EarnIn App Review

Business Insider's personal finance team compared EarnIn to the best cash advance providers and found it to be an industry leader.

If your bank account is running low and you wish you could tap the money you've already earned sooner than payday, EarnIn offers a solution. This cash advance app provides you with a portion of your paycheck before payday to help you better manage bills or surprise expenses, at no cost. 

EarnIn Overview

What Is EarnIn?

Designed to help people deal with potential shortfalls between when they get paid and when bills may be due,EarnIn provides its users with an advance on their paychecks. 

Instead of having to wait till payday to access your earnings, you can tap that money right after working a shift. EarnIn will front up to $100 per day until you reach its maximum of $750 per period, sending the money directly to your chosen bank account.

In return for this early access, EarnIn automatically deducts a sum equal to its advance from your bank account when your employer pays you. There are no mandatory fees or interest charges for using its cash advance services, though you can opt to tip EarnIn.

How Does EarnIn Work?

EarnIn works by linking up with your bank account, so the service can verify your identity, deposit money, see your direct deposit history, and calculate your earnings. 

When you need money before your payday, you can request $100 per day, or $750 per pay period, in advance. EarnIn will then loan you the funds essentially, withdrawing a sum equal to your advance amount automatically when your paycheck deposits. You won't pay a fee or interest charges for tapping your earnings early, but EarnIn does encourage users to tip what they feel is fair for the service. 

While you don't need to be employed full time to use EarnIn, you must get paid on a consistent schedule and make $320 or more each pay period. And you don't need to worry about EarnIn checking your credit or contacting your employer to verify your employment when you sign up. The app will ask you to prove employment in other ways, like through an electronic or printed timesheet, your employer-provided work email address, or by using its GPS earnings feature if you always work from the same location.

EarnIn Features and Benefits

Cash Out Your Earnings

EarnIn refers to the process of getting an advance on your paycheck as "cashing out." The company allows you to request a portion of your paycheck earnings early and then pays that sum into your account days before you'd normally see any of your regular wages. When your paycheck does come through, EarnIn automatically deducts a sum equal to the advance from your bank account.

Balance Shield Alerts

You can activate a feature called Balance Shield in the EarnIn app to help you avoid overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees. With it, you'll receive instant notifications if your balance falls below a certain threshold you can set, typically anything from $0 to $500. You can also opt to have $100 auto-transfered into your account when it reaches overdraft range. When you get your paycheck, you'll repay the $100 buffer.

Tip-Based Payment Model

Because EarnIn doesn't charge any fees or interest for providing users with early access to a portion of their paycheck, it asks for tips. These tips are optional and can range from $0 to $13 per pay period advance based on what you feel the company deserves. 

EarnIn Fees and Costs

Understanding EarnIn's Tip-Based System

EarnIn doesn't charge users any fees or interest for using its app or choosing to cash out part of their paycheck in advance, but it does provide the option for tips. You can choose to tip EarnIn up to $13 for each pay period advance. This tip amount is then deducted from your checking account on your next payday along with the sum EarnIn fronted you.

Lightning Speed Option

If you need to receive your cash advance from EarnIn immediately, you can opt to pay a $3.99 fee for Lightning Speed, which guarantees the money will be transferred to your account within minutes. The standard speed option, which costs nothing, can take one to two business days.

Late Payments

In its user agreement, EarnIn states that: "you do not have an obligation to repay any of the Cash Out Services, and EarnIn will have no legal or contractual claim or remedy against you based on your failure to repay any of the Cash Out Services." This means you don't need to worry about a lack of payment leading to late fees, credit score dings, or collection notices. But EarnIn will freeze your account and prevent you from using its services again until you repay your debt.

If you're worried about affording your EarnIn repayment, you can contact its customer service team to ask for your due date to be rescheduled to your next pay period. You must do this at least one business day before the current due date and can only move payment deadlines once every 60 days. 

EarnIn Pros and Cons

Advantages 

• No fees or interest charges. EarnIn allows users to get an advance on their paycheck at no cost, but does encourage tipping.
• No credit check. EarnIn does not run any kind of credit check as part of its approval process. 
• Well-liked app. EarnIn's app on both the Apple and Google app stores has a 4.7 star (out of five) rating.
• Low balance alerts. You can set up notifications in the app to warn you when your accounts dips below a certain threshold, helping you avoid costly overdraft fees.

