A merchant cash advance is an advance of capital repaid using future earnings deposited into a business‘ merchant account. Merchant cash advances are best for small businesses that need capital immediately to cover cash-flow shortages or short-term expenses. Merchant cash advances can be a great option for businesses that have high credit card sales volume, need funding quickly, and may not qualify for other small business loans. This type of financing can help businesses get the money they need to cover short-term expenses or to tide them over until they can get a traditional bank loan.