Mobile-Only Banking with High Interest Rate
Product Name: Varo
Product Description: Varo has a checking and savings account that can be accessed via their app. They charge very few fees and offer credit-building features.
Summary
Varo Money offers a no fee checking and a high interest savings account via a mobile app. They also offer short-term loans, personal loans, and a credit builder secured credit card. There are no physical locations and no website to access your account, all access must be done via the app.
Pros
Cons
Varo’s checking account option gives you all the features of traditional bank checking accounts, but without the many fees they charge. Additionally, its savings account option will provide you with an interest rate comparable to the highest-paying online banks.
It also offers short-term loans of up to $500 and personal loans up to $2,000, both for a one-time flat fee. If you need to build your credit, there is a credit-building secured credit card available.
If you’re looking for a simple, no-fee banking service, and you’re comfortable handling your banking entirely through a mobile app, Varo Money should be on your short list of providers. They even pay interest on your savings account, that’s comparable to the highest-paying online savings banks.
Also, if you find yourself needing short-term loans, Varo is convenient and charges a one-time flat rate.
However, if you don’t need Varo’s credit-building or loan features, then you may want to consider a traditional bank. Traditional banks offer more services and customer service options..
Founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, California, Varo is a mobile banking app offering both free checking and high-yield savings. One of the factors that distinguishes Varo from the many thousands of available banks is that it operates entirely as a mobile banking platform. Not only are there no physical branches, but there’s no traditional browser access either. It’s all on the app.
To keep things simple, Varo offers just two accounts: a checking account and a high-yield savings account. Unlike traditional banks, they don’t offer other deposit products (like certificates of deposit). However, you can get a cash advance for up to $500 and a personal loan of up to $2,000.
Varo has a Better Business Bureau rating of “A-“, the highest rating on a scale of A+ to F. Meanwhile, the service is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by more than 242,000 users on Google Play, and 4.9 out of 5 stars by more than 233,000 users on The App Store.
This is Varo’s primary bank account. It provides all the services of a traditional bank checking account including the ability to send paper checks, but it does so with very few, if any, fees. What’s more, there’s no minimum balance required in the account.
You can deposit checks, make transfers, and pay bills, all with no fees. The account also comes with a Visa debit card (see description below).
Your checking account may be eligible for “No Fee Overdraft” of up to $50 for purchases made using your Varo Visa Debit Card. There is no fee to enroll; you’ll be notified if you’re determined to be eligible. If you are, you’ll have the option to either turn on or turn off the feature
(if you prefer not to have overdraft protection at all).
Paper statements will not be mailed to you, but you can access them through the app. Don’t worry that the bank has no brick-and-mortar branches. You can get cash from a very large no-fee ATM network, and make deposits five ways (see Making Deposits below).
Paper checks. The checking account doesn’t offer paper checks, but you can send a check to anyone in three- to nine-business days using the app. There is no fee to send a check this way.
Related: 9 Apps Like Moneylion
Your account will come with the Varo Visa Debit Card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted – which is virtually everywhere. It can be used with both Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Apple Pay is available for iOS devices only. Varo is working with Zelle to add that service, but they warn it’s still not fully functional.
The debit card can also be used internationally, and there are no foreign transaction fees.
Using your debit card, you can make no-fee withdrawals from more than 40,000 Allpoint ATM machines. If you make out-of-network withdrawals, Varo will charge a fee of $3.50 per withdrawal.
The card has a spending limit of between $2,500 and $5,000 per calendar day, depending on personal factors such as account age and transaction history.
You can also activate a feature that will round up your debit card purchases to the next dollar and transfer your change to your savings account.
This is a high-interest savings account with no fees and no minimum initial balance. The interest rate is currently 2.50% APY.
However, you can qualify for 5.00% on the first $5,000 in the account if you set up direct deposit into your checking account for at least $1,000 per month.
Balances above $5,000 will earn the 2.50% APY.
The Varo Believe Secured Credit Card helps you build credit. It is connected to a Varo Believe Secured Account, which is kind of a savings account that acts as the collateral for the credit card. Your spending limit on the credti card is the balance in the Believe Secured Account.
You will deposit money into the Believe Secured Account and spend with your credit card. When you make a purchase, the amount is deducted from the savings account and earmarked for payment.
When the bill is due, the SafePay feature will automatically pay the entire balance due with the money that was set aside from the savings account. Note that you must turn on the SafePay feature.
Varo reports to all three credit bureaus, and there is no annual fee or interest. To qualfiy you must have a positive balance in your Varo Spending Account and at least $200 a month in direct deposit.
Varo will give you a short-term loan of up to $500, if you qualify. Note that these loans are not free, so be aware of fees before you agree to a cash advance.
To qualify, you must have at least $800 per month in direct deposit. You will start with eligibility as low as $20, but can work your way up to $500 through responsible use.
If you want to use an advance, you can request one through the app via the “Advance” tab. Decide how much you’d like to borrow and the money is added to your account immediately. You’ll then have 30 days to pay back the loan. and you’ll pay a flat fee for each advance.
