Payday Loans vs. Cash Advances - What's the Difference?

In the world of short-term loans, a cash advance and a payday
loan are the same thing; both of these terms refer to a type of
loan that is based off your next paycheck. This class of loans
allows you to get an advance on your next paycheck without any
real form of collateral aside from your job, and has become an
increasingly popular form of financing for consumers nationwide.

However, cash advance loans and a credit card cash advances are
not the same thing by any means. Just as the name of the second
product suggests, the source of the funds comes directly from
your credit card - provided you have a credit card that will
allow you to take a cash advance out against your existing line
of credit. These cash advances often have many stipulations that
are buried deep within your cardholder agreement, so it's
important to review the agreement to be sure that you understand
what you're getting into ahead of time.

Common stipulations include: *	Activation of cash advance
feature (this can include a wait time for a PIN) *	Additional
fees assessed to your account when you take out your first cash
advance *	Additional fees assessed to your account for each
billing cycle that your cash advance plus interest are not paid
in full *	Increased interest rates for both cash advances and
purchases

Every bank is different, so before you consider taking out a
cash advance using your credit card it would be wise to call
your issuing bank and ask them what the consequences would be if
you chose to finance your needs using a credit card cash
advance. Alternatively, it might be smarter (and safer) to
choose a cash advance loan issued by a company apart from your
credit card company so as not to suffer any of the negative
consequences.

Cash advance loans do not require a credit check, nor do they
post any report to the various credit bureaus if you honor your
loan agreement. This is the definitive difference between a cash
advance loan and a credit card cash advance - with the loan you
receive no bureau reporting, with the credit card you do. This
is important because any inquiries or updates to you credit
report can cause the interest rates on your credit cards,
mortgage loans, etc. to skyrocket. Again, this varies from
company to company, but in many cases this is written into your
contract so it's important to consult your current lenders
before you make the decision.

In the end, it's generally safer just to get a cash advance loan
from a company that specializes in cash advances. Because
there's no bureau reporting or credit check, no one will ever
know that you took the loan out unless you tell them. The
interest on these loans is also comparable to or even lower than
the interest that you would pay on a credit card cash advance,
so it's easy to see why this sort of loan is becoming a popular
choice for consumers today.