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Aspiration review

This account is focused on saving the planet, but you'll pay a fee to earn up to 3% APY.

finder.com’s rating: 4.2 / 5.0

★★★★★

With a focus on doing good, the Aspiration Spend & Save cash management account gives you cash back on debit card purchases and up to a 3.00% APY on the first $10,000 in your Save account — if you spend at least $1,000 a month and pay for an Aspiration Plus membership. And if you don’t meet the requirements, your APY can drop as low as 0% to 0.1% APY.

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$0 per month

Fee

1.00%

APY

$10

Minimum deposit to open

How much does Aspiration cost?

Aspiration has two Spend and Save plan options:

PlanMonthly feeAPYCashback rewardsATMsFeatures
Aspiration$0Up to 1%3 to 5% cash back on Conscience Coalition purchases55,000 free in-network ATMs
  • Funds wont fund fossil fuel productions
  • Option to plant a tree with every round up through Plant Your Change
  • View your personal sustainability score based on your daily spending
  • Debit card
Aspiration Plus$7.99 or $5.99 a month if you pay annuallyUp to 3%10% cash back on Conscience Coalition purchases
  • 55,000 free in-network ATMs
  • 1 out-of-network ATM reimbursement a month
Everything in the basic plan, plus:
  • Planet Protection (Aspiration purchases carbon offsets every time you gas up your car)
  • Debit card made from recycled ocean plastic

What’s Plant Your Change and how does it work?

Plant Your Change is an opt-in feature that rounds your Aspiration debit card purchases to the nearest dollar. For every dollar you round up, Aspiration will plant a tree.

How do I open a Aspiration Spend & Save Account?

You can apply for the Aspiration Spend & Save Account online within minutes:

  1. Go to the provider’s site and follow the steps to apply.
  2. From Aspiration’s website, enter your email address and click Get Started.
  3. Create your password, read and agree to the terms and conditions and click Next.
  4. Enter your full name and date of birth and click Next.
  5. Enter your Social Security number and click Next.
  6. Enter your address and phone number and click Next.
  7. Choose whether or not you want to round up your purchases, then click Continue.
  8. Connect to your existing bank account through Plaid, by finding your bank and signing in.
  9. Follow the prompts to complete your application, fund your account with an opening deposit. Then review your deposit and submit your application.

Eligibility

Sign up for the Spend & Save Account when you meet these requirements:

  • US citizen or permanent resident
  • At least 18 or older
  • Have a Social Security number
  • Have a permanent US address
  • Initial deposit of $10

Required information

Be prepared to give the following information when you sign up:

  • Personal information like your name and birthday
  • Contact details including phone number and address
  • Social Security number
  • Employment information
  • Exisiting bank account

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Fee

$0

Fee

$0

APY

1.00% 0.40%

APY

4.75%

Minimum deposit to open

$100

Minimum deposit to open

$1

Minimum balance to earn interest

$0

Minimum balance to earn interest

$0

What are the benefits of the Aspiration Spend & Save Account?

The Aspiration Spend and Save account lets you support charities that change the world and has FDIC-insured deposits up to $2 million, as well as these benefits:

  • Aspiration Impact Measurement. Check the impact of your spending with its two ratings: a People Score and a Planet Score. The higher your score, the more confidence you have knowing your money is going toward improving the world.
  • Minimal fees. Unless you opt for the Plus account, there’s no mandatory monthly fee. You also won’t pay anything for overdrafts and service charges are lower than its competitors. For example, wire transfers only cost you what Aspiration pays: $4.50.
  • High APYs. Earn up to 3.00% APY on your Save balance as long as you’re a Plus member and meet these requirements. But even if you don’t upgrade to Aspiration Plus, you can still earn 3% APY on balances up to $10,000 if you meet the monthly $1,000 spending requirement.
  • Free ATM usage. Use any Allpoint ATM in the US for free. Aspiration doesn’t charge fees for using ATMs outside of this network, but you’re still subject to operator fees. And if you’re a Plus member, you’re entitled to one ATM reimbursement a month.
  • Cashback rewards. Earn cash back whenever you use your Aspiration debit card at stores under the Conscience Coalition.

