| Payday loans are often touted as a swift fix for a bad financial situation, helping you to bridge the gap between running out of money and your next wage or salary. Basically, you can borrow a small amount of money for a short period of a week or so, and repay the debt at your next pay day.
This sort of service can indeed be really appropriate if you've run out of cash for daily living expenses, or if you're faced with an unforeseen bill or expense that you simply can't cover when you need to, but are payday loans always the easy way out they're described as?
First, we'll take a look at the undeniable advantages of payday loans, before looking at the disadvantages, and possible alternatives you may be able to make use of if you decide a fast cash loan isn't the right option for you.
The lending criteria for payday loans are very generous indeed, and almost anyone who's got a job and has a suitable bank account will likely be accepted. This means that even people with terrible credit histories should be able to get a payday loan, despite being turned down for nearly any other form of credit.
They are also simple to arrange, and you can oftentimes get the cash in your bank account quickly. Some payday loan companies can even arrange an overnight transfer of the loan straight into your account the next working day, which is patently very handy when you need money urgently.
Finally, once you've been sanctioned for your initial loan, it's usually a really simple matter to 'top up' your loan again if you find you need to make use of the facility if funds are again short in the future.
There are, nevertheless, two major disadvantages to wage advance loans which you rarely see mentioned in the adverts and web sites promoting them. Firstly, they're really costly in comparison to other types of finance. Because the borrowing period of the loan is so short, a cost of 20% of the amount you borrow - which is about standard - will work out to be an amazingly high APR.
The second drawback is related to the first: because they're so pricey, you can easily be left lacking money the next month once you've cleared the loan and paid the interest. In this scenario, it's simply too easy to extend your loan again to cover the shortfall, resulting in more fees, and a neverending cycle of borrowing.
So, if you determine that a payday loan isn't a good choice for you, what choices do you have? The first one is making use of a credit card, if you carry one. While credit cards are usually also pretty costly kinds of borrowing, they do allow you to extend the debt over a a period of months rather than needing to be repaid straight away along with a charge.
Many bank accounts now offer an overdraft facility, which can also be used to cover a temporary lack of money. The interest rate on an agreed overdraft is in all likelihood going to be less expensive than that of a credit card, but your bank might not approve your application. Beware of going ahead and overdrawing without your bank's agreement, as the fees they will impose in this case will be high.
If neither of these options is viable for you, and you have no other way of acquiring money such as borrowing off family, then a payday loan may be the easiest alternative. Just make sure that you use it properly, and heed the warning it's giving you about the longer term state of your finances. |