Pay2Day: Overview
PAY2DAY is an Ontario based short term lender that opened in 2009. It lends in four provinces, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia, through 37 stores and online.
What makes it unusual is that it does both properly. Plenty of payday lenders have closed their doors and gone online only, and plenty of storefront lenders never built a decent website. PAY2DAY runs both, takes applications 24 hours a day, and gets the money to you either as cash across a counter or by e-transfer, usually within one to two hours of approval.
Is PAY2DAY Legit?
Yes. PAY2DAY has been operating since 2009, it holds a payday lender licence in all four provinces it lends in, and it has more than 9,000 reviews on Trustpilot with a 4.8 out of 5 rating.
Are You The Right Borrower For PAY2DAY?
A payday loan from PAY2DAY could be a good fit for you if:
- You Need The Money Today, Not Tomorrow: Approvals run 24 hours a day, and an e-transfer usually arrives within one to two hours of being approved.
- You Would Rather Deal With A Person: There are 37 stores, so you can hand your identification to someone at a counter and walk out with cash instead of doing it all through a screen.
- Your Credit Score Is Poor Or Nonexistent: No credit check is run at all. Approval comes down to your income, so a low score does not rule you out.
- You Are Employed Or On EI: Both employment income and EI benefits are accepted as income.
- You Can Clear It On Your Next Payday: The whole balance plus the fee comes out at once, so this only works if the money will actually be there.
- You Live In Ontario, BC, Alberta Or Nova Scotia: Those are the four provinces PAY2DAY is licensed in.
What We Verified
Here is what we were able to confirm about PAY2DAY, checked against public records and its own published rates.
What We Verified
Last checked 7 Oct 2026What They Offer
PAY2DAY offers one loan, a payday loan. Payday loans are an expensive form of lending, but it’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to get cash quickly.
Payday Loan
$14 per $100 borrowedA short term advance on your next paycheque. No credit check, nothing to scan or fax, and you can take it as cash in a store or as an e-transfer.
Payday Loan Features
You Pick Cash Or E-Transfer
Walk into a store and leave with notes in your hand, or apply from your sofa and have the money sent to your bank. Very few lenders still give you both options.
An App You Can Apply From
You can apply and manage the loan from your phone rather than going through the website every time.
An Interest Free Guarantee
PAY2DAY runs an interest free offer that lets you return what you borrowed without paying the interest, within a set window. The conditions vary, so read them at the counter or on the offer page before you count on it.
A Refer A Friend Credit
Send someone their way and you get a credit applied against the interest on your next loan.
A VIP Programme And Sweepstakes
Both run as promotions rather than core parts of the loan, so treat them as a bonus rather than a reason to borrow.
How Fast You Get Your Money
This is the part PAY2DAY sells hardest, and it holds up.
| How you apply | When you are approved | When you get the money |
|---|---|---|
| In store | While you wait | Cash in hand before you leave |
| Online or in the app | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week | E-transfer, typically within 1 to 2 hours |
Two things make that possible. There is no credit check to wait on, and approvals run around the clock rather than during office hours, so a Saturday night application is not sitting in a queue until Monday morning.
If you are approved online overnight and you need physical cash rather than a bank balance, the money lands in your account first and you take it out at an ATM.
Who Qualifies
| Requirement | What you need |
|---|---|
| Credit score | No credit check. Bad credit and no credit are both accepted |
| Income | Employment income or EI benefits |
| Loan size | Up to $1,500, capped at half your net pay |
| Bank account | An account that can receive an e-transfer, if you are applying online |
| Identification | Government issued photo identification |
| Phone | A mobile number, since the application verifies it by text message |
| Availability | Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia |
| How you apply | Online, through the app, or in store |
Which Income Qualifies
The application form lists several income types, including ODSP, social assistance, pensions and CPP with OAS, but only employment income and EI benefits qualify for a loan.
How To Apply
The online application is split into short screens rather than one long form, which makes it feel quicker than it is. You answer a few questions about what you need first, then register an account in four steps. Here is what each screen actually asks for.
A couple of things are worth knowing before you start. You need a mobile number, not a landline, because the account is verified by text message. And the form asks how you heard about them before it asks anything about you, so do not read the early screens as a credit decision in progress.
Once your account is set up, you finish the loan application, and because there is no credit check the decision comes back quickly. Approved funds go out by Interac e-Transfer, usually within one to two hours, and the repayment is withdrawn on the date set in your agreement.
In a store, the clerk works through the same questions with you at the counter, and if you are approved you leave with cash rather than waiting on a transfer.
