Payday loans are a relatively new idea. You find yourself strapped for cash and in need of a little help to get you through to payday.In the past the only viable option open to you was credit cards or a personal loan. Both these options have a great track record but they also have their problems. Credit cards are notoriously easy to run up a high bill because of the way they are designed, they let you pay a minimum payment in the hope that you stretch out the re-payment as long as possible. This creates more income for the credit card companies as they pile on charges and interest. Personal loans can be good products but they are sometimes difficult to get and require in depth credit checks.So now a new product has emerged to fill the void where people either can’t get credit cards or don’t want the hassle. Enter the payday loan. They are a great alternative to traditional lending options but have a bad reputation. Are they as bad as you think? They are extremely popular, surely so many people cant be wrong. Below we have listed five advantages so you can make your own mind up.Below are seven advantages of payday loans.1. The process is very quick and easy. Really quick! A person can apply for the loan and have the money sat in their bank account within half an hour… sometimes within a couple of minutes. This kind of speed is unheard of in standard banking terms and is mainly due to the automation that is utilized. The customer can apply on the internet and usually only has to fill in their personal details and then tweak a couple of sliders.2. You can borrow as little as you like. Unlike standard banking products, the short term loan companies will usually lend you as little as $50. For a high street bank this amount simply wouldn’t be possible, they would see such a small loan as a waste of their time and not worth the investment in the first place.3. Short term lending means you don’t have a long term problem. Because of the nature of the payday loan you know that you only have that debt for a month or so. This has the advantage of knowing that you won’t be paying off the debt for the next 6 months. Although most people think that if you default you are in big trouble this often simply isn’t true. The payday loan companies understand that a certain number of people will default and they build this into their business plan, often simply banning the customer from using the service again rather than taking further action.4. They are more likely to accept you. They tend to take on riskier individuals. payday lenders are often more likely to take a risk on a person than the standard banks are. This is because they are designed to lend small amounts over a shorter amount of time the financial risk is seen as much smaller so they can lend to a wider range of people.5. All charges and fees are clearly stated up front. Because of the bad press that the lenders have had in the past the payday loan market is heavily monitored and controlled. All fees and charges need to be clearly identified up front as well as the representative APR. This means that you know exactly how much you will pay back without any hidden charges or unexpected payments.Hopefully these five advantages of payday loans has given you an insight into why people find these products so attractive. In summary, payday loans are quick, relatively easy to get and as long as you understand how to use them, they aren’t as scary as you think.