Empower Cash Advance App Review 2025

The Empower app stands out within the fintech scene as a sensible answer for gig staff and others who want a versatile approach to handle private funds and generally inconsistent revenue.

It’s identified for providing money advances with extra lenient necessities than conventional banks and different related money advance apps. Empower offers fast entry to money with out the trouble of a credit score verify or paying predatory payday lender charges.

This Empower evaluate will cowl how money advances and different Empower app options work. We’ll inform you what you have to find out about this product and customary reader questions — together with different related mortgage merchandise.

What’s the Empower App?

Empower is a cell cash administration app that provides money advances to staff who want a small advance earlier than payday.

The quantities are smaller than what different apps could supply, however Empower is understood for its rapid-fire velocity in getting customers their cash immediately, in addition to its thinner credit score necessities.

Past small money loans, Empower is a flexible fintech cell app. Empower options finances and spend trackers, credit score monitoring, and different instruments to assist customers lower your expenses and handle their funds extra successfully.

Empower just isn’t a financial institution itself. It does supply some cell banking companies via NBKC Financial institution, Member FDIC, and Empower Thrive is offered by FinWise Financial institution, Member FDIC.

How the Empower App Works

The Empower app affords three (3) major companies:

• Money advances: Get an advance of as much as $250 with no curiosity, no charges, and no credit score verify. The money is deposited into the identical checking account the place your paycheck is deposited, or onto your Empower debit card.
• Thrive: A credit score line designed to (re)construct credit score, get a credit score line beginning at $250 that may be raised to $1,000. There’s no minimal credit score rating required for Thrive and on-time fee historical past is reported to Equifax and Experian. Month over month, accountable debtors can entry an more and more larger restrict.
• Debit card: Utilizing the Empower Card means you will get fast entry to money advance funds and receives a commission up two (2) days sooner if in case you have direct deposit arrange. There are additionally cash-back rewards of as much as 10% for purchases made with the cardboard.

Charges, Withdrawals, Compensation

Empower affords customers a free 14-day trial, after which there’s an $8 month-to-month subscription charge to make use of the app. For money advance customers, there are not any further curiosity or late charges.

Curiosity

For the Empower Thrive line of credit score, the APR is 0% in the event you repay the road of credit score in full earlier than your subsequent paycheck. In any other case, the APR is 35.99% (besides the place native state legal guidelines require a distinct charge). Missed funds could incur late charges and different prices.

Entry to Funds

If accepted for a money advance, the cash is transferred to your checking account or your Empower debit card. There’s no charge for an everyday ACH switch to your checking account which can take as much as 5 (5) enterprise days to clear. (Some debtors will get the funds inside 1-2 days.)

There may be additionally an instantaneous supply possibility for funds to be expedited to your common checking account.

Prompt Supply Quantity | Charge

• $0-$10.00 | $1.00
• $10.01-$49.99 | $2.00
• $50.00 – $74.99 | $3.00
• $75.00 – $99.99 | $4.00
• $100.00 – $149.99 | $5.00
• $150.00 – $199.99 | $6.00
• $200.00 – $249.99 | $7.00
• $250.00 or extra $8.00

For Empower Thrive, charges are $1 to $8 for as much as $300. After $300, the charge is 3% or $20 — whichever is much less.

Compensation

Compensation for an Empower Money Advance is mechanically debited out of your checking account on payday or different scheduled date.

For Empower Thrive, you’ll be able to arrange custom-made fee choices.

Eligibility Necessities

Whereas there is no such thing as a credit score verify for money advances, the Empower app does contemplate different info to find out your means to repay a mortgage. It would evaluate info from an externally linked checking account comparable to paycheck quantities and spending habits, and determine what quantity you’ll be able to borrow. If accepted, you’ll be able to obtain an advance of $10 to $250.

Moreover, debtors have to be 18 years or older, have a Social Safety quantity, and have a checking account that’s at the least 30 days outdated.

Further Empower App Options

Past money advances, the Empower app has many different financial savings and budgeting options that can assist you monitor your spending habits and credit score rating, construct wealth, and enhance your total monetary wellness.

Credit score Rating Monitoring

Empower app customers can view their credit score scores throughout the app. Empowers exhibits an in depth breakdown every month of various features, comparable to invoice fee historical past or credit score utilization, that may impression your rating. The app will supply personalised suggestions to extend your rating.

Budgeting Instruments

Empower can also be probably the greatest budgeting apps you’ll discover. It screens your month-to-month bills and incoming deposits and offers you an in depth report of the place your cash goes. It may enable you to set budgets throughout completely different spending classes, and supply alerts or reminders for paycheck deposits, payments, and purchases in sure classes.

This perk is out there for all Empower customers, even those that are connecting an exterior checking account to the Empower app.

Automated Financial savings

The app’s autosave function makes it easy so that you can lower your expenses and steadily develop your financial savings account or wet day fund.