Where To Find A PAY2DAY Store
PAY2DAY has 37 stores. Thirty three of them are in Ontario, with two in British Columbia, one in Alberta and one in Nova Scotia. Hours vary by branch, so it is worth a phone call before you travel.
Greater Toronto Area 17 stores
Toronto 622 Yonge St, main floor · 647.748.7729 1544 Jane St · 647.748.2334 1077 Wilson Ave, Unit 6 · 647.728.4295
Scarborough 1153 Ellesmere Rd · 416.615.2274 2555 Victoria Park Ave, Unit 5 · 416.499.2274
Mississauga 2655 Liruma Rd, Unit 2 · 289.805.1425 70 World Dr, Unit 8 · 289.724.2157 2579 Hurontario St · 905.896.2274 43 Dundas St E, Unit 101 · 905.232.2329
Brampton 425 Main St N · 905.846.2901 2456 Queen St E, Unit 1 · 905.789.9444 279 Queen St E · 905.450.1661
Vaughan 6150 Highway 7, Unit 2 · 905.856.0557 Milton 405 Martin St, Unit 2 · 289.805.1424
Newmarket 18075 Leslie St, Unit 17 · 905.775.2274 Oshawa 420 King St W · 905.240.8988 Pickering 1794 Liverpool Rd · 905.839.2274
Southwestern Ontario 9 stores
Hamilton 833 Upper James St · 289.674.2000 Burlington 748 Guelph Line · 705.503.2274
Niagara Falls 4444 Drummond Rd · 289.296.8777 St. Catharines 353 Lake St · 905.938.5943
London 2263 Dundas St · 226.884.9988 879 Wellington Rd · 226.884.9990
Kitchener 324 Highland Rd W, Unit 1A · 519.578.9696 Cambridge 534 Hespeler Rd · 519.621.2274 Windsor 48 Wyandotte St E, Suite 110 · 226.782.3923
Eastern Ontario 4 stores
Ottawa 1440 Bank St, Unit 6 · 613.695.1233 209 Bank St · 613.695.3629
Ottawa 1356 Clyde Ave, Unit 14 · 613.274.7363 1281 Montreal Rd · 613.699.0011
Central And Northern Ontario 3 stores
Barrie 346 Bayfield St, Unit 3 · 705.999.8194 33 Mapleview Dr W · 705.999.8194
Sudbury 1212 Lasalle Blvd · 705.805.0255
British Columbia 2 stores
Vancouver 2891 E Hastings St · 604.255.9999 Surrey 9093 King George Blvd · 778.593.8838
Alberta 1 store
Calgary 934 6 Ave SW · 587.387.2329
Nova Scotia 1 store
Truro 1251 Prince St · 902.305.2274
Stores matter more than they sound. If you would rather hand your identification to a person than upload it, or you want physical cash today rather than a transfer sitting in an account, that option only exists with a lender that still has counters. It also gives you somewhere to go if something goes wrong with your loan, which is not true of an online only lender.
What A PAY2DAY Loan Costs
PAY2DAY charges $14 per $100 borrowed in every province it operates in, which is the legal maximum in each one.
| Province | You borrow | Cost of borrowing | You repay | Over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | $500 | $70 | $570 | 14 days |
| Ontario | $1,500 | $210 | $1,710 | 14 days |
| British Columbia | $300 | $42 | $342 | 14 days |
| Nova Scotia | $100 | $14 | $114 | 14 days |
| Alberta | $300 | $42 | $342 | 42 days |
Alberta is the odd one out, and it is worth understanding why. The fee is identical at $14 per $100, but Alberta requires payday loans to be repaid over a longer period, so the same dollars are spread across 42 days instead of 14. Same cost to you.
If A Payment Fails
A returned payment brings a returned item fee, and interest starts running at 30% a year on what you still owe. If an account falls badly behind it can be passed to a collection agency, which can affect your credit score even though no credit check was run to get the loan in the first place.
You also cannot roll the loan over. Provincial rules require it to be paid in full by the due date, so extending or refinancing is not on the table here.
Is PAY2DAY Licensed?
Yes, in all four provinces it lends in, and we have the licence number for each one. Payday lending is licensed province by province, so a lender needs a separate licence for every province it operates in.
Why this matters to you: a licensed payday lender has to cap its fee at the provincial maximum, show you the total cost of borrowing in writing before you sign, and give you a cooling off period to cancel. An unlicensed one does none of that. Every province keeps a public register, so if you ever want to confirm a licence yourself, you can search any of these numbers.
Ways To Cover It Without A Payday Loan
$14 per $100 is a lot of money for a two week gap. Before you apply, it is worth ten minutes seeing whether one of these gets you there instead.
