How to Get a $250 Albert Cash Advance (+ 5 Apps Like Albert)

A step-by-step guide for getting an Albert cash advance and the best alternative apps like Albert

Sometimes emergencies happen, and you need money fast. Maybe you have an unexpected bill, or your car breaks down and needs to be fixed.

When you’re short on cash, taking out a payday loan can be tempting. But payday loans come with very high-interest rates and fees, which can trap you in a cycle of debt.

Albert cash advance – Albert Instant, can loan you up to $250 right when you need it most. Plus, with features like online banking, saving, and investing, you can easily stay on top of your finances even when you’re in a tight spot.

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What is the Albert app?

The Albert app prides itself on being a simple way to bank, save, and invest. They want to make handling money as easy as possible for their customers!

More than that, they want to help all Americans with their money, especially those customers that have been overlooked by large financial institutions. Albert proudly states, “We believe giving people affordable access to expert guidance can save us all enormous amounts of money and set us on the right financial path.”

Albert is also a cash advance app that helps you when you’re in a tight financial spot. You can get money quickly without falling into a payday loan trap. You see, Albert also has more in common with online budgeting apps than straightforward cash advance apps.

Albert also offers a subscription plan, Genius, which helps guide users on budgeting, saving, and investing. They want you to pay what’s fair for this service. “By charging a small fee, we’re able to provide a range of personalized financial services and products to our subscribers at a cost that’s affordable to them.” Yet, it’s important to note that $8 is the minimum you can offer. Many people choose to pay more, which is great because that means they can help more people.

It’s important to note that Albert isn’t a bank; it’s a tech company that uses Sutton Bank to hold all customer’s funds. This may seem like an odd arrangement, but it is becoming a lot more common for tech companies to manage one side of the business (the part they’re good at) and partner with a bank to do what they are good at (safely holding money).

How does Albert app cash advance work?

Many people know Albert as being a small personal loan app. They’ll send up to $250 from your next paycheck straight to your bank account. You can pay a small fee to get your money instantly or get cash within 2-3 days for free. It’s totally up to you. Another great thing about the advance is that there’s no credit check; your credit score isn’t affected at all. Which is great news if you think you have bad credit.

It’s important to note that not everyone will qualify for the full $250, and even if you qualify for that amount once, it may change in the future. It all depends on your income; if your income goes up, then so does your cash advance limit. If your income goes down, so with your Albert cash advance limit.

Also, be aware that if your paycheck gets put on a prepaid card, that will not qualify as the “direct deposit” needed to get an Instant cash advance.

How do I qualify for Albert cash advance?

Even though it’s very easy to get an Albert cash advance, there are still a few requirements that you need to meet. Here’s what they say…

• Your income check is direct deposited into your connected bank account.
• Your connected bank account has been open for at least two months and has a balance greater than $0 (no negative balance).
• You’ve received consistent income in the past two months from the same employer.
• Your recent paycheck was received on time and funds are available 24 hours after your payday.

Some people may not immediately qualify for the full amount of an Albert Advance, but that can change as they are constantly monitoring accounts and updating eligibility all the time. Be sure to have your notifications on, as they’ll alert you when you become eligible.

The great news is that you don’t have to have their Genius subscription to qualify for the advance cash option. Anyone that uses Albert can qualify.

Here’s how to request an Albert cash advance…

Step One: Go to the home screen and tap “instant,” it will ask you how much you want – $15, $20, $25, or enter an amount. Pick which one you want (remember, you won’t qualify for the full $250 amount right away).

Step Two: It will then ask you if you want it in 2-3 days (fee free) or if you want it instantly for a small fee (i.e., $4.99, which you will repay at the end of the loan period).

Step Three: It will let you know your repayment date (remember they’ll automatically take it from your next paycheck) – more on that below). Accept this option or close out.

Step Four: At the final screen, it will give you a summary of the transaction; swipe to confirm. They say it may take up to 10 minutes for the amount to post to your account.

