Instacash Advances From MoneyLion: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

When you need to make a few dollars last until your next paycheck hits, a cash advance might seem like the perfect solution. For instance, a MoneyLion Instacash advance can put up to $500 in your pocket (or bank account) without a credit check and without charging interest. What could be better?

Well, some options could actually work better — like EarnIn’s Cash Out¹, which lets you get up to $150/day, with a max of $750 between paydays, without setting up a whole new checking account.

That said, MoneyLion is legit, so you’re smart to do your homework to see if it’s right for you. Read on to understand the pros and cons of this fintech app and how it compares to EarnIn’s capabilities.

What’s MoneyLion and how does it work?

MoneyLion is a financial technology company that offers banking, investing, and credit-building tools. MoneyLion members also get access to features like mobile banking, earned wage access (EWA), credit monitoring, and personalized financial advice.

Here’s a look at the features MoneyLion offers:

RoarMoney account. A checking account with a $1/month administration fee, where you can get paid up to 2 days early.
Investment account. Managed investment accounts with a monthly fee structure based on the account’s value.
- Up to $5,000: $1/month
- $5,000 to $25,000: $3/month
- Over $25,000: $5/month
Instacash. Access up to $500 of your already-earned wages, called earned wage access (EWA) at 0% APR.
Basic credit monitoring. Free access to your credit report and credit score, plus real-time alerts on any updates or changes that might impact your credit.

While MoneyLion provides several services with minimal fees, you need a paid membership to access premium features and higher-tier services — $9.99/month for a MoneyLion WOW membership, or $19.99/month for Credit Builder Plus.

What is MoneyLion’s Instacash?

Similar to Cash Out¹ from EarnIn, Instacash is an earned wage access (EWA) service, which lets you withdraw a portion of your wages as you earn them. Instacash and Cash Out¹ are not loans; they’re ways to get your money when you need it — rather than waiting for the traditional payroll cycle.

How does MoneyLion Instacash work?

MoneyLion uses your banking and deposit history to decide if you’re eligible for Instacash. You may only get access to $10 after first linking your bank account, but that amount should increase once MoneyLion confirms a regularly occurring direct deposit.

Once MoneyLion has verified all your details and account history, you can access up to $500 of your earned wages per pay period. If you don’t want to pay for delivery, you’ll wait up to 5 days to get your money. But you also have the option to pay up to $8.99 for a near-instant “Turbo” delivery. On payday, MoneyLion’s Instacash repayment will be automatically pulled from your bank account, RoarMoney account, or third-party debit card.

Is MoneyLion right for you?

To understand if MoneyLion could work for your situation, here are some pros and cons to consider.

Pros

All-in-one financial platform. You can access banking, investing, credit-building, and EWA services all in one place.
Credit Builder Loans. MoneyLion’s paid Credit Builder Plus membership offers loans that report to credit bureaus, helping you build or repair your credit.
No mandatory fees or interest. Unless you pay for Turbo delivery, Instacash doesn’t charge you mandatory fees for accessing your earned wages via standard delivery (1–5 business days).

Cons

Requires paid membership for full access. Advanced features like Credit Builder Loans and Instacash over $500 require a RoarMoney account and/or a paid monthly subscription.
High fees for fast funding. Standard Instacash delivery takes up to five days. For same-day fund delivery, you may pay as much as $8.99 per transfer.
Paid checking account. It’s easier to qualify for a higher Instacash amount when you open a RoarMoney account, but that comes with a monthly administration fee.

MoneyLion Instacash versus EarnIn

There are some similarities between MoneyLion and EarnIn’s tools and features. For instance, both apps:

Offer access to earned wages with no interest, credit check, or mandatory fees.
Require consistent income streams and use direct deposit activity to determine EWA eligibility.
Offer expedited transfers for a fee ($3.99 per transfer with EarnIn’s Lightning Speed²; up to $8.99 per transfer for MoneyLion Instacash).
Automatically withdraw the funds you owe on your next payday so you don’t have to worry about making a manual payment.

