Cash App review

What is Cash App?

Cash App is a peer-to-peer digital payment app backed by Square that allows you to send and receive money through your bank account using your debit card. Cash App is often used to pay friends or family — for instance, after getting dinner together or splitting the cost of a trip.

Your Cash App account comes with a Visa debit card — called a Cash App 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?

Cash App works by sending money from your bank account to your recipient’s Cash App balance. You can pay someone through Cash App using their phone number or email, and they’ll be sent a link to claim the payment if they aren’t a Cash App user.

Some unique things to know about Cash App:

• You must be 18 or older to open an account.
• You can receive direct deposit payments to your Cash App balance.
• Your $Cashtag is your unique way to receive payments.
• All money received through Cash App will be stored in your balance until you withdraw it.

Compare Cash App to other domestic money transfer services to see which is best for you.

How to use Cash App

There are multiple things you can do with Cash App, including sending and receiving money, buying and selling Bitcoin, accepting direct deposits and adding funds to spend on your Cash App card. Before you can do any of these, you’ll need to create your Cash App account by downloading the app and creating an account.

How to send money on Cash App

1. Open your Cash App mobile app
2. Enter amount to send, tap Pay.
3. Enter name, $Cashtag, phone number or email of recipient.
4. Add reason for payment (emojis allowed).
5. Tap Pay to send money.

How to add money to Cash App card

1. Navigate to the banking section in the app.
2. Tap Add Cash.
3. Choose an amount to add.
4. Tap Add.
5. Use your PIN or Touch ID to confirm payment.

How to set up direct deposit in Cash App

1. Navigate to the banking section in the app.
2. Tap Deposits & Transfers.
3. Tap Enable Direct Deposit to turn your direct deposit account on.
4. Order your free Cash App card to enable direct deposit.
5. Use the direct deposit information displayed to receive direct deposit payments.

How to buy stocks or Bitcoin on Cash App

1. Navigate to the stock page in the app.
2. Search for the stock you want to buy, or select Bitcoin.
3. Select the frequency of your purchase and how much you’d like to buy.
4. Verify your name and identity if you haven’t already done so.
5. Tap Buy to complete your order.

For more information on buying stocks or Bitcoin, see our full review of Cash App’s investing features.

Cash App limits

A new Cash App account is limited to sending $250 per week, but identity verification can quickly lift this:

Non-verified accounts

• Send: $250/week
• Receive: $1,000/month

Verified accounts

• Send: $2,500/week
• Receive: Unlimited

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.

Check out other alternatives for sending money online

Cash App fees

Cash App charges a 3% fee when paying by credit card and a 1.5% fee for instant transfers. Cash app fees can often be avoided by choosing the slower option and by never paying by credit card. Some fees, like ATM charges, will be reimbursed — up to 3 times per month and up to $7 per withdrawal — if you receive at least $300 in direct deposits to your Cash App account each month.

Fees accurate as of September 30, 2020.

ATMs and your Cash Card

If you’ve signed up for the Cash App Cash Card, which is free, you can withdraw money from your Cash App balance through ATMs. Cash App will charge you for using ATMs, by default, and the ATM may also charge you additional fees. Before using your Cash Card at an ATM, keep in mind that:

• Limits apply – A max of $310 per transaction and $1,000 per 7-day period can be withdrawn.
• You can avoid fees – Up to 3 ATM withdrawals per 31 days will be reimbursed if you receive paycheck direct deposits to your Cash App account that total more than $300 per month.
• There’s a cap on reimbursement – A maximum of $7 will be reimbursed per withdrawal, meaning a cap of $21 per 31-day period will be reimbursed.

Cash App reviews and complaints

Cash App has a poor rating on Trustpilot, ranking in at 1.2 out of 5 stars with 2,144 customer reviews. Many of the reviews discuss fraudulent transactions, a struggle to verify accounts and poor customer service. However, given that Cash App is primarily a mobile app, it might be worth taking into account the high ratings that Cash App has on both Google Play and the App Store.

