Testimonials
The following quotes are drawn from surveys collected by NYS Community Equity Agenda from January 2025 through May 2025. Each of the quoted New Yorkers uses (or once used) EWA apps. Please take the survey to share your story. Name, contact information and other identifying details will be excluded on all public-facing materials.
“At my last job, my employer gave us pamphlets with information about Zayzoon and presented the app as a benefit. We were all underpaid, and I heard other people at the company were using the apps every week. These apps obviously make loans. To say they aren’t making loans definitely feels deceptive. I wish that instead of always pushing these apps, employers offered information about the benefits of joining community credit unions like Brooklyn Co-Op. On a legislative level, there should be heavier regulation on fees and the repayment structure, and it should be clear that these apps make loans.”
—A 45-year-old Brooklynite
“Their advertisements are misleading. They have videos of people in the supermarket being like, ‘oh shoot! My account is empty. Let me see….oh great! I just got fifty dollars!’ But to get fifty dollars I had to tell them my whole life, and then they took the $50 back right away. I also felt obligated to tip, maybe because I’m asking to borrow money. The way the app puts it, you do feel obligated. They make loans, and for them to say they’re not loans is very misleading. They need to be transparent about what they are.”
—A mom from Brooklyn
“At first, the app Dave seemed like the lifeline I needed to stay afloat. Then I watched every paycheck get gutted as soon as it hit my account, leaving my bank account near-empty and forcing me to borrow again, each time with more fees. The cycle repeated for months.”
—A writer in Queens
“I was forced to take out an EWA payday loan which required a $10 fee for a $100 advance.”
—A college student from Queens
“They’re predatory. They prey on you when you need money really bad.”
—A mom from Brownsville
“It’s a debt trap but I, and many people like me, have no other way to pay for college and rent….What are the systemic solutions?”
—A college student in Brooklyn
“It’s a dangerous cycle to keep you in debt. You can never get ahead on these apps.”
—A case manager in the Bronx
“It’s so easy to get trapped in the cycle of borrowing from the next paycheck.”
—A social media manager for a nonprofit
“[I’ve used] all of them…It quickly becomes a death spiral…an impossible cycle to get out of. It’s embarrassing. Hopeful to find other ways to boost income but in the meantime 😵💫😵💫.”
—A New Yorker
“It’s a viscous cycle, and you don’t want to be dependent upon them because you will never save.”
—A Queens resident
“If you use them too much and get dependent on them, it’s only marginally better than having no money at all. The money has to be paid back eventually so you’ll still be in that hole.”
—A Brooklyn resident