Payday Loans: An Overview

Payday loans are very short term loans of usually one or two weeks, which are to be repaid when you get your paycheck. The objective of taking payday loans is to tide over unexpected financial exigencies or medical emergencies. Payday loans are also called a cash advance, check loan, payday advance loan or paycheck loan. If you are not able to pay off the payday loan on the stipulated date, you have the option to roll it over. However, you have to pay extra fees for the extension of the payday loan.

Why are payday loans needed?

Payday loans or a cash advance may be required at the end of the month for meeting urgent expenses like medical bills, electricity bills, phone bills, house rent, other utility bills or any other unexpected expenditure. Such situations usually arise when a person lives beyond his means or fails to maintain a household budget. In these circumstances, payday loans or a cash advance is usually the only way out of a difficult financial situation.

Is it wise to get a payday loan?

There are times when it may be wise to obtain payday loans to get out of a tight financial situation. You must be sure that you have the capacity to pay back the Payday loans or cash advance as planned. Some of the situations in which it may be wise to obtain a payday loan are:

·You can take a payday loan to ensure that your checks do not bounce. The costs of a bounced check may add up to more than the cost of taking a payday loan.

·Take payday loans if not paying for your immediate need entails serious long-term consequences. However, you have to ensure that it should be more serious than the 20% to 30% fee for the payday loan.

·In case the late fee for not making a payment will be more than the cost of the payday loan.

·When not making the payment will reflect on your credit rating. Late payments may show up on your credit records and make it difficult for you to get a loan years later. Your credit rating is something you can not leave behind you and you may need to take payday loans to protect your credit rating.

You have to be sure that you are taking a payday loan or cash advance for the right reasons.If the $30 or $40 fee of payday loans can get you out of a situation involving a major expense or long-term consequences, it may be wise to take a payday loan. The only major consequence of a payday loan or cash advance is the fee involved, which may appear to be a small amount but could add up to a huge sum if you took it with a long term perspective.

It is not advisable to take payday loans to make an impulse purchase or to get some spending money or when it is not crucial to get one. The charges for payday loans of a few weeks are very low but if you are not able to pay off the loan on time, you will have to pay very steep fees, which may be very difficult to bear. You must be sure that the payday loans or cash advance is being taken for something that is necessary and that sufficient money will be coming in to pay off the loan. Surveys have shown that the number of people taking payday loans or a cash advance and the number of companies offering payday loans are growing.