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.
Pawn Shops vs Payday Loans in Helena, MT
6 pawn shops in and around Helena — 9.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with 6.1 across Montana. Call ahead to ask what they're buying and lending on today: inventory needs change weekly. Helena ranks #1 of 6 Montana cities with pawn shops by shops per resident.
- Pawn shops
- 6
- Pawn shops per 100k
- 9.6
- Montana: 6.1
- Big-chain shops
- 0
- Payday & loan stores
- 1
- Population
- 62,357
Pawn shops in Helena: addresses and phone numbers
| Pawn shop | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Jewelry and Loan | 1313 Cedar St Helena, MT 59601 | (406) 449-2200 | capitaljewelrymt.com |
| Dave's Pawn | 437 N Last Chance Gulch Helena, MT 59601 | (406) 449-5150 | davespawn.com |
| Good Buddy Pawn Shop | 1202 Helena Ave Helena, MT 59601 | (406) 442-1519 | — |
| Luckys Pawn Inc. | 1924 N Montana Ave Helena, MT 59601 | (406) 495-1449 | — |
| Pac Rat Pawn | N Sanders St Helena, MT 59601 | — | — |
| Pawn Modern | 2611 N Montana Ave Helena, MT 59601 | (406) 442-0044 | — |
Pawn shops vs payday loan stores in Helena
Helena has 6 pawn shops and 1 payday, installment and title loan stores.
Pawn shops
6
9.6 per 100k residents
Payday & loan stores
1
1.6 per 100k residents
1 store chain
Biggest loan store chains in Helena: OneMain Financial (1).
Borrowing $500 for one month: payday vs pawn vs credit union
| Option | How it works | Cost for one month |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan (not legal in Montana) | $75.00 fee every 2 weeks, renewed once | $150.00 |
| Pawn loan (example: 20% a month) | You leave an item worth more than the loan; repay to get it back | $100.00 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR + $20 fee) | Repaid in installments; membership required | $31.67 |
- Payday cost, share of monthly household income in Helena
- 2.3%
- Pawn cost, share of monthly household income in Helena
- 1.5%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.8 days of income
Payday: a typical fee of $75 on a $500 loan for 2 weeks, paid twice for a one-month loan (Montana payday rules are not set in dollars or payday loans are not allowed). Pawn: an example rate of 20% a month; pawn fees and interest are set by Montana 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.
Pawn loan vs payday loan: the key differences
| Pawn loan | Payday loan in MT | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Montana | Pawnbrokers are licensed and regulated by Montana; fees, terms and holding periods are set by state law | Storefront payday loans are not allowed in Montana |
Helena at a glance
- Median household income
- $78,970
- Montana: $71,403
- Poverty rate
- 8.2%
- Montana: 12.2%
- Households under $25,000
- 11.4%
- Montana: 15.8%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.8 days of income
Payday and installment loan stores in Helena
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in Helena with addresses, phone numbers and hours.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3215 Dredge Dr c Helena, MT 59602 | (406) 449-8855 | — | 3.7 |
Pawn shops near Helena
More about Helena
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.