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Personal Loans

Brigit Cash Advance Review

No credit check or late fees

4.3 /5
LendEDU Rating
Cash Advance
  • Repay your advance with your next paycheck or select a new date
  • Access other personal finance tools to manage your budget
  • Doesn’t charge any late fees
  • Signing up doesn’t affect your credit score
  • Requires a $9.99 monthly subscription
FundingUp to $250
Speed of advance1 – 3 business days
Fees$9.99 monthly subscription, $0.99 for instant advances

Brigit started in 2019 to make managing money easier for everyone. Its budgeting tools aren’t just about tracking your spending—they can predict when you might overdraft. With so many people living paycheck to paycheck, high bank overdraft fees can mess up your budget. That’s where Brigit comes in. Its cash advances are designed to help you cover those short-term gaps.

Brigit offers various services, including budgeting help, credit monitoring, cash advances, and credit builder loans. You can get a cash advance between $50 and $250, and if Brigit thinks you might be heading towards an overdraft, it will automatically send a cash advance to prevent it. If you’re trying to avoid those pricey overdraft fees or payday loans, Brigit could be a terrific fit.

How Brigit’s cash advance app works

TermDetails
Advance amounts$50 – $250
Interest rateNone
Fees$0 – $14.99 per month
Repayment timeVaries (usually your next payday)
Funding time with a fee20 minutes
Funding time without a fee2 – 3 business days

Two paid plans are available: Plus ($9.99 per month) and Premium ($14.99 per month). A free plan is also available, but the Instant Cash feature requires a paid plan. 

Premium subscribers get free access to the Express Delivery feature for Instant Cash, which delivers your cash in two to 20 minutes. Plus customers pay a fee of $0.99 to $3.99 per transaction for Express Delivery.

A screenshot showing the Brigit cash advance pipeline and estimated delivery alongside accompanying timestamps
Source: Brigit

You can get a cash advance for free within two to three business days. You’ll never pay late fees, and Brigit doesn’t charge tips. Brigit doesn’t require customers to use the cash for a specific purpose. It mentions using cash to cover an unexpected bill or to have cash in hand when necessary.

Is Brigit worth it?

Brigit’s paid plans also give you access to credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Its maximum cash advance is on the low end, but Brigit is a solid alternative to more expensive alternatives, such as payday loans. These loans can have substantial fees and lead to a debt cycle. Brigit makes it easier to pay your debt off without financial consequences.

Brigit can be worth it if you need a cash advance, especially if you can wait a few days. This lets you avoid the fees, making it an affordable way to access money.

Who’s eligible for a Brigit cash advance?

You must meet the basic eligibility requirements to be eligible for a Brigit cash advance.

Bank account

  • Must have a balance above $0
  • Must have at least three recurring deposits from the same source
  • Account must be active for at least 60 days

Membership

  • No paid membership required
  • Enroll in the Plus plan to access the Instant Cash feature

Approval criteria

  • Brigit uses its own scoring model, Brigit Score (0 to 100)
  • Required Brigit Score: 40 to 100
  • The Brigit app provides your score

Minimum balance requirement

  • Maintain a minimum average balance at the end of each payday
  • No late fees
  • Brigit ensures customers can repay borrowed amounts through due diligence

Brigit’s other personal finance tools

Brigit’s flagship feature is cash advances, but it offers several other products. The company’s overarching goal is to help you get your finances on track. To help you do this, it offers products to help you build credit and budget, plus earn and save money.

Credit builder

Brigit’s cash advances don’t require a credit check and may be easier to qualify for than a loan, but they may not help you build your credit. This is where the Credit Builder account can help. It extends a 24-month installment loan separate from the Instant Cash Advance service.

Like a typical installment loan, you make monthly payments on the account, but you don’t get immediate access to the money. Instead, the payment is split in two. You choose how much to contribute to the loan payment (between $1 and $25), and the rest goes to a savings account.

Because you make monthly loan payments, the account can help you build your credit history. Payment history is one of the most important credit score factors, so this can reflect well on your credit report. At the same time, you can build your savings. 

Finance helper

If you struggle to stay on top of your finances, Finance Helper might be what you need. This product contains a set of tools that can provide financial insights and help you keep better track of your finances.

Here are three tools it provides:

  1. Spending insights: Provides important information about your spending, including how much you earn versus how much you spend. It can also show seasonal spending and income trends, plus help you compare your spending from one month to the next.
  2. Bill forecasts: It’s easy to forget about a pesky bill, but this feature will remind you which bills are due and when. It lets you see upcoming bills in one place and subscription charges you might be able to cut. This can help you better plan your budget for the month.
  3. Budget categories: Chances are you spend more in some areas than others. Brigit’s budgeting tools let you see how much you spend by category. For instance, you can see how much you spend on food or services. In response, you can look for areas where you might be able to spend less.

Earn and save

Sometimes, finding ways to make your paycheck go far enough can be tough. The Earn & Save feature can help with this problem, showing you ways to make more money and spend less. It does this by presenting you with side gigs and exclusive offers, each with their own tab in the app.