Here are the fees:
| Amount Borrowed | Fee |
|---|---|
| $20 | $1.60 |
| $50 | $4 |
| $75 | $6 |
| $100 | $8 |
| $150 | $12 |
| $200 | $16 |
| $250 | $20 |
| $300 | $24 |
| $400 | $32 |
| $500 | $40 |
With Varo’s personal line of credit you can borrow between $600 and $2,000. You’ll pay a single flat fee and zero interest, plus all payments are reported to the credit bureaus. So responsible use will improve your credit score.
Your credit score is a factor in elibility for the loan, but so is the balance in your Varo account and transaction history.
How long you’ll have to repay will depend on the amount you borrow, but all payments are around $200 per month.
| Amount Borrowed | Fee | Number of Monthly Payments | Payment Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $600 | $60 | 3 | $220 |
| $800 | $100 | 4 | $225 |
| $1,000 | $152 | 6 | $192 |
| $1,250 | $226 | 9 | $164 |
| $1,500 | $300 | 12 | $150 |
| $2,000 | $400 | 120 | $200 |
Making deposits: Varo provides five ways to make deposits into your accounts:
Varo Mobile App: Everything goes through the app. You’ll need it to apply for an account and you’ll need it to access the features of the account. The app is available at The App Store for download on iOS devices, 11.0 or later. It’s compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It’s also available at Google Play for Android devices 5.0 and up.
Save Your Pay: You can have a percentage of your direct deposits automatically transferred into your Savings Account. You’ll decide what that percentage will be.
Varo security: Your accounts are fully covered for up to $250,000 in FDIC insurance. Meanwhile, all information transferred is protected by 256-bit AES encrypted technology, and as is always the case when opening a financial account, your identity is fully verified according to federal law.
You and your friend can each get a $25 bonus if you refer a friend to Varo.
To qualify for the referral bonus, your friend must sign up for Varo using your unique referral link and spend at least $20 in the first 30 days of having the account.
To find your link, open the app and go to the “Invite Friends” tab, then click “Share Link.”
You can refer up to five friends per calendar year.
You can reach customer service 24/7 via the chat feature in the app.
You can also call 877-377-8276 for disputing transactions, trouble logging in, and trouble adding a card to your digital wallet. Phone support is available 7:00 am to 8:30 pm seven days a week.
You can reach Varo via email at varomoney.com/support for help with account applications and refund checks for closed accounts.
Neither the checking nor savings accounts have monthly service fees. In fact, Varo has very few fees at all. For example, there are no overdraft fees and no foreign transaction fees.
There are no fees charged for use of in-network ATM machines, but you will be charged $3.50 for any non-network ATM machine use.
As described earlier under Making Deposits, there are fees associated with use of the Green Dot system. Though Varo doesn’t charge any fees for use of the service, participating merchant locations can charge up to $4.95 per deposit, or you can pay $5.95 to enroll in the Green Dot MoneyPak program.
To be eligible to open an account with Varo, you must be at least 18 years old, be a US citizen or permanent resident, and have a valid Social Security number. You’ll also need to supply a form of personal identification, preferably a state-issued photo ID such as your driver’s license. Be aware that Varo offers individual accounts only and has no capacity to accept joint accounts.
You’ll also need a mobile device, including either an Android or iPhone, as Varo is only accessible through its mobile app. The sign-up process takes place entirely through the mobile app.
A major advantage with Varo is that neither your credit report nor your FICO score will be obtained during the sign-up process. If you have credit issues, that shouldn’t be a problem in signing up for this service.
Once you open your account, you can link it with accounts at thousands of banks, credit unions, credit cards, and loan providers. If your particular institution doesn’t appear on the drop-down list, you can have it added by contacting customer service.
Unlike Chime, Albert has both an app and a website through which you can access your account. It offers a checking, savings, and investment accounts.
For short-term loans, you can get up to $250 as an instant advance, and payment is due in six days, but you can request a seven-day extension when needed. There is a fee for instant transfers.
The savings account earns a high rate, and Albert will analyze your account and determine what is safe to save. You can also invest in stocks, ETFs, and managed portfolios within the Albert app.
Here’s our full Albert review for more information.
Current is another app-based banking platform. It offers a checking account, a high-yield savings, and short term loans. One big difference between Current and Varo is that Current’s debit card is actually a secured credit card. So credit building is built into the checking account, it’s not a separate feature.
Current short-term loans are free unless you want the money instantly, then there is a fee. However, they don’t disclose the fee. Instead, it will be disclosed before you accept the loan. The free standard transfer takes three business days. The loan is paid with your next direct deposit.
Here’s our full Current review for more information.
Similar to Varo, Dave can only be accessed through the app and offers a checking, high-yield savings, and short-term loans. However, Dave charges a small monthly fee to be a member. The website says “up to $5” but there are many online reports that the monthly fee is $1.
The short-term loans are free unless you want the money instantly then there is a fee of 1.5% of the loan amount. Otherwise, the transfer takes three business days.
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