Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Credit Unions vs Payday Loans in Jacksonville, FL
10 credit unions are headquartered in Jacksonville, with 1,398,455 members in total. Credit unions are member-owned and often offer small personal loans and payday alternative loans (PALs) at far lower rates than payday lenders.
- Credit unions
- 10
- Members
- 1.4M
- Federal
- 5
- State-chartered
- 5
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in Jacksonville
Jacksonville has 32 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 10 credit unions headquartered here — about 3.2 loan stores for every credit union. Local credit unions count 1,398,455 members — roughly 148 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
10
1.1 per 100k residents
1.4M members
Payday & loan stores
32
3.4 per 100k residents
6 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in Jacksonville: ACE Cash Express (11), Advance America (11), OneMain Financial (5), Mariner Finance (2), Oportun (2).
What a $500 loan costs over 3 months
| Option | Payment | Total cost |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan, re-borrowed 6 times (~304% APR) | $55.00 every 2 weeks | $330.00 |
| Credit union PAL, 3 monthly payments (28% APR + $20 fee) | $174.50 a month | $43.51 |
- You keep with a credit union PAL over 3 months
- $286.49 payday costs 8× more
Payday: the FL maximum — $55 on a $500 loan for 2 weeks, paid again each time the loan is renewed or taken out again (6 times in 3 months). PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR with an application fee of up to $20.
What it means for a household in Jacksonville
- Median household income
- $68,687
- Payday fee of $55, share of two weeks' income
- 2.1%
- Hours of work to pay the $55 fee
- 3.0 hours
- PAL payment of $174.50, share of monthly income
- 3.0%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.1 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 17.2%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 15.2%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for Jacksonville are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in Florida
| Payday loan in FL | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Allowed | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Loan amount | $500 | $200 – $2,000 |
| Fee limit | 10% of check + $5 fee ($55) | Application fee up to $20 |
| Typical APR | ~304% | Up to 28% |
| Term | Usually 2–4 weeks, due in one payment | 1 to 12 months, in installments |
| Credit check | Usually none; a bank account and income are required | Membership required; payments can be reported to credit bureaus |
Payday rules: Florida law as summarized on our Florida payday page. PAL rules: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) rules for federal credit unions (PAL I and PAL II); state-chartered credit unions may offer similar small loans.
Credit unions headquartered in Jacksonville
| Credit union | Address | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vystar Credit UnionState-chartered | 76 S Laura St Jacksonville, FL 32202 | 1,058,604 | vystarcu.org |
| Community First Credit Union of FloState-chartered | 637 North Lee Street Jacksonville, FL 32204 | 191,902 | communityfirstfl.org |
| First Florida Credit UnionState-chartered | 500 W 1st St Jacksonville, FL 32202 | 63,025 | firstflorida.org |
| Radifi Federal Credit UnionFederal | PO Box 2357 Jacksonville, FL 32232 | 42,074 | radifi.com |
| Alive Credit UnionState-chartered | 9790 Touchton Rd Jacksonville, FL 32246 | 18,605 | alivecu.coop |
| Coastline Federal Credit UnionFederal | 4651 Emerson St Jacksonville, FL 32207 | 10,646 | coastlinefcu.org |
| Jm Associates Federal Credit UnionFederal | 9987 Pritchard Rd Jacksonville, FL 32219 | 8,801 | jmafcu.org |
| Jax Fire Credit UnionState-chartered | 2205 Haines St Jacksonville, FL 32206 | 2,379 | jaxfirecu.org |
