Payday Loans, often referred to as cash advance loans, are amounts lent by specialized lenders to borrowers until the next pay day. Typically, payday loans are extended for amounts that are less than $1,000. The loan is extended to the borrower against the personal check of the borrower that is placed with the lender until the next pay day. The cost of carrying payday loans is very high as the risk of default is high, since generally borrowers who find themselves in a very difficult financial situation avail of such loans.

Why are Payday loans popular?

They are popular for a number of reasons such as:

Credit checks are not required. The personal check that you make payable to the lender acts as security.

Approval is quick. If all the necessary documents are submitted, your loan application maybe approved in minutes.

The paperwork involved is simple. Generally one or two documents would suffice which explains the loan process and your obligations.

The repayment process is without hassles. The check submitted as security is encashed on the next payday by the lender. You could extend the loan to subsequent paydays for a fee. However this is very expensive.

Easy availability. Payday loans are particularly appropriate for emergency situations provided the amount required is small and one is willing to bear the high cost of the loan.

Drawbacks of payday loans:

Such loans are prohibitively expensive. Lender fees can range from $15 to $25 per $100 borrowed. These fees are for a period of 14 days.

Many borrowers, within a short time, find themselves in a debt trap. With each extension of the loan, the fees in total increase such that at the end of two, three or four extensions they equal the loan amount.

Collection of outstanding loans is harsh. Considering the fact that this business is a high risk lending game, lenders wield the stick harshly on the slightest default.