Drawbacks

• Wait of one day or more for your advance. EarnIn will deposit the share of your paycheck you requested early within one to two business days. If you need the money quicker, you'll have to pay a fee.
• $750 limit. EarnIn only allows users to get a maximum advance of $750 per pay period, and you can't request more than $100 per day. 
• Can feel invasive. Those concerned with privacy may feel EarnIn asks for too much with its demand for your work email, work location, and GPS tracking.
• Must be employed and paid on a consistent pay schedule. EarnIn is unavailable to many potential users who rely on other forms of income, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), disability pay, unemployment wages or veterans benefits.

How to Get Started

Eligibility Requirements

To use EarnIn, you must be at least 18 years old, own a U.S. checking account that can be linked to the app, and a valid U.S. cell phone number. 

You must be employed and have a consistent direct deposit pay schedule that is either weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. You will need to provide a fixed work location linked to its GPS feature or an employer-provided email address. If you rely on Supplemental security income, disability pay, unemployment wages or veterans benefits, you cannot use EarnIn.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up EarnIn

To use EarnIn, you'll need to first download the app off either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Next, you'll create a profile on the app, providing it with your personal information and checking account details. EarnIn will also need details about your employment so it can track your hours worked and payment schedule. To calculate your earnings, it will want an electronic or printed timesheet, your employer-provided work email address, or for you to use its GPS earnings feature if you work from a fixed location.

When you request an advance on your paycheck, EarnIn will check the hours you've worked to ensure you've made enough. The company says the process usually takes about 10 minutes. The most you can borrow through EarnIn is $100 per day, up to $750 per pay period. It can take up to two business days to receive the money unless you pay a fast funding fee to get it within minutes. EarnIn will also request a tip, which it will deduct from your paycheck on payday along with the fronted amount.

Before the transaction is complete, you'll be shown the total amount owed, including the advance plus any fees or tips, as well as the repayment date. 

Common Praises and Complaints

EarnIn users commonly love the ease and quickness of the service, with many saying its cash advances have helped them through financial hardships, afford their bills, and handle unexpected surprise expenses. 

Where many users seem to have trouble with EarnIn comes from its account deductions to repay the advances, leaving them with overdrawn accounts and costly overdraft fees. EarnIn actually settled a class action lawsuit about this complaint in 2021, with the federal court order requiring the company to provide $3 million to consumers and forgive another $9.5 million.

Customer Support and Service

EarnIn's app offers 24/7 chat support and saves all chat history or users can call customer service at 888-537-9883.

Who Should Use EarnIn?

Ideal Users for EarnIn

EarnIn is best for people who need assistance covering an unexpected expense or bill with a cash advance and can afford to repay this sum with their next paycheck while still handling all their regular costs. The ideal user is also employed, paid by direct deposit on a regular schedule, and doesn't mind sharing their work email or work location. 

EarnIn works well as a stop gap to be used once in a while, not as a way to afford your normal expenses. If you spend more than you earn and use EarnIn to help finance that, you could end up owing the company, overdrawn on your bank accounts, and paying costly overdraft or non sufficient funds fees to your bank. 

EarnInCustomer Reviews and Ratings

EarnIn is rated an A+ by the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit organization focused on consumer protection and trust. The BBB determines ratings based on a company's response to customer complaints, honesty in advertising, and openness about business practices. BBB ratings don't always guarantee you'll have a good relationship with the lender, for instance EarnIn has a 3.08 star rating out of five on the site currently. 

On the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, EarnIn has received a 4.7 star (out of five) rating across more than 525,000 reviews.Why You Should Trust Us: How We Rated EarnIn

Business Insider evaluates cash advance and other loan service providers equally, using a personal loan rating methodology that considers a range of factors from fees to funding speed to loan amounts to customer support. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each company in our guides and compare them with other available options so you can decide which cash advance provider best suits your needs.

EarnIn Alternatives

EarnIn's approval process and the information it requests about your workplace, such as your work email and work location, make it a bit noisier than other cash advance apps. But its lack of fees and interest charges make it more affordable than many other options and its $750 borrowing limit per paycheck is on the higher end.

Its closest competitor, Current, requires a higher minimum payroll deposit than EarnIn does but also doesn't charge any fees for its advances, instead relying on a tip system like EarnIn. Another rival, Chime, limits advances to no more than $500 and charges a flat fee of $2 per advance.

EarnIn FAQs