| Metro North Federal Credit UnionFederal | 310 Dundas Dr Jacksonville, FL 32218 | 1,277 | metronorthfcu.com |
| Farmers Federal Credit UnionFederal | 6611 Dunn Ave Jacksonville, FL 32218 | 1,142 | — |
Payday and installment loan stores in Jacksonville
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in Jacksonville with addresses, phone numbers and hours. Check a credit union first — a PAL or small personal loan usually costs far less.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10152 Atlantic Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32225 | (904) 725-7733 | — | 4.9 |
| 1036 Dunn Ave Ste 50 Jacksonville, FL 32218 | (904) 751-6999 | — | 4.9 |
| 2261 Edgewood Ave W Ste 17 Jacksonville, FL 32209 | (904) 764-4394 | — | 4.8 |
| 3543 Kingston St Jacksonville, FL 32254 | (904) 781-5299 | — | 4.8 |
| 5124 Blanding Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32210 | (904) 771-4461 | — | 4.7 |
| 5631 University Blvd W Jacksonville, FL 32216 | (904) 733-9280 | — | 4.8 |
| 5751 N Main St Ste 110 Jacksonville, FL 32208 | (904) 355-4031 | — | 4.9 |
| 6030 Merrill Rd Jacksonville, FL 32277 | (904) 744-9128 | — | 4.8 |
| 7200 Normandy Blvd Ste 9 Jacksonville, FL 32205 | (904) 378-1561 | — | 4.7 |
| 946 Cassat Ave Jacksonville, FL 32205 | (904) 786-7226 | — | 4.9 |
| 9741 San Jose Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32257 | (904) 880-5745 | — | 4.8 |
| 1020-14 N. Edgewood Ave. Jacksonville, FL 32254 | (904) 781-7075 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 11018 Old St. Augustine Rd., Suite 119 Jacksonville, FL 32257 | (904) 260-1450 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 1124 Dunn Ave. Jacksonville, FL 32218 | (904) 757-2228 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 12777 Atlantic Blvd., Unit 3 Jacksonville, FL 32225 | (904) 220-1204 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 3000 Dunn Avenue, Unit #66 Jacksonville, FL 32218 | (904) 765-7100 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 5324 Blanding Blvd., Ste. 7 Jacksonville, FL 32210 | (904) 777-3373 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 6251 Argyle Forest Blvd, Ste 108 Jacksonville, FL 32244 | (904) 779-3919 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 7001 Merrill Rd., Ste. 33 Jacksonville, FL 32277 | (904) 744-9598 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 7961 Normandy Blvd., #2 Jacksonville, FL 32221 | (904) 781-1650 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 8595 Beach Blvd, #350 Jacksonville, FL 32216 | (904) 646-9731 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 9550 Baymeadows Road, Ste. 6 Jacksonville, FL 32256 | (904) 733-2898 | Mon–Thu 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 1300 Riverplace Blvd Ste 615 Jacksonville, FL 32207 | (904) 781-1408 | — | 4.3 |
| 1795 Kernan Blvd S Ste 103 Jacksonville, FL 32246 | (904) 642-1535 | — | 4.6 |
| 3980 Southside Blvd #205 Jacksonville, FL 32216 | (904) 641-4006 | — | 4.3 |
| 8102 Blanding Blvd Ste 7 Jacksonville, FL 32244 | (904) 778-7681 | — | 4.4 |
| 840 Nautica Dr #105 Jacksonville, FL 32218 | (904) 384-4349 | — | 4.1 |
| 11160 Beach Blvd #131 Jacksonville, FL 32246 | (904) 805-8616 | — | 4.8 |
| 900 Dunn Ave Ste 20 Jacksonville, FL 32218 | (904) 528-2175 | — | 4.9 |
| 10771 Beach Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32246 | (904) 586-3138 | — | 4.9 |
| 6001 Argyle Forest Blvd #37 Jacksonville, FL 32244 | (866) 488-6090 | — | 5.0 |
| 4875 Belfort Rd #130 Jacksonville, FL 32256 | (904) 639-5571 | — | 5.0 |
More about Jacksonville
Only credit union headquarters are listed, with the address on file with the NCUA; phone numbers and branch locations are on each credit union’s website. Many credit unions also have branches in Jacksonville and nearby — check membership requirements, as some are open to anyone who lives or works in the area. Loan stores: storefront locations of major payday, installment and title lenders; call ahead to confirm hours.