
Have you ever seen a Plaid portal show up when trying to link your bank account to any fintech app (or say any cash advance app)? I'm pretty sure you have.
Well, that's because Plaid is the intermediate service that collects your information and shares it with these fintech apps.
Now this can play a lot on your privacy, especially if you need to get a cash advance. So if you're looking for a cash advance app that doesn't use Plaid, I've compiled just the apps you need to choose from in this guide.
What Are Cash Advance Apps That Don't Use Plaid?
Most cash advance apps out there use Plaid to offer payday loans and other financial services to millions of users.
Obviously, cash advance apps that don't use Plaid are apps that offer these financial services but don't use Plaid to facilitate their services.
What Are The Best Cash Advance Apps That Don't Use Plaid?
There are many cash advance apps out there, but only a few of them don't use Plaid, which include:
- Cash App Borrow.
- B9 Advance.
- DailyPay.
- CashMaster.
- Line.
- Dave.
1. Cash App Borrow
You must have already heard about Cash App Borrow if you use Cash App for your payment needs.
Cash App Borrow is a lending feature of Cash App that allows users to borrow money on the platform.
However, you'll need to be an eligible user to access this feature. If you're eligible, you can borrow up to $200 from Cash App.
While Cash App Borrow might seem appealing, it has a couple of downsides, though:
- It isn't available to all users and,
- There's no outline of the eligibility criteria for those who don't yet have access to the feature.
Of course, Cash App uses Plaid, but it does not, however, use Plaid to offer this feature to eligible users — making Cash App one of the cash advance apps that don't use Plaid.
2. B9 Advance
B9 is a financial technology company that has been around for some time. Known for its banking services within the U.S., B9 is one of the to-go options for the unbanked and underserved within the country.
Besides being a bank for the unbanked and underserved, B9 offers other financial services, such as the ability to access your payroll for up to 15 days earlier—through their cash advance feature known as the B9 Advance.
However, to be eligible for the B9 Advance, you'd need to have a B9 checking account that is in good standing.
Once enrolled in the B9 Advance program, you'd be able to get a cash advance of up to $500 (depending on your limit) for your paycheck.
What's even great with B9 Advance is there's no credit check needed, no fee, and no interest on your salary advances.
B9 partners with Argyle, (a fintech company that facilitates the communication of sensitive information between financial institutions) to offer this cash advance service to customers and does not necessarily use Plaid—making B9 one of the best cash advance apps that don't use Plaid out there.
3. DailyPay
DailyPay is an American financial services company that is known for offering on-demand early access to hard-earned wages.
DailyPay offers users a cash advance of up to $100 of their paycheck from popular employers, including Kroger, Adecco, Six Flags, Dollar Tree, McDonald's, and many others at a fee of $2.99.
Plaid is not mentioned in none of DailyPay's reference pages (FAQs, TOS, Privacy Policy) as services used to facilitate its financial services—however, you might be prompted to use a third-party service when looking to create your account—making DailyPay one of the cash advance apps that don't use Plaid
Besides being a reputable cash advance app, DailyPay offers tools like AutoSAVE, DirectSAVE, and RoundupSAVE to help you easily manage your finances conveniently.
4. CashMaster
CashMaster is another great cash advance service that don't use Plaid.
Unlike other cash advance apps that would deposit funds directly to your bank account, CashMaster, on the other hand, lets you collect a check advance at any of its Tennessee or Alabama locations.
The check advance you receive from CashMaster usually ranges from $50-$500 (depending on your income and state of residence).
CashMaster's requirements for getting a check advance include:
- Photo ID.
- Current bank statement.
- Proof of income.
- SSN.
- A blank personal check.
Once you've compiled all of those, visit a CashMaster nearby location to get a check advance from CashMaster—you can print the form and fill it out in advance to make the process even faster.
5. Line
Line is another fintech company that lets you avoid financial pitfalls and stay ahead of expenses.
Line lets you get an instant cash advance between $20-$1000 to easily tackle emergent uncertainties.
Just like B9, there's neither credit check nor interest with Line—however, you'd be required to enroll in one of their plans.
With as little as $2.47/month, you'd be able to get an instant cash advance of up to $100 that would be deposited into your checking account.
While Line uses Plaid for transmitting sensitive information, some banks might not require the use of Plaid as a payment processor—making Line another cash advance app that don't use Plaid.
6. Dave
Dave is a leading US neo-bank and a pioneer in financial services known for offering on-demand financial services, including budget management tools, banking services, and cash advances.
In fact, Dave is one of the popular cash advance apps in the market right now—it lets you get a cash advance of up to $500 through a Dave ExtraCash account.
While Dave is mentioned as one of the top financial apps that use Plaid, it partnered with Galileo in November 2020 to offer users more ways to securely carry out their financial transactions.
With that said, Dave communicates sensitive information from their customers either through Plaid or Galileo—making Dave deserve its spot as one of the cash advance apps that don't use Plaid on our list.
Why You Should Consider Cash Advance Apps That Use Plaid
I know that you're very much concerned about your privacy, and believe me, entrusting your privacy to Plaid is better than doing so with a more untrustworthy service.
I'm not saying that the apps mentioned above are not to be trusted, don't get me wrong—I'm just saying that if you get a cash advance from an app that uses Plaid, you'll at least know who to blame if things don't go well in terms of privacy (in which case, it's Plaid).
Also, you'll have more options to get a cash advance since most fintech apps are continuously partnering with Plaid to securely collect their users' information.
Cash Advance Apps That Work With Plaid
Plaid offers an easy way to collect information from customers and communicate with them safely, which makes it a top choice for most of the leading financial companies out there.
Some cash advance apps that work with Plaid include:
- SoFi.
- Figure.
- Petal.
- Avant.
- Brigit.
- Solo.
- Klover.
- Purpose Financial.
Frequently Asked Questions
What advance apps don't use Plaid?
There are only a few cash advance apps that don't necessarily use Plaid for transferring users' sensitive information. Some of these apps include; B9, DailyPay, and CashMaster.
What apps give you cash advance instantly?
B9 offers instant cash advances to users who have a B9 checking account in good standing. You can also get an instant cash advance from DailyPay as soon as you open an account with them. Dave equally let you get a cash advance instantly at a fee.
What app will let me borrow $20 instantly?
Line is a cash advance app that will let you borrow as little as $20 to tackle urgent situations.
What app will let me borrow $100 instantly?
B9, DailyPay, CashMaster, Line; and Dave will all let you borrow $100 instantly from your upcoming paycheck. However, depending on the app you choose, some might require a subscription and charge fees.
Final Thoughts
Loans have become an integral part of most of our financial activities.
Thanks to technology nowadays, it is even easier to get a loan (call it a cash advance) from the comfort of our homes without having to visit a bank branch or storefront.
This article compiles the best cash advance apps that don't use Plaid.
While a few of them don't use Plaid directly, a good number of them might, at a certain point, require the use of Plaid to help transfer sensitive personal or financial information safely.
Before going in for any of these cash advance apps that don't use Plaid, I'd highly recommend checking their TOS and Privacy Policy pages to make sure they offer what you need.