Earnin Review: What You Need To Know

GOBanking Rates Score

Quick take: Earnin aims to give consumers access to the wages they have earned without waiting for payday. It gives employees from a wide range of industries real-time access to what they’ve earned. To use the service, you will need three things: a regular salary, a checking account and a smartphone.

  • Amount of the loan
  • Costs
  • Features
  • Security

How did we calculate this?

Advantages

  • Offers quick access to available winnings
  • No penalties or interest
  • No mandatory fees

The inconvenients

  • Low daily maximums and pay periods

Earnings Overview

According to its website, Earnin was “born out of a clear need to change a financial system that is leaving millions of people behind.” With Earnin, you can collect up to $100 a day, and Earnin withdraws it (plus any tips you tip) on your payday. Use Earnin and you won’t have to pay any interest, fees or mandatory costs. Instead, the company relies on its customers to tip what they deem fair when using the app.

Main features of Earnin

Here’s an overview of the features to consider to help you decide if Earnin meets your needs.

Amount of the loan

You’ll start with a maximum of $100 that you can cash out per pay period, but as you use the app and pay back what you’ve borrowed, you can increase that amount up to $500. All members have a maximum withdrawal of $100 per day. Again: you are obligated to repay only what you have borrowed.

Costs

Earnin charges no interest or mandatory fees – and using the app is 100% free. Members are encouraged to leave a tip they deem fair to get their money sooner.

Features

Earnin Express feature allows members to potentially access a higher pay period of up to $1,000 or up to 80% from their paycheque, whichever is less. Plus, you can get paid sooner by routing your paychecks through the company. When you use Earnin Express, Earnin deducts your withdrawals and tips from the check you forwarded and sends whatever remains to your linked bank account through its Lightning Speed ​​feature, which allows you to get your money in minutes instead of several days.

If you sign up for the Balance Shield Cash Outs feature and your bank account drops below a certain amount, Earnin automatically sends you up to $100.

Security

Earnin never sells your data and uses it in accordance with its privacy policy. You won’t have to provide your social security number unless you sign up for Earnin Express. Also, the company won’t investigate your credit report, so your credit score won’t suffer.

Earnin further protects its customers by using data encryption technology, which ensures that user account information remains private and secure.

How Earnin Stands Out

Earnin gives users quick access to their money, in some cases within minutes of request (if you sign up for the Lightning Speed ​​program). It is easy to use and customers can check their earnings on the app’s dashboard and configure which updates they want to receive notifications for. It’s a great alternative to a predatory payday loan.

Comparable options

Here’s an overview of the alternatives you might consider so you can decide if Earnin or another option is best for you.

David

Dave lets you get your paycheck up to two days earlier and withdraw an interest-free cash advance of up to $500. With the Dave Spending Account, you’ll never pay overdrafts, minimum balances, or ATM fees (you must use one of 32,000 MoneyPass ATMs). Another feature offered by Dave is the ability to receive notifications if you are about to exceed your account. Dave is not, however, totally free; it charges a monthly membership fee of $1.

Fork

Branch is working with select employers to allow employees to get up to 50% of their pay earlier. You can wait three days without paying any fees or paying for faster delivery. CashFlow is the app’s overview of your upcoming payments and expenses, which you can use to monitor your finances, and it will send you a low balance alert if you are about to overspend.

How to use Earnin

It’s an easy-to-use platform: once you’ve downloaded the app, all you need to do is log in to your current account and add your employment information so the company knows when you get paid. . Then you add your earnings to the app through its Automagic Earnings feature, submitting an electronic timesheet, or signing up with your work email address.

The Earnin website explains exactly how to use the app in three steps:

  1. Go to the home screen of the Earnin app.
  2. Hit the “CASH OUT” button once you have ensured you have earnings in your account and have not reached your daily or pay period maximum.
  3. Expect the money to arrive in your account within two to three business days.

For whom is winning best for

Earnin works if you have a regular pay date, and it’s best for workers who get paid by the hour and want to avoid fees and take an expensive cash advance. If you don’t have a regular pay date, however, you should look elsewhere.

Final grip

If you’re out of money but know you’re getting paid, borrowing against that future paycheck is a great deal with Earnin. It’s completely free and easy to do, and it doesn’t take advantage of you by charging high interest rates and fees like payday loans.

Earnings FAQs

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about Earnin.

  • What’s the deal with Earnin?
    • Only certain types of workers can use Earnin: on-demand, salaried or hourly. This means if you are a freelancer this is not for you. Additionally, you need to receive your paycheck via direct deposit to use Earnin, as it needs to track your work hours.
  • Does Earnin Give You $100?
    • If you ask to cash out $100, you’ll get exactly that, unless you add an optional tip. Earnin will deduct that $100 (plus any tip you give) once you get paid. Get your hard-earned money quickly before payday, straight to your bank account.
  • Is Earnin a payday loan?
    • Earnin is not a payday loan. It does not charge any mandatory fees or interest, unlike payday loans, which charge very high interest rates and fees. Instead, Earnin asks members to leave tips they think are fair to get quick access to their money.
  • Is Earnin legit?
    • Yes, Earnin is absolutely a legit app. While it might seem odd that you can use it for free, the company makes money through different avenues and through referrals from customers who want to pay for it.

Information is accurate as of July 12, 2022.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Earnin. Any opinions, analyses, criticisms, evaluations or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or otherwise endorsed by Earnin.

About the Author

Barri Segal has over 20 years of experience in the publishing and advertising industries, writing and editing for all styles, genres, mediums and audiences. She has been writing on personal finance topics for 12 years and derives great satisfaction from making a difference in the lives of consumers.

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