Step Five: your Albert cash advance is set up for auto-payment. They’ll take the money back on your next payday, so you don’t have to do a thing. This is the default setting, but you can always manually pay it back before the due date).

Other ways to earn money with Albert

Albert isn’t just a cash advance app – it has so much more going for it. In addition to being a great online banking, saving, and investing platform, you can also earn a bit of extra cash with it!

I will say that some of the bonuses may not always be offered; they come and go, so if you see it be sure to jump on it!

Albert Genius sign up bonus

You can also set up Albert Genius, which is a team of real humans that works with technology to provide you with honest and personalized financial advice.

When you sign up for Albert, you’ll get a free 30-day trial of Genius, so you can try it out. But be sure and cancel before 30 days if you don’t want to pay the monthly fee of $8. Remember, with Genius; you pay what you think is fair ($8 being the minimum).

If you sign up for Albert Genius and choose the yearly option, you will receive a one-time cash bonus in your Albert cash account. This amount may change, as they don’t directly disclose the bonus amount. In looking at what customers have received for their bonus, I’ve seen as high as $150.

How to earn the Albert referral bonus

Albert offers a great referral program. When you refer a friend, and they sign up for an Albert account, you’ll both get a cash bonus deposited into your Albert cash account. The exact amount fluctuates, but many say that it was $150.

To share your referral code and earn a referral bonus for referring a friend…

1. Open the Albert app
2. Go to the profile tab
3. Tap “Invite friends”
4. You’ll be prompted to sync your contacts
5. Refer as many friends as you’d like to earn up to $1,500!

Even though you sent the code, your friend must fulfill the requirements for you both to get the bonus…

• They must be new to Albert.
• They must sign up with your link within 90 days of you sending the link.
• Your friend must sign up for direct deposit and receive a qualifying deposit of $500 or more every 30 days for 90 consecutive days.
• Your referral uses their cash card to spend $200 or more on qualifying goods or services every 30 days during the same 90-day period.
• They complete all requirements within 150 days of joining Albert.

I know this sounds complicated, but it basically means they need to be active on their account. And if you use it like you would any other bank, then it should be no problem to meet the requirements.

Cash Card – earn cash back on your purchases

Genius subscribers get cash back on gas️, groceries, delivery, and more when they spend on their Albert debit card. Subscribers earn an average of $2.00 per tank of gas and $1.50 per fast food order.

This is great as you don’t usually earn rewards with debit-style cards.

Other benefits of being an Albert customer

Free ATMs

Genius subscribers can withdraw cash fee-free at 55,000+ ATMs with your Albert card. (Fees may still apply at out-of-network ATMs). Remember, you can earn cash back with your Albert MasterCard.

Easy investing

You can start investing with as little as $1 with Albert! You can choose individual stocks or invest in themes – like women-led and sustainable companies.

You can choose auto-investing (so you never forget to invest in your goals), or you can have Genius create a portfolio plan for you (easy peasy). With Genius, you answer a few questions about your goals and needs, and they guide you on the best plan.

Albert fees

This is one of the best parts about being with Albert…

• No minimum balance requirements (means zero fees)
• No monthly maintenance fees
• Get fee-free cash advances (no late fees either if you’re late paying it back).
  
  

Early Payday

When you set up your workplace to direct deposit your check with Albert, you can access your funds two days earlier than with a traditional bank. Those two days can make a big difference when you’re in a bind!

Risks of payday loans and cash advance apps

Even though Albert is a great cash advance app, it’s important to note that there are still some risks associated with taking out a loan.

First, you should always make sure to read the terms and conditions of any loan agreement before signing up. Albert has very transparent terms and conditions, but be sure to read through those thoroughly.

Cash advance apps are the new era of old-fashioned payday loans, which I highly suggest you stay far away from those places. Payday loans can indeed get you money, but the interest rates are huge, making it very hard for you to get out from under the contract that you signed with them.

