If you need a loan, your options will be much more limited if you don’t have a bank account. You cannot issue a check without one or visit an ATM. In addition, many payday lenders continue to require that you have an account before being loaned.
A cash advance may be an option, but can you get one without a bank account? The answer here is maybe. First of all, it depends on what you mean by “prepayment”.
Can you receive a credit card without a bank account?
Why do we ask this question? That’s why answering this question is so complicated. You see, while an advance on a credit card does not require a bank account, you probably need a bank account to get that credit card. Theoretically, the answer is yes. But in reality? It’s a no
If you’re looking for a traditional unsecured credit card but don’t have a bank account, you’re out of luck. Almost all credit cards require a bank account before being approved. The absence of a bank account is a big red flag for them. This means that they are more likely to not pay for what they borrow.
If you can’t get a credit card without a bank account, it means you can’t get a cash advance even without a bank account. You can get an advance with a secure credit card or prepaid debit card.
People without a bank account can apply for a secure credit card. With these cards, you make a cash payment to an account that the card issuer opens for you. This amount of money determines your credit limit. A deposit of $400 would mean a limit of $400. Then you can use this secure credit card to get an advance.
However, this agreement raises the question: why should you use a secure credit card to get a cash advance if you could use the money already deposited to open the card?
Well, it is likely that you have bad credit in this situation. Using a secure credit card and making timely payments is a great way to improve your credit standing if the card issuer notifies the credit bureaus.
While secure credit cards often have higher fees (not to mention more fees) than conventional credit cards, using one of them is better than doing it all in cash. If you use a card correctly, your credit rating can improve over time, resulting in a card with much better benefits and lower rates.
You can also purchase a prepaid debit card to get an advance. With these products, money is loaded directly to your card. You can spend the money without accrued interest. You can use any of these cards at an ATM to withdraw money, but you will likely have more fees than a regular cash advance. Unlike secure credit cards, a prepaid debit card does not improve your balance.
No bank account is required for certain loans in advance.
Do you remember earlier in this post when we mentioned payday loans? These are short-term, interest-free, and credit-free loans that should be quick and easy. In return, however, they are much more expensive than normal personal loans and are for people with low credit scores. The typical duration of a payday loan is around two weeks with an annual percentage (APR) of 350%.
Here is the issue of payday loans: some of them are advertised as “prepayment loans”. And although most payday loans require that you have a bank account, some do not. Many bad credit loans deposit your money directly into your checking account, but prepayment loans that don’t require a bank account either provide you with money or deposit the money on a prepaid debit card.
If you cannot repay the loan on time, you will have to pay a fee to extend the loan. This reinvestment process, in which people constantly extend their loans without paying anything that exceeds the interest owed, can easily become a cycle of dangerous debt. Although you can get a prepayment loan without a bank account, this can be a very risky step.