How can I earn 3% APY on my Aspiration Spend and Save account?

You’ll earn 3% APY on the first $10,000 in your account as long as you meet both of the following requirements:

  • Enroll in Aspiration Plus
  • Spend at least $1,000 or more with the Aspiration debit card

If you don’t meet the spend requirement, the APY will drop to 0.25% or 0.10% for balances over $10,000. And if you don’t upgrade to Aspiration Plus, you can still earn 3.0% APY on balances up to $10,000 by spending at least $1,000 each month. Otherwise, you won’t earn any interest.

Daily spending and transfer limits

There is a $1,000 daily limit for cash withdrawals from an ATM and a $4,000 daily limit for PIN purchases or any charges requiring your signature.

You’ll also be limited to a $5,000 daily outgoing transfer limit and a $1,000 daily incoming transfer limit. These limits only apply to transfers made on the Aspiration’s online platform.

For the first 30 days after you open your account, you’ll have lower limits on ATM withdrawals, debit card purchases and transfers. Once you’ve been with Aspiration for more than 90 days, your incoming transfer limit may change depending on your account type.

What to watch out for

Here are a few things to watch out for when opening an account with Aspiration:

  • Requirements to earn max APY. To earn Aspiration’s best interest rate, you must be an Aspiration Plus member and pay $7.99 per month ($5.99 per month if you pay annually). You’ll also need to spend at least $1,000 with your Aspiration debit card each month.
  • No physical branches. Aspiration operates entirely online, meaning you’ll need to call or go online to contact customer service, and check deposits can only be made through your mobile app.
  • Limited product selection. As an investment firm, Aspiration doesn’t offer savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs and other common accounts, so you might want to keep looking if you want all your accounts at one institution. This also means you can’t link your account for overdraft protection.
  • Required bank account. To complete your application, you’ll need to link to your existing bank account. You don’t have the option of skipping this application step and connecting your account at a later time.

If you’re looking for an account with more branch locations, you’ll want to keep looking. As always compare your options when choosing a checking account.

Is Aspiration Spend & Save Account legit?

Yes. Aspiration accounts are insured by the FDIC for up to $2 million dollars. This level of insurance is significantly higher than most other cash management accounts because Aspiration has relationships with 10 partner banks, each of which can help insure your deposits. These banks include Coastal Community Bank, ProgressBank, EagleBank, Amalgamated Bank, C3Bank, NA Manufacturers Bank, Bridgewater Bank, and The Freedom Bank of Virginia.

Aspiration is also regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which protects investors by evaluating and regulating products from broker-dealers.

Aspiration Spend & Save Account reviews and complaints

Aspiration is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which gives it a D+ rating based on more than 160 complaints in the past three years. And based on nearly 30 customer reviews on the BBB’s website, Aspiration has an average rating of 1.63 out of 5 stars.

On Trustpilot, Aspiration earns an average of 3.2 out of 5 stars based on 138 reviews. Many of the reviews and complaints on both sites relate to issues accessing accounts and withdrawing deposited funds. Several also mention negative experiences with customer support specialists.

How do I make deposits or withdrawals?

Despite being online-only, it’s easy to access money in the Aspiration Spend & Save Account:

Deposits

  • Mobile check deposit
  • Direct deposit
  • Online transfers
  • Wire transfers

Withdrawals

  • Visit any ATM worldwide
  • Bill pay
  • Wire transfer
  • Online transfers

How do I contact customer service?

To get in touch with Aspiration customer service you can:

  • Call: 800-683-8529
  • Tweet: @Aspiration
  • Email: Fill out the form on the Aspiration contact page

What other products does Aspiration offer?

Aspiration Financial is an investment broker-dealer and can help you grow your investments or save for retirement, all while donating to charity.

Investing

With a $10 minimum deposit, you can get started with Aspiration’s managed funds:

  • Redwood Fund. Invest in companies that support sustainable environmental policies.
  • Flagship Fund. Invest in multiple mutual funds at once to spread your risk.

Retirement

Open an IRA with a $10 minimum deposit. Choose between the Redwood IRA and Flagship IRA.

