Cash advance fees and interest
A cash advance is not a store purchase. The fee is often a percent with a minimum, and interest usually starts right away, with no interest-free days. Some issuers also treat money orders, gambling, and person-to-person transfers as cash advances. Use the issuer's own words. None of the pages opened on 16 October 2026 used the words Interac e-Transfer.
Last checked: Oct 2026
United States
Opened 16 October 2026. Each row is one named agreement or offer, not every card from that issuer. Wells Fargo Active Cash lists cash advances and equivalents as a rewards exclusion. That page does not print a list of gambling or person-to-person charges treated as cash advances, so this table does not invent one.
| Agreement | Fee | When interest starts | Cash-like items that page names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase agreement COL00095 | Either $10 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater | Balance transfers, checks, and cash advances do not have an interest-free period | Travelers checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers, similar offline and online betting, person-to-person money transfers and account-funding, and some third-party bill payments. A balance transfer check payable to cash or yourself is a cash advance unless Chase says otherwise |
| Amex EveryDay agreement dated 03-31-2026 | 5% of the cash advance, including ATM operator fees, minimum $10 | Cash advances are charged interest from the transaction date and do not have an interest-free period. APR is Prime Rate plus 21.99% | Travelers cheques, gift cheques, foreign currency, money orders, digital currency, casino gaming chips, race track wagers, and other offline and online betting. Person-to-person transactions are limited to $2,000 in any 30-day period. The agreement does not say an e-transfer is a cash advance |
| Citi agreement CMA_PID408 | Either $10 or 5% of the amount, whichever is greater | No grace period on balance transfers, cash advances, and Citi Flex Loans. Interest runs from the date they post. A Citi Flex Loan is not a cash advance | ATM and teller withdrawals, wire transfers, person-to-person money transfers, cryptocurrency, money orders, traveler's checks, lottery tickets, gaming chips, and other gambling, wagers, and betting |
| Discover Prime pricing example as of 06/30/26 | Either $10 or 5%, whichever is greater | You cannot avoid interest on balance transfers or cash advances. Cash advance APR 28.49%, which is Prime Rate plus 21.74%. Example terms as of 06/30/26 may not be available now | Online gambling, lottery tickets, money orders, wire transfers, casino chips, foreign currency, or similar items |
| Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards offer | 5% for direct deposit and check cash advances. 5% for ATM, over the counter, Same-Day Online, and cash equivalent cash advances | Interest on cash advances and balance transfers begins on the transaction date. Cash APR 20.49% to 28.49%, and 29.24% for Bank Cash Advances. Index was 6.75% as of 04/30/2026 | Foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers, travelers checks, or obtaining cash from a non-financial institution, person-to-person money transfers, bets, lottery tickets purchased outside the United States, casino gaming chips, cryptocurrency to the extent accepted, or bail bonds |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash terms | Either $10 or 5%, whichever is greater | Interest begins on cash advances on the transaction date. Cash and overdraft protection APR 29.74% variable. Information correct as of September 2026 | The page does not print a gambling or person-to-person list. It names cash advances and equivalents only as a rewards exclusion |
Canada
Dollar fees for these banks are also in credit card fees in Canada. The lists below are the purchases each page calls a cash advance. None of them used the words Interac e-Transfer. They do name transfers, bill payments, and money transfers in the words quoted here.
RBC's How to Read Your Credit Card Statement page includes cash withdrawals, balance transfers of a balance owed elsewhere, bill payments from the account (not a pre-authorized charge set up with a merchant), transfers to another RBC account, and cash-like transactions: money orders, wire transfers, travellers' cheques, and gaming. Interest runs from the day the cash advance is processed. There is no interest-free period for cash advances, cash-like transactions, or balance transfers. The page says the purchase grace period is typically 21 days.
Scotiabank's fees page includes ABM, branch, phone, online, and mobile access, a balance transfer, a Scotia credit card cheque, and cash-like transactions: wire transfers, foreign currency, traveller cheques, money orders, and gaming. Transferring money from the credit card to a bank account is a cash advance. There is no interest-free grace period on cash advances. Interest runs from the transaction date. The fees page does not print the cash advance interest percent.
The TD Cash Back Visa cardholder agreement calls cash-like transactions casino gaming chips, money orders, wire transfers, travellers cheques, and gaming. The application box for that card says there is no grace period on cash advances, cash advance fees, balance transfer fees, or TD Visa cheque fees. The in-Canada cash advance fee is 1%, minimum $3.50, maximum $10.00, and it does not apply to a balance transfer or a TD Visa cheque.
CIBC's cardholder agreement includes cash withdrawals, cash-like transactions, bill payments, and funds transfers. Cash-like includes gaming, gambling, and lotteries, money transfer services such as online money transfers and wire transfers, and negotiable instruments such as traveler's cheques and money orders. A pre-authorized debit set up with a merchant is usually a purchase. Interest is always charged on cash advances from the day taken. The agreement does not apply to Simplii Financial credit cards. Amex Canada is left out of the dollar amounts because the public fees article does not print them.
Questions
- Does an Interac e-Transfer count as a cash advance?
- None of the issuer pages opened on 16 October 2026 used the words Interac e-Transfer in the cash advance list. Some do treat a transfer or a bill payment from the credit card as a cash advance. Use the sentence on your issuer's page.
- Does a cash advance have interest-free days?
- The Chase, Amex EveryDay, Citi, Discover, Bank of America, RBC, Scotiabank, TD Cash Back Visa Infinite, and CIBC documents above say interest on a cash advance is not in the purchase grace period. The start date is the one that document prints.
- Why is there no gambling list for Wells Fargo?
- The Active Cash terms opened on 16 October 2026 mention cash advances and equivalents only as a rewards exclusion. They do not print a list of gambling or person-to-person charges treated as cash advances.
- Is the cash advance fee the same as a balance transfer fee?
- Not always. TD's Cash Back Visa Infinite box says the cash advance fee does not apply to a balance transfer or a TD Visa cheque. Other issuers print a separate balance transfer fee. See the balance transfer page.
Sources
- Chase agreement COL00095 (PDF)
- Amex EveryDay Card Member Agreement dated 03-31-2026 (PDF)
- Citi agreement CMA_PID408 (PDF)
- Discover Prime pricing example as of 06/30/26 (PDF)
- Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards offer disclosure
- Wells Fargo Active Cash terms
- RBC: How to Read Your Credit Card Statement
- Scotiabank credit card fees
- TD Cash Back Visa Infinite application information box (PDF)
- TD Cash Back Visa cardholder agreement (PDF)
- CIBC cardholder agreement (PDF)
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