Unfortunately, Walmart doesn’t have a loan program for its employees, but it has a couple of options for associates who need cash between pay periods or have suffered financial hardship from an unforeseen event. And, there are a few lenders that have deals specifically for Walmart employees.
Does Walmart offer loans to its employees?
While Walmart doesn’t offer loans to its associates, it provides options for employees who find themselves strapped for cash.
Paycheck advances
One@Work (formerly Even) is a cash advance app offered as a benefit to Walmart employees. It provides advances up to 50% of your net earned wages, and there’s no monthly fee like many cash advance apps.
Most fund transfers are free to Walmart employees, although you may have to pay a small fee for instant transfers if that feature isn’t configured in your app. The One@Work app also features budgeting and savings tools for Walmart employees to help you keep your finances on track.
Grants for employees
The Associates in Critical Need Trust (ACNT), now called the ACNT Together Fund, is a nonprofit organization that provides financial help, in the form of grants, to Walmart employees who’ve been affected by an unexpected and unavoidable event.
Eligible employees could receive up to $1,500 within a five-year period to cover basic living expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, temporary housing assistance, food or clothing. Covered events include major illness, injury or death, unexpected household changes or involuntary loss or damage to housing or transportation.
Lenders that offer loans for Walmart employees
In our research, we could only find two lenders that offered loans specifically for Walmart employees. To help you compare more options, we also included additional lending products that aren’t Walmart-exclusive but may still fit your financial goals.
Lendly
Lendly is a loan servicer that offers installment loans up to $2,000 for Walmart employees. It’s willing to accept customers with poor credit, although you need a bank account to qualify for a loan. You’ll also have to agree to make payments through payroll direct deposit, meaning the repayments are deducted directly from your paycheck. But it doesn’t give many other loan details on its website, only offers an “approximate” interest rate of a whopping 225% and has quite a few bad reviews.
- Available in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming
- Loans up to $2,000
- Fast funding
- Poor credit borrowers considered
- Rates around 225%
- Not transparent about loan details
- Poor customer reviews
| Loan amount | $1,000 – $2,000 |
|---|---|
| APR | Approximately 225% |
| Interest rate type | Fixed |
| Loan Term | Undisclosed |
| Turnaround time | As soon as 24 hours |
| Loan amount | $1,000 – $2,000 |
|---|---|
| APR | Approximately 225% |
| Turnaround time | As soon as 24 hours |
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage
Walmart partners with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage to offer reduced mortgage closing costs and discounted rates to Walmart employees. These benefits apply to new home purchases or refinances and include a $1,000 credit that can be used to lower your closing costs or for any Mutual of Omaha Mortgage purchase product. You’ll also have access to dedicated Walmart support team members.
But being a Walmart employee doesn’t guarantee mortgage approval — you’ll still need to meet the eligibility requirements, which can be stringent for conventional home loans. However, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage also offers VA, FHA and USDA home loans, which typically have more lenient requirements.
- Rates starting at Starting as low as 6.49%
- $1,000 credit
- Wide range of loan options
- May need fair to good credit to qualify
- Higher rates for lower credit scores
- Employee status doesn’t guarantee loan approval
| Loan amount: | Up to $726,200 (for conforming loans) |
|---|---|
| Min. credit score | 620 |
| Interest Type: | Fixed |
| Turnaround Time: | 45 to 60 days |
| Loan Term: | 10 to 30 years |
| Loan amount: | Up to $726,200 (for conforming loans) |
|---|---|
| APR Range: | Starting as low as 6.49% |
| Interest Type: | Fixed |
Are there loans for Walmart employees with bad credit?
There are plenty of loan options for employees with bad credit, although some of your choices may come with triple-digit interest rates, such as payday or installment loans.
However, lenders such as Upstart or OneMain Financial consider borrowers with bad credit and cap their rates at 35.99%. While the highest rates are more than most credit cards, they’re still preferable to payday and installment loans and have the added benefit of helping to improve your credit scores.
What to watch out for
Consider these key factors when applying for a loan.
- Interest rates. Rates vary significantly between lenders, so compare multiple lenders to find the best deal.
- Additional fees. Some lenders charge fees on top of interest, which adds to the total loan cost. Watch out for application or origination fees specifically, or see if you can qualify for lenders that don’t charge origination fees.
- Lender reputation. Take the time to research lenders you’re considering to make sure they’re legit, and read customer reviews before you apply.
- Guaranteed approval. Lenders that promote “guaranteed approval ” or “no credit check” loans should raise a red flag in your mind.
- Consider your budget. Don’t borrow more than you can afford to repay, and don’t be swayed by lenders encouraging you to borrow more than you need.
- Where you live. Many lenders don’t offer loans in all states, so be sure you find a lender that operates in your area.
Alternative loan options for Walmart employees
There aren’t many lenders that cater to Walmart employees specifically, so you may want to consider these alternatives.
- Cash advance apps. If you’re looking for a small loan — say, $500 or less — a cash advance app could be a fast and easy option, but watch out for monthly subscription fees and charges for instant transfers.
- Personal loans. You may want to consider online lenders that offer personal loans to borrowers with a range of credit scores. You could also try a loan marketplace like LendingTree to compare multiple lenders with a single application.
- Payday alternative loans (PALS). PALS are loans up to $1,000 offered by some federal credit unions — as alternatives to payday loans — with rates capped at 28% and loan terms from one to six months. But you’ll typically need to be a member for at least 30 days or more to qualify.
- Your own bank or credit union. If you already have a bank or credit union that you do business with, you might be able to get a loan with competitive rates, although you may need a good credit score to qualify.
- Buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans. A BNPL loan isn’t an option for cash, but it’s an easier way to make a larger purchase that you can pay back in installments. Plus, most of these lenders offer zero-interest financing as long as you make your payments on time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a cash advance from Walmart?
You should probably first check with your manager to make sure that your store offers paycheck advances and learn more about how it works. Next, you can download the One@Work app and follow the steps to set up an account and link your bank. There is no charge for this benefit offered to Walmart employees.
Does Walmart help employees with hardship?
Yes. Walmart’s ACNT Together Fund is designed to help eligible Walmart employees who have experienced a disaster or other financial hardship within the last 12 months. The requirements to qualify for the program are fairly strict, but it’s worth exploring if you’ve recently been through an unexpected event that has significantly strained your finances.
