Payday loans are unsecured, short-term cash advances that are not due until your payday. People typically use these payday loans to make ends meet until their paycheck arrives.

While payday loans are very easy to get, they are also very expensive and a bad choice for making ends meet. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has a nice page that gives good information regarding payday loans. The FTC points out that payday loans are costly and they give a nice example to illustrate the cost. In their example the cost to the borrower is effectively a 391% APR. That is outrageous even compared to a high interest rate credit card.

The FTC also notes that payday loans can be called several different names, but they are all essentially the same thing. Payday loans can also be called cash advance loans, check advance loans, post-dated check loans or deferred deposit check loans.

Payday loans are not a good option for borrowing and the FTC suggests several other alternatives. You can figure the APR on the payday loan and then see if a cash advance on a credit card is less expensive. You can also ask for more time to pay your bills. Many creditors are willing to work with you on payments. You can also build up a savings so that you have something to borrow from when the need arises.

For more information on payday loans and the companies that provide them, simply run a search for