Getting a cash advance from a credit card is a bad idea.

Most card issuers charge a hefty fee for a cash advance, usually in the neighborhood of 2 to 4 percent of the amount. Then, many charge more interest on cash advances than they do on purchases. And, on top of that, there's usually no grace period-so the higher interest starts piling up right away.

Also, your payments will be allocated to the lower-interest charges first, so the interest keeps building on the cash advance amount.