App Profile: Varo: Existing Users Only

~April A.~

Rating: 5/5

I am very happy with 99% of Varo, from account to Customer service, but my one dislike is that when I open the app, I find it so confusing seeing all of my linked accounts, and needing to really double check how much money is actually in my Varo account and not a total amount between all of my banks... I kind of primarily open the Varo app to double check my Varo balance prior to using my Varo card, and certainly can’t make any purchases using the amount available between each of my linked accounts, so I personally feel like that feature should be set further in the background and not the main attraction when you open the app. I absolutely do like having the ability to see everything together at a glance, but I truly hate it being so difficult to zone in on the Varo account, which is the major reason why you would open the app instead of opening the app for your other accounts, no?? It would be nice if maybe you could be able to customize your home screen to focus on what’s most important to each person.... Not a big enough reason to make me dislike the bank account, but just something that irks me about the app itself...

JerkDiggler

Rating: 3/5

I thoroughly enjoy the fact that I get my direct deposit early, and I enjoy(ed) the no fee overdraft feature which spots you $50 until your next deposit. It was nice being able to be spotted a little extra until payday...in the beginning anyway. At some point Varo updated their app which started interfering with the 50 overdraft limit you could use, making all purchases decline even if you still have $45 available for use with the overdraft amount. It doesn’t even solely affect the overdraft amount - you could have $30 bucks in your account, but if you have a couple of pending charges, new purchases will decline until those pending charges settle. Even if the purchase(s) don’t exceed the amount you have left in your account before overdraft takes over. Example: I had about $75 in my account, I attempted to make a $6 purchase and my card declined. I went elsewhere and tried to make another small purchase to test the waters, and again my card declined. I logged into the app and saw that I still had $75 bucks left in my account, and only had about $15 worth of pending charges. Basic math suggest that’s even when those pending charges settled, my avail balance would still be able to cover the $6 purchase and then some before creeping into “overdraft mode”. Varo has some perks, but the seizing of your funds while 2-3 charges are pending is ridiculous, it’s frustrating and embarrassing to say the least.

astiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Rating: 3/5

I actually enjoy Varo! It’s structured nicely and the layout is easy to find your way around. I really do like the fact that there isn’t a maintenance fee. I’m using Varo as an alternative because I was having fraudulent issues with a chain Bank who refused to close the account. I’ve had a good experience with Varo EXCEPT for how long it takes for the mobile check to be deposited. If the check is over $200, do not expect your funds for 1-5 business days (and hopefully you’ll remember to deposit the check before the weekend!). This is a good bank to have if you’re new to banking or only making less than $200 deposits. I once made a deposit that was over $580 and I had $200 deposited the next day, while waiting for the remaining to be deposited 7 days later (5 business days + the wknd). I have a check that is over $250 and I’m waiting on the $200 to be deposited one day, and the remaining two days from now. Also, the balance doesn’t automatically refresh all of the time - so it’s very important that you keep mental (or noted) track of your transactions. Again! GREAT app, but it’s better suited for part-time workers or retail employees who are barely making $300. I’ll definitely be looking into a different bank after Varo, hopefully a credit union. It’s also kind of strange that they offer linking your Cashapp to Varo, but there is no clear instruction on how to execute that.