Cash Advance
Also called: credit card cash advance, ATM advance
A cash advance is withdrawing cash against a credit card, and it is priced as the most expensive routine borrowing most people have access to. There's an upfront fee of 3–5%, a higher APR than purchases, and no grace period, so interest starts the moment you take the money. Certain transactions are silently classified as advances too — gambling deposits, crypto purchases, some money transfers — which is how people incur the charge without ever visiting an ATM.