Can i get cash using my credit card

Overview

Get extra cash instantly with UOB Cash Advance

Never worry about not having enough cash in times of need. Whether it’s for your home furnishings or an emergency cash fund when the unexpected happens, with UOB Cash Advance, you can convert your UOB Credit Cards' credit limit into instant cash wherever, whenever you want it.

3 Easy ways to instant cash

Here’s how to perform a Cash Advance:

  • Withdraw cash at any local UOB ATM using your credit card and PIN.
  • When overseas, visit any UOB / Cirrus / PLUS ATM with your credit card and PIN.

Don't have your credit card PIN?

Simply reset your PIN instantly via:

  • UOB TMRW
  • UOB Personal Internet Banking with these simple steps:
    • Go to Account Services > Manage Cards > Select "Card Pin Reset" under Actions
  • Call our hotline 1800 222 2121 for assistance.

With UOB Cash Advance, never worry about not having enough cash on hand.

More Information

  • The minimum amount for Cash Advance done via ATM is S$200.
  • Cash Advance amount is pegged to 75% of your credit limit or available credit limit (whichever is lower) and Cash Advance transaction is not applicable on temporary limit.
  • Maximum cash withdrawal amount from a UOB ATM is S$3,000 per day.
  • Interest will be charged on a daily basis from the date of each Cash Advance transaction, until the date full payment is made. Please refer to the UOB Cardmembers Agreement for full breakdown on interest.
  • A Cash Advance fee of 8% of the transaction amount or S$15 (whichever is greater) applies for each Cash Advance transaction, and will be charged to your UOB Credit Card.
  • Funds Transfer to UOB account performed after 10pm or on Sunday and public holidays will be reflected as the next business day’s transaction in your debiting account statement. For non-UOB banks’ submission after 3.30pm will be treated as the next business day’s transaction. Please allow 2 to 3 business days for the payee bank to process the transfer.
  • With effect from 22 April 2022, quasi–cash transactions (at merchants such as Marina Bay Sands, Resort World Sentosa, Dream Cruises & more) under MCC 7995 will be deemed as cash advances. Cash Advance fee will apply and interest will accrue once your card has been charged. For more details, please refer to the list of Frequently Asked Questions.

A credit card cash advance is a withdrawal of cash from your credit card account. Essentially, you’re borrowing against your credit card to put cash in your pocket. However, there are costs to taking a credit card cash advance and, in some cases, limits on the amount you can withdraw.

Here, Better Money Habits®asks Bank of America’s Jason Gaughan, SVP, Consumer Card Products, about the key considerations of a credit card cash advance.

“Let’s say you go to your bank or to an ATM and use your credit card to take out money. While the process may seem similar to withdrawing money with a debit card, what you’re really doing is taking a cash advance on your credit card,” says Jason Gaughan, SVP, Consumer Card Products at Bank of America. “Unlike a debit card withdrawal, in which you’re accessing your own funds, with a cash advance your credit card company is essentially lending you money and charging your account. The charge will likely cost you; cash advances generally have a transaction fee and a higher annual percentage rate (APR). Additionally, there’s usually a limit on how much cash you can get an advance on.”

Using your card for cash isn’t the only form of cash advance, though. Some credit card companies send customers checks in the mail. These “convenience checks,” as they are known, are linked to your account. If you deposit them, the transaction is considered a form of cash advance, which subjects you to the cash advance APR. You may also incur transaction fees.

Cash advances can be an important source of funds in an emergency. Although you don’t want to plan on using cash advances regularly, you might use one if you are short on funds and unable to charge an expense. However, always be sure to consider all your options given the costs.

It’s a good idea to consult your credit card agreement to make sure you know the rules and fees. Here are a few costs to consider:

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The process of obtaining cash by using a credit card is known as cash advance. Cash advance is bad for customers, and we recommend against using it. You should only resort to this process after you have exhausted all other methods of getting cash such as withdrawal from a savings account. Cash advance comes with high fees and interest, which you are charged the moment you receive money. This cost is often so high that it negates any short-term benefit you may receive from cash advance. The following guideline notes every important information you need to know about getting a cash advance. In this section we will explain:

  • How cash advance works- Typically, taking a cash advance involves upfront and hidden fees. By understanding the features of a cash advance, you can minimize the cost.
  • Things you should be careful about when taking a cash advance- It’s not easy to pay a balance from a cash advance and the terms and conditions sections of most credit cards don’t explain this process completely.

How Cash Advance Works

You can take cash advances by using an ATM, a convenience check or with a bank teller. To take a cash advance from an ATM, you need to have a PIN. If you don’t have a PIN set for your account, call the customer care service of your card provider and ask them to set a PIN for your account. Once you get the PIN, the process of taking the money out is the same as using debit cards.

Here is a list of some of the major credit card companies in Singapore. If you use one of these services, you can use these numbers to get a PIN for your credit card.

