ACE Cash Express review: is ACE Cash Express legit?

ACE Cash Express is a legitimate storefront and online lender, and Once called ACE Cash Express, Inc., it is now Populus Financial Group, Inc. is the company behind it.

APR: 122.4% to 769.1%
Amounts offered: $100 to $3,500
States: 9 states
Complaints to the CFPB: 2,147
Enforcement actions: 5

ACE Cash Express on file

Owner: Once called ACE Cash Express, Inc., it is now Populus Financial Group, Inc.
Issued by: In most states, Populus Financial Group, Inc. does business as ACE Cash Express; in Texas ACE Credit Access LLC acts as a credit services organization, and an unaffiliated third-party lender provides the loans.
Product: installment loans and payday loans, available in ACE stores or online in certain states
Repayment length: Tennessee payday advances last 8 days. to Online installment loans in Delaware and Texas may last up to 180 days.
Credit checks: The lender may check a non-traditional consumer reporting agency but states that applying will not affect your FICO Score
Time to get the money: Approved borrowers get instant funds on an eligible debit card, cash same day at an ACE store, or direct deposit the following work day.

Taken from what ACE Cash Express publishes, CFPB complaint counts and public enforcement files. All sources are listed at the foot of the page

The cost of $500 at ACE Cash Express

$1,857.74

At the highest APR ACE Cash Express publishes, 769.1%, a $500 loan repaid in 12 payments two weeks apart works out to about $154.81 a payment: $1,857.74 back in total, of which $1,357.74 is interest.

This estimate uses the highest published APR and is no offer; the rate you get turns on where you live and on your credit. ACE Cash Express gives this example: With autopay, a Delaware online installment loan of $400 uses 5 monthly payments: 4 x $173.94 plus 1 x $173.49. Interest is $469.25, total repayment is $869.25, and the APR is 396.53%..

Good to know about ACE Cash Express

Populus Financial Group owns this storefront chain, which also lends online in nine states.
Loan types and costs vary by state, with online payday loans available in six states and installment loans in four
Published APRs range from about 122% for a Florida installment loan up to 769% for a $100 Louisiana payday loan
A 72-hour guarantee lets you return the principal on every ACE loan.
Regulators in Washington and California took action, along with two CFPB actions (a 2014 order totaling $10 million and a 2022 suit that was later dropped).

States where ACE Cash Express lends

ACE Cash Express names 9 states on its own site. Each link opens that state's payday and small-loan rules as general background, not a ruling on ACE Cash Express's own loans, which may come under a different state law or a partner bank.

ACE Cash Express complaints and lawsuits

The CFPB database lists 2,147 complaints naming Populus Financial Group, Inc. (F/K/A Ace Cash Express). Most common issues: they threatened or took legal or negative action; tactics used to communicate; representations or statements that were false. Check the CFPB count

2014 · CFPBThe CFPB issued an order finding ACE pushed overdue borrowers into new loans using harassment and illegal collection threats. This resulted in a $5 million penalty and $5 million in refunds. Source
2016 · Washington Department of Financial InstitutionsRestitution of $47,421.50, a fine, and license revocation were sought in a statement of charges. It covered more than 700 payday loans barred for borrowers in Washington. Source
2015 · California Department of Business Oversight (now DFPI)After an exam whose findings included excess collections from customers, ACE settled by paying restitution and an administrative penalty of $22,500. Source
2019 · California Department of Business Oversight (now DFPI)A consent order found repeated payday-loan overcollections that violated earlier 2010 and 2015 orders, leading to a $595,000 administrative penalty Source
2022 · CFPBThe CFPB suit said ACE concealed free repayment plans and took consumers' money improperly; in April 2025, the CFPB voluntarily dismissed the case with prejudice. Source

Want a cheaper loan than ACE Cash Express?

Talk to a specialist about lower-cost choices in your state, credit union loans included. Talk to someone about cheaper options: 855.947.5189

This line reaches a debt and loan options specialist. We are not ACE Cash Express and cannot reach your ACE Cash Express account.

