Pick an amount from $200 to $5,000 and watch what the same money costs from three very different places. Updated for 2026 pricing.
Benchmarks: $9.99/mo subscription + $5.99–$25 instant fees (typical apps) · $15 per $100 for 14 days ≈ 391% APR (CFPB payday figure). Gerald pricing is exact: $0.
The Gerald column is not a benchmark — it's the price list. Every Gerald cash advance carries zero interest, zero subscription, zero transfer fees, and zero late fees, at every amount from $200 to $5,000. The company earns from merchant partnerships when members shop with Buy Now, Pay Later, which is how the model stays free for borrowers.
The app column reflects the most common paid structure: a $9.99 monthly subscription plus an instant-transfer fee that scales from $5.99 on small amounts to $25 at the top — flip the toggle off and you'll see what waiting 1–3 days saves. The payday column uses the CFPB's classic benchmark of $15 per $100 borrowed for a two-week term, which works out to roughly 391% APR.
Costs compound with habit: borrowing $500 six times a year costs about $0 with Gerald, roughly $120 with a typical app, and $450 in payday fees — before a single rollover. If you're comparing routes, start with our guide to payday loan alternatives.
The Gerald column is exact: every advance costs $0 in interest and fees. The app and payday columns use common industry benchmarks — a $9.99 monthly subscription plus tiered instant-transfer fees for apps, and the CFPB’s typical $15-per-$100 (391% APR) figure for storefront payday loans.
A $9.99 monthly subscription plus an instant-transfer fee that scales with the amount ($5.99–$25). Toggle off "I need it instantly" to see the subscription-only cost.
Gerald earns merchant revenue when members shop with Buy Now, Pay Later, so it charges borrowers nothing: no interest, no subscription, no transfer fees, no late fees. Read the full breakdown in our review of how Gerald works.
No. The calculator runs entirely on this page, and applying with Gerald involves no hard credit check, so your score is never touched.