IssuerCustomer Service Phone Number
Standard Chartered 1800-747-7000
HSBC 1800-227-8889
ANZ 1800-269-2269
Maybank 1800-629-2265
CIMB +65-6438-1118
DBS & POSB 1800-111-1111
Citibank +65-6225-5225
OCBC 1800-363-3333
UOB 1800-222-2121
American Express 1800-299-1997

Lastly, you can use a convenience check to take a cash advance. You may have received these cards before. Often credit card companies send convenience checks with special offers to their customers. Convenience checks can be used similarly as ordinary bank checks. Unless the convenience check is attached with an offer such as 0% APR for 5 months, we advise you to avoid them.

How much money can you get using a cash advance? The answer depends on your card issuer and your FICO credit score. The higher your FICO score, the more money you can take out using a cash advance. The highest amount you can take out is your credit limit minus the cash advance fee. Some banks set a different cash credit limit which is usually a percentage of your credit limit.

The cost of a cash advance: To get a cash advance, you have to pay an upfront fee and a different APR. Usually, the upfront fee is the greater of S$15 or 6%. For most credit cards, a cash advance of up to S$250 will cost you S$15 in upfront fee. If the withdrawal is larger, the fee will be 6%. The total balance of your account is the sum of the cash advance and the upfront fee. This point is important since your cash advance APR depends on it. Your cash advance balance and the balance from purchases are not the same. The cash advance balance charges higher interest rates from the moment you get the money. There is no grace period for cash advances.

We examined the credit cards in our database and found out that on an average the cash advance APR is around 29%, much higher than the purchase APR. The average purchase APR lies around 25%. Let’s calculate how much a 29% APR will cost you. If you take a $1,500 cash advance on the first day of your billing cycle, the upfront fee will be S$1,500 x 6% = S$90. The interest for the first month is 2.4% of $1500= $36. The calculations for the next 6 months are given below:

In 6 months, you’d end up paying 17% in interest. So, the total fee you will pay for a S$1500 cash advance in 6 months is= S$90+ S$230= S$320. This is why we don’t recommend cash advances. They can cost you a lot if you are unable to pay off the debt quickly.

Things you should be careful about when taking a cash advance

How funds are applied: When you make a minimum payment using your credit card, the funds are applied to your purchases. This happens since most credit card issuers direct minimum payments toward items accumulating lower interests. You can’t target items while making your payments. You can’t request for funds to pay off your cash advances before your purchases. However, by law, any payment that exceeds the minimum has to be applied to the highest APR balance. If you must take a cash advance, we advise that your next payment be the minimum + the cash advance. It is best if you can pay the whole debt off

Special purchases: You have to be careful about certain purchases. Banks consider certain purchases as cash advances even though you didn’t take the money out from an ATM or using a convenience check. Following is a list of purchases that can be treated as cash advances:

  • Lottery tickets
  • Cash equivalent purchases on PayPal
  • Traveler’s checks/money orders
  • Foreign currency
  • Casino gambling chips

Sometimes transferring funds to a PayPal account may be considered as a cash advance. This applies when you use PayPal to buy certain items such as gift cards that are categorized as “cash equivalents”.

Where to find the information you need: It is impossible for us to compile the different terms and conditions of all the credit cards available in Singapore. But following this guideline you can look through the terms and conditions of a credit card and pinpoint the information you need to find to understand their rules about cash advances. The terms are frequently updated so you must go through them before taking a cash advance.

Cash Advances from the Card Issuer’s Viewpoint

Banks and credit card companies charge high fees and interest rates for cash advances because it is a high risk deal for them. The consumer may fail to repay the loan. When you buy anything using your credit card and fail to pay off the debt, the credit card company can’t easily repossess the purchased item and recover the loss. Therefore, banks charge high fees and interest to offset the high risks associated with cash advance.

Read More:

  • Average Cost of Cash Advance
  • Cash Advance vs Personal Loan in Singapore: What Should You Choose?
  • Cash Or Credit Cards: Which Is Better To Use When Travelling?
  • If Cash Isn't "Dead," Then What Is It Being Used For?

Can i get cash using my credit card

Duckju (DJ) is the founder and CEO of ValueChampion. He covers the financial services industry, consumer finance products, budgeting and investing. He previously worked at hedge funds such as Tiger Asia and Cadian Capital. He graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with honors, Magna Cum Laude. His work has been featured on major international media such as CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, the Straits Times, Today and more.

How can you get cash off a credit card?

There are a number of ways to take a cash advance, including: Requesting a cash transfer from your credit card to your bank account. Withdrawing cash at an ATM. Writing a convenience check to yourself and cashing it at a bank.

Can you convert credit card money to cash?

You can receive a cash advance through various methods, including an ATM withdrawal, a bank teller, a cash advance check or an online transfer. Cash advances have many drawbacks. The card issuer typically charges a one-time fee plus a higher rate of interest on cash advances.