Sometimes we all face unforeseen circumstances, such as family emergencies, house repairs or phone reconnection. If we don?t get them rectified, we are in for a lot of trouble. It is in such situations that we can borrow a Payday Advance, the most popular of which is the Cash Advance. Cash Advances provide us with emergency cash between paydays.

What are the eligibility criteria? The person should be a US citizen, at least 18 years old, have a checking or savings bank account for at least 3 months, and hold some job or be self-employed with a regular income of at least $1,000 per month. These are what most Cash Advance institutions stipulate. Some institutions require complete bank statements or recent pay stubs. Actual requirements depend on the financial institution that makes the Cash Advance. Let?s call these institutions `lender ? creditor? [as they are also known] and the person who seeks the advance, `applicant?.

How does one get the money? Simple. He or she needs to fill in an application form and hand it over to the lender ? creditor?s office. In doing so, the applicant should authorize the lending institution to directly deposit the approved amount into applicant?s bank account, and directly withdraw the approved amount plus interest from his or her account on the next payday. Usually the advance is transferred to the applicant?s bank account the next business day. In extraordinary circumstances, the Cash Advance can be made in person at the financial institution, in which case the applicant should sign a few documents, including one for having received the advance.

The customer is given time, usually until the ensuing payday, to repay the advance. There are three options available to the customer: To pay the actual amount of advance [known as `principal?] in full, to pay the principal and the interest [known also as `fees?], or to repay the advance earlier than the stipulated date and receive a discount by way of interest savings. The third option is the most economical.