Why am I paying for "MAX," and I don't see any benefits from it. Also I've never once got offered the refund advance that I see promoted all over the site.

[xmasbaby0]

If your TurboTax fees are higher than expected, you can reduce them by removing add-ons:

• Remove Premium Services
• Remove MAX Defend & Restore
• Remove a state
• Remove PLUS Help & Support
• Remove Pay With Your Refund

Refund Advance eligibility

Here are some of the eligibility requirements to qualify for a Refund Advance loan:

• You’re 18 or older
• You’re not a resident of North Carolina, Connecticut, or Illinois
• You’re e-filing your federal tax return with TurboTax
• Your physical address is listed on your tax return. Your address must be located in one of the eligible states and can’t be a PO box or prison address
• You’re not filing one of these tax forms: 1310, 4852, 4684, 4868, 1040SS, 1040PR, 1040X, 8888, or 8862
• You aren’t filing on behalf of a deceased taxpayer
• You must report income on a Form W-2, 1099-R , Sched C, or Sched CEZ

The refund loan will not be available until later in January when you can e-file your 2021 return.   The money for the loan is not given to you until the IRS ACCEPTS your e-file.  The IRS will not begin to accept e-files until January 24.

You cannot apply for the refund loan.  It has to be offered to you, and you have to agree to the terms—-which have changed since last year——so read some information——and pay attention to the details in the fine print …  https://turbotax.intuit.com/refund-advance/