Atm.com
Written by Kenji NiwaOn ATM.com, Inc.'s site
ATM.com lends up to $100 against your next paycheck, with no credit check. Its FAQ says each advance costs $5 or 5%, whichever is more, so a $25 advance costs $5. The legal terms name that fee but never give the amount. A $3 monthly fee also hits your balance unless you open the app every 45 days.
On ATM.com, Inc.'s site
$100
Max advance
$5.99/mo
Subscription
None
Credit check
No free option
Instant fee
The details
- Max advance
- Up to $100
- Limit resets
- Per pay period
- Mandatory fees
- ATM.com's FAQ says an advance costs $5 or 5%, whichever is more, so a $25 advance costs $5. The terms give no amount. The FAQ also lists up to $5.99/mo for access, which the terms say is free once approved. Plus $3/mo if inactive 45+ days.
- Interest
- None
- Late fee
- None. ATM.com's App Store listing says there are no late fees, and its terms make advances non-recourse: no lawsuits, no debt sale, no collectors.
- Credit check
- None
- Direct deposit required?
- Yes
- Bank-link required
- Yes (Plaid)
- Instant transfer
- Within seconds of approval
- Instant transfer fee
- No free option
- Tips
- Requested (optional)
- Eligibility
- 18 or older, a US resident with a valid SSN, in the 50 states or DC (not Puerto Rico or other territories), with a linked bank account holding at least three consistent direct deposits from the same source and a positive balance. Declined applicants may reapply after 30 days. IMPORTANT: there is no free delivery option. ATM.com's FAQ prices every advance at $5 or 5%, whichever is more, and publishes no per-amount schedule; the terms name the fee but give no amount. ATM.com also contradicts itself on the $5.99 platform fee: the FAQ charges it for the tools that include Instant Cash, while the terms say those tools are included at no extra cost once approved. The earnings program is paid for with bank transaction data shared with Cardlytics, which ATM.com says may be sold on and may count as a sale of personal information under California law.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Games can pay up to $250 a month; surveys add a few dollars.
- Applying never touches your credit score, and ATM.com never reports to the bureaus.
- Miss a repayment and there's no late fee, lawsuit, or debt sale.
Cons
- A $25 advance can cost $5. That is 20%, not 5%.
- ATM's FAQ lists a $5.99 monthly fee for Instant Cash access. Its terms say that access is free once approved. Plus a $3 fee if you're inactive 45+ days.
- Using the app means sharing your bank data, which partner Cardlytics may resell.
Compare Atm.com to other cash advance apps
| App | Editors' rating | Member rating | Max advance | Instant fee | Firstcard clicks (12 mo) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | — | $100 | No free option | — | Get Cash Advance |
 | 4.7 | 5.0 (1 review) | $750 | Not published | 30,762 | Get Cash Advance |
 | 4.6 | 4.5 (3 reviews) | $750 | $3.99–$37.49 | 11,146 | Get Cash Advance |
 | 4.5 | 4.5 (2 reviews) | $500 | $2–$25 | 3,472 | Get Cash Advance |
Similar apps are picked automatically: same category, ranked by Firstcard editors' rating. Clicks are Firstcard members sent to each app in the last 12 months, with suspected bot traffic excluded.
A warning from Firstcard
- Borrow with a plan. Take an advance only for a specific, necessary expense, and know exactly which paycheck repays it before you tap the button.
- Don't stack apps. Using more than two cash advance apps at once is how the debt spiral starts. We don't recommend it, ever.
- Avoid instant fees. Express delivery is extremely expensive for the days it saves, see the APR math above. If a free delivery option exists, use it.
Relying on an advance every paycheck? Learn how these apps really work →
How Firstcard works
Firstcard exists to make finance simple and accessible, so anyone can choose the right financial product with confidence. That means showing every fee and every catch upfront, and holding ourselves to the same standard. Here is how Firstcard works, and how we make money.
How we rate. Our editors' rating for a cash advance app weighs what it truly costs to use (the instant fee plus any required subscription, not the advertised “no interest”), how much you can actually get, how fast the free option delivers, what you need to qualify, and how repayment works. Ratings run 1 to 5 in tenths and compare products only within their own category, so a 4.5-star cash advance app is not “better” than a 4.0-star credit builder: they do different jobs. Treat the rating as one input, not the decision. See how we rate financial products.
How we make money. Firstcard may earn a commission when you click a link on this page, get approved, or open an account. That is what keeps our comparisons free to use. See how we make money and our current partners.
Ratings versus placement. Star ratings, member reviews, and our cost math are never influenced by money, and no partner sees a review before it publishes. Where a product appears is a separate question: featured spots and default ordering can reflect partner compensation and what members click and choose. That is why the rating and the real numbers travel with every product, wherever it sits. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Guidelines.
Terms change, so check before you apply. These terms come from the providers, not from us, so we cannot guarantee they are current or complete, and anything a member reports describes their own account rather than the offer you will be given. Always confirm the fees and terms on the provider's own site before you apply. If you spot something wrong here, email support@firstcard.app and we will fix it.
