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Last Updated: August 2025
Stuck between paydays with bills piling up? Early wage access services like Beforepay and PressPay let Aussies tap into their upcoming wages before payday hits. Both give you a way to cover those urgent expenses without resorting to credit cards or traditional loans. They work differently though, with distinct features and costs worth knowing about. Let’s break down what each offers – from fees and eligibility to unique features – so you can choose what suits your situation best.
Beforepay is an Australian fintech app offering pay advances (small short-term loans against your coming pay). Their app lets eligible users access up to $2,000 of their earned wages before payday arrives. You won’t face interest charges – just a one-time 5% fixed fee on whatever amount you borrow. Beforepay’s website has a focus on transparency and responsible lending.
Beyond just wage advances, the Beforepay app includes budgeting tools and spending insights to help you track where your money goes. Beforepay gives you quick access to funds when needed, while also helping you watch your spending patterns. Notably Beforepay only allows one loan at a time which must be paid back in full before another can be taken out.
PressPay is another Australian fintech and wage advance service that lets you withdraw a portion of your pay early. Users can access up to $1,000 instantly through the platform.
Like Beforepay, PressPay doesn’t charge interest – just a flat 5% fee on cash pay advances. What makes PressPay stand out is its PressPay Shop feature, which lets users get their pay in advance as digital gift cards for over 100 popular retailers with 0% fees.
In other words, if you use your advance for a retail voucher (groceries, fuel, etc.), you pay back only what you took with no extra fee. PressPay works through a web dashboard and SMS chat with “Ella” – an AI assistant – so you don’t need to install yet another app to use it. The goal? To give you easy, on-demand early access to your pay (as cash or shop cards) without interest or hidden charges, helping bridge those gaps between paydays.
Notably, PressPay provides you with a withdrawal limit per pay period instead of forcing you to withdraw all at once. This means you can make multiple withdrawals up to that limit during a particular pay period. In a similar fashion to Beforepay however, you are unable to use the service in your next pay period if you do not repay your outstanding amounts.
Beforepay Fees
Beforepay charges a 5% fixed transaction fee on each Pay Advance. You won’t face any interest charges, monthly fees, or late fees. If you advance $100, the fee is $5, meaning you’d pay back $105 in total. This fee shows up clearly in the app before you confirm, so you know exactly what you’re paying. Beforepay doesn’t hide any costs or slip in admin fees. Miss a scheduled repayment? Beforepay won’t charge a penalty (although you won’t be able to take out another withdrawal), and they’ll let you adjust your repayment schedule if needed (more on that below).
All repayments happen automatically based on your pay cycle, but you’ve got options – repay in one go or split into multiple instalments. In fact, Beforepay lets users repay their advance in up to 4 instalments if that works better for you. This flexibility means you could spread the payback across four weekly paydays or two fortnightly pay cycles. You can also pay early or extend the schedule within that window if your situation changes, all without extra fees.
PressPay Fees
PressPay’s fee structure mirrors Beforepay for cash advances, but with a clever twist. For PressPay Advance (cash to your bank account), there’s also a 5% flat fee on the amount withdrawn. No interest charges, and no hidden fees or late fees – 5% is all you pay for a cash advance. The full amount borrowed plus the 5% fee comes out of your bank account automatically on your next payday. For example, if you borrow $100 via PressPay Advance, you’d pay $5 in fees, making it $105 total repayment (just like Beforepay).
Where PressPay differs is its Shop feature: choose to receive your advance as a digital gift card for spending at partner stores, and the fee can be as low as 0%. PressPay has many shop card advances that come with “from 0%” fees, meaning often you pay nothing extra on those amounts. This lets you access part of your pay early for free (as long as you use the funds via the provided store card). It’s worth noting that whatever amount you take through PressPay Shop still counts as an advance on your salary – you’ll pay it back on your next payday, but if the fee was 0%, you only repay exactly what you spent. PressPay doesn’t charge interest or monthly subscriptions, and like Beforepay it doesn’t run credit checks or charge late fees.
By default, PressPay expects full repayment in one lump sum on your next pay date, but similar to Beforepay they offer the option within the user dashboard to split repayments across four instalments. This means if you can’t repay in one go, you have the option to split the repayment or push it to the following pay period.
