Many or all companies we feature compensate us. Compensation and editorial research influence how products appear on a page. Personal Loans Gerald App Review Updated Sep 25, 2024 8-min read Written by Rebecca Safier Written by Rebecca Safier Expertise: Student loans, personal loans, home equity, credit, budgeting Rebecca Safier is a personal finance writer with nearly a decade of experience writing about student loans, personal loans, budgeting, and related topics. She is certified as a student loan counselor through the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors. Learn more about Rebecca Safier Learn More Cash Advance Doesn’t charge interest on cash advances No subscription fees Offers online store and prepaid mobile phone plan Must use part of cash advance to shop in Gerald’s mobile store or pay for its prepaid phone plan Customers report slow processing times and missing transfers Many negative customer reviews online Funding$10 – $80Speed of advanceSeveral daysFeesNone If you’re looking for a cash advance to bridge the gap between paychecks, you may be considering the Gerald app. Gerald is a free app that offers cash advances to qualifying customers, but the money comes with strings attached. Unlike most other cash advance apps that deposit funds directly to your bank account, Gerald requires that you use at least part of the cash advance to shop at its online store or pay for its mobile phone plan. The amount left over may be only a small fraction of the cash advance you’re looking for, which is one reason we don’t recommend this company for cash advances. Read on for the full story—and to see why we prefer alternatives, such as EarnIn, Dave, and Empower. Table of Contents Skip to Section What is the Gerald Wallet app?Is the Gerald app legit? How does the Gerald app work? Who is eligible for the Gerald app? Alternatives to the Gerald app cash advance FAQ What is the Gerald Wallet app? Gerald is a mobile app that offers multiple services, including cash advances, an online retail store called Cornerstore, and a prepaid mobile phone plan called Cranberry. You can also earn points in the app by playing games, watching ads, and taking surveys. When you earn enough points, you can redeem them for a cash advance. Gerald says it can offer instant cash advances of $10 to $80. However, customers report that cash advances are not instant and take several days to reach their bank accounts. Some also report that their cash advance transfers never arrived. Plus, instead of getting the full amount of your advance as cash, you must use part of it to shop for household goods on Cornerstore or put it toward Gerald’s phone plan. The Gerald app requires that you meet these spending requirements before requesting a transfer of the remaining funds, if any, to your bank account. Is the Gerald app legit? Gerald is a legitimate company that says its mission is to become a leading household essentials provider that increases access to products for people living paycheck to paycheck. It’s backed by Y Combinator, a tech startup accelerator and venture capital firm. PlatformRatingNumber of reviewsApp Store4.2/511,600Google Play 2.9/53,620Better Business Bureau (BBB)1.05/520 However, Gerald has a slew of negative customer reviews online and earns an “F” rating from the BBB due to its numerous unresolved complaints. Dissatisfied customers mention unfair fees, slow processing times, uncommunicative customer service, and difficulty canceling their accounts and disconnecting their bank accounts. Others said they didn’t realize they were required to use part of their cash advance in the app’s online retail store. Source: Gerald The latter is valid. As you can see above, this requirement is only shown as a small print disclaimer on the Cash Advance section of Gerald’s website. You have to read the FAQs in Gerald’s Help Center to get more information. It appears that this is a recent change Gerald made when it eliminated subscription fees for users. If you need to contact Gerald, you can email [email protected]. You may also find answers to some of your questions in its online Help Center. How does the Gerald app work? The Gerald app is a free mobile app that you can download from Google Play or the App Store. The app has several features: Cash advances: You can request advances from $10 to $80 and must link a bank account to receive your advance. There are no credit checks or fees, but you need to spend a specified minimum in Gerald’s online store, Cornerstore, or on its mobile phone plan. After fulfilling this requirement, you can transfer the remaining amount to your bank account. Online retail store: Cornerstore offers everyday household items, such as groceries, cleaning supplies, and personal care products, that you can shop for through the app. Gerald’s website shows that the store includes protein smoothie packs, car fresheners, and avocado slicers. If your total cost exceeds your cash advance amount, Gerald prompts you to enter payment information to cover the rest. You also might need to pay for