8 Alternatives To A Credit Card Cash Advance

When you need money fast, your first thought might be to turn to a credit card cash advance. It's quick, it's easy, and often your credit card issuer virtually seems to be begging to you to borrow, sending you offers and blank checks. But cash advances carry a lot of costs and limitations. So, before going this route, be sure you investigate financing alternatives—like the ones we've listed below. First, though, let's examine the terms of a credit card cash advance, so you can better compare other options.

A credit card cash advance is a cash loan from your credit card issuer. Like any purchase, the cash advance will appear as a transaction on your monthly card statement and interest will accrue until it is paid off.

Significantly, though, the terms for cash advances are different from those of ordinary purchases—and not in your favor. There is usually no grace period for cash advances; the interest starts accumulating from the day of the transaction. Also, the interest rate is usually somewhat higher for cash advances than for everyday purchases.

Details about cash advance fees and terms can be found on the Schumer box for the credit card, which should appear on your card statement or in the original credit card agreement. Here's an example from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It shows that the APR for a cash advance is 19.24%, compared to 15.99% for purchases. The fee is $10 or 5%, whichever is greater.

Another important detail: When a credit card has different types of balances, payments are applied in the manner disclosed by the credit card issuer, not necessarily to the balance the cardholder wants to pay off first. For Sapphire account holders, for example, Chase applies the minimum payment to the balance with the highest APR. Any payment above the minimum is applied "in any way we choose."

These terms mean that, even if you make payments regularly and diligently, it can be hard to pay off the advance, especially if you're continuing to use the card to make purchases too. Getting sucked into an ever-increasing debt spiral is very easy.

Cash advances are sometimes limited to a percentage of the cardholder's credit limit. Each credit card issuer has its own policy and formula for setting cash advance limits. In this example, the cash limit is 20% of the credit limit:

Because of the higher cost of a cash advance, it's worth investigating other income sources. Depending on your creditworthiness and assets, these options may be better or less good than a cash advance. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

1. Loan from friends or family. Consider asking folks close to you for a free or low-interest short-term loan. Yes, asking can be embarrassing, and the loan could come with a lot of emotional strings. It will help to keep things businesslike: Use a properly executed written agreement that spells out all of the terms so both sides know exactly what to expect with regard to cost and repayment.

2. 401(k) loan. At least 87% of 401(k) administrators allow participants to borrow funds from themselves. Interest rates and fees vary by employer and plan administrator but are generally competitive with prevailing personal loan rates (see below). The loan limit is 50% of the funds up to a maximum of $50,000 and repayment is five years or less. There is no credit check, and payments can be set up as automatic deductions from the borrower's paychecks.

3. Roth IRA. While it's not highly recommended, since the funds are supposed to be for retirement, there is a way to Use Your Roth IRA As An Emergency Fund. Because contributions to a Roth are made with after-tax dollars, IRS rules allow you to withdraw that money at any time without penalty and without paying additional tax. If you're under age 59½, though, be sure not to withdraw more than you've actually contributed, even if the account has grown in size. Those earnings are subject to taxes and penalties.

4. Bank personal loan. For a borrower with good or great credit, a personal loan from a bank may be cheaper than a credit card cash advance. Also, the payoff will be faster compared to making credit card minimum payments, further reducing the amount of overall interest paid.

5. Collateral loan. Any loan secured by real assets is a collateral loan, which often has less-stringent credit requirements than an unsecured loan. Home equity loans and lines of credit are secured by your residence's value, for example. Some banks also make loans against the value of a trust or certificate of deposit.

6. Salary advance. Many employers offer low-cost payroll advances as an alternative to more costly traditional payday loans. Fees can be as low as $8 but beware of interest rates: They range from 10% to 165%, which is predatory lender territory. Payments can be set up as automatic paycheck deductions.

7. Peer-to-peer loan. P2P lending, as it has come to be known, is a system in which individuals borrow money from investors, not banks. Credit requirements are less stringent and approval rates are higher. The most expensive loans top out at about 30% APR, plus a 5% loan fee.

8. Payday or title loan. A car title loan should be considered as a last resort due to its astronomical cost, Like title loans, payday loans usually charge interest rates well in the triple digits—300% to 500% and more. The fees on both types of loans can be so unaffordable for borrowers strapped for cash that many renew their loans several times, at an ultimate cost of several times the original loan amount. These two are probably the only loans that the credit card cash advance is actually superior to—except in states where the interest rates on this sort of financing are capped very stringently.

Every short-term loan option has its pros and cons. A cash-flow crunch is a high-stress situation, but that doesn't mean you should give in to panic. Take time to consider all your options. The terms for short-term loans are often tough, financially as well as emotionally. But—depending on your exact needs and timetable—another sort of financing may be preferable to borrowing from your credit card. Credit card cash advances are costly enough that they should only be considered in a true emergency.