Cash America Pawn

Cash America Pawn is now part of FirstCash Holdings, Inc., headquartered at 1600 West 7th Street in Fort Worth, Texas. FirstCash acquired Cash America International in 2016, consolidating it into what has become the largest international operator of pawn stores in the world. The combined company is publicly traded and included in both the S&P MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index, reflecting its scale and institutional standing in the consumer finance space.

FirstCash's pawn stores — which include former Cash America locations — offer two core services: small non-recourse pawn loans secured by personal property, and the retail buying and selling of secondhand merchandise. Customers can bring in jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, musical instruments, and other valuables to receive an immediate cash loan or outright sale. The company also purchases gold, silver, and platinum directly for cash. A layaway program is available for retail purchases, requiring just 10% down. Through its wholly owned subsidiary AFF, FirstCash also offers lease-to-own and retail finance solutions across a network of over 15,000 merchant partner locations nationwide.

What sets FirstCash apart from independent pawn shops is its institutional scale. With over 3,300 locations across 29 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, plus locations in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, and the United Kingdom, it offers unmatched geographic reach. The company employs approximately 22,000 people and has standardized operations that bring consistency to what is traditionally a fragmented industry. Its non-recourse loan structure is a meaningful consumer protection: if you cannot repay the loan, the lender keeps your collateral but cannot pursue you for additional debt.

For consumers, pawn shops like Cash America/FirstCash serve a real need — fast, no-credit-check access to small amounts of cash. However, the trade-offs are significant. Pawn loan interest rates and fees are not disclosed on the website, and historically pawn loans carry high effective APRs. Items sold or pawned typically yield a fraction of their market value. The service is entirely collateral-dependent, meaning you must physically own and bring in an item of value. Still, for someone who needs cash immediately, has no credit access, and wants to avoid debt collectors, a non-recourse pawn loan is a structurally safer option than many payday loan products.