Weekly Column: The Payday Loan Trap

The payday loan trap

 Payday loans are high interest, short-term loans that can be obtained without a credit check. As the name implies, they are advertised as a way for someone with poor credit to obtain fast cash until they can pay it back on pay day. In order to receive a payday loan, you must be 18, have proof of income and a bank account.

Look on any payday loan company’s website and you’ll see how easy it is to get a loan—apply online! approved in 15 minutes! But, as they say, if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

While a payday loan might get you out of a short-term situation like a car repair or the unexpected cost of a prescription, it’s not a long-term fix for not having enough money.

For example, if you need $300 to cover your bills until payday (typically a two-week loan), that loan will cost you just over $60. For someone who only uses a payday loan as an emergency measure, and doesn’t see emergencies pop up very often, one might think it is okay to pay that $60. But what if you’re paying that $60 in fees every few months?

Rather than looking at payday loans as a back-up plan, start looking at that $60 fee on a $300 loan as money you could save by finding another source of emergency money. If you are tempted to give payday loans a try, first ask yourself if you have exhausted all other alternatives.

Have you visited your bank to inquire about a personal loan, a line of credit or an overdraft? 

Although not free, these options are much more sensible than the over 400 per cent annual interest of most payday loans. Compare even the average credit card’s annual interest at nine to 30 per cent…if you are trying to avoid incurring debt then you can quickly see the dangers of using payday loans and missing a deadline.

No one should ever recommend using a credit card to get you from pay cheque to pay cheque. But if you are able to use it only for essentials and you can pay it off in full every month, you have “borrowed” for free. The thing is, even the lesser of two evils is still evil. How can you get your finances under control without resorting to the risk of a high interest credit card, if you can even get one, or the slippery slope of payday loans?

If you are thinking of taking out a payday loan to pay off your cable and cell phone bill, it is actually cheaper to pay late charges than take out the payday loan. And, if you are that strapped for cash, it’s time to downsize the cell bill and cut the extras like cable, satellite, even internet.

You are actually better off cashing in on your RRSPs or TFSAs, rather than getting tangled up in a spiral of out of control fees on payday loans that you aren’t paying back on time. But this will not help, either, unless you can save a small nest egg for the next time you need money to get you to pay day.

Obviously, the person that has already missed payments and has no savings or access to conventional means of credit is the one most enticed by the no strings appeal of a payday loan. But, should that person be unable to repay on time, she is also the most at risk of being ruined by the payday loan industry.

For the person already caught up in the spiral of payday loans, there is no alternative but to seek out help. Of course, the best advice is don’t let it come down to a payday loan in the first place.

Consider all of your vices and eliminate them along with any unnecessary spending. Get help if you have addictions. Sell things you no longer need and don’t use. Take in a roommate, couch surf if you must. Access the temporary assistance of a church or foodbank, or contact a shelter. Ask for extra hours, look for extra work, and do your best to set aside a bit of emergency money every payday. 

Although it may seem an inconsequential amount of money, that little bit of savings, accumulated, might be what tides you over until payday in an emergency.

Pay day loans exist because there is a need for small, easily accessible, short-term loans. People might’ve had bad experiences with banks or they might not understand what is available through more conventional methods. Before you take the sizable risk of a payday loan, explore every other alternative possible. If it’s too late, get advice at from professionals like Canada’s Credit Counselling Society at nomoredebts.org.