• You make at least $300 each week (after tax)
• You have a regular pay schedule (weekly, fortnightly or monthly), and your pay is directly deposited into your account.
• You are a full-time, part-time, casual, or contract worker (including Uber, Uber Eats, and MenuLog).

You’ll also need to pass BeforePay’s ‘Risk Assessment Criteria’. This is based on an analysis of your income, debt, regular expenses, and other spending behaviour.

If you’re eligible, you can request up to $2,000 of your pay early. It’s likely your initial cash out amount will be less than two grand. The more you successfully repay your BeforePay on time, the more likely your cash-out limit will increase.

When it comes to the fine print, there’s no interest on your advance. Instead, a 5% transaction fee is charged on all advances. You can spread repayments across 4 pay cycles so you’re not under immediate pressure to pay back your advance.

#2 – CommBank Advance Pay: Cash out up to $1,000 of your unpaid wages early

Comm Bank is the first of the ‘Big Four Banks’ to offer a “pay advance” feature that lets you cash out your wages early.

A handy alternative to payday loans, you can access a minimum of $300 before your next payday without having to ask your boss for your paycheck early.

To help you stay on top of your finances, CommBank limits how often you can request a CommBank Advance. If you’re paid weekly or fortnightly, you can request your wages early up to eight times a year. If you’re paid monthly, you can request an advance up to four times a year.

To be eligible, you’ll need to have:

• Be registered for NetBank
• Regular income into a CommBank Smart Access or Complete Access account
• Have enough income to meet the $300 minimum borrowing limit
• Be two (or more) days from your next pay date

If you’re not eligible today, don’t stress. You might become eligible later in your pay cycle, so you can apply as many times as you like.

Once approved, your pay advance can be available within seconds, though may take up to one business day. One-off fees of $5 apply for each advance between $300 and $500. This fee rises to $10 for each advance between $501 and $1,000.

Your CommBank advance is automatically repaid the next time you make a deposit into your linked account. If you haven’t repaid your advance by your chosen repayment date, your account will be considered overdrawn. An overdrawn account will incur the debit excess interest rate (14.90% p.a. at the time of writing) applied to your overdrawn balance.

#3 – MyPayNow: Access up to 25% of your wages each pay cycle

MyPayNow is one of the most popular pay advance apps in Australia. With 24/7 deposits, you may have the money you need in as little as 60 seconds each pay cycle.

You can access your funds once per pay cycle and cash advances can range from $50 to $1,250 (up to 25% of your salary). This all happens without involving your employer, so there’s no need to ask the boss for an advance.

There are no sneaky fees or high interest rates with this Australian pay advance app. Instead, you’ll pay a flat 5% transaction fee. For example, if you request $100 you’ll pay a $5 fee. With no credit check, this can be a quick and easy way to cover bills, groceries or any other short-term expenses.

The app is easy to download and you can set up and account in minutes. Once you’re approved (you’ll need to earn a minimum of $450 take-home income per week) the app securely connects with your bank account. Your advance is automatically repaid on your next payday.

#4 – Wagepay: Enjoy 25% of your wages before payday (up to $2,000)

Wagepay offers up to 25% of your wages before payday. With real-time wage deposits available 24/7 you can quickly top up your bank account whether it’s 2pm or 2am. 

There are no credit checks to download and use Wagepay. Instead, the app securely connects with your bank account and looks at your account history and spending. Without involving your boss, your personal life stays personal.

Unlike some of the other Australian cash advance apps, Wagepay comes with a suite of extra tools to help you stay on top of your finances. These include:

• Loyalty Programs
• Real-Time Direct Debits
• Tiered Pricing
• Credit Scores
• Credit Boosting Tips
• Budgeting (Coming Soon)

Over $150 million has been advanced to Aussie customers across Wagepay’s three tiered system. Through good financial management skills and on-time payments, you may be able to move up to the next tier. This unlocks more features including higher borrowing limits (capped at $2,000) and free access to your credit score.

Cash advances start at $100 with a flat 5% fee. So, if you request $100 you’ll pay a $5 fee. Wagepay also charges 24% p.a. – which is more than the MyPayNow app which only charges a 5% transaction fee.

According to Wagepay, “some selected clients are offered a reduced establishment fee and interest rate based on their repayment history and the number of advances previously repaid. If you qualify for this, we will let you know when you apply for an advance and the offer will be automatically applied for you.”

#5 – Payactiv: Cash out up to %50 of your earned wages before payday

You’ve earned it, so you deserve it.

That’s payactiv’s motto, with the app offering free accounts to help you avoid predatory fees and penalties. Over $5 billion has been advanced to Aussie employees with a range of ways to get paid.

Available in Australia after first launching in the US in 2012, payactiv is typically set up through your employer – unlike other apps on this list that keep your advance separate from your work. You can easily track your hours worked and review your available earnings.

There are no subscription fees or contracts to worry about. Instead, you can request two withdrawals per pay period and a maximum withdrawal up to $500. Whether your pay cycle is weekly, fortnightly or monthly, getting your wages early can be a lifesaver.

You’ll be charged $5 per fortnight for accessing your pay early. If you choose not to request an advance, you won’t pay anything.

Once set up and approved – even if your employer isn’t enrolled in Payactiv, you can apply for the Payactiv Visa Card* and receive your paycheck up to 2 days early – there are multiple ways to get your money.

You can transfer your earned funds to any bank account, prepaid card or debit card. You can also load them onto an optional PayActiv prepaid Visa card. There’s no additional cost for getting the Visa card.

Read our full Payactiv Review

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