Consumer Finance states, “Many state laws set a maximum amount for payday loan fees ranging from $10 to $30 for every $100 borrowed. A typical two-week payday loan with a $15 per $100 fee equates to an annual percentage rate (APR) of almost 400 percent.”

That is absolutely crazy. So please don’t pay 400% on a payday loan. Instead, you should try a cash advance app with much better rates. You may not be able to get as much of a loan amount, but the terms are a lot better.

Or if your credit allows it, get a new credit card. APRs on credit cards can range from about 12 percent to about 30 percent. Lending Tree says, “The average APR for all accounts in the third quarter of 2022 was 16.27%.”

Remember, most Americans carry a balance on their credit card, earning interest. So you’re still paying money for the privilege of borrowing, but it’s cheaper than a payday loan. BUT, a cash advance app loan is the cheapest option (especially if you choose to receive the money in 2-3 days, which is usually free).

Also, don’t forget that payday loans and credit cards affect your credit report. Using a cash advance app like Albert doesn’t affect your credit.

If you cannot repay your Albert Instant loan (overdue by 15 days or more), your account will be suspended from using Instant advance again (for up to 30-90 days from when you repay the loan). So you’ll be grounded from borrowing money again for a while.

What to look for in a cash advance app like Albert

• Functionality – do they do more than just loan money? Albert is nice in that budgeting, saving, investing, and borrowing are all rolled into one platform.
• Fees – be sure you know what you can be charged for – monthly maintenance fee, minimum balance fee, fees to borrow, fees to invest, fees with their cash card, ATM fees, transaction/trading fees, etc.
• Security – Albert has bank-level encryption and security measures in place to protect your data.
• Customer service – how can you get ahold of someone? Chat, call, email, or text help?
• Accessibility – Can you get it on both mobile and desktop?
• Reviews – people love to share their opinions, so read up on the latest reviews to get a good idea if people like the app.
  
  

Apps like Albert

Let’s get straight to it, what are the best apps like Albert that you can use to get a cash advance. Here are our top picks…

Albert may not be exactly what you’re looking for, no worries, as there are a handful of apps like Albert. Let’s go through the comparison chart, and then we’ll review each one individually.

Name	Plan required to borrow?	Loan amount	Early payday	Overdraft protection?	Other features
Albert	Not required	up to $250	2 days	Not automatic	– Budgeting – Saving – Investing – Cashback – Pro advice w/ plan
Current	Not required	up to $200	2 days	Yes	– Cashback – Teen plan – 4% HY savings – Crypto
Chime	Not required	up to $200	2 days	Yes	– Credit builder – 2% HY savings -P2P transfer
Brigit	Yes – $9.99 mo	$250	No	Yes	– Credit builder – ID theft protection
Cash App	5% loan fee	up to $200	2 days	Not automatic	– Cashback boosts – Investing – P2P transfer
Cleo	$5.99 mo – basic $14.99 mo -credit builder – student discount avail	$100	No	Not automatic	– Budgeting – Savings – Cashback – Credit Builder

1. Current

Current is another banking app that aims to win your banking business. They don’t specifically focus on budgeting (as Albert odes), but they offer features like…

• High-interest saving rates – 4% APY (which is very high = great) in the Savings Pods (three pods only, you can also enable the transaction round-up feature and automatic savings.
• Buy and sell crypto right inside the app (without trading fees), and you start with as little as $1.
• For banking – there are no overdraft fees, no minimum balance fees, and no peer-to-peer in app transfer fees. The advertise their “no hidden fees” approach. But there are a couple to be aware of … 1) Out-of-network cash withdrawal fees apply. 2) Third-party and adding cash fees may apply.
• Their debit card has cash-back point offers at over 14,000 merchants nationwide. You can then redeem these for cash in the Current app.
• Teen banking option with a Current Visa debit card. Parents can directly transfer for allowances, monitor their child’s spending inside the app, block specific merchants, and set spending limits. Teen accounts also have access to Saving Pods and automatic round-up savings.
• Current pay – their peer-to-peer lending capabilities (similar to Cash App)
• Faster direct deposit – with Current, you can get paid up to 2 days early (compared to traditional banks) when you sign up for direct deposit with your Current Account.
• Simple budgets – you can set up a budget for a single category or your whole household.
• Overdrive – this is Current’s overdraft protection feature, where you can get up to $200 covered. To set this up, you need to have a qualifying direct deposit of $500 or more to your Current account. This fee-free coverage option applies to debit card purchases and ACH transfers but not ATM withdrawals or checks.
  

