Whether it's because money's tight or just out of curiosity, consumers sometimes wonder how to get cash from a credit card. You can use a credit card for most purchases, but there are also bills that can only be paid in cash.
Most credit card companies let you withdraw cash with your card. This feature is called a credit card cash advance, and it's like taking out a loan against your credit limit. There are some notable drawbacks, specifically high interest rates and fees, so it's generally not recommended if you have other options.
In this guide, we'll go over how cash advances work in case you ever need to use one, and then go over some of those other options to consider first.
How to get cash from a credit card
Here's how to get cash from a credit card through an ATM:
- Insert your credit card into the ATM.
- Enter the PIN for your credit card.
- Choose the "cash advance" option.
- Select the amount of cash you want.
- Confirm the transaction.
An ATM is usually the easiest way to get a cash advance, and the process is similar to how a debit card withdrawal works. However, you need to have your credit card's PIN for this method. If you don't have this or your card didn't come with a PIN, you can contact the card issuer to set it up.
Before you get a cash advance, confirm that your card offers this feature and check what its limit is. Credit cards have a separate cash advance limit that's smaller than the credit limit.
Here are a few other ways to get cash advances:
- Ask your card issuer for convenience checks. These are checks you can write that are tied to your credit card account.
- Wire money to yourself through a money transfer service, such as Western Union, and pay with your credit card.
- Purchase a money order with your credit card, if you can find a merchant that allows this. Most don't accept credit cards for purchases of money orders.
Keep in mind that none of those options will get around cash advance fees. Since they're still considered cash advances, they have the same drawbacks.
Credit card comparison
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
| Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $200 cash rewardsEarn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. | 2% cash rewardsEarn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. | Intro:0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers Regular:20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR | |
Discover it® Cash Back | Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.N/A | 1% - 5% CashbackEarn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically. | Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular:18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR | |
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card OnBank of America'sSecure Website. | Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars. 4.00/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | 25,000 points25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases | 1.5 points per dollarEarn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. | Intro:0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 19.24% - 29.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Regular:19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) | Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card OnBank of America'sSecure Website. |
Drawbacks of a credit card cash advance
Credit card cash advances have three significant drawbacks:
- They have extra cash advance fees. These fees are typically 5% of the transaction amount with a minimum of $10.
- They have high interest rates. Most credit cards have a separate APR (interest rate) specifically for cash advances. The cash advance APR is almost always higher than the purchase APR, with many cards charging about 29.99%.
- Interest charges start immediately. While purchases have a grace period before accruing interest, cash advances don't. The card company will start charging you interest right away.
To put this all into perspective, let's break down the typical costs of a $1,000 cash advance. The fee would cost you $50 right off the bat. There's also the immediate interest charges. With a 29.99% APR, one month would add about $25 in interest.
That's a total of $75 in fees and interest, assuming you pay off the cash advance in a month. If you need more time, that cash advance APR will keep costing you more.
Cash advances may be your best option in emergencies. They're certainly better than borrowing money from a predatory lender, such as a payday lender that charges extremely high interest rates.
But before you go with this option, it's worth seeing if any alternatives work for your situation. There are apps that offer a free cash advance with no credit check. Or, you could potentially get money from your credit card without paying cash advance fees and interest.
Other ways to get cash from your credit card
Depending on what you need the money for, it might be possible to get cash from your credit card and have it processed as a purchase, not a cash advance. Here are the best ways to do this.
Buy prepaid gift cards
A popular method is to use a credit card to buy a prepaid gift card, and then use the prepaid card to buy a money order. Some websites and stores sell these cards for a small fee, such as $5.95 for a $500 gift card.
The tricky part is buying the money order. Not every merchant will let you purchase a money order with a prepaid card, but some major retailers and grocery stores do. Once you have the money order, you can make yourself the recipient and convert it to cash.
For an example of how this works, imagine you use your credit card to buy a $500 prepaid gift card. With the fee, it costs you $505.95. After that, you buy a money order, which costs about $1.
You end up with $499, and all it took was one purchase of $505.95. That's a small price to pay, and since it was a purchase, you don't get charged the cash advance APR. With rewards credit cards, it can even be possible to break even or come out ahead on fees because of the rewards earned on the purchase.
Send money with a payments app in exchange for cash
Several of the top payments apps let you send money to family and friends with a credit card for a fee, which is usually 3% of the transaction. You can do this with the following apps:
- Venmo
- PayPal
- Cash App
If you know somebody who doesn't mind helping you out, you could pay them through an app and ask them to withdraw the money for you. For example, you send your best friend $300 through Venmo, and then they withdraw $300 from their bank account to pay you back. With a 3% credit card fee, this would cost you $9.
This technically isn't how these payment apps are supposed to be used, as they're not intended for cash advances. But it's unlikely to be an issue when you're sending money to someone you know first, especially if it's a one-time thing.
Pay bills with Plastiq
Plastiq is a service that lets you pay almost any bill using your credit card. How it works is simple:
- On the Plastiq website, you provide the recipient information and the amount you're paying them.
- You can pay by credit card for a 2.9% fee.
- Plastiq then sends the money to the recipient as a check or an ACH transfer, depending on what you choose.
- You can also have Plastiq wire the money, although that has an additional fee.
While Plastiq doesn't let you send money to yourself, you can use it to cover bills that don't accept credit card payments. Many people use it to make their rent or mortgage payments this way.
There are a couple of things to know about Plastiq:
- It accepts Visa, Mastercard, and Discover credit cards. It doesn't accept American Express cards.
- It went through financial troubles and filed for bankruptcy on May 24, 2023. However, it has continued working, and it was acquired by Priority Technology Holdings on Aug. 1, 2023.
Even though credit cards aren't intended to be a way to get cash, you can use them like this in a pinch. Whichever method you choose, make sure you only borrow as much as you need, and aim to pay it back as quickly as possible.
Still have questions?
Some other questions we've answered:
- How to Pay Off a Credit Card Fast
- How Do I Get Out of Credit Card Debt?
- How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?
FAQs
A cash advance is the only direct way to get cash from a credit card. But there are alternatives, such as buying a prepaid card with your credit card and then using it to buy a money order. These alternatives are more complicated than cash advances, but they can also be more affordable.
You can get cash from a store credit card if it offers cash advances. Closed-loop store cards can only be used with a specific store and don't offer this feature. Store cards that can be used with other merchants, such as those issued by Visa and Mastercard, may offer cash advances.
You can get a cash advance, which is similar to a loan, from a credit card. These transactions have fees and higher APRs. They also start accruing interest charges immediately.
