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Pawn Shops vs Payday Loans in San Jose, CA
3 pawn shops in and around San Jose — 0.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with 1.4 across California. Call ahead to ask what they're buying and lending on today: inventory needs change weekly. San Jose ranks #137 of 137 California cities with pawn shops by shops per resident.
- Pawn shops
- 3
- Pawn shops per 100k
- 0.3
- California: 1.4
- Big-chain shops
- 0
- Payday & loan stores
- 10
- Population
- 1,014,813
Pawn shops in San Jose: addresses and phone numbers
| Pawn shop | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy Sell Loan, Inc. | 1095 W San Carlos St San Jose, CA 95126 | (408) 294-3143 | buysellloan.com |
| R&J Jewelry and Loan | 1775 Story Rd #115 San Jose, CA 95122 | (408) 770-9774 | randjjewelry.com |
| Valley Gold & Silver Exchange | 368 S Bascom Ave San Jose, CA 95128 | (408) 280-5999 | valleygoldandsilverexchange.com |
Pawn shops vs payday loan stores in San Jose
San Jose has 10 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 3 pawn shops.
Pawn shops
3
0.3 per 100k residents
Payday & loan stores
10
1.0 per 100k residents
7 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in San Jose: OneMain Financial (3), Oportun (2), ACE Cash Express (1), Advance America (1), Lendmark Financial Services (1).
Borrowing $300 for one month: payday vs pawn vs credit union
| Option | How it works | Cost for one month |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan (~460% APR) | $45.00 fee every 2 weeks, renewed once | $90.00 |
| Pawn loan (example: 20% a month) | You leave an item worth more than the loan; repay to get it back | $60.00 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR + $20 fee) | Repaid in installments; membership required | $27.00 |
- Payday cost, share of monthly household income in San Jose
- 0.8%
- Pawn cost, share of monthly household income in San Jose
- 0.5%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.0 days of income
Payday: the CA maximum — $45 on a $300 loan for 2 weeks, paid twice for a one-month loan. Pawn: an example rate of 20% a month; pawn fees and interest are set by California law and vary by shop — ask for the total in writing. PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR plus an application fee of up to $20. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Pawn loan vs payday loan: the key differences
| Pawn loan | Payday loan in CA | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An item of value (jewelry, gold, electronics, tools, firearms) and an ID | A bank account, proof of income and an ID |
| Credit check | None | Usually none |
| How much you get | A fraction of the item's resale value | Based on your income, up to the state limit |
| If you can't repay | The shop keeps the item; no collections and no credit damage | Fees pile up with renewals; the debt can go to collections |
| Bank account access | None | Lender can debit your account or cash your check |
| Rules in California | Pawnbrokers are licensed and regulated by California; fees, terms and holding periods are set by state law | Allowed, up to $300; typical APR ~460% |
San Jose at a glance
- Median household income
- $143,392
- California: $102,369
- Poverty rate
- 7.9%
- California: 12.0%
- Households under $25,000
- 8.5%
- California: 12.7%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.0 days of income
Payday and installment loan stores in San Jose
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in San Jose with addresses, phone numbers and hours.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1008 Blossom Hill Rd Ste G1 San Jose, CA 95123 | (408) 264-8488 | — | 3.8 |
| 189 Curtner Ave #40 San Jose, CA 95125 | (408) 906-8920 | — | 2.9 |
| 5132 Stevens Creek Blvd San Jose, CA 95129 | (408) 249-8220 | — | 3.9 |
| 1636 Story Rd San Jose, CA 95122 | (669) 257-5072 | — | 5.0 |
| 201 Willow St San Jose, CA 95110 | (669) 282-3004 | — | 5.0 |
| 456 E Hedding St San Jose, CA 95112 | (408) 947-2072 | — | 4.9 |
| 5568 Monterey Road San Jose, CA 95138 | (408) 225-0480 | Mon–Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sat 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Sun closed |
— |
| 4750 Almaden Expy #148 San Jose, CA 95118 | (408) 620-3900 | — | 4.9 |
| 3150 Almaden Expy Suite 200 San Jose, CA 95118 | (669) 288-5737 | — | 4.4 |
| 1762 Technology Dr Ste 223 San Jose, CA 95110 | (707) 408-9050 | — | 4.8 |
Pawn shops near San Jose
More about San Jose
Pawn shop listings: © Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive 2.0), including Foursquare OS Places and © OpenStreetMap contributors; filtered and de-duplicated by us. Population, income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Call ahead to confirm hours and what a shop buys or lends on.