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Payactiv cash advance app review

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Payactiv pay advance app
1.1
★★★★★

Payactiv pay advance app isn't available on Finder right now.

Turnaround time
Within 1 to 3 or days or instant onto Payactiv card or for a fee

Summary

No monthly fees on an advance of up to 50% of your earned wages set this employer-based app apart.

Bottom line: This employer-based pay advance app offers low-cost advances on paychecks with no bank account required. But to get the most benefits, you need to have sign up for direct deposit to a Payactiv card. Read our full review or get our 30-second take.

In this guide

  • Review
  • Details
    • Product details
  • Your reviews
  • Ask a question

Details

Product details

Product Name Payactiv pay advance app
Loan Term Not Applicable
Turnaround Time Within 1 to 3 or days or instant onto Payactiv card or for a fee
Requirements Employer that offers PayActiv

Pros

  • No bank account required
  • Instant financing available
  • Available to salaried and hourly employees

Cons

  • Limited options if your employer isn’t enrolled in Payactiv
  • Instant funding requires Payactiv card
  • Potential program fees of up to $5 per pay period

Our take on Payactiv

Payactiv is a popular paycheck advance app offering an inexpensive alternative to payday loans — and even some cash advance apps. You can receive an advance as high as 50% of the wages you’ve already earned — sometimes at no cost. It’s also one of the few cash advance apps I’ve reviewed that offers cash advances.
If your employer is enrolled with Payactiv, you can pick up your advance in cash at a Walmart Money Center. This makes it one of the few cash advance providers that doesn’t require a bank account.
But options are limited if your employer isn’t enrolled with Payactiv. You can get your paycheck two days in advance — but only if you sign up for a Payactiv Visa Prepaid Card.
Some employers also may limit how much of an advance they’re willing to offer. And it’s only free if you sign up for direct deposit to a Payactiv Visa Payroll Card. Otherwise, you could pay as much as $5 per month. Consider another cash advance option if your employer isn’t enrolled.
Additionally, many customers complain about bugs with the Payactiv app, causing unnecessary headaches and problems accessing funds.

Payactiv overview

Payactiv works by partnering with employers to offer advances on their earned wages. Advances can reach 50% of your earned wages — though some employers may limit how much you can borrow. If you don’t work for an employer that partners with Payactiv, you can still receive your paycheck up to two days in advance by signing up for a Payactiv Visa Prepaid Card, which is a debit card.

Features

Payactiv is free to use if you sign up for a Payactiv Visa Payroll Card and request a cash advance. Otherwise, it charges these two types of fees:

  • Maximum advance: As high as 50% of the wages you’ve already earned, subject to employer limitations.
  • Program fee: A $1 fee each day you use a service like a bank transfer, card load, cash access, bill pay, Uber or Amazon. Payactiv caps this fee at $5 a month.
  • Processing fee: A $1.99 fee each time you pick up your advance in cash at Walmart or request an instant deposit on a non-Payactiv card.
  • Turnaround: Instant to a Payactiv card; otherwise up to 48 hours.

When you request an advance, Payactiv can send the money to your bank account, debit card or a Walmart Money Center. Instant funding is available for free through a Payactiv card or for a fee if you send the funds to another account.
Your employer automatically deducts the advance from your next paycheck, so there’s technically no repayment term.

Requirements

If your employer partners with Payactiv, you’re automatically eligible to use this service. It’s available to part-time and full-time salaried workers, as well as hourly workers.
If your employer doesn’t partner with Payactiv, you must be over 16 and have a valid Social Security number to sign up for a Payactiv card.

Other features

Like other cash advance apps, Payactiv also offers financial wellness services. This includes the following features:
  • Free one-on-one financial counseling
  • SmartSpend tool to track your spending
  • SmartSave tool to help you set monthly savings goals
  • Access to online banking through the Payactiv debit cards
  • Exclusive discounts on gas, prescription drugs and other products
  • Bill pay and the ability to transfer funds to Uber and AmazonCash

Payactiv reviews and complaints

BBB accredited Yes
BBB rating A-
BBB customer reviews 2.63 out of 5 stars, based on 41 customer reviews
BBB customer complaints 116 customer complaints
Trustpilot Score 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 354 customer reviews
App Store Score 4.8 out of 5 stars, based on 28,100 customer reviews
Google Play Score 4.7 out of 5 stars, based on 29,699 customer reviews
Customer reviews verified as of 27 April 2022
While the Payactiv app gets high ratings on the App Store and Google Play — don’t let the numbers fool you. Most of the recent reviews are negative and many five-star reviews are actually complaints from customers who want their reviews to be seen. Most negative reviews mention glitches with the app, including not linking bank accounts correctly, passwords not resetting and problems accessing funds.
While some customers are genuinely happy with how easy and inexpensive Payactiv is compared to other cash advance apps, many complain about technical bugs and a lack of customer support when the app malfunctions.

