The Payday Loan Ranger Rides the Net: Or What to do When You Get Caught Short!

Unfortunately, sometime in your life, you will HAVE to pay the rent; or the car note; or the doctor - before payday. One guy landed a great job in a factory, only to be told to show up with steel-toed shoes, hardhat, and a drug screen if he wanted the job. They would reimburse him on his first check. So how was he to get the goods? Can you say: "Payday loan?"

For entrepreneurs, it is routine to re-finance the house, cash in the retirement, and plow it into their fledgling business. If you're their employee, these same people look down on you if you have to borrow money. But if their kid gets sick, or they need cash quick, you can bet they are going to find a way to do it. Payday loans are sometimes the only way to get what you really need. Just be sure you pay it back in time!

Don't just grab the first one to take your application. The Internet lists hundreds of payday loan companies. They are legal in 35 states, and, somehow, manage to operate in most others in one way or another. You only get from three to 14 days to pay it back, and it will cost from ten to twenty dollars per hundred to borrow, so be sure you really need it. And not just for your lottery ticket.

This is how it works. You either go into a payday loan shop or online and select the company you feel offers the best deal. They have you fill out an application and, if you are approved, you either have to give them a post-dated check or sign an electronic transfer form so that they can draft your checking account on a certain day. Be careful. In some states, if the payday loan company cannot cash your check when you promised, it's just like passing a hot check at any other business. You can go to jail for it. All states allow hefty collection fees, even if they agree to extend your loan.

But, if all works out with your payday loan, it can give you the cash for that emergency. If you don't have your car fixed, you lose your job. If you have a sick child, they have to have a doctor and medicine. No choice. But use your payday loan wisely. You will have to pay for it. Paying $20 to use $200 for a few days may sound steep, but what are the alternatives? If you need the money, the payday loan is a valuable service.

It's not like borrowing from the mafia; you won't get your leg broken. If you use a payday loan wisely it can be a tool to give you the financial edge you need for an emergency. Just remember that it has to be paid back. If you use a payday loan more than a couple of times a year, perhaps you need to talk with a consumer finance counselor.