Forums like Reddit are more positive in their Cash App feedback, but not entirely. 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.

Is Cash App safe?

Cash App is owned by Square, a financial payments company that was launched in 2009 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s Co-founder. Cash App is PCI Data Security Standard Level 1 compliant, which is the highest level of data compliance in the payment industry. Additionally:

• Cash App encrypts all financial transactions.
• Encourages you to protect your account with 2-factor authentication and biometrics.
• Monitors accounts for fraudulent activity.
• Handles millions of transactions a year.

However, your account is only as safe as you allow it to be. Never give out your password, open any suspicious Cash App related emails or send money through Cash App to people you don’t know.

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 mobile payment apps first.

And if you need to send money for business, rather than to friends and family, you’ll want to compare other Square products.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if someone sends me money and I don’t have the Cash App?

You can retrieve your money without it. After you receive a text or an email from the app, you’re asked to enter a bank account or debit card information to receive your deposit.

How long does the Cash App take to deposit into a bank account?

It depends on the option you choose for delivery:

• Standard. Up to three business days.
• Instant. Nearly immediately with a fee equal to 1.5% of your transaction.

Only use Instant transfers when you’re willing to pay the fee.

How do I change the email or phone number on my Cash App account?

To change the email or phone number on your account:

1. Tap the profile icon from the Cash App home screen.
2. Tap Personal.
3. Tap the phone number or email you want to change.
4. Tap Add Phone or Email to enter a new email or number.

Your account can be linked to multiple emails and phone numbers at once.

How do I change my PIN?

To change your Cash App PIN, you’ll need to first open the app:

1. Tap the profile icon from the Cash App home screen.
2. Tap Privacy & Security, which should be the second option.
3. Look for Change Cash PIN under the Security section. You’ll need to scan your finger or face to verify your identity, if you’ve already set a PIN.
4. Confirm your new PIN by entering it a second time.

Can I refund a payment?

Yes. Tap the payment you want to refund, select Refund and tap OK.

Are Cash App and Snapchat linked?

Yes. Snapchat’s payment system, Snapcash, is also powered by Square. Add your debit card information to your Snapchat, open a private message to a friend, type in a dollar amount and Snapchat recognizes that you’re trying to send or request money. The rest of the process works like Cash App.

Compare other services that send money within the US

Domestic transfers are usually free. Compare services that offer these types of transfers to send money within the US.

Sort by:

Name	Product	Fees	Fastest available transfer speed	Maximum transfer amount (verified)
Zelle		To send: No fees To receive: No fees	Instant	Varies	Supported banks enjoy direct bank-to-bank transfers with the tap of a button.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Cash App		To send: No fees To receive: 1.5% for instant withdrawal	Instant	$2,500	Split the bill, pay your friends, buy and sell cryptocurrency and even spend money through a connected debit card.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Google Pay		To send: No fees To receive: No fees	Instant	$10,000	Google’s take on money transfers — use this free service to quickly send and receive funds in a variety of ways.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
PayPal		To send: By bank account: No fee By credit/debit card: 2.9% + fixed fee To receive: 1% for instant withdrawal	Instant	$10,000	Friends and Family is a free way to send and request money in the US, with fee-based options for international transfers.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Venmo		To send: No fees To receive: 1% for instant withdrawal	Instant	$4,999.99	Pay and request money to both friends and businesses through this peer-to-peer, socially driven payment app.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Walmart		To send: Starting from $4 To receive: No fees	Instant	$2,500	Send and receive money at any Walmart in the US and Puerto Rico. Transactions can also be sent from the Walmart app.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Apple Pay		To send: No fees To receive: 1% for instant withdrawal	Instant	$10,000	Pay and get paid directly through iMessage, but you’ll need an iOS device to use this payment service.	View details		loading Fetching your data...
Facebook Messenger		To send: No fees To receive: No fees	Instant	$9,999	Connect a debit card or PayPal account to send money directly to friends through Facebook’s messaging service.	View details		loading Fetching your data...

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