What Brigit charges around an advance

Brigit, operated by Bridge It, Inc., offers Instant Cash advances of $25 to $500 ($25 to $250 for Maine residents). Brigit repays itself by automatically debiting your bank account.

Under Brigit's current Terms of Service, the costs around an advance include:

  • An Express Fee of $0.99 to $5.99 to get the money delivered fast. For users without a Premium subscription, the fee can vary with the size of the advance.
  • Brigit Plus, a subscription that costs $5.99 to $9.99 a month.
  • Brigit Premium, a subscription that costs $15.99 a month and comes with no expedited-transfer fees.

Brigit's terms say a subscription is not required to get an advance, that every fee is for an optional service, and that repayment is voluntary. Whether those labels change what the charges really are is the question this investigation is about.

What the FTC alleged

The Federal Trade Commission sued Brigit, alleging that it promised "instant" cash advances of up to $250 to people living paycheck to paycheck, and signed them up for a $9.99 monthly membership. The FTC said that few paying members ever got access to anything close to $250, and many could not get an advance at all. Roughly 1% of Brigit Plus members reached $250, and roughly 20% were denied an advance entirely.

The FTC also said Brigit charged an undisclosed $0.99 "express delivery" fee for instant funds after promising no hidden fees. Without that fee, members could wait up to three business days. Finally, the FTC said Brigit would not let members cancel while they had an advance outstanding, and that it used confusing "dark patterns" in its cancellation process.

Brigit disputed the allegations. Today the Express Fee is part of Brigit's published price list, and subscriptions are sold alongside the advances.

Why calling it "not a loan" may not settle the question

Federal lending law requires lenders to disclose the cost of credit as a finance charge and an annual percentage rate, so borrowers can see what a loan really costs. A company does not escape that duty just by calling its product something else. What matters is the substance: money is advanced now, repaid by automatic debit on your next payday, and you pay a fee to get it.

Measured as a rate, those fees are large. A $5.99 fee on a $100 advance repaid in two weeks equals an annual rate of more than 150%. Many states cap small-loan interest far below that. Where an advance's effective rate exceeds a state's cap, the charges may be unlawful.

State consumer-protection laws separately prohibit marketing that hides the real cost of a product, and cancellation processes built to keep people paying.

Who may qualify, and what you could recover

You may have a claim if you used Brigit within the last four years and paid an Express Fee or a monthly subscription in connection with an advance. Repeat users are especially likely to qualify, because the fees add up with every pay cycle. The transaction history in your Brigit account and your bank statements show each advance and each fee.

A claim seeks to recover what the advances actually cost you, plus statutory damages where state law provides them. Additional federal statutory damages may be available for advances taken within the year before a claim is brought. Maginnis Howard pursues these claims for consumers individually, and you pay no fee unless money is recovered for you. The short questionnaire on this page is the first step.

The legal basis

Why this may be illegal

Brigit (Bridge It, Inc.) tells users its Instant Cash advances are not credit and that no fee is required to get one. But same-day delivery costs an Express Fee of $0.99 to $5.99, and Brigit sells monthly subscriptions of $5.99 to $15.99 alongside the advances. On an advance repaid automatically from the next paycheck, those charges function as the cost of credit, yet they are never disclosed as a finance charge or an annual percentage rate. The Federal Trade Commission has sued Brigit, alleging that it promised instant advances most members never received, charged an undisclosed express-delivery fee after promising no hidden fees, and blocked members from canceling while an advance was outstanding.

The law

Federal lending-disclosure law requires the cost of credit to be disclosed as a finance charge and an annual percentage rate; Brigit's Express Fee and subscription charges operate as undisclosed finance charges, however Brigit labels them. Where the effective rate exceeds a state's interest-rate cap, the advances may be unlawful loans. The unfair and deceptive practices laws of all 50 states bar marketing that hides the real cost of a product and cancellation obstacles that keep people paying.

What you could recover

Per-claimant actual damages = the sum of every "express," "instant," or "Lightning Speed" transfer fee, every pressured "tip," and every required monthly membership or subscription fee charged in connection with the advances, treated as the cost of credit. Where the effective annual rate (often 200%–400% or more) exceeds the claimant's state interest-rate cap, damages also include recovery of the unlawful charges and, in many states, statutory penalties (for example, forfeiture of all interest, or twice the interest paid). State consumer-protection statutes add statutory damages that vary by state (roughly $100 to $10,000 per violation, with enhanced or tripled damages in some states for willful conduct). Federal lending-disclosure law adds statutory damages of twice the undisclosed finance charge, with a floor of $200 and a ceiling of $2,000 for a one-time advance, or a floor of $500 and a ceiling of $5,000 where the product is an ongoing line of credit — but only for advances taken within one year before the claim is brought. Advances older than one year are recovered under the state-law claims, whose time limits are generally longer and vary by state. Attorney fees are recoverable under federal law and many state statutes. Typical individual claim range: $300–$7,500, depending on how many advances the claimant took, how recently, and the claimant's state.

How your claim would be handled

Claims like this are handled as individual arbitration cases — private proceedings, no courtroom. For Brigit (Bridge IT), cases are typically administered through JAMS.

The Advance, As Advertised* vs. What the Advance Actually Cost*

The Advance, As Advertised* ($100 Brigit advance · repaid on your next payday, about 2 weeks) $100.00
Brigit Plus monthly subscription +$9.99
Express Fee for same-day funds +$3.99
What the Advance Actually Cost* (Express-transfer fees, "tips," and required memberships are the cost of the credit — they just aren't called interest) $113.98

Figures shown are illustrative examples, not records of an actual transaction; your amounts may differ.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay for this?

You don't pay anything unless we recover compensation on your behalf. Our legal team works on contingency, which means we only get paid if you do.

I thought the advance was free. Do I still have a claim?

Likely yes. The whole point of these claims is that the advances were marketed as 'free' or 'interest-free' while express fees, tips, and membership charges added up to a very high effective interest rate that was never disclosed as such.

What if I tipped voluntarily?

Regulators have found that these 'tips' are presented in ways designed to make consumers feel they are expected or required. If the tip functioned as the cost of borrowing, it counts toward your claim.

Do I need to still use the app?

No. Both current and former users who were charged these fees within the last four years may qualify.

What is Maginnis Howard?

Maginnis Howard is a consumer protection and personal injury law firm serving clients nationwide. You may find more details about us at www.carolinalaw.com.

What clients say

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