Savers can use a guide or AI possibility. With the guide possibility, you determine what greenback quantity from every paycheck Empower ought to mechanically put aside in your financial savings.

With the AI mode, you set a weekly financial savings aim and the app will transfer cash out of your checking to financial savings within the most secure, most effective method potential. Its aim is to put aside as a lot as you’ll be able to afford to avoid wasting with out working out of cash for different common bills.

Getting Began

In order for you a money advance from Empower, right here’s easy methods to get began.

1. Obtain the free app on Google Play or Apple. Many different apps have related names. Be certain the app developer listed is Empower Finance. Or obtain it from the Empower.me web site.
2. Arrange your account. Present your cellphone quantity and anticipate Empower to ship you a verification code. Then present the verification code, and enter your identify, e-mail handle, birthday, and set a password.
3. Join an exterior checking account — choose the one you utilize to obtain paycheck deposits.
4. Request a money advance and see what advance quantity, if any, you’re accepted for.
5. Select a supply technique to get your funds. You’ll be able to choose the moment supply possibility, for a small charge, to get your funds inside an hour.

Empower will withdraw the quantity they’ve superior you, plus any categorical supply charges, out of your checking account on the due date.

The account set-up course of usually goes fairly easily, nonetheless, in some situations, you could be requested to supply further paperwork to confirm your identification comparable to a driver’s license or army identification card.

Alternate options to the Empower App

There are a lot of apps much like Empower that may additionally supply a money advance to customers who want a money injection earlier than payday. Three (3) different various apps to contemplate are Dave, Earnin, and MoneyLion. All if these apps work on iOS or Android units.

Dave

This money advance app will spot you as much as $500 to cowl bills whilst you wait to your subsequent paycheck.

There’s a $1 month-to-month membership charge and extra charges (of $3 to $25) to get your funds superior on the identical day as a substitute of ready for the traditional processing time of as much as three (3) enterprise days.

Moreover, customers should open an ExtraCash account to be eligible for money advances.

Earnin

One other common money advance app, Earnin, will advance you as much as $750 per pay interval (or $100 per day) for hours that you’ve got already labored. Earnin has no credit score verify necessities and affords a fee-free, interest-free advance. The advance is mechanically repaid with a debit in your subsequent scheduled payday.

Earnin has no month-to-month subscription charge, however as a substitute, customers tip the corporate no matter they consider is honest for the service they supply. The app is not going to report these funds to the credit score bureaus, so it is not going to construct (or hurt) your credit score rating.

MoneyLion

Just like different money advance apps, MoneyLion offers interest-free money advances with no credit score checks. Preliminary money advances, nonetheless, begin out low. First-time debtors will qualify for simply $10. As you construct a historical past of repaying these advances, you’ll be able to unlock larger quantities — as much as $500.

Customers should have a linked, exterior checking account and meet different primary eligibility necessities.

MoneyLion additionally affords Credit score Builder Plus, a product much like Empower Thrive. It is a mortgage product that doesn’t require a tough credit score pull. It’s meant as a instrument for shoppers to determine and construct a constructive credit score historical past. To make use of Credit score Builder Plus, there’s a $19.99 per 30 days charge.

To this point, Empower has not provided conventional promotions (i.e. coupon code to avoid wasting 15%) the best way you would possibly count on with retail apps. Nevertheless, Empower does have its personal bonuses and incentives to encourage customers to attempt to suggest the app.

Free Trial

First-time prospects can get a free 14-day trial. On the finish of the trial, Empower will cost an auto-recurring subscription charge of $8 per 30 days. You can’t cancel our membership after which join a brand new free trial after you’ve already had 14 days free.

Referral Rewards

Refer friends to the Empower app and also you and your pal will every get a $5 reward. To qualify, the pal should settle for your invite, begin an Empower subscription, and settle for a money advance inside 30 days.

The bonuses are paid out inside two (2) enterprise days after the referred pal accepts their first money advance.

Safety

Empower makes use of business greatest practices to guard your private information from loss, misuse, or unsafe storage or entry. This contains the utilization of multifactor authentication (MFA) strategies and information encryption.

Buyer Help

There are a few methods you’ll be able to attain Empower customer support.

• Electronic mail: Ship messages to [email protected]
• Cellphone: Name 1 (888) 843-8967. Cellphone traces are open 6 a.m. to three p.m. PST Monday to Friday, besides on holidays.
• Useful resource library: Empower has a sturdy support center crammed with articles and FAQs to troubleshoot points and reply the most typical consumer questions.

Buyer Evaluations

Shopper response to the Empower app has been overwhelmingly constructive. It has extraordinarily excessive rankings on Google Play and the Apple App Retailer (4.7 stars and 4.8 stars, respectively, based mostly on over 300,000 complete opinions).

