Apple Tree Cash Loans review

Is Apple Tree Cash legitimate?

We’re not signing off on Apple Tree Cash’s legitimacy for several reasons. Our research into the lender and perusal of its website turned up the following issues and concerns:

• Unclear payday license. Although we could find an Apple Tree Cash listing in the Ontario payday licence database, the address listed for the licence does not match the address shown on the appletreecash.com site. Additionally, both addresses appear to belong to different businesses altogether (a hair salon and restaurant) when we looked for them on google.
• Not registered. We couldn’t find Apple Tree Cash listed anywhere in Canada’s Business Registries.
• Does not follow payday loan regulations. Apple Tree Cash doesn’t disclose details about the total cost of borrowing on its website, even though there are specific payday loan regulations about how this information should be disclosed. It also doesn’t display its licence number on its website.
• Underdeveloped website. There’s limited information on both Apple Tree Cash websites. Spelling and grammatical errors are also present.
• Lists two different addresses. The applecash.ca website lists an address in Niagara Falls, NY, in the United States. This address is also listed on the websites of two other payday lenders of questionable legitimacy, Planet Loan Inc and Faxless Payday Loan, and is the address of a UPS store rather than a physical business address. Meanwhile, the appletreecash.com website lists an address in Cumberland Street, Toronto that appears to actually be a restaurant.
• Shares a phone number with other lending companies. The phone number listed on Apple Tree Cash’s two websites is the same number listed on the sites of Planet Loan Inc and Faxless Payday Loan.

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Dive deeper: Explore the best payday loans in Canada

What do reviews say about Apple Cash Loans?

There are limited reviews available for Apple Tree Cash. However, it is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has a BBB rating of F. Apple Tree Cash has a score of 2.33 out of 5 from a three customer reviews, and the bureau has closed nine complaints against the business in the three years prior to writing.

It’s also worth mentioning that Planet Loan Inc, with which Apple Tree Cash shares an address and phone number, is also not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. The BBB gives Planet Loan Inc an F rating and had closed 25 complaints about the business in the previous three years. Planet Loan Inc has an average rating of 1 out of 5 from five reviews on the Better Business Bureau website.

What is the Apple Cash application process like?

Apple Cash will ask you to provide the following sensitive information:

• Your name
• Your SIN/SSN
• Your email address, home address and phone number
• Your date of birth
• The loan amount and loan period you want
• Your bank account details
• Your online banking password

The lender claims that you can have your application approved within minutes and take advantage of same-day funding.

How to find a legitimate payday lender

There are several simple things you can do to ensure that you only ever deal with legitimate lenders:

Make sure they’re licensed

Check to see whether the lender has a payday lending licence in your province. You can do this by contacting the consumer affairs office in your province or territory.

Check that they abide by payday lending regulations

The consumer affairs office in your province or territory can also provide information about the payday lending regulations where you live. If you find a lender that doesn’t follow these rules – for example, if the cost of borrowing is higher than the maximum limit in your province – consider other options instead.

Read reviews

Don’t rely on customer testimonials on a lender’s website. Head to an independent review website to find out about the experiences other borrowers have had with the lender.

Keep an eye out for red flags

Be on the lookout for any signs that may indicate you’re dealing with a scammy lender. These can include the following:

• Not being transparent about the total cost of a loan.
• No physical address and uncontactable by phone.
• Promising guaranteed loan approval.
• Charging an upfront fee.
• Making offers that sound too good to be true.

Find out more in our guide to avoiding payday loan scams.

Bottom line

If you’re searching for a payday loan, we recommend looking elsewhere. Our research into Apple Tree Cash raised a number of issues and concerns, so we don’t feel confident signing off on the legitimacy of this provider.