Both services charge roughly $5 per $100 advanced, making them cheaper than traditional payday loans (which often carry much higher effective interest rates). Neither adds interest on top of the fixed fee, and neither hits you with late fees or monthly fees. The key difference? PressPay’s zero-fee shop option, which saves you the 5% fee if you can take your advance as a retailer-specific voucher. By contrast, any advance through Beforepay will cost you the 5% fee since they only provide cash to your bank account. For repayment, they provide similar levels of built-in flexibility to spread out payments,
Here’s a side-by-side look at the key features and requirements for Beforepay and PressPay:
| Feature | Beforepay | PressPay |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Advance Limit | Up to $2,000 per pay cycle. Single withdrawal only. (new users start $50–$1,000 until trust is built). | Up to $1,000 per pay cycle. Multiple withdrawals per pay cycle available, minimum $20. (initial limits usually around 25% of your pay. Also increases with trust built). |
| Fees & Charges | 5% fixed fee per advance (no interest). No other fees (no late fees, sign-up fees, or monthly charges). Every $100 advanced costs $5. | 5% fixed fee on cash advances 0% fee option on many “Shop” gift card advances. No hidden fees or late fees. |
| How to Access | Via App: You are required to download and install the Beforepay app to use Beforepay. | Via Text Message: You can withdraw or get a balance update by simply sending a single text message from your phone. You can also optionally log into the user dashboard on your phone or computer for more details. No need to download an app. |
| Repayment Terms | Flexible: Automatically scheduled with your pay dates. Option to repay in up to 4 instalments if needed. You can repay early or adjust the schedule without penalty. No interest charged on longer repayment because fee is fixed upfront. | Flexible: Automatically scheduled with your pay dates. Option to repay in up to 4 instalments or shift a repayment (once) if needed. You can repay early or adjust the schedule without penalty. No interest charged on longer repayment because fee is fixed upfront. |
| Eligibility Criteria | Must be 18+ and an Australian resident. Requires regular employment income of at least $300 per week after tax. No more than 50% of income from Centrelink or government benefits. Wages must be paid into a personal bank account (not a shared or savings-only account). Beforepay performs a bank statement analysis to assess your spending and income patterns (but no credit check is done, and your credit score isn’t affected). | Must be 18+ and an Australian resident. Requires regular income (salary or wages) of at least $350 per week after tax. No more than 50% of income from Centrelink/government benefits. Income must be deposited into a personal transaction account (not a savings or joint account). PressPay analyses your bank transactions and spending “community-first metrics” (e.g. checks for high gambling spend) to approve advances, but does not run a credit check. |
| Speed of Access | Fast – funds are transferred to your bank account within minutes (often almost instantly) once approved. Available 24/7 via the app (even on weekends). Beforepay uses the New Payments Platform, so most advances arrive in <10 minutes. | Fast – cash advances are deposited instantly into your bank account after you request them. PressPay uses real-time payment technology as well. For Shop advances, digital gift cards are delivered within minutes to your email for immediate use. No need to wait – you get the voucher code or cash right away. |
| Unique Features | Budgeting & Insights: The Beforepay app provides personal budgeting tools, spending breakdowns, and notifications to help you manage money. This can be useful to avoid over-borrowing. One advance at a time rule prevents multiple outstanding loans. | 0% Fee Shop Cards: PressPay Shop is unique in allowing fee-free advances for specific retail spending, potentially saving you money on fees. No-App, AI Assistant: You can access funds by simply texting with “Ella” or using the web portal – convenient if you dislike downloading apps. PressPay also offers educational content through its PressPay Learn platform, with tips and tools to improve financial wellbeing (e.g. articles on budgeting, saving, etc.). |
Sources: Beforepay FAQs and website, PressPay website and product disclosures (see full sources at bottom of article).
Both Beforepay and PressPay help you access your pay early without much hassle, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a balanced look at what works well and what might fall short with each service:
Choosing between Beforepay and PressPay comes down to your individual needs and how you plan to use the service. Both can help if used wisely, but one might suit you better:
You might prefer Beforepay if…
You might prefer PressPay if…
Beforepay and PressPay belong to a growing trend in Australia: pay-on-demand services that give workers more control over their cash flow. Both let you access money you’ve earned before your official payday, for a relatively small fee compared to traditional short-term lending. Neither charges interest or ongoing fees, and both include safeguards (like income-based limits and no multiple concurrent advances) to promote responsible use.
When choosing between them, weigh the trade-offs: Beforepay offers a higher limit with only a single withdrawal available per pay period, while PressPay allows you to withdraw multiple times per pay cycle and also lets you access part of your pay for free if used with its Shop cards.
Facts and figures aside, remember that any pay advance borrows from your future income. Use these services sparingly for genuine needs, and plan for repayment so you’re not caught short next payday. The good news? Both Beforepay and PressPay operate transparently with no nasty surprises – so if used carefully, they can help bridge gaps and manage unexpected expenses. By understanding their features, fees, pros, and cons, you can pick the service that best matches your financial habits and needs.
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