So what’s the key benefit of using EarnIn over MoneyLion? One advantage is more money. Unless you’re willing to pay a monthly fee for a RoarMoney account or spend $9.99 or more on a paid MoneyLion membership, you can only access $500 of your earned wages per pay period. With Cash Out¹ from EarnIn, you can get up to $150/day, with a max of $750 per pay period — and you can use your existing bank account.

More benefits of EarnIn

Here’s a look at some of the other tools and features you’ll get when you download EarnIn (no paid membership required).

Early Pay. For just $2.99 per transfer, you can get your paycheck up to 2 days before your scheduled payday with Early Pay.³
Credit Monitoring. Our Credit Monitoring⁴ tool allows you to keep a close eye on your credit score any time, for free.
Tip Yourself. Turn saving money into a more rewarding experience with Tip Yourself.⁵
Balance Shield. Avoid the surprise of a low balance or overdraft by getting a custom Balance Shield⁶ notification when your account drops below an amount you set.

Get financial flexibility with EarnIn

EarnIn makes it easy to access your pay as you work — get up to $150/day, with a max of $750 between paydays¹ — so you can have what you need to keep moving forward, whatever life sends your way.

Download EarnIn and make every day payday.

The information in this article is up to date as of November 17, 2025.

FAQs

What’s the difference between a cash advance and earned wage access?

A cash advance is a short-term loan, often from a credit card or financial app, where you borrow money and repay it with interest or fees. EWA, on the other hand, lets you access wages you've earned before your payday; it’s not a loan — it’s just early access to money that’s already yours. EWA typically has lower or no fees, while cash advances often carry high costs and could impact your credit if taken through a credit card. Both are fast-funding options, but they carry different risks and meet different financial needs.

Is a MoneyLion Credit Builder Loan interest-free?

While a MoneyLion Instacash advance offers access to your earned wages with no interest and no mandatory fees, Credit Builder loans work differently: The loan will include an interest rate ranging from 5.99% to 29.99%, and you can’t qualify without enrolling in the Credit Builder Plus program, which costs $19.99 per month. Credit Builder loans do, however, report to the major credit bureaus, which can help you repair or build credit.

Is earned wage access safer than a payday loan?

EWA can be safer than a payday loan because it lets you access money you’ve already earned without interest or high fees, and it doesn’t create debt or impact your credit score. Payday loans are a different story — they often come with extremely high interest rates, fees, and a risk of falling into a cycle of debt. If you need money fast, EWA can be a good payday loan alternative.

Does getting funds through earned wage access affect my credit utilization ratio?

Your credit utilization ratio is the percentage of available credit you’re currently using. It’s a big factor in determining your credit score — the lower your credit utilization ratio, the better.

Neither EarnIn’s Cash Out¹ tool or MoneyLion’s Instacash are credit products. Instead, they give you access to money you’ve already earned. Since this type of funding doesn’t work the same way as a personal loan, credit card, or line of credit, they don’t get reported to the major credit bureaus and won’t impact your credit score.

Will EarnIn ever require me to open a new deposit account?

Getting access to your earned wages with EarnIn’s Cash Out¹ tool does require you to link your checking account. To use tools like Early Pay³ and Tip Yourself⁵, you’ll need to set up a deposit account with Evolve Bank & Trust and update your direct deposit routing with your employer. Your paycheck will go into the new account and then be redirected to your linked third-party bank account.

Please note, the material collected in this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as or construed as advice regarding any specific circumstances. Nor is it an endorsement of any organization or services.

This Blog was sponsored by EarnIn. While the author received compensation, the information shared is grounded in independent research and intended to provide helpful and accurate guidance to readers.

EarnIn is a financial technology company, not a bank. The Cash Out product is provided exclusively by EarnIn. Certain bank products are provided by Evolve Bank & Trust and/or Lead Bank, Members FDIC. The FDIC insures deposits to protect your money in the event of a bank failure. More details about deposit insurance here. Additional services in the app are offered in partnership with trusted third parties.

