Q: HOW DO YOUR CHECK ADVANCES WORK?

A: We offer advances for $25, $50, $75, $100, $125, $150, $175, $200, and $225 (our price chart is below). We’ll ask you to write us a check for the amount you need plus our fee.  We’ll give you the amount you need, then hold your check for 7 or 14 days to give you time to reach your next payday. 

We will automatically run your check through at the end of 14 days, or you can come in and pick up your check with cash within 7 days.  If you do that, you’ll save a lot of money (see below)!

Q: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

A: As a first-time customer, we won’t charge you anything when you mention our “first-time free” offer.  We believe this arrangement will pay off for us in the long run, because we honestly believe we’ll convince you to use us again when a short-term money crisis comes up.  If you never need us again after the first time, you’re simply a winner!  But we are, too, because we got the chance to impress someone who might tell others that we did a good job for them.

After your first advance, here are our standard prices:

Q:  WHAT DO I NEED TO QUALIFY?

A:  -Income equivalent to full-time employment
     -A local address
     -A driver’s license or state picture identification
     -A local banking account
     -Your most recent bank statement (your bank can print one up if you don’t have it)
     -About 15 minutes to fill out our information sheet and to go over our contract with 
     one of our customer service specialists

Q:  WHAT IF I JUST OPENED MY ACCOUNT?

A:  As long as you have at least four weeks of activity on it, we can approve your new bank account.

 USING OUR CHECK ADVANCE SERVICE WISELY

Our check advances are 14-day agreements.  We deposit a customer’s check automatically at the end of the 14 days unless the customer comes in and exchanges the check for cash or a money order.  Here are some tips for using our check advance service wisely:

• Pay off early.  Rebates are always available when you pay off within 7 days.
   

• Don’t ask for more than you need.  This one’s easy—the less you get from
  us, the less you’ll have to pay back.
   

• Try not to do a new check advance on the same day you pay one off.  Remember, the check advance is a 14-day agreement, designed to see you through until payday.  Don’t let a one-time use of the service become a pattern you repeat every two weeks.  Even if you wait just a few days between check advances, you’ve saved some money.  If you find you are forced to do a new check advance the same day you pay one off:
   

• Do new check advances for smaller amounts than previous ones.  Say you’re paying off a $200 check advance today, but you need some money back.  Instead of doing another $200 check advance, ask yourself if you can get by with a smaller amount. We don’t mind doing another $200 advance for you at all, but if you can move it down, you won’t owe us as much money two weeks from now.  We offer several amounts in order to help you move down.
   

• Don’t “float” multiple check advances around town.  At American Check Advance, we have a policy that allows only one check advance per household.  You could get around this rule by simply going to another check advance office, but the main reason for this policy is to protect a family from getting in too deep.  Remember: a check advance is like a “financial band-aid.”  Don’t run from one check advance office to another when you really need “financial surgery.”