You can get Current on Android or get Current on iOS

Their Overdrive feature is the one that we want to focus on. Even though it isn’t specifically a cash advance, it’s very similar. You can get from $25 to $200 advanced to exactly when you need it. So can avoid any overdraft fee. You can increase your limit by actively using your Current account features (i.e., debit card), but you cannot request a limit increase.

Again, this is a fee-free feature, and there’s no monthly subscription that you need to buy into in order to qualify (as with other apps). The only requirement is that you have the qualifying deposit. Overdrive is not available for teen accounts.

Albert vs. Current

Current does have a lot of nice features (without a subscription, I might add), yet their cash advance option is limited to their overdraft protection program, Overdrive.

I really like that Current has a Teen program and a high-interest savings option with pods (so you can save in buckets for multiple things). But each account is limited to three pods, and the high-interest account is limited to earning up to $2,000 of deposits per pod.

Get Current on Android

Get Current on iOS

Current is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC.

2. Chime

I know waiting for your paycheck to hit your bank can sometimes seem like forever. But when you bank through Chime^® and set up direct deposit, you can get paid up to 2 days earlier than you would with some traditional banks.

Not only that, but you can also get some extra peace of mind with Chime’s SpotMe^® coverage (this is an optional service). Here, Chime spots eligible members up to $200 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals (without overdraft fees).*

So when you’re buying that cold medicine (or chocolate cake) at the grocery store, Chime has your back. Chime will spot you when you need that extra little cushion to cover an expense.

They’ll simply use your next deposit to bring your balance back up. The best part is that there’s no fee to use SpotMe.

Chime members who receive at least one qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to the Chime Checking Account each month are eligible to enroll. Your SpotMe limit starts at $20 and can be increased up to $200. (Your friends that are on Chime can give you a boost to help raise your limit).

Other factors influencing your SpotMe limit are based on the member’s Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity, and other risk-based factors. They’ll notify you if your SpotMe limit has changed, so keep an eye out for those notifications.

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.

^Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. Chime generally makes these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

*Chime SpotMe is an optional service that requires a single deposit of $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the Chime Checking Account each month. 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 the 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.

Click to learn more about Chime’s SpotMe

If you already have Chime and are looking for a payday loan app that works with Chime as the verifying bank account. Then there are options for you, check out the link and find your best fit.

3. Brigit

Brigit is a very similar app to Albert, yet its focus is on helping you build your credit, not general finance like Albert. They say they save each member an average of $344 annually from overdraft fees. Here are their plans…

Free plan – Get alerts, budgeting tools, financial insights, extra income opportunities in your area, and more.

Plus Plan – This is $9.99 a month; access everything in the Free Plan – plus get quick cash, build your credit, get $1M ID theft insurance, and more.

The Plus Plan gives you access to their Instant Cash, Credit Builder, auto advances (overdraft coverage), and identity theft protection. Since we’re just looking at their cash advance feature, let’s dig into that.

Brigit Instant Cash

With Brigit’s Instant Cash program, you can get up to $250 instantly. There’s no interest charged or late fees, and you can get an extension to pay back the amount if you need it. As with the Albert App, you can get the cash advance free in 2-3 days, or you can pay a small fee and get the money instantly.

