Plaid makes it easy to connect your bank with third-party financial apps like Venmo or Chime. It’s considered safe to use and uses best-in-class encryption protocols to protect your data. But after being accused of harvesting its customers’ bank login credentials in a class-action lawsuit in 2020, it was forced to pay a $58 million fine in 2022 and change its business practices.
While Plaid claims it didn’t do anything wrong and agreed to minimize the data it stores, you may prefer a cash advance app that doesn’t use Plaid. While the majority of cash advance apps use it, not all do. Here’s a list of 5 cash advance apps that don’t rely on Plaid to work.
Cash App Borrow is a lending feature inside of Cash App that allows eligible users to borrow up to $200 at a time — but as a pilot feature, it's not available to everyone. Unlike cash advance apps that don't charge interest on advances, Cash App Borrow is a lending feature (aka a loan) that attracts a 5% fee.
Cash App Borrow eligibility depends on your location and how you use the app. Some users report getting access to Borrow after uploading cash and sending payments. This suggests you could use Borrow even if you don't get direct deposits. And you don't need Plaid to connect Cash App to your bank account to upload funds.
MoneyLion's Instacash feature offers $500 advances between pay periods. This amount can potentially be increased beyond $500 if you sign up for MoneyLion's credit builder program or set up direct deposit to a RoarMoney banking account. And while MoneyLion supports Plaid, you're not forced to use it to link your RoarMoney account to other apps.
But MoneyLion's instant transfer fees can add up quickly, especially if you need to borrow more than $100 at a time. This makes MoneyLion Instacash best for people who can wait two or three days for a regular transfer or just need small instant transfers to minimize fees.
Available in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Pros
May be able to increase advance amounts
Regular transfers are free, with no tipping required
Can defer payments up to two weeks
Cons
Instant delivery costs between $1.99 and $7.99
Credit build program costs Free (or $1 to $5 for RoarMoney account) a month
A pattern of customer complaints
Loan amount
Up to $500 or $1,000 with RoarMoney account
Loan Term
Due by your next pay date
Turnaround time
Up to 5 days or instant for a fee of $0.49 to $8.99
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Turnaround time
Up to 5 days or instant for a fee of $0.49 to $8.99
B9 doesn't use Plaid and is a membership-based cash advance app that lets you access advances up to $500 per pay period — higher than many other cash advance apps. To use the service, you must open an FDIC-insured checking account with B9 and set up payroll direct deposit through your employer or the B9 app and pay a monthly fee.
You can apply for an advance after you've received at least one direct deposit into your B9 account. Advances are available within one hour of receiving your first deposit, although amounts may be limited to $30 in the beginning. Advances are deducted from your next paycheck automatically.
Even is a multi-featured budgeting app that offers free advances on wages you've already earned with its Instapay feature. Instapay is part of Even's premium service — called Even Plus — which costs No membership fee. a month. And the best part is that you don't need to connect Even to your bank account — or use Plaid — to get advances.
Unlike most other cash advance apps, it lets you access a generous 50% of your earned income before payday. And its suite of saving and budgeting tools can help you track your money better. But the catch is that your employer must be partnered with Even for you to use Even Instapay.
Available in all states
Pros
Stay on top of bills better
Access up to 50% of your paycheck
Same-day funding available at Walmart
Cons
Available through select employers only
Advance limited to wages already earned
Monthly membership fee.
Loan amount
Up to 50% of earned wages
Loan Term
Varies
Turnaround time
Same day if employer has configured this benefit. If not, small fee applies
Loan amount
Up to 50% of earned wages
Turnaround time
Same day if employer has configured this benefit. If not, small fee applies
Like Even, DailyPay is an employer-sponsored service that lets employees access wages they're already earned. Once your employer sets up DailyPay, you'll need to provide a bank account, prepaid debit card or payroll card to send the funds to — which means you don't need Plaid to connect to a bank.
Because DailyPay integrates with your employer's payroll software, it knows how much money it's advanced to you and deducts this amount from your next paycheck. Your paycheck is deposited into the account of choice on your regular payday, with the deposit made by DailyPay instead of your employer.
Available in all states
Pros
Advances based on earned wages
Must have direct deposit set up
Cons
Transfers cost money
Employer-sponsored app
Loan amount
Up to 100% of earned wages, $1,000 daily limit
Loan Term
Not stated
Turnaround time
Next business day or instant with a DailyPay card or for a fee
Loan amount
Up to 100% of earned wages, $1,000 daily limit
Turnaround time
Next business day or instant with a DailyPay card or for a fee
Cash advance apps that use Plaid
Because of its ease of use, the majority of cash advance and loan apps on the market today use Plaid to connect your bank account, including:
Plaid is a technology that allows you to link your bank account to third-party apps. It works by letting you connect to your bank account with your login credential within a financial app like Venmo or Dave. It encrypts your data and connects to your bank behind the scenes so the app can access your account information, which may include:
Account and routing number
Account balance
Transaction history
Personal loans and credit cards
Investment holdings
Identity information (to prevent fraud)
Is Plaid legit?
Yes, it’s legit, and while no financial app is 100% secure, it’s considered safe to use. It states that it uses best-in-class encryption protocols like the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES 256) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to protect its customers’ information.
But it was the subject of a class-action lawsuit in 2020 that alleged that it was gathering its customers’ login data with a misleading bank login interface and sending the data to itself. Plaid claimed no wrongdoing but agreed to minimize the data it collects and stores going forward.
Plaid was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. It currently has 12,000 financial partners in the US.
Which banks won’t connect with Plaid
Since Plaid partners with 12,000 financial institutions across the US, it’s hard to find information on banks that don’t connect to Plaid. If you’re concerned about your bank using Plaid or want to know if your bank is compatible with Plaid, you can search Plaid’s directory of partners.
Compare cash advance apps
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Kat Aoki was a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in consumer and business lending. She’s written thousands of articles to help consumers make better decisions on their home loans, bank accounts, credit cards, cryptocurrency and more. Kat is well versed in working with leading brands in the real estate, mortgage and personal finance industries, and her expertise has been featured on Forbes Advisor, Lifewire and financial comparison sites like iSelect and realestate.com.au. She holds a BS in business administration from California State University, Sacramento and enjoys hiking and yoga in her spare time. See full bio
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