Empower Money Advance App Evaluate 2025

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

It’s recognized for providing money advances with extra lenient necessities than conventional banks and different related money advance apps. Empower supplies fast entry to money with out the trouble of a credit score examine 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 it’s good to learn 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 employees who want a small advance earlier than payday.

The quantities are smaller than what different apps might provide, however Empower is thought for its rapid-fire pace in getting customers their cash instantly, in addition to its thinner credit score necessities.

Past small money loans, Empower is a flexible fintech cell app. Empower options price range and spend trackers, credit score monitoring, and different instruments to assist customers get monetary savings and handle their funds extra successfully.

Empower is just not a financial institution itself. It does provide some cell banking providers 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 presents three (3) main providers:

  • Money advances: Get an advance of as much as $250 with no curiosity, no charges, and no credit score examine. 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 cost 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 instant entry to money advance funds and receives a commission up two (2) days sooner you probably have direct deposit arrange. There are additionally cash-back rewards of as much as 10% for purchases made with the cardboard.

Charges, Withdrawals, Reimbursement

Empower presents 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% when 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 special fee). Missed funds might incur late charges and different prices.

Entry to Funds

If accredited for a money advance, the cash is transferred to your checking account or your Empower debit card. There’s no charge for a daily 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 choice for funds to be expedited to your common checking account.

Instantaneous 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.

Reimbursement

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

For Empower Thrive, you may arrange custom-made cost choices.

Eligibility Necessities

Whereas there isn’t any credit score examine for money advances, the Empower app does think about different data to find out your skill to repay a mortgage. It can evaluate data from an externally linked checking account similar to paycheck quantities and spending habits, and determine what quantity you may borrow. If accredited, you may obtain an advance of $10 to $250.

Moreover, debtors should be 18 years or older, have a Social Safety quantity, and have a checking account that’s not less than 30 days previous.

Extra Empower App Options

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

Credit score Rating Monitoring

Empower app customers can view their credit score scores throughout the app. Empowers reveals an in depth breakdown every month of various elements, similar to invoice cost historical past or credit score utilization, that may influence your rating. The app will provide customized suggestions to extend your rating.

Budgeting Instruments

Empower can be one of many 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 provide help 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 offered for all Empower customers, even those that are connecting an exterior checking account to the Empower app.

Computerized Financial savings

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

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

With the AI mode, you set a weekly financial savings objective and the app will transfer cash out of your checking to financial savings within the most secure, best approach potential. Its objective is to put aside as a lot as you may afford to save lots of with out working out of cash for different common bills.

Getting Began

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

  1. Obtain the free app on Google Play or Apple. Many different apps have related names. Ensure that 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 await 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 accredited for.
  5. Select a supply technique to get your funds. You possibly can choose the moment supply choice, 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, chances are you’ll be requested to supply further paperwork to confirm your identification similar to a driver’s license or navy identification card.

Options to the Empower App

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

Dave

This money advance app will spot you as much as $500 to cowl bills when 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 in style money advance app, Earnin, will advance you as much as $750 per pay interval (or $100 per day) for hours that you’ve already labored. Earnin has no credit score examine necessities and presents a fee-free, interest-free advance. The advance is robotically 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 imagine 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 supplies 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 may unlock larger quantities — as much as $500.

Customers will need to have a linked, exterior checking account and meet different fundamental eligibility necessities.

MoneyLion additionally presents Credit score Builder Plus, a product much like Empower Thrive. This can be a mortgage product that doesn’t require a tough credit score pull. It’s meant as a software for customers 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 supplied conventional promotions (i.e. coupon code to save lots of 15%) the best way you may anticipate with retail apps. Nevertheless, Empower does have its personal bonuses and incentives to encourage customers to try to advocate 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 not cancel our membership after which join a brand new free trial after you’ve got already had 14 days free.

Referral Rewards

Refer mates to the Empower app and also you and your buddy will every get a $5 reward. To qualify, the buddy 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 buddy accepts their first money advance.

Safety

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

Buyer Help

There are a few methods you may attain Empower customer support.

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

Buyer Evaluations

Client 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 crucial. Complaints focus on prospects sad with the $8 month-to-month subscription charge (for not canceling their free trial in time). Additionally, many customers go away adverse opinions for Empower Retirement Planning, a totally completely different entity owned by the Empower Annuity Insurance coverage Firm of America, on the flawed web page.

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

This app is unimaginable, 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 may unlock the flexibility 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 may make Empower higher is when you may do break up funds (ie: borrow $1000 and pay again over time.) In any other case it is good!

Noble Williams, 5 stars, Google Play Retailer, 2/13/,2024

I am a journey journalist. I wanted cash as a result of financially the automobile 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 positively got here via for me. Completely, & with out reservation, I’d select them. They are a Firm…not simply an app!

Clary Brazier, 5 stars, Google Play Retailer, 2/20/2024

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

Mikaylafrancis, 4 stars, Apple Retailer, 01/12/2024

Execs and Cons

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

Execs

  • Flexibility eligible standards with no credit score examine: There’s no credit score pull, arduous or tender, to get an advance. The platform is extra involved with incoming revenue and a confirmed skill to repay the quantity.
  • Advances are funded inside someday: Empower debit card holders can get the funds inside an hour. Different prospects pays a further charge to get the funds right away.
  • Gig employees and freelancers may qualify. These less-traditional employees are often not capable of 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.
  • Significantly better different 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’d be charged for a payday
  • An empower card is required free of charge, instant money advances. In any other case, you will want to pay a charge to get the advance funds on the identical day requested.
  • No person notifications earlier than compensation Funds are withdrawn on the pre-agreed-upon date (payday), however there isn’t any 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 accredited money advance quantities. Within the app opinions, some customers state they can’t get accredited for greater than $25 after repaying 4 (4) or more money advances in a well timed method.

Steadily Requested Questions

Listed here are a few of the commonest FAQs that readers have about utilizing the Empower app for money advances.

Can You Belief the Empower App?

Sure, Empower is a respectable and protected app that has glorious rankings within the Google Play and Apple app shops. You possibly can learn opinions from hundreds of subscribers who’re proud of the service that Empower supplies.

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

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

In response to 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 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 skill to repay the advance. They may look over your checking account transaction historical past, compensation exercise, drops in revenue, or will increase in spending.

How Do I Use Empower With Money App?

You should use Empower with Money App and different digital wallets and cell cost platforms like Venmo.

  • Log into your cell cost service account.
  • Hyperlink your Empower account by utilizing your cellphone quantity and passcode.