How Payactiv compares to other cash advance apps

Here’s how Payactiv compares to EarnIn, another popular cash advance app.

PayactivEarnIn
Maximum advance
50% of earned wages
Up to $150/day, with a max of $750 between paydays
Fees
  • Program fee of $0 to $5 a month
  • Processing fee of $1.99 for advances in cash and instant funding to a non-Payactiv card
Optional tip of up to $14
Turnaround time
Instant in some cases — otherwise up to two business days
1 to 3 business days or within minutes for a fee starting at $2.99 per transfer

Payactiv vs. payday loans

Payactiv is part of a growing trend of apps that offer low-cost alternatives to a more traditional option: the payday loan. Here’s how Payactiv and payday loans compare.

PayactivTypical payday loan
Borrowing amount
Up to 50% of your earned wages
Up to $1,000
Turnaround time
Instant or up to 48 hours
Usually 24 hours
Application process
Register on app and connect to bank account before requesting funds as needed
Apply online and connect to bank account each time you apply
State availability
All 50 states
Prohibited in some states

Is Payactiv legit?

Yes, it’s legit. Payactiv partners with companies of all sizes, including Walmart, Visa and Amazon. It’s compliant in all 50 states and offers its Earned Wage Access program with an Approval Order from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Is Payactiv safe?

In terms of security, no app is 100% secure. But Payactiv takes reasonable measures to protect its customers’ information from theft and loss using SSL encryption techniques and authentication procedures.
Its privacy policy states that it discloses customer information to third parties necessary to facilitate the delivery of its services but tries to limit the information provided. If you have questions about Payactiv’s security policies, contact the company on its website.

Is Payactiv worth it?

Payactiv is worth it if your employer is a Payactiv partner and you need an advance on your paycheck. With fees no higher than $5 a month, Payactiv is a lot less expensive than overdrafting your bank account, getting a credit card cash advance or taking out a payday loan. It’s even less expensive than many other cash advance apps, which sometimes require a monthly subscription fee.
If your employer doesn’t partner with Payactiv, then this provider might not be worth the trouble. You can only get your advance two days ahead of time, and you’ll have to sign up for a prepaid debit card to receive the funds. Consider a provider that doesn’t require you to work for a partner company instead.

Compare more cash advance apps

These apps offer advances on your wages to help avoid overdraft fees and expensive short-term loans. Select your state to see the options available to you. Visit our guide to cash advance apps to learn about how these apps work.

Product USFSL Finder Score Loan amount Turnaround time Requirements
EarnIn logo
Finder score
Up to $150/day, with a max of $750 between paydays
1 to 3 business days or within minutes for a fee starting at $2.99 per transfer
Direct deposit sent to a checking account, a regular pay schedule, a fixed work location or an online timekeeping system at work
Access up to $150 per day, with a max of $750 between paydays. Subject to EarnIn terms & conditions.
Chime logo
Finder score
Up to $500
Within 24 hours or instant for a fee
Chime checking account, direct deposits of $200+ and only available in some states
Access up to $500 of your pay before payday fee-free within 24 hours. See Chime terms and conditions.
Current
Current logo
Finder score
$50 to $750
Get instant access to your paycheck in advance for a fee, or get it fee-free within 3 business days
Among other factors, you must receive a monthly total of $500 or more in Eligible Payroll Deposits into your Current Account.
Get up to $750 before payday, once you qualify. Paycheck Advance is an earned wage access service and is not a loan or credit product. Subject to Paycheck Advance Terms and Conditions.
Go to site
Cleo logo
Finder score
Up to $250
3 to 4 days or instant for a fee.
Not stated
Automatically monitor your spending plus access cash advances up to $100 at a time.
OppLoans logo
Finder score
$500 to $4,000
As soon as the same business day
+18 years old, Receive paychecks through direct deposit, $1,500 minimum monthly income, Live in eligible state
Not available in: CO, CT, GA, IA, MD, MA, NY, SD, VT, WA, WV. Comes with the option to change your due date so you won’t fall behind on repayments.
Varo logo
Finder score
Up to $500
Instant but charges a fee
Active Varo bank account in positive standing; an available balance of $0 or more; at least $800 in total qualifying direct deposits within the last 60 days.
Fast cash advances starting at just $20. Up to 30 days to pay back advance.
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What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches 3+ types of short-term loans across 65+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like loans. So if you're comparing the best short-term loans for all credit types, you can see how each short-term loan stacks up against other short-term loans with the same borrower type, rate type and repayment type.