shipping. Mobile phone plan: Cranberry is Gerald’s prepaid phone plan. It offers eSim cards and requires monthly advance payments. According to the company, it operates as a mobile virtual network operator, and its Cranberry plans run on T-Mobile and AT&T infrastructure. Mobile games and surveys: You can also play mobile games, take surveys, and watch ads to earn points within the Gerald app. It offers a variety of games, including competitive social games and more relaxed ones, where you tend crops on a virtual farm. You can redeem the points you earn for cash advances. Tip ❗Warning: Gerald recently eliminated subscription fees for users, but it now requires you to spend a portion of your cash advance in its online retail store or on its mobile phone plan. On the Gerald website, for instance, you can see a requirement to use $47.67 of a $68.10 cash advance in Cornerstone or to purchase a Cranberry mobile plan. On Google Play, one user reported that they were required to spend $26.28 of their $37.50 cash advance in the store. Another said shipping fees on their required Cornerstore purchase exceeded $20. Who is eligible for the Gerald app? To be eligible for a cash advance through Gerald, you must meet the following requirements: Have a positive balance in your bank account Connect a bank account that’s more than three months old Show a history of consistent payroll deposits of $100 or more Keep money in your bank account for a few days after every paycheck Show a history of paying your bills consistently Connecting multiple bank accounts with Gerald will decrease your odds of approval for a cash advance. Paying your cash advances back on time will also increase your chances of getting approved for future advances. Alternatives to the Gerald app cash advance Gerald doesn’t make our list of the best cash advance apps, considering its requirement to spend some, if not most, of your advance in its online retail store or mobile phone plan. We encourage you to explore these alternatives if you need an early payday. CompanyBest for…Rating (0-5) Best Overall 5 Get Cash Best Early Payment Benefit 4.6 Get Cash Best Overdraft Reimbursement 4.6 Get Cash EarnIn offers up to $100 per day to a maximum of $750 per pay period and doesn’t charge interest or membership fees. You can get a cash advance for free if you don’t mind waiting one to three business days, or you can pay a fee of up to $3.99 for an instant cash transfer. Dave is a top choice for accessing your paycheck early, with cash advances of up to $500. Dave doesn’t charge interest on advances; you only need to pay a $1 monthly membership fee to access the ExtraCash feature. You can get funds in two to three business days for free or opt for instant transfer for a fee of up to $13.99, depending on the amount. Dave also offers valuable budgeting tools, making managing your money easier. Empower is another leading option that offers cash advances up to $300. It doesn’t charge interest, but you’ll pay a fee of up to $8 for instant transfers and monthly subscription fees of $8 after your initial 14-day free trial. The Empower app comes with useful tools, such as credit monitoring and help with automatic savings. Keep in mind that any cash advance you borrow is subtracted from your next paycheck. Overreliance on cash advance apps could lead to unpredictable income and aggravate any challenges you might be facing with managing your money. FAQ How do you contact Gerald app customer support? To contact Gerald app customer support, you can reach out through the app itself. Once logged in, navigate to the help or support section, where you’ll find options to submit a request or contact the support team. You may also find support via the Gerald website, which includes a FAQ section. Does the Gerald app work with Chime? Yes, the Gerald app works with Chime. This compatibility allows Chime users to link their accounts with the Gerald app for cash advances, bill payments, and other financial services. Keep in mind that to link your Chime account, you may need to provide specific account details or authorization through secure channels. What happens if I don’t pay back a cash advance from Gerald? If you don’t pay back a cash advance from Gerald, you may incur late fees or additional penalties. Nonpayment can also harm your relationship with the app and its services, potentially limiting your future borrowing options. In some cases, the company may take further action, such as reporting delinquent payments to credit agencies, depending on its terms of service. It’s important to review Gerald’s repayment policies to understand the consequences of missed payments. Is the Gerald app free? The Gerald app is free to download, and it recently eliminated subscription fees for users. However, accessing cash advances through Gerald comes with a catch: You are required to spend a portion of the advance in Gerald’s online retail store or on its mobile phone plan. Always check Gerald’s terms to understand how much of your cash advance needs to be spent within the platform.