EXHIBIT 31.1

                          CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
                    SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT

   I, Rick L. Wessel, certify that:

   1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of First Cash
      Financial Services, Inc. (the "Registrant");

   2. Based  on  my knowledge,  this  report  does  not  contain  any  untrue
      statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
      to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under  which
      such statements were made,  not misleading with  respect to the  period
      covered by this report;

   3. Based on my  knowledge, the financial  statements, and other  financial
      information included in  this report,  fairly present  in all  material
      respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash  flows
      of the Registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

   4. The Registrant's  other certifying officer  and I  are responsible  for
      establishing and  maintaining disclosure  controls and  procedures  (as
      defined in Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(e) and  15d-15(e)) and  internal
      control over  financial reporting  (as defined  in Exchange  Act  Rules
      13(a)-15(f) and 15(d)-15(f)) for the Registrant and have:

        a. Designed such disclosure controls  and procedures, or caused  such
           disclosure controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
           supervision, to ensure that  material information relating to  the
           Registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known
           to us by  others within  those entities,  particularly during  the
           period in which this report is being prepared;

        b. Designed  such  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  or
           caused such  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  to  be
           designed under our  supervision, to  provide reasonable  assurance
           regarding  the  reliability   of  financial   reporting  and   the
           preparation of  financial  statements  for  external  purposes  in
           accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

        c. Evaluated  the  effectiveness   of  the  Registrant's   disclosure
           controls  and  procedures  and   presented  in  this  report   our
           conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
           procedures, as of  the end of  the period covered  by this  report
           based on such evaluation; and

        d. Disclosed in this report  any change in the Registrant's  internal
           control  over  financial  reporting   that  occurred  during   the
           Registrant's  most  recent  fiscal  quarter  that  has  materially
           affected, or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the
           Registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

   5. The Registrant's other certifying  officer and I have disclosed,  based
      on our  most  recent  evaluation of  internal  control  over  financial
      reporting, to the Registrant's auditors and the audit committee of  the
      Registrant's board of directors  (or persons performing the  equivalent
      functions):

        a. All  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in  the
           design or operation of  internal control over financial  reporting
           which are reasonably likely  to adversely affect the  Registrant's
           ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report   financial
           information; and

        b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
           other employees who have a significant role in the Registrant's
           internal control over financial reporting.

 Date:  November 8, 2006

 /s/ Rick L. Wessel
 -----------------------
 Rick L. Wessel
 Chief Executive Officer