Frequently asked questions

How does Aspiration practice social good?

Aspiration commits to donating 10% of its earnings to charity. It maintains multiple funds to disperse its contributions, including the Poverty Fund, Water Fund, Education Fund and Environment Fund.

When you refer a friend, Aspiration donates $25 to the charity of your choice and another $25 to one of your friend’s.

How does Aspiration determine my personal sustainability score?

Aspiration looks at where you’re spending your money. Your score is determined by the stores you’re shopping at and whether those businesses are socially or environmentally impacting the world in a positive way.

Does Aspiration offer student account options?

No. It doesn’t have any accounts that are specifically designed for students, but that doesn’t prevent students from opening an account if they are 18.

Which merchants are part of the Conscience Coalition?

You can earn cash back on your purchases through these merchants:

  • Arcadia Power
  • Blue Apron
  • Boyish
  • Brightly
  • Burst
  • Cariuma
  • Cloud paper
  • Dropps
  • FEED Projects
  • Fordays
  • Girlfriend Collective
  • Goodwings
  • Kindhumans
  • LOLA
  • MiiR
  • Mperfect foods
  • Reformation
  • Rumpl
  • Parachute
  • Seatopia
  • Soapbox
  • Superzero
  • TOMS
  • Tony´s Chocolonely
  • This saves lives
  • Warby Parker
  • Wolven
  • Zero Waste Store

Checking account ratings

★★★★★ — Excellent

★★★★★ — Good

★★★★★ — Average

★★★★★ — Subpar

★★★★★ — Poor

We analyze top checking accounts and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: monthly fees, the ease at which monthly fees can be waived, the breadth of ATM access, ATM and overdraft fees, and customer service.

Read the full methodology of how we rate checking accounts.

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Review by


Peter Carleton is a writer that covers banking and investing, breaking down what you need to know about where you put your money. When Peter's not thinking about cutting-edge banking apps and robo-advisors, he runs a creative agency and spends his spare time cooking or reading.

Expert review

Aspiration is best for those looking for an account that is also socially conscious. This versatile cash management account comes with a large ATM network and almost no fees. And it earns a great APY on balances up to $10,000 if you spend at least $1,000 each month. But best of all, you’ll rest easy knowing you’re working with a socially conscious firm. It’s rare to see any company commit to donating 10% of its earnings, and Aspiration sets an admirable example.

However, Aspiration doesn’t offer physical branches, and you’ll only earn the advertised 3% APY on the first $10,000 in your Save account if you pay $5.99 to $7.99 per month for an Aspiration Plus membership and spend at least $1,000 a month.

If you don’t upgrade to Aspiration Plus, it may still be worth getting the account as you can still earn 3% on the first $10,000 in your account, when you meet the $1,000 monthly spending requirement. But if you want to take advantage of the one monthly free ATM reimbursement you’ll also need to upgrade to the Plus account.

Finder Personal Finance Producer Amy Bonnett offers her personal thoughts on Aspiration after trying the product for 5 years:

When I signed up for an Aspiration account back in 2017, they were a new start up offering an intriguing “Pay what is fair” model that was attractive to a young professional like me. The main draw though was Aspiration’s large number of free in-network ATMs and – at the time – reimbursements for ATM fees. The ATM access made Aspiration Spend & Save my debit card of choice during a year-long backpacking trip around Europe.

Aspiration grew with me as I shifted from spending my spare pennies on travel to saving for a picket-fenced home with 2.5 dogs. What started as a handy ATM card has now become my go-to savings account earning up to 5% APY. But Aspiration has stayed true to its roots. You can still earn up to 3% APY while “paying what’s fair” for their base plan. And they’ve seemingly become even more socially-conscious as they’ve grown.

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2 Comments

    Default Gravatar
    keriray
    January 6, 2019

    What is the daily ATM withdrawal limit on this debit card?

      Avatarfinder Customer Care
      Bella
      January 6, 2019

      Hi Keriray,

      Thanks for the inquiry.

      The daily limit cash withdrawal for Aspiration account is $500.

      I hope this helps.

      Kind regards,
      Bella

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