Potential earning opportunities include side gigs in your area as well as surveys and tasks you can complete for some quick cash. Offers include cashback, savings tips, and personalized offers that can help you save.

How does Brigit compare to other cash advance apps?

Here’s how Brigit stacks up to several competitors:

AppLoan amts.Fee for instant funds
Brigit$50 – $250$9.99 per mo.
Empower$10 – $250$1–$7 per transfer
EarnInUp to $100 per day; Up to $750 per pay period$0–$4.99 per transfer
MoneyLionUp to $500$0.49–$8.99 per transfer
DaveUp to $500$3–$25 per transfer

Brigit’s loan amounts are lower than many competitors. Every company listed charges a fee for instant transfers. 

What sets Brigit apart is that it allows Premium customers to get a cash advance with expedited delivery for no additional fee. You must pay off the advance before you can get another one. Still, this could make Brigit cheaper than the alternatives if you need frequent cash advances.

Should you use Brigit’s cash advance app?

Whether you should use Brigit depends on the situation and whether it’s a fit for your needs. Consider the pros and cons.

Pros

  • Fast funding available

    Requires Plus or Premium; Plus users pay an additional fee

  • No credit check

    Accessible to those with poor or limited credit

  • Avoid overdraft fees

    Automatic advances trigger when Brigit thinks you’ll overdraft

  • Budgeting tools

    Available to all customers

Cons

  • Subscription required for certain features

    Including Instant Cash

  • Maximum advance is $250

    Lower than many competitors

  • Must pay off outstanding advance before requesting a new one

    This can make paid memberships seem less effective than an app that charges per transfer

Brigit is best used to bridge gaps in your budget and avoid overdraft fees. It’s not intended as a long-term borrowing solution, and the $250 limit means it won’t work for larger expenses.

If your budget regularly falls short, focus on increasing your income or cutting back on expenses. This is likely a better solution than relying on Brigit or similar services to make it to your next paycheck, especially since fees are often involved.

How to get a Brigit cash advance

Getting a cash advance through Brigit is straightforward and may only take a few minutes. 

Here’s how it works:

  1. Select a plan: To get started, sign up and select a free or paid plan. 
  2. Link a bank account: You must link a bank account to Brigit to borrow money.
  3. Request a cash advance:  If approved, you can request a cash advance of $50 to $250, depending on your limit.
  4. Choose your repayment date: You can also choose your repayment date, which is typically your next payday. If you can’t repay the loan on time, Brigit will let you select a new due date with no late fees. However, it notes that you must repay your advance before you can request another one.

Is Brigit reputable?

SourceCustomer rating (out of 5)Number of reviews
Trustpilot4.4394
Google Play4.7204K
Apple App Store4.8310K
Better Business Bureau (BBB)4.14525
Collected on August 19, 2024

Most of Brigit’s consumer ratings are impressive, especially in the app stores, where hundreds of thousands of people have reviewed it. 

But its Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating is poor. The business is not BBB-accredited, and BBB lists the following warning:

BBB warning about Brigit

On 11/02/2023, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it is taking action against personal finance app provider Brigit, alleging that its promises of “instant” cash advances of up to $250 for people living paycheck-to-paycheck were deceptive and that the company locked consumers into a $9.99 monthly membership they couldn’t cancel.  Brigit, also known as Bridge It, Inc., has agreed to settle FTC charges, resulting in a proposed court order that would require the company to pay $18 million in consumer refunds, stop its deceptive marketing promises, and end tactics that prevented customers from canceling.

Brigit cash advance FAQ

Will Brigit’s advance cause an overdraft fee?

When Brigit approves a cash advance request, it does a thorough check on your upcoming income to verify that repayment will occur without causing an overdraft. So under normal circumstances, using Brigit for cash advances shouldn’t lead to overdraft fees.

How do you contact Brigit’s customer service?

Brigit offers customer support through a chatbot on its website and in-app messaging.

Is the Brigit app legitimate?

Yes, the Brigit app is a legitimate platform. It provides cash advances for its members and has earned high user ratings on various app stores. The app employs rigorous security measures to protect users’ personal and financial information.

Does Brigit give you money instantly?

Depending on your bank and whether you have a paid membership, Brigit can offer instant transfers. It’s best to check with Brigit and your bank to determine the expected timeline for your cash advance.

What happens if you don’t pay Brigit back?

Brigit strives to avoid overdraft fees for its members. It analyzes your income and spending habits to set a safe repayment due date. However, if you fail to repay the advance, it might limit or revoke your access to future services until the debt is settled.

Why won’t Brigit let you advance?

Brigit might not permit an advance for several reasons. You might not meet the qualifying criteria, which include a stable income of at least $1,500 per month, consistent usage of your checking account, and a low risk of overdrafting. Also, if you already have a cash advance through Brigit, you can’t take another until you repay the first.

How we rated Brigit

LendEDU’s editorial rating system is designed to help readers find companies that offer the best cash advance apps. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.

We compared Brigit to several cash advance apps, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take is represented in our rating and best-for designation, recapped below.

ProductBest forOur rating
Brigit cash advance appNo credit check or late fees4.3/5