Evaluations on the Higher Enterprise Bureau (BBB) web page are extra essential. Complaints focus on prospects sad with the $8 month-to-month subscription charge (for not canceling their free trial in time). Additionally, many customers depart unfavourable opinions for Empower Retirement Planning, a totally completely different entity owned by the Empower Annuity Insurance coverage Firm of America, on the unsuitable web page.

Listed below are some related opinions from actual customers of the Empower Finance (money advance) app:

This app is unbelievable, to say the least. $200 immediately despatched to you, a $7 instantaneous switch charge, pay the $207 again in your subsequent paycheck. After efficiently paying again an advance, you’ll be able to unlock the power to get Thrive which experiences to the credit score bureaus, builds credit score historical past, helps your credit score rating climb, and permits for larger advances as much as $1,000. the ONLY factor that will make Empower higher is in the event you may do break up funds (ie: borrow $1000 and pay again over time.) In any other case it is good!

I am a journey journalist. I wanted cash as a result of financially the automotive repairs cleaned out my meager checking account. I learn the opinions and selected Empower, they’re precisely as marketed… No surprises OR hidden charges. I took a leap of religion. Empower most undoubtedly got here via for me. Completely, & with out reservation, I might select them. They are a Firm…not simply an app!

One of many ONLY mortgage apps that’s HONEST! I’ve been utilizing the app “Empower” now for a few month and to this point so good, I principally have zero complaints apart from one. After I first obtained provided a money advance it was $10 which is comprehensible since I used to be a first-time buyer. I repaid on time and obtained provided one other money advance for $25 which actually helped me…however now I’m on my 4th advance with Empower and so they nonetheless haven’t provided me greater than $25 regardless that my account is in good standing…

Professionals and Cons

We rapidly addressed a number of the execs and cons of utilizing the Empower app in our intro, however right here’s a deeper look.

Professionals

• Flexibility eligible standards with no credit score verify: There’s no credit score pull, onerous or mushy, to get an advance. The platform is extra involved with incoming revenue and a confirmed means to repay the quantity.
• Advances are funded inside in the future: Empower debit card holders can get the funds inside an hour. Different prospects pays an extra charge to get the funds right away.
• Gig staff and freelancers might also qualify. These less-traditional staff are normally not in a position to entry loans and related monetary merchandise with favorable shopper phrases.
• Budgeting and credit-building options. Many instruments throughout the app promote monetary wellness and higher cash administration.
• A lot better various to payday Payday mortgage merchandise are notoriously predatory, and cost rates of interest as excessive as 456% in some states.
• Refunds customers if the app causes an overdraft charge.

Cons

• Loans are smaller than different money advance apps. Different related apps like Dave, MoneyLion, or Earnin, will advance as much as $500 to $750.
• Month-to-month subscription charges of $8. Nonetheless, that is less expensive than the curiosity you’ll be charged for a payday
• An empower card is required at no cost, fast money advances. In any other case, you have to to pay a charge to get the advance funds on the identical day requested.
• No consumer notifications earlier than reimbursement Funds are withdrawn on the pre-agreed-upon date (payday), however there is no such thing as a reminder or alert earlier than this occurs. You’ll need to set your personal calendar alert.
• Can take some time for Empower to extend your accepted money advance quantities. Within the app opinions, some customers state they can not get accepted for greater than $25 after repaying 4 (4) or more money advances in a well timed method.

Regularly Requested Questions

Listed below are a number of the most typical FAQs that readers have about utilizing the Empower app for money advances.

Can You Belief the Empower App?

Sure, Empower is a legit and protected app that has glorious rankings within the Google Play and Apple app shops. You’ll be able to learn opinions from hundreds of subscribers who’re pleased with the service that Empower offers.

Moreover, Empower is a US-based firm (headquarters in California) with US cellphone and e-mail assist.

How Lengthy Does It Take to Get an Advance from Empower?

Based on Empower’s web site, 98% of instantaneous money advances arrive inside quarter-hour, typically quicker.

They do warning that it may take as much as two (2) hours to obtain an instantaneous fund request.

For the standard money advance, it could actually take as much as 5 (5) enterprise days nonetheless most debtors will get their funds inside one (1) enterprise day.

How A lot Will I Qualify for with Empower?

At current, the typical borrower qualifies for a money advance quantity of $140. Advance quantities vary from $10 to $250 based mostly on Empower’s eligibility standards.

Why Did Empower Decrease My Money Advance?

Empower can change or decrease your typical money advance quantities based mostly on any adjustments (they predict) in your means to repay the advance. They’ll look over your checking account transaction historical past, reimbursement exercise, drops in revenue, or will increase in spending.

How Do I Use Empower With Money App?

You need to use Empower with Money App and different digital wallets and cell fee platforms like Venmo.

• Log into your cell fee service account.
• Hyperlink your Empower account through the use of your cellphone quantity and passcode.