ACE Cash Express alternatives: loans like ACE Cash Express

Lender	Type	APR	Amounts	States named	CFPB complaints
ACE Cash Express (this record)	Storefront and online lender	122.4% to 769.1%	$100 to $3,500	9	2,147
BrightLending	Tribal lender	325% to 725%	$300 to $3,000	41	None filed
Big Picture Loans	Tribal lender	160% to 699%	$200 to $3,000	–	1,295
Spotloan	Tribal lender	99% to 490%	$300 to $1,500	39	972
Mobiloans	Tribal lender	73.7% to 405%	up to $3,000	29	916

– means the company does not publish it. Complaint counts are totals, not rates: a bigger company draws more. Open any name for its full record.

Questions about ACE Cash Express

Is ACE Cash Express legit?

ACE Cash Express is a genuine storefront and online lender operated by Populus Financial Group, Inc. It lists APRs of 122.4% to 769.1% for loans between $100 and $3,500. Populus Financial Group, Inc. (F/K/A Ace Cash Express) has 2,147 complaints in the CFPB complaint database, and we count 5 actions on record from government agencies or courts.

Who owns ACE Cash Express?

Formerly ACE Cash Express, Inc., the company is now Populus Financial Group, Inc. The lender on the loan in most states is Populus Financial Group, Inc., which does business as ACE Cash Express; in Texas ACE Credit Access LLC serves as a credit services organization, while the loans come from an unaffiliated outside lender.

Does ACE Cash Express check your credit?

According to ACE Cash Express, they may use a non-traditional consumer reporting agency for data; your FICO Score is unaffected by applying.

How fast does ACE Cash Express send the money?

ACE Cash Express says approval brings instant funding to an eligible debit card, direct deposit on the next working day, or cash you can pick up the same day at an ACE store.

Has ACE Cash Express been sued or fined?

2014, CFPB: ACE pushed overdue borrowers into new loans through illegal collection threats and harassment, the order found; a $5 million penalty plus $5 million in refunds. 2016, Washington Department of Financial Institutions: the Statement of charges concerned Washington borrowers and more than 700 payday loans that were prohibited. Remedies requested: $47,421.50 restitution, license revocation and a fine. The 2015 Settlement with the California Department of Business Oversight (now DFPI) covered exam findings that included excess collections from customers. ACE paid restitution and a $22,500 administrative penalty. In 2019, the California Department of Business Oversight (now DFPI) issued a Consent order finding repeat payday-loan overcollections that violated 2010 and 2015 orders, imposing a $595,000 administrative penalty. In April 2025, the CFPB voluntarily dismissed with prejudice its 2022 suit against ACE, which alleged hiding free repayment plans and improperly withdrawing consumers' funds.

Where the ACE Cash Express facts come from

The CFPB states that Populus Financial Group, Inc. does business as ACE Cash Express.; A 2022 lawsuit by the CFPB was dismissed.consumerfinance.gov
Online payday loan amounts and states include six entries (CA, ID, KS, LA, TN, TX), with the first two shown.; Amounts and states where online installment loans are offered; Funding optionsacecashexpress.com
States where installment loans are available only in storesacecashexpress.com
The lowest APR in ACE fee schedules applies to a Florida installment loan of $1,000 with a 3-month term and monthly payacecashexpress.com
The highest APR in ACE online fee schedules is for a Louisiana payday loan of $100 over 14 daysacecashexpress.com
Term for an online payday loan in Texas; A CSO arranges Texas loans, which a third-party lender then makesacecashexpress.com
The shortest term published is for a Tennessee online payday advance.acecashexpress.com
Online installment term for Delaware; Cost example published for Delaware online installment with autopay and monthly payacecashexpress.com
Complaints in the CFPB database under Populus Financial Group (F/K/A Ace Cash Express)consumerfinance.gov
The CFPB took action against ACE in 2014.consumerfinance.gov
Date of the 2014 CFPB consent order (order file name)consumerfinance.gov
The Washington DFI issued a statement of charges regarding prohibited payday loans.; Restitution sought and date for Washington DFIdfi.wa.gov
A 2015 settlement in California included a penalty.dfpi.ca.gov
A 2019 consent order in California carried a penalty.dfpi.ca.gov