Why Wage Day Advances Are So Costly

November 5, 2010 by Martin Sumner  

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Wage Advance Loans can be a very handy service for those who have an urgent need for speedy money to see them through until their http://www.ukpayday.co.uk>next payday arrives. Whether this is because of a problem with cashflow, or an unpredicted bill, wage advance loans can help bridge the gap.

These loans come at a price though - and it's a high one. Payday advances are generally regarded as one of the most costly forms of legal credit out there, with huge rates of 1000% or more common. Why are the costs so high?

The first matter to point out is that cash advance loans are taken up over a short time period, while the standard APR measurement of interest charges is designed for measuring how much interest would be paid over a full year. As few wage day advance loans are borrowed for this long, APR numbers are perhaps not the best way of measuring how expensive they are in real life situations.

All the same, the charges are large. You're paying for convenience and speed, as most of the time the cash can be in your account within 24 hours, and also because of the lack of credit checks you're also in a way paying for the risks taken by the lender who may lend money to people entirely unable to pay it back.

You're also being charged more because the loan companies know that customers who need funds urgently are ready to spend more than those looking for longer term credit and are willing to shop around for a better rate.

It is this final reason that is the fundamental one cash advances are so costly - as a group, payday loaners recognize that they are the last option available for borrowers, and so can afford as an industry to charge high prices for their undoubtedly popular services.