reviews
Written by Hanneh Bareham
Edited by Rhys Subitch
Updated on Jan. 9, 2024
Advertiser Disclosure
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers.
Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We arecompensatedin exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or when you click on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. However, this compensation in no way affects Bankrate’s news coverage, recommendations or advice as we adhere to stricteditorial guidelines.
Our advertisers do not compensate us for favorable reviews or recommendations. Our site has comprehensive free listings and information for a variety of financial services from mortgages to banking to insurance, but we don’t include every product in the marketplace. In addition, though we strive to make our listings as current as possible, check with the individual providers for the latest information.
Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU — the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a stricteditorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
At a glance
Find my best rate
Get offers from top lenders
Not all displayed lenders are available for pre-qualification through Bankrate, and we cannot guarantee any specific rate. We'll provide you with the best offers available from our partners.
4.7
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
Availability
Rating: 4.8 stars out of 5
4.8
Affordability
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
4.5
Customer Experience
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
4.7
Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.
About Bankrate Score
Full methodology
Empower is a cash advance app that offers advances up to $300 and doesn't require a credit check for approval. Unlike some other cash advance apps, it allows gig economy workers to apply. The app also offers budgeting tools, credit score monitoring and notifies its users of updates, like missed payments and bank fees.
Lender Details
Loan amount
$10-$300
APR from
No APR
Term lengths
Your next payday
Empower pros and cons
Pros
- Financial resources and tools
- Overdraft protection and refund
- No late fees or interest for cash advance
Cons
- Must pay fee for fast funding
- Mandatory subscription fee
- Payment date is next paycheck
Best for small advances
Empower offers a smaller advance than some similar products, but its features and tools are what give the company its value. Its eligibility requirements are fairly thin when compared to competitors and the instant delivery fees, although high, are optional. Empower is worth considering for those who don't need a large sum of money at once and are able to make the payments on their next payday.
How to qualify for an Empower advance
To use the Empower app, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be 18 years old or older.
- Have a valid bank account.
- Have a mobile phone number that can receive SMS.
Empower won't check your credit score when you apply. Instead, the company will look at your primary checking account to review your daily banking activity and to see if you have a steady income source. However, regardless of income or account status you may not get approved if you make too many Empower requests in quick succession.
How this app compares
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5 4.7 Bankrate Score
APR from
No APR
Loan Amount
$10-$300
Term Length
Your next payday
Min Credit Score
Not disclosed
on Bankrate
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 4.4 Bankrate Score
APR from
None
Loan Amount
$50-$250
Term Length
Next paycheck or income deposit
Min Credit Score
Not disclosed
on Bankrate
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5 4.7 Bankrate Score
APR from
Not disclosed
Loan Amount
Up to $500
Term Length
Next payday or the Friday after taking out the advance
Min Credit Score
Not disclosed
on Bankrate
Empower vs. Brigit
Brigit offers similar benefits to Empower, like budgeting resources and overdraft protection. It also has a slightly lower maximum advance amount of $250 and has a similar repayment timeline. However, Empower's lower monthly fee and unique mobile app features give it an edge over Brigit, which has a required monthly subscription fee of $9.99.
Empower vs. Dave
Offering a maximum loan amount of $500 and a monthly subscription fee of just $1, Dave is a strong competitor when compared to Empower. Plus, Dave also offers overdraft protection and financial resources — although it doesn't offer an overdraft refund like Empower does.
Dave also offers an early paycheck deposit feature, making it the better option to users who may need their paycheck up to two days early.
Empower: In the details
Loan Amount
$10-$300
APR from
No APR
Term lengths
Your next payday
Funds available in
1 business days without express fee, within one hour with express fee
What we like and what we don’t like
What we like
- Financial resources and tools: Empower offers a number of financial tools to help make money management easier.
- Overdraft refunds: If a payment to Empower causes an overdraft fee, the company will refund the amount of the fee. Simply contact Empower customer support with evidence of the fee.
- No late fees or interest for cash advance: Taking out a cash advance from Empower doesn't require any interest payments. You also won't be charged a late fee if you're late on a payment.
What we don’t like
- Must pay fee for fast funding: Express funding costs $1 to $8 depending on the amount of the advance you're taking out.
- Mandatory subscription fee: In order to use Express, you'll need to pay a monthly $8 subscription fee. The subscription auto renews every month.
- Payment date is next paycheck: The full amount of the advance is due on your next paycheck.
How to contact Empower
Empower recommends using email support, which is available 24/7. Phone support is also available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.
How to take out an advance with Empower
Empower's application process is completed within the mobile app. As of right now there isn't a desktop-friendly version available. Here's what the application process looks like and what you should do if you run into any roadblocks when setting up your account.
Empower does state that it may need to review additional information to create your account within the app. It states that the manual review process could take up to three business days, so keep that in mind if you need the money as soon as possible.
Empower features and perks
You gain access to the following perks when you sign up with Empower:
- A free 14-day trial after signing up for the app.
- A full suite of money management tools and resources within the app.
- Reimbursem*nt on overdrafts fees caused by an Empower payment.
- A $5 reward if a person you refer uses your link to sign up for a cash advance within 30 days of starting their free trial.
Fees and penalties
Empower has two fees related to its cash advance product.
- $8 monthly fee: For $8 a month, you will have access to Empower's cash advances along with financial management tools and perks.
- Optional instant delivery fee: Normally, you'll receive your cash advance within one business day, but if you opt into its instant delivery function, you'll get your cash within an hour. The fee cost maxes out at $8, depending on the size of your advance.
Empower frequently asked questions
How Bankrate rates Empower
Overall Score | 4.7 | |
---|---|---|
Availability | 4.8 | Empower has a lower minimum advance amount than is typical, but you can get funds in as little as one business day without paying a fee. |
Affordability | 4.5 | The mobile app subscription is costly at $8 per month. |
Customer Experience | 4.7 | Multiple forms of customer support are available, and Empower has few complaints filed against it in the past three years. |
Methodology
To select the top cash advance apps, the Bankrate team evaluates companies using a 16-point ranking system, known as the Bankrate Score. The Bankrate Score focuses on three key aspects: availability, affordability and customer experience. These are the factors considered as part of each category:
- Availability: Minimum and maximum loan amounts, overdraft protection features, repayment term lengths and funding timelines are taken into account as part of this section.
- Affordability: For this category we looked at subscription pricing and free version availability. We also looked at additional tools and resources offered to users as part of the subscriptions, as well as any fees assessed by the companies.
- Customer experience: Bankrate evaluates factors such as the company’s reputation through regulatory websites, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as well as contact support options. Our team also favors apps that are highly rated and that give users the option to extend repayment in case of hardship.
Editorial disclosure: All reviews are prepared by Bankrate.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the lender’s website for the most current information.
On This Page
On This Page
- At a glance
- Pros and cons
- Do you qualify?
- How this lender compares
- In the details
- How to contact Empower
- How to apply
- Fees and penalties
- Frequently asked questions
- Our rating
- Methodology
Compare Rates
Up next
Read morePersonal Loans Reviews