Grant is a cash advance app that fronts you between $25 and $500 before payday, with no credit check and no interest or late fees on the advance. The headline is a little generous, though. The average advance is under $200, and $500 is the top of the range for repeat users. It’s not what a new account sees on day one.
This review covers what the Grant app really costs, how much you can expect to borrow, how the optional Plus plan works, and where it fits next to the rest of the best cash advance apps.
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- Get $25 to $500 with no interest and no late fees
- No credit check to apply, average first advance is about $66
- Free standard delivery in about 3 business days, or express in about an hour for $2 to $21
- Grant Plus is $9.99/mo in the app, or email support for a free advance
Averages run $66 for eligible first time users and $155 for repeat users. That’s the number to plan around.
Get the Grant app and see what you qualify for.
What you get with Grant
Grant is run by Grant Money LLC, and the app is published by Kikoff Inc. There are really two things in it: the advance, and a rewards feature that has nothing to do with borrowing.
Cash advance
You link a bank account and Grant looks at your account activity and income pattern. Approval is based on bank activity rather than credit scores, and the advance generally isn’t reported to the credit bureaus. The amount depends on risk factors and your repayment history. Customers with a run of on time repayments have qualified for the full $500. A first advance is usually a lot smaller.
Repayment is scheduled for your next expected paycheck or deposit date, and the exact date shows before you confirm. There are no late fees and no interest. Grant does warn that fees may apply depending on your usage, so read the screen before you tap confirm.
Earn Cash
The app also lets you earn points by playing games and taking surveys, then cash them out. The daily cash out limit is $500, the minimum is 2,500 points, and redemption can take up to three business days. It’s a side feature you can ignore. If borrowing is the goal, the money borrowing apps guide is the better starting point.
Grant Plus
Plus is the paid plan. It adds a Bills and Spending tab for tracking your account activity. It costs $9.99 a month, pulled automatically from your bank account. Here’s the part most people miss: you can ask for an advance without it. Email [email protected] and request a free advance. The legal page backs that up.
What Grant actually costs
The advance itself is free. Standard delivery costs nothing and can take about three business days. Instant delivery is optional and needs a debit card linked in the app. The express fee runs $2 to $21 depending on the amount, and the money usually lands within 60 minutes, though that isn’t guaranteed. Example: a $50 advance with a $3 express fee means you repay $53.
One catch. Another page on Grant’s site puts the instant fee at 5 percent of the advance with a $5 minimum. The two don’t match, so go by the number the app shows before you confirm.
Plus is where the math changes. Here’s $9.99 spread across the advance sizes Grant talks about:
| Advance | Plus for the month | Share of the advance |
|---|---|---|
| $66 (first time average) | $9.99 | About 15% |
| $155 (repeat average) | $9.99 | About 6% |
| $500 (top of range) | $9.99 | About 2% |
Those are shares of one advance, not APRs. Is that bad? Against a $35 overdraft fee, Plus can still make sense if you borrow every month. Borrow only now and then? Skip Plus, email support for a free advance, and try that first.
Pros and cons
What works
- No credit check, approval is based on bank activity
- No interest and no late fees on the advance
- Standard delivery is free
- You can request an advance without paying for Plus
- The repayment date is shown before you confirm
- Express delivery is capped at $21 on the pricing page
What does not
- The $500 top is for repeat users, and the average is under $200
- First time users average $66
- Plus is $9.99 every month whether you borrow or not
- The free route needs an email to support, not a button
- Instant delivery costs extra, and two pages disagree on how the fee is figured
- Not everyone qualifies, and some states are excluded
How to get an advance
You’ll need an email address, a phone number and a bank account Grant supports. Extra verification is possible.
- Download Grant and create an account with your email and phone number
- Connect the checking account your pay lands in
- Wait for Grant to review your account and show an amount, if you qualify
- Request the amount you want and pick standard or instant delivery
- Check the repayment date on the confirmation screen, then make sure the money is there
The full suite isn’t available in Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, South Carolina or Wisconsin. The App Store listing adds D.C. and Rhode Island, so check your state before you download. If your bank won’t connect, the roundup of cash advance apps that work with Chime covers apps built for neobank accounts.
Is Grant safe to use
Grant is a real company with a published customer agreement and legal page. The advance carries no interest or late fee, so nothing snowballs the way it does with a payday loan.
The risk is the usual one. Repayment comes out of your next paycheck, so that money is gone next cycle. If you can’t repay on time, contact support right away, before the debit date. A failed pull can also trigger your bank’s own fees. And if the gap keeps coming back, small instant loan apps aren’t the fix. A budget that actually balances is.
How Grant compares to other cash advance apps
Grant has no required subscription, and that’s its best trait. Here’s where the neighbors land:
- Tilt also tops out at $500, but it charges $8 a month for everyone, so Grant is cheaper if you skip Plus
- EarnIn advances against hours worked and runs on optional tips, and our list of apps like EarnIn goes deeper
- Klover also avoids a mandatory monthly fee, with its own trade offs
- Cleo leads with budgeting and puts the advance behind it
For the whole category side by side, see the guide to the best cash advance apps:
Is Grant worth it
Bottom line: for a small gap, yes. If you need $50 to $150 before payday and want to dodge an overdraft, Grant without Plus is hard to beat on price, since the advance is free and standard delivery costs nothing. If you need $400 right now, expect to be disappointed at first, because most people get far less.
Pay for Plus only if you’ll borrow most months and want the spending tab. Otherwise ask for the free advance and see what your account gets.
Check your Grant advance amount before you pay for anything.
Frequently asked questions
$25 to $500. The $500 end is for repeat users, and average advances are under $200: about $66 for eligible first time users and $155 for repeat users. You can check your amount with Grant after connecting your bank.
No. Eligibility is based on bank activity rather than credit scores, and advances generally aren’t reported to the credit bureaus.
No. Plus costs $9.99 a month, but you can request an advance without it. Email [email protected] and ask for a free advance. If you want to try it, start with Grant and see what the app offers.
Express delivery runs $2 to $21 depending on the advance amount, and standard delivery is free. Another page on its site puts the fee at 5 percent with a $5 minimum, so check the amount the app shows before you confirm.
There are no late fees or interest on advances. Repayment is scheduled for your next expected paycheck or deposit. If you can’t repay on time, contact support as soon as possible. Your bank may charge its own fee if a pull fails.
Where to go next
If you only need a small amount, $50 instant loan apps covers the lowest cost options. If you want more room, $100 instant loan apps is the next step up. And if you are weighing several lenders at once, money borrowing apps puts them in one place.
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