Payday loans are illegal in some states. Recent changes in the law for payday lenders have also made payday loans illegal for members of the military. With a typical payday loan, you might write a personal check for $115 to borrow $100 for two weeks, until payday. The annual percentage rate (APR) in this example is 390 percent! If you can repay the loan quickly, it may not appear such a bad deal. But if you can't pay off the loan quickly, that relatively small loan can grow into a large amount of debt. At 390 percent, a $100 loan will become $490 in a year and $2,401 in two years.
Another high cost way to borrow money is a tax refund loan. This type of credit lets you get an advance on a tax refund for a fee. APRs as high as 774% have been reported. If you are short of cash, avoid both of these loans by asking for more time to pay a bill or seeking a traditional loan. Even a cash advance on your credit card may cost less.
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