Requirements for Instant Cash:

• Your account has to be active for at least 60 days
• Have a balance above $0
• Have had three recurring direct deposits from the same source
• Have a checking account that you link Brigit to has to be at least 60 days old as well
• A minimum average end-of-day balance (in your regular checking account) on days you receive your paycheck to make sure you can repay Brigit on time.

With those things being met, you should be approved for the cash advance.

For the Cash Advance, they determine what amount you’ll be approved to borrow, up to $250. You cannot request to have your limit increased. It is what it is.

For repayment, you can choose the date (within the range they give you). They’ll send you a reminder two days before they try and withdraw that amount from your bank. You can always repay it earlier if you’d like. If you cannot repay the amount, you can request an extension.

Brigit Auto Advance

It’s important to know that their auto advance feature is different than their Instant Cash feature. This is sort of like overdraft protection, as they can predict (from info on previous direct deposits and bills) when you might overdraft. They go in and automatically cover it for you.

But to be approved for an auto advance, you must first be approved for Instant Cash. You can also only get one Auto Advance at a time.

Brigit does not accept the following as qualifying banks to link to your new Brigit account: Chime, Net Spend, and Varo. (These are basically apps that have banking partners, just like Brigit).

If you want to know more about Brigit, we go into the app in more detail right here.

Albert vs. Brigit:

While both apps have a cash advance option, both have a max of $250. Albert’s features a more holistic money management approach with more budgeting and saving resources. In comparison, Brigit focuses on building your credit, with minimal budgeting & saving tools available.

So which one should you get? It depends on your financial goals. Albert doesn’t specifically have a credit-building feature, but better money habits should get you there. But Brigit’s credit feature might get you a higher credit score faster.

Learn more about Brigit cash advance

Brigit is a tech app; Coastal Community Bank, member FDIC, handles all banking features and services.

4. Cash App

Cash App originally started as a peer-to-peer payment platform (like Venmo). But they have added other features that make it more than just a payment app. Let’s take a look at their features…

• Free peer-to-peer payments.
• Spend using your Cash Card – use it as a debit card; you can even earn cash back bonus offers with Boost.
• Banking has no monthly fees and no overdraft fees
• Get paid up to 2 days earlier (than compared with traditional banks) when you have direct deposit set up.
• Invest – either in stocks or Bitcoin through the app. You can also round up your Cash Card transactions and use that money to invest. You can start investing with as little as $1; you can even gift stocks to other users, just as you would cash. You can also set up an auto investing option and have a portion of your direct deposit paycheck go into buying Bitcoin.
• Some users have mobile check deposit feature, which is nice when you’re looking for an easy way to cash a paper check.
• Available for those 13 yrs and older. They offer family accounts – where parents can monitor their child’s Cash App activity, but that’s it.
• You can earn referral money when your friend signs up with your link and completes the referral bonus steps (you can read about Cash App’s free money code right here).
• Cash App Borrow – this is their cash advance option; see below for full details.

While getting your paycheck two days early is a great feature, Cash App knows they need to offer more to their customers. They are in the developing stages of Cash App Borrow, which is their cash advance feature. However, this isn’t available to every user.

Go to the app’s Money tab to see if you are eligible for Borrow. To do this, click your account balance (bottom left corner) and scroll down to “more ways to add money.” If you’re eligible, it will be listed there. Again, this has a limited rollout.

If you are eligible, you can borrow from $20 up to $200. You have four weeks to pay it back, along with the 5% fee. They also charge a 1.25 – 1.5% late fee, charged weekly after a one-week grace period.

I know having a fee for this service is a bummer, but consider that other apps charge a subscription fee to be eligible, while Cash App doesn’t. They have to earn income from this somehow, so they charge a fee (which is totally reasonable). However, the fee does equate to a rather high percentage (but nowhere near the payday loan level).

For example, if you borrowed $100, that would be…

• interest rate/principal amount borrowed –>
• divided by the number of days of the loan –>
• multiplied by 365 days (one year) –>
• multiplied by 100 (to give you the percent)

.05 / 100 –> /28 days –> x 365 –> x 100 = 65% APR

So this is much lower than a payday loan but a higher APR than a credit card.

