Credit Card Cash Advance Cost Calculator
Enter the advance amount, cash advance APR, fees, and payoff timing to estimate the total cost of getting cash from a credit card. The result separates the issuer fee, interest, ATM fee, repayment amount, and comparison cost.
Total borrowing cost$40.32
- Applied issuer fee
- $25.00
- Estimated interest
- $12.32
- Estimated amount to repay
- $540.32
- Cost per $100 borrowed
- $8.06
- Annualized all-in cost
- 98.12%
- Minimum-fee crossover amount
- $200.00
Cost breakdown
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Issuer fee | $25.00 |
| Estimated interest | $12.32 |
| ATM or bank fee | $3.00 |
Interest is estimated with simple daily interest from the cash advance APR.
The repayment amount assumes the separate ATM or bank fee is part of the out-of-pocket cost.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the amount of cash you expect to receive from the advance.
- Enter the cash advance APR and issuer fee terms from the card agreement.
- Add any separate ATM or bank fee charged at the withdrawal point.
- Enter the number of days until the repayment is expected to post.
- Choose whether the issuer fee is included in the balance that earns interest.
How the cash advance cost is calculated
A credit card cash advance usually has two kinds of cost: a transaction fee charged by the card issuer and interest that starts right away. An ATM operator or bank may add a separate charge. This calculator treats the cash received as the amount borrowed and estimates the cost until the payment posts to the account.
Let A be the cash advance amount, r the cash advance APR divided by 100, f the issuer fee percent divided by 100, M the minimum issuer fee, T the ATM or bank fee, and d the days until payoff. The issuer fee is:
F = max(A x f, M)
The balance used for interest is B. If the card charges interest only on the advance, B = A. If the issuer fee is added to the interest-bearing balance, B = A + F. Estimated interest is:
I = B x (r / 365) x d
Total borrowing cost and repayment are then:
C = F + I + T
R = A + C
The cost per $100 borrowed is (C / A) x 100. For a positive payoff period, the annualized all-in cost is (C / A) x (365 / d) x 100%. This annualized number includes fees and interest over the holding period, so it is a comparison rate, not the APR disclosed by the card issuer.
What moves the result
The fee rule matters most on small advances. If the card charges 5% or a $10 minimum, the percentage fee reaches $10 at a $200 advance. Below that amount, the minimum fee controls; above it, the percentage controls. That crossover can make a small withdrawal expensive even when the dollar fee looks modest.
The payoff date is the next major driver because cash advances generally do not receive the purchase grace period. A higher cash advance APR or a balance rule that includes the issuer fee raises the daily interest. Paying sooner lowers interest, but it does not remove the issuer fee or the separate ATM fee.
What this calculator leaves out
This is a simple daily-interest estimate. It does not model average daily balance methods, billing-cycle compounding, posting cutoffs, payment allocation across purchases and cash advances, promotional balances, foreign transaction fees, late fees, over-limit fees, or account-level fees. It also does not test whether the requested amount fits within a separate cash advance limit.
Use the numbers as a planning estimate before taking the advance. The card agreement and the posted transaction history control the actual fee, APR, balance treatment, and payoff timing.
Worked example
Suppose you take a $500 cash advance with a 29.99% cash advance APR, a 5% issuer fee with a $10 minimum, a $3 ATM fee, and payment posts after 30 days. The issuer fee is the greater of $500 x 5%, or $10, so the applied issuer fee is $25.
If only the advance earns interest, the interest estimate is $500 x (29.99% / 365) x 30, or $12.32. Total borrowing cost is $25 + $12.32 + $3, which equals $40.32. The estimated amount to repay is $540.32, the cost per $100 borrowed is $8.06, and the annualized all-in cost is about 98.12%.
Common questions
Does a credit card cash advance have a grace period?
Cash advances usually do not get the purchase grace period. Interest commonly starts on the transaction date or posting date and continues until the balance is paid. The exact date convention is set by the card agreement.
Is the cash advance APR different from the purchase APR?
Many cards set a cash advance APR that is higher than the purchase APR. Use the cash advance APR from the pricing table or agreement, because the purchase APR can understate the cost. The fee is separate from the APR.
How is the greater-of percentage or minimum fee calculated?
Multiply the advance amount by the percentage fee, then compare that result with the stated minimum fee. The issuer charges the larger amount. If the percentage fee equals the minimum, either calculation gives the same issuer fee.
Does paying a cash advance immediately avoid the fee?
Paying immediately can reduce or eliminate interest after the payment posts, but it normally does not avoid the issuer fee charged for taking the advance. A separate ATM or bank fee may also apply at the time of withdrawal.
Can ATM fees be charged in addition to the card issuer fee?
Yes. The ATM operator or bank can charge a separate access fee, while the card issuer charges its own cash advance fee. This calculator includes a separate ATM or bank fee field so both costs are visible.
How are payments allocated when a card has purchases and cash advances?
Payment allocation depends on federal rules, the account terms, and whether the payment is above the minimum due. Amounts above the minimum are generally directed to higher-APR balances first, but timing and promotional balances can change the result. Check the issuer rules before assuming a partial payment will clear the cash advance first.