Read the full Finder Score breakdown

Your reviews

1.1
★★★★★(0)
5
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2
1

All user-submitted reviews must meet our review guidelines. These set out our standards and expectations, including that the review is from by a genuine user of the relevant product or service and that it is honest, authentic and respectful. We explicitly prohibit fake or otherwise misleading reviews and we check all submissions, but we make no guarantee as to the authenticity of any published review or reviewer. Some reviews may be submitted (regardless of sentiment) in exchange for entry into any competition(s) for which we are the promoter.

10 of 14 reviews

★★★★★ Jeannine (Saxonburg ) 2 years ago

Worthless

I make $49/hour and I have $100 per pay limit. Seriously? What a joke. I’d give zero stars if it was an option.


★★★★★ Worst service (Melbourne ) 2 years ago

Keeps hanging up

Worst customer service ever. Will not help you solve your problems or bring you around bushes. Keeps hanging up calls also


★★★★★ Anjalicia (Saint petersburg ) 2 years ago

The app

The app sucks customer service is rude always a delay never update regularly it’s always a problem with this whole app please fix it or take the whole app away


★★★★★ DJB (Westminster md) 2 years ago

WORST COMPANY

First, check your rating again. It is not a A- anymore, maybe 9 years ago when you started. You don’t communicate with your clients and you don’t communicate with your own team. When they tell you it has been expedited, what that means it is on someone’s desk who is on vacation. The don’t take ownership of their own mistakes. Your chat features has some serious flaws. I will also communicate with the company that you are partnered with and explain everything that I have dealing with. There has been no resolution from your part.


★★★★★ Ore (Houma) 3 years ago

No good

I don't like the way payactive does business at at! The first time I used the app they took money as said on next payday which I had to go through hell and high water for the payment to be cleared on the account. Because on top of them acting as if they didn't know they received the payment customer service was rude...I don't even understand why I have to send you my check stub when y'all know y'all took the money...ok no biggie recently noticed they hadn't been taking the money out of my check they allow/waited until the account built up to $501 and after weeks of not taking nothing owed took 526 out of my check... The timing was bad and no the don't honor pay date payment agreement at all. That's like false advertising to me and I'm sorry they need to be shut or brought out by someone who knows how to run and operate a business.Wish I didn't have to put any stars they don't deserve ANY


★★★★★ Anonymous (Gadsden, mi) 3 years ago

No

I've had money disappear without notice out of my checking account and payactiv will not rush to give an advance. You are at their mercy, they are the epitome of satan.


★★★★★ Dawn Elkins (Leander ) 3 years ago

Can't never get my money

Been having the same problems for months now. Call customer service and they say send screenshot of my hours or send screenshot of checkstub. Then they still screw it up. Needed funds for gas and groceries. Their response is give them 1 hour to update my info. Had to walk home (15 miles) hungry, because it took 2 days to update! This is not the way to do business. And I am charged for each transaction. Total garbage.


★★★★★ Akilah Butler (Fort worth) 3 years ago

Incompetent

Payactiv is HORRIBLE! They DO NOT HONOR NEXT DAY PAY! They want to advance you when it’s convenient for them. There’s no point in calling because nobody knows anything.


★★★★★ Joyce m (White springs) 3 years ago

The system never updates. I borrowed money twice. The money has been paid back and I have not been able to get an advance since.

The system never updates


★★★★★ Shawn (Clarksville) 3 years ago

Avoid at all costs

Garbage company, Garbage assistance, Garbage app. Company is a scam.


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