What Does a Prepayment Fee Mean?

Learn what taking out a cash advance fee means and how it affects your finances. Find out how to minimize costs and risks associated with getting a cash advance.

What Does a Prepayment Fee Mean?

A cash advance fee is a charge imposed by a bank when you use a credit card to obtain cash. This fee can be set as either a fixed transaction fee or a percentage of the cash advance amount. Banks can limit the amount that can be charged to a certain dollar amount and can deduct the charge directly from the cash advance when you receive it, or record the charge on your bill on the day you got the advance. To minimize the cost of a cash advance, use the credit card with the lowest APR for cash advances and avoid using cards with high balances. When you get a cash advance from a credit card with an existing balance, your payments will be used to pay off the purchase balance (which has a lower interest rate) before being applied to the cash advance balance (which has a higher interest rate).

Cash advances come with numerous terms and charges, but how much will it cost you? The difference between a cash advance, which is against credit, and another short-term loan, which is usually issued against principal, is the interest rate and associated fees for taking out the advance. If you can't avoid taking out a cash advance, try to reduce the fee by withdrawing less money. A cash advance on your credit card may seem like an easy way to get money, but there are fees and risks to consider. If you have any questions about the cash advance fee, contact your credit card customer service department by calling the number on the back of your card. Unlike a cash withdrawal from a bank account, a cash advance must be repaid like any other purchase made with your credit card.

A cash advance fee is an expense charged by a credit card issuer when you access your line of credit in their account, either through an ATM, convenience check, or at the bank's counter. For instance, you'll also be charged a cash advance fee if you use your credit card as overdraft protection, buy money orders, deposit money on reloadable gift cards, buy lottery tickets, or send money to someone else. A cash advance may seem like an easy way to get quick money, but it can be expensive in terms of interest and fees. However, taking out a cash advance by credit card has costs and in some cases limits on how much you can withdraw. Getting a cash advance may seem like a good idea right now but it can quickly lead to accumulating debt. If you're looking for an easy-to-manage fixed-rate cash rebate card, the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards card could be an option.

However, the balance of the cash advance will be added to your credit card debt which can hurt your credit score if your credit utilization ratio gets too high. This will be costly if your credit isn't good but interest and term charges will still be more favorable than taking out a cash advance.

Diana Macall
Diana Macall

Wannabe burrito buff. Friendly music advocate. Proud music advocate. Evil pop culture geek. Zombie specialist.

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