$300 is the usually the standard and most popular amount of payday loan given. This amount is enough to get the lender through until payday, but not so much that the borrower will have trouble paying it off when the loan is due. In all actuality a $300 payday loan cash advance is a pretty manageable loan and can usually easily be paid back within 1-2 paydays. A borrower should try and steer away from anything much larger, or much longer in length, as the more "rollovers" the borrower has the higher interest. I have seen times where payday loan customers have rolled over (or extended) their $300 payday loan 10 times! Of course a borrower with any sense would not do this. This is how people get caught in the payday loan trap and end up paying 3 to 4 times the amount of the original loan. So, a word to the wise: Only borrower an amount you can handle. Some lenders will often give a borrower a loan more than they can handle, which usually leads to this type of borrowing behavior. The best thing you can do is figure out your budget come payday and see what type of loan you can actually afford to get. Payday Loans can be convenient, if played right.