¹
A pay period is the time between your paychecks, such as weekly, biweekly, or monthly. EarnIn determines your daily and pay period limits (“Daily Max” and “Pay Period Max”) based on your income and financial risk factors as outlined in the Cash Out Maxes section of our Cash Out User Agreement. EarnIn reserves the right to adjust the Daily Max and Pay Period Max at its discretion. Your actual Daily Max will be displayed in your EarnIn account before each Cash Out.

EarnIn does not charge interest on Cash Outs or mandatory fees for standard transfers, which usually take 1–2 business days. For faster transfers, you can choose the Lightning Speed option and pay a fee to receive funds within 30 minutes. Lightning Speed may not be available at all times and/or to all customers. Restrictions and terms apply; see the Lightning Speed Fee Table and Cash Out User Agreement for details and eligibility requirements. Tips are optional and do not affect the quality or availability of services.

²
Lightning Speed is an optional service that allows you to expedite the transfer of funds for a fee. Depending on the product, the fee may be charged by EarnIn or its banking partner. Lightning Speed may not be available in all states and/or to all customers. Restrictions and terms apply. See the Lightning Speed Fee Table for details.

³
Early Pay is an optional feature that allows you to access your paycheck up to two days early. To use Early Pay, you must:

1. Open a Deposit Account with one of our bank partners, Evolve Bank & Trust or Lead Bank, both member FDIC. Funds held in the Deposit Account are held with our partner banks, and are insured up to $250,000 in the event the bank partner fails and if specific deposit insurance requirements are met. Learn more here; and

2. Update your direct deposit routing with your employer. This Deposit Account will receive your paycheck and will redirect it to the bank account linked to your EarnIn account. Before transferring, EarnIn will set aside the necessary funds from your paycheck to cover any tips, Lightning Speed fees, and Cash-Out balances from the previous pay period (the “Balances”). Any remaining funds will be transferred to your linked bank account. If your paycheck does not fully cover the Balances, EarnIn may debit the remaining amount from your linked external bank account, as allowed in the Transfer Out Payment Authorization.

Fees. If you opt for Lightning Speed transfers, our bank partner will charge you a $2.99 fee to transfer your paycheck to your linked bank account on the same day your employer processes payroll, which may be up to 2 days before your scheduled payday. If you do not opt for Lightning Speed transfers, our bank partner will automatically transfer your paycheck to your linked bank account for free, by your regular payday. Early Pay is available to eligible EarnIn members in select states. Additional restrictions may apply. For more information, please refer to our FAQ.

⁴
Your VantageScore 3.0 from Experian® indicates your credit risk level and is not used by all lenders, so don't be surprised if your lender uses a score that's different from your VantageScore 3.0. Learn more.

⁵
Tip Yourself Account funds and Tip Jars are held with Evolve Bank & Trust, member FDIC and FDIC insured up to $250,000. Tip Yourself is a 0% Annual Percentage Yield and $0 monthly fee service deposit account. For more information/details, visit Evolve Bank & Trust Customer Account Terms. The FDIC provides deposit insurance to protect your money in the event of a bank failure. More details about deposit insurance here.

⁶
Balance Shield provides free alerts when your bank account balance drops below the threshold you set in your EarnIn account. You can also enable automatic transfers ($100/day - subject to your available earnings - with a limit of $750/pay period), if your bank account balance falls below your set threshold. If your available earnings are insufficient to transfer the $100, the transfer will not be completed. You choose the speed of these automatic transfers. Standard speed is available at no cost and the transfer typically takes 1-2 business days. Lightning Speed is available for a fee [see Lightning Speed Fee Table] and the transfer typically takes less than 30 minutes. You will also have the option to set a tip for automatic transfers. Tips are optional and can be $0; however, if you choose to set a tip, it will be applied to each Balance Shield transfer. Whether you tip, how much, and how often you tip does not impact the quality and availability of services. You can cancel the alerts and/or transfers at any time in your EarnIn account settings. See the Cash Out User Agreement for more details. While Balance Shield can help you avoid overdrafts, it does not guarantee protection from third-party fees, and its effectiveness depends on your usage and bank activity.