Send and receive money from your phone with a linked debit card.
If you’re looking for a way to send or receive money without fees, you might need only your phone to get started. Developed by Square, Cash App sets itself apart from peer-to-peer payment services with the ability to receive direct deposit payments to your bank account and to buy and sell Bitcoin. But it’s not up front about fees, and you’re limited to domestic payments.
What is Cash App?
Cash App is a mobile app backed by digital payment company Square that allows you to send and receive money through your bank account using your debit card.
Your Cash App account comes with a Visa debit card — called a Cash Card — that you can use to pay for goods and services in the US from your Cash App balance without involving your bank account or personal credit card.
How does Cash App work?
You download Cash App and enter your mobile number or email and create a unique username the app calls a $Cashtag. You then link your bank account or debit card information.
How do I send money?
Enter the amount you want to send and tap Pay. You can import your contacts and send money to anyone with an email address, a mobile phone number or a $Cashtag. Provide reason for the payment, and tap Pay again.
Can I cancel my payment?
Not for most transactions. Cash App may allow you to cancel a payment for security breaches or fraud, but you’ll need to contact support to learn how.
How do I receive money?
You’re notified either by email or text when you’ve received a payment. Open the app and tap the clock icon from the home screen to see it.
Can I refund a payment?
Yes. Tap the payment you want to refund, select Refund and tap OK.
Are there limits for sending and receiving money?
Yes. New accounts are limited to:
- Sending up to $250 within any seven-day period.
- Receiving up to $1,000 within any 30-day period.
You must verify your identity to increase your transaction limits. You must be at least 18 years old to become verified with your full name, date of birth and the last four digits of your SSN. If Cash App can’t verify your ID, it might require additional information.
Once verified, your limits increase to:
- $2,500 a week for sending payments.
- No limit on the amount you can receive.
Cash App allows for business accounts with the ability to receive — but not send — payments.
What are the Cash App Fees?
Cash App’s site doesn’t make it easy to see all fees in one spot. Rather, it spreads out fee disclosures across multiple themed pages: ATMs, Bitcoin and cashouts, for example.
It’s free to send money to your Cash App balance from a bank account, though it appears you’ll need to use your bank debit card to do so.
If you don’t want to wait up to three days for your transfer to hit your bank account, you can pay a fee equal to 1.5% of your transaction for an instant deposit.
Cash App’s site says that you can use your Cash Card debit card to withdraw money from your balance at an ATM without a fee. Otherwise, it’s not up front about what you’ll pay for transactions to and from your Cash App account.
Pros and cons
Cash App may be a way to send and receive payments outside of your bank account, especially after you’ve established your Cash App balance. But weigh transactions on the go against potential drawbacks.
Pros
- Send money to friends with a phone number or email.
- Buy and sell Bitcoin directly from your Cash App balance.
- Security features include a PIN login, face and fingerprint ID, encryption and offline Bitcoin storage.
Cons
- Limited transparency when it comes to other transactions using the app.
- You must pay a 1.5% fee to get money cashed out instantly.
- You can’t make payments internationally.
- You must verify your account to increase your send and receiving limits.
Cash App regulation, reviews and complaints
Cash App hasn’t garnered a good reputation on Trustpilot: It earns one star out of five from more than 700 users. Most complaints revolve around poor customer support, closed accounts without warning or without providing a reason. Some users claim they never received their payments.
Forums like Reddit reveal similar issues. Recent complaints include lacking customer support, declined transactions with limited details and sudden closures of Cash App accounts — one while waiting for a Bitcoin transaction.
Bottom line
If you’re looking for a simple peer-to-peer payment app with no debit card fees, Cash App is worth considering. But with opaque fees, a focus on Bitcoin and multiple customer complaints, you may want to compare top P2P payment apps first.
I used cash app and choose to receive my money standard. This was last Thursday this is the following Tuesday and have not received my money and cannot get in touch with anyone about it.
Hi Gail,
Thank you for reaching out.
If you requested for money, the person will receive your request or transaction via text message or email, and be asked to enter their debit card information. If they already have a Square Cash account, they won’t need to re-enter this information. Then it will only take 1-2 business days for the money to be sent to you.
You can head to Square Cash’s website and reach out to their customer support to track the progress of the transfer too.
Hope this helps! 😊
Kind Regards,
Mai
What is the transfer maximum per transaction and per week?
Hi Jerry,
Thank you for getting in touch with finder.
You may send up to $250 per week. You’ll be then verified if you need to increase the sending limit to $2,500 – varies per state.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
Why do I have to update my personal information before sending money?
Hi Braxton,
Thanks for getting in touch with finder, a leading comparison website and general information service.
The information required to send a money transfer will differ slightly by bank or provider, your recipient’s location and your method of delivery.
With most money transfer providers, you’ll need to provide specific personal information to establish your identity. This is because most companies that sell money transfers are subject to anti-money laundering laws and counter-terrorist financing standards, which require providers to exercise their due diligence to confirm that you’re not using their services for terrorist or otherwise nefarious activities.
For more information about Money Transfer Requirements, you can go to this page.
Hope this helps!