Beem App Review: High Max But Questionable Cash Advances
- Min. Amount
- $5
- Max. Amount
- $1,000
- Turnaround time
- Within 3 days or instant for a fee of $2 to $4
Our verdict
Beem offers larger advances than most cash advance apps, but it has a lot of poor reviews.
Our verdict: Beem (formerly Line) claims it offers advances up to $1,000, which is a lot more than most cash advance apps. It also has several features besides advances, such as credit building and monitoring, a cheap way to file your taxes and other perks. Like similar apps, it doesn’t require a credit check or charge interest. However, it has received numerous bad reviews and complaints on all the major sites, and it puts out some conflicting information.
Pros
-
Advances up to $1,000
-
No credit checks or interest charges
-
Several additional features
Cons
-
Has a lot of bad reviews
-
“Instant” transfers can take up to eight hours
-
Hard to qualify for $1,000 advances
Is Beem legit?
It’s hard to say if Beem is a legit app, but all signs point to… probably not. People have gotten advances from it — although they all seem well under $100, a far cry from the possible $1,000 it advertises. But the volume of negative complaints and the very specific nature of these grievances make it difficult to recommend rolling the dice on this cash advance app.
Where Beem falls short
One of the most common complaints against Beem is the difficulty in canceling your subscription. Numerous users say they tried to call or email to cancel, even with customer service help, and they kept getting charged — sometimes for months.
Or, if this caused their accounts to be overdrawn, customers incurred late fees from Beem on top of overdraft fees from their banks. Furthermore, if efforts to cancel their subscriptions failed and they kept getting charged, Beem would refuse to close their account until users paid in full, exacerbating the problem for financially strapped users.
In a related vein, when you download the Beem app and look into its Everdraft feature, users say you’ll be given an amount you’re eligible for — but you have to subscribe to its Plus or Pro plan first. Then, once you’ve paid the subscription fee, you’re suddenly not eligible to borrow at all or only for a lower amount. For this reason, among others, many customers sought to cancel.
It’s also not very transparent on its website. It says it doesn’t charge late fees — and it’s true that it doesn’t charge late fees on advances — but it does charge $5 if your subscription payment is late. Beem also promotes “instant cash,” but the fine print reveals that you should get the money within eight hours. If you need the cash to buy gas and get to work, for example, waiting hours — and paying extra — may not be of much value.
What makes Beem shine?
If it’s actually possible to get $1,000, this size of advance is much bigger than most apps offer. But is that just a draw to lure people in? It might be.
After reading through hundreds of reviews — although not every single one — there was no mention of getting an advance of that size. You may want to do a little extra research and consider another app instead.
Beem product details
Product name | Beem Everdraft |
Loan amount | $5 to $1,000 |
Loan term | Until your next deposit. |
Turnaround time | Within 3 days or instant for a fee of $2 to $4 |
Costs | $0.99 to $12.97 per month |
Requirements | Be at least 18 and a resident of the US or one of its territories and have an active bank account, a photo ID, a valid Social Security number and a valid email address. |
Beem contact info
Phone number | 323-641-4224 |
Customer service hours | Not stated |
support@trybeem.com | |
X (formerlyTwitter) | @trybeemapp |
N/A |
How to qualify for Beem
Beem doesn’t offer much information regarding the qualifications needed to qualify, but it reveals some criteria. You must:
- Be 18 and a resident of the US or one of its territories
- Have a bank account
- Have a Social Security number
- Have a valid email address
- Have a photo ID
Beem heavily promotes that it doesn’t have income restrictions to qualify. However, based on reviews of users being ineligible to get advances, it would suggest that there are undisclosed minimum income or deposit requirements. If this could be an issue for you, other apps with no direct deposit requirements are available.
Other features
Beem has numerous other features through its app, many of which may cost extra. Features it claims to offer include:
- Credit monitoring and credit building
- Send and receive money with friends
- Cheap tax filing
- Financial and budgeting insights
- Identity theft insurance
- Job loss and disability protection
- Access to personal loan offers
Beem reviews and complaints
BBB accredited | No |
---|---|
BBB rating | B |
BBB customer reviews | 1 out of 5 stars, based on 13 customer reviews |
BBB customer complaints | 85 customer complaints |
Trustpilot Score | 2.3 out of 5 stars, based on 32 customer reviews |
App Store Score | 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 22,600 customer reviews |
Google Play Score | 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 15,100 customer reviews |
Customer reviews verified as of | 04 October 2024 |
Nearly all the sites we looked at had overwhelmingly negative reviews of the Beem cash advance app. Common complaints include having trouble canceling subscriptions, being charged even after canceling and incurring late fees and overdraft fees as a result.
Others say the app is glitchy, freezes frequently and often just doesn’t work at all. Yet, despite these issues, the provider repeatedly denied requests for refunds.
There were some positive reviews — particularly on the Apple App Store — but by and large, these testimonials were lengthy and convoluted and just didn’t ring true.
What are people on Reddit saying?
There aren’t a lot of Redditors discussing the Beem app — especially compared to many other cash advance apps. When it does come up, a couple comment that it’s a scam, and one posted a screenshot of several positive reviews that all used the same wording.
Compare Beem to other apps
If you decide Beem isn’t the way to go, consider these other cash advance apps instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is Beem a safe app?
Beem may not be a very safe app to use. You have to link your bank account to get advances, but if you have problems with the app and try to cancel it, Beem may continue to withdraw your subscription fees. And, based on numerous reviews, it can be difficult to cancel your subscription. Plus, if you don’t have enough money to cover the fees, you may also accrue late fees, putting you deeper into debt.
How long does Beem take to approve?
Beem doesn’t specifically state how long it takes to get approved, but user reviews suggest it can take at least a couple of days. Others say it can take weeks or months, or you may never get approved.
Your reviews
Lacey Finder
Writer
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