Put It On A Card You Already Have
Even a card with a high rate is dramatically cheaper over two weeks. On $300, a credit card at 22.99% costs you roughly $2.60 in interest over 14 days, against $42 here. A cash advance adds a flat fee of about $5 and charges interest from day one, so it is pricier than a purchase, but it is still a fraction of a payday loan.
A Line Of Credit You Can Draw On Again
A personal line of credit sits at your bank or credit union until you need it, and you only pay interest on what you actually use. Rates typically run somewhere between 8% and 12%. Getting one takes a credit check and a few days, so this is something to set up before the next shortfall rather than during this one.
Ask Payroll Whether You Can Be Paid Early
A lot of employers will release part of your pay ahead of schedule, and most do it for nothing. You are not asking to borrow, you are asking for money you have already earned, which is a much easier conversation than it feels like before you have it.
Split The Bill With Whoever Sent It
If one specific bill is driving this, phone them first. Utilities, landlords, insurers, phone companies and clinics move due dates and split payments all the time, and none of them charge you $42 to do it. Ask before the due date rather than after, because the answer is usually better.
Look For Local Emergency Help
Municipalities, community agencies and some charities run small emergency funds for rent arrears, a utility disconnection or groceries. They are slower than a payday loan and you may need to provide documents, but the money does not have to be repaid, which makes it worth a phone call if this is more than a one off.
PAY2DAY Pros
- You Choose Cash Or E-Transfer: Walk into a store and leave with notes in your hand, or apply online at 2am and get an e-transfer. Hardly any lenders still offer both.
- Approvals Run All Night: Applications are reviewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so a weekend emergency does not wait for Monday morning.
- The Money Really Does Move Fast: E-transfer funding typically lands within one to two hours of approval.
- Your Credit Score Is Not Part Of It: No credit check at all, so bad credit or no credit history will not stop you.
- EI Counts As Income: If you are on Employment Insurance, it is accepted alongside employment income.
- The Price Is On The Website Before You Apply: Each province has its own rate page with a worked example, so you can see what it costs without handing over any details.
- It Has Been Around Since 2009: Seventeen years, four provinces and 37 stores is a real operation rather than a brand new website.
- Customers Rate It Very Highly: 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 9,000 reviews, which is a big enough sample to take seriously.
PAY2DAY Cons
- $14 Per $100 Borrowed: Borrowing $500 for two weeks costs you $70. That is the most expensive legal way to borrow in Canada, however good the service is.
- The Term Is Very Short: Outside Alberta, the full balance plus the fee comes out on your next payday. That is what pushes people into borrowing again the following month.
- You Cannot Extend It: Rollovers and refinancing are not permitted, so if you cannot pay on the due date you are into fees rather than an arrangement.
- A Bounced Payment Gets Costly: A returned item fee plus 30% annual interest on the balance, and a badly overdue account can go to collections and hit your credit score.
- Only Four Provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia. Everywhere else is out.
- No Better Business Bureau Profile: There is no BBB file to check, so there is no letter rating or complaint record to look at.
- Your Loan May Be Much Smaller Than $1,500: The cap is half your net pay, so the advertised maximum is not what most people are offered.
How PAY2DAY Compares
| PAY2DAY | Speedy Cash | Cash 4 You | Loan Express | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loan amount | Up to $1,500 | $100 to $1,500 | Up to $1,500 payday, or $500 to $20,000 installment | Up to $1,500 |
| Term | Next payday, 42 days in Alberta | 14 days | Next payday, or 6 to 84 months on an installment loan | Up to 62 days |
| Cost | $14 per $100 borrowed | $14 per $100 borrowed | $14 per $100 borrowed | $14 per $100 borrowed |
| Approval and funding | 24/7 approvals, e-transfer in 1 to 2 hours, or cash in store | Same day, by e-transfer, debit card or cash in store | E-transfer or direct deposit | E-transfer within minutes of signing |
| Stores | 37, in four provinces | 19, in four provinces | 76, all in Ontario | None, online only |
| Where | ON, BC, AB, NS | 8 provinces | ON, plus payday in BC | 8 provinces |
The price is identical across all four, because every one of them charges the provincial maximum. What separates them is reach and how you collect the money. PAY2DAY is the only one of the four that pairs round the clock online approvals with a counter you can walk up to.
How We Reviewed PAY2DAY
This review draws on the information PAY2DAY publishes about itself, together with publicly available sources. Every lender in our directory goes through the same eleven point verification check, and you can read about how that works on our review methodology page.