If you are enrolled in automatic payments and do not pay off the Cash App Borrow loan by your due date, Cash App may deduct the loan balance from your Cash App balance or debit card. Cash App may also suspend you from the platform until the loan and any finance charges are paid in full.

Cash App’s latest borrowers agreement says that using their borrow feature “may result in an inquiry on your credit report that may affect your credit score.” So it’s a little unclear if, indeed, they do pull your credit.

You can sign up for Cash App right here, and when you use code NRTZMHV you get a free $5 bonus!

Albert vs. Cash App

If you’re looking for money management help, then Albert is the way to go. Yet, if you already have a solid budgeting and savings practice, then you may not need all of Albert’s features. Then Cash App is the way to go. Besides, there are a lot of ways to earn money with Cash App, more so than Albert.

For cash advances, Albert costs $8 minimum for Genius, and Cash App is 5%

Cash App is not a bank; they are a tech company that partners with Sutton Bank and Lincoln Savings Bank, Members FDIC.

5. Cleo

Cleo is your smart-talking A.I. money assistant! She gives it to you straight on budgeting, saving, and building credit. She’ll message you during the day about your purchases and saving and won’t let you slack off. Tough love is the name of her game, but you can always switch your A.I. helpers tone to be “encouraging,” too.

With their Credit Builder subscription ($14.99 per month), you can get up to $120 (there are eligibility requirements). If you’re a student, you can get a discount on their Credit Builder program too, so be sure to look for that!

With Cleo Plus (only $5.99 per month), you can borrow $20 – $100 with their “spot me money” options. There’s no credit check AND no interest! Even if you’re not immediately approved, they give tips to improve your eligibility, and you can reapply for a cash advance in a few days.

I know subscriptions are tough when you’re short on money, but $5.99 is much less than potential overdraft charges from your bank!

Overall, signing up for Cleo takes only two minutes, so if you need that budgeting & saving support, it’s well worth your time! Honestly, their A.I. assistant will be your new BFF, and yes, straight talk with a snarky sense of humor is included while improving your bank account balance!

Cleo Credit Builder Card issued by WebBank, Member FDIC.

Many of these apps have other great features, like budgeting help, getting paid 2 days early when you sign up for direct deposit, and credit building help. You can see our full guide, where we compare credit builder programs to help you pick the best option.

Other apps like Albert

• Earnin
• Dave
• Empower Cash Advance
• FloatMe
• Klover
• MoneyLion
• Possible Finance
• Varo
• Lenme
  
  

Is Albert cash advance right for you? Albert app review

Albert cash advance is an easy choice when you are in a financial pinch. Albert’s low fees and fast two-day turnaround mean you can get the money you need without going into debt or damaging your credit score. Don’t forget that it’s fee-free, a huge win!

Albert will also help you budget, save, and stay on top of your finances so that future financial hiccups can be avoided (this is the goal). Albert is a trusted partner to help you make smart money decisions and get out of tough situations. So if you need cash fast, Albert is an ideal choice for your money management needs.

Banks while they’re still great places to cash a check, they are riddles with fees. For example, you can be charged a fee for trying to cash a third-party check. Or you can be strapped if you need to cash a check and you don’t have your ID; you’ll be turned away.

Banks are becoming less and less customer-focused, while mobile banking apps are coming to the rescue. So even if you don’t need a cash advance, they still have a lot of value and are worth looking into.

Apps like Albert cash advance FAQ

At the end of the day

If you’re ever in a tight spot financially, don’t panic. There are solutions out there, like the Albert cash advance option. With its simple interface and easy-to-follow steps, you can get the fast cash you need without falling into a payday loan trap. And if you’re already using online banking apps, Albert is a breeze to use. So take a deep breath and give Albert a try – your finances will thank you for it.

If you need money in a pinch, an Albert cash advance might be exactly what you need!