Chime: My experience so far

They charge me on the first of the month. It’s handled on a quarterly basis, of course.

I’m guessing that interest charge just shows up in the app like any other regular transaction? If that's how it works, then they haven't actually taken anything from me yet, I guess.

Yes, it shows up under the name "Chime" (when you log in, it specifically mentions an overdraft charge). You’ll get an email about it too.

There he is, finally hit my account today. Just got the email notification too...

I’m looking into opening a Chime account, but I’m based here in the States. I have a buddy in Austria I could use his address with so the card actually reaches me. My main question is about the delivery method—does the card arrive via certified mail, or does a courier just drop it in a mailbox? I really don't want it sent as registered mail where it ends up stuck at a local post office requiring my ID to collect. I’d rather avoid driving all the way to Austria just to pick up a piece of plastic.🙂

Just have your buddy at Chase etch your full name onto a spoon and boom, problem solved.

Daniel Torres said:Just have your buddy at Chase etch your full name onto a spoon and boom, problem solved.

Thanks for the reply. They'll add my last name, but I wonder if the mail carrier will just drop it in the box or if it'll require a signature.

They’ll probably just toss it straight into the trash, honestly. I heard some people were even having stuff sent through those third-party forwarding services, which is a total red flag if you ask me. Definitely wasn't recommended.

@Jeffrey Mitchell2
I mean, you don't really have to put your own full name on a friend's mailbox or anything. I guess it’s enough to just pop their name in the “Address Complement” field, and then the mail carrier will probably just slide the card right into the box.

I’m currently in the States, and I tried to use that workaround where I set my shipping address here but listed the country as Mexico. During my first attempt at Identity Verification, the system just hung on that status for a few days. When I reached out to support, they told me they couldn't open the account due to legal restrictions. So, I requested to have the account deleted and tried again. This time, I did the video verification with my ID, which seemed to go perfectly. The agent even told me I was all set and gave me next steps. But once again, it gets stuck on verifying for a few days before hitting me with the same "account cannot be enabled" message. Does anyone know what's actually going on here?

Kyle Jackson72 said:I’m currently in the States, and I tried to use that workaround where I set my shipping address here but listed the country as Mexico. During my first attempt at Identity Verification, the system just hung on that status for a few days. When I reached out to support, they told me they couldn't open the account due to legal restrictions. So, I requested to have the account deleted and tried again. This time, I did the video verification with my ID, which seemed to go perfectly. The agent even told me I was all set and gave me next steps. But once again, it gets stuck on verifying for a few days before hitting me with the same "account cannot be enabled" message. Does anyone know what's actually going on here?

I've run into something similar before, but usually, once you pass that secondary check with another person via video call and receive that specific confirmation code at the end, everything should clear right up. Did you actually get a code after you finished the call?

mellowhawk33 said:I've run into something similar before, but usually, once you pass that secondary check with another person via video call and receive that specific confirmation code at the end, everything should clear right up. Did you actually get a code after you finished the call?

I got the code and entered it, and everything seemed to wrap up perfectly, but then I hit that same wall again. It’s like running a race only to find the finish line moved. I think I'll try deleting my account and data, then start the verification process from scratch.

I can't make sense of that. If you're trying to say something, just spit it out. I don't have all day to guess what you're rambling about. kaže:
I’m thinking about opening a Chime account, but I’m currently living here in the States. I have a buddy over in Germany whose address I could use so the card actually makes it to me. My main question is: does the card arrive via certified mail, or does the carrier just toss it in the mailbox? I really don't want it showing up as a registered delivery where it gets stuck at the local post office and requires me to show my ID to pick it up. I definitely am not looking to drive all the way to Germany just to grab a piece of plastic.🙂

You can just open an account with USPS and have them mail the card right to you.

I’m looking to receive some international payments for my work, but I am honestly quite confused about how things operate over there. Is Chime registered just like any other standard bank here in the States under the oversight of the Federal Reserve, or is the account technically based in Germany, or what? And also, this whole idea regarding them being able to freeze your funds because they suspect the origin is suspicious... I mean, is that actually a thing? It seems incredibly reckless, unless I have completely misunderstood the situation. Also, where can one actually withdraw cash—is it strictly limited to an ATM? One more thing: is it possible to open an account without using a mobile phone, perhaps just through web-based online access?

Unless something changed recently—and I highly doubt it—Chime isn't officially available in the US.

Kimberly Perez82 said:I’m looking to receive some international payments for my work, but I am honestly quite confused about how things operate over there. Is Chime registered just like any other standard bank here in the States under the oversight of the Federal Reserve, or is the account technically based in Germany, or what? And also, this whole idea regarding them being able to freeze your funds because they suspect the origin is suspicious... I mean, is that actually a thing? It seems incredibly reckless, unless I have completely misunderstood the situation. Also, where can one actually withdraw cash—is it strictly limited to an ATM? One more thing: is it possible to open an account without using a mobile phone, perhaps just through web-based online access?

They have a license to operate in the States, but honestly, they haven't changed much regarding the regulatory side of things. You're essentially dealing with a US Dollar account tied to their structure. Look, any bank can freeze your money, including Chime. Usually, when a transaction gets flagged as "suspicious," the whole thing just ends up being kicked back to the sender. If you're constantly moving large sums of money into that account from various other accounts of yours, there is a very high probability that at some point they'll come knocking asking for proof of income or documentation to justify where the cash came from. My advice for anyone using these types of fintech cards is simple: don't try to be clever. Try to ensure deposits only come from your own accounts—ideally just one primary card, preferably the one where your main paycheck lands. For anything else coming from third parties, stick to standard bank transfers rather than those sketchy payment links or weird digital combinations. Don't try to move money from one empty pocket to another and you should be fine.

Okay, now I'll admit this might sound a little bit silly—I'm probably just overthinking things here—but what is actually the real-world advantage of using a service like this versus just sticking with a standard bank account paired with a well-known debit card? I mean, what can I actually *do* with it that isn't already possible with a typical setup from, say, Chase or Bank of America? Aside from those flashy spending trackers and all those colorful little pie charts they show you in the app... which, honestly, feels like a total waste of time to me... what's the actual utility? Thanks

Kimberly Perez82 said:Okay, now I'll admit this might sound a little bit silly—I'm probably just overthinking things here—but what is actually the real-world advantage of using a service like this versus just sticking with a standard bank account paired with a well-known debit card? I mean, what can I actually *do* with it that isn't already possible with a typical setup from, say, Chase or Bank of America? Aside from those flashy spending trackers and all those colorful little pie charts they show you in the app... which, honestly, feels like a total waste of time to me... what's the actual utility? Thanks

Look, if traditional banking checks all your boxes and keeps you happy, then honestly, don't waste your breath trying to find a reason to switch, because in ten years, those big banks will probably have caught up and integrated all these features anyway. It’s like anything else; what feels like a game-changing advantage to one person might seem totally redundant to someone else. You've got plenty of comparisons to look through, so maybe dig into them a bit deeper—you might stumble upon a specific feature or a niche benefit that actually addresses a need you didn't realize you had.

Personally, I just do it to dodge fees. I use Chime as my main account for US Dollars—so when I'm traveling through the States, I stick to that card to avoid conversion fees, crappy exchange rates, and all that nonsense. Then there's Curve, which I pull out whenever I'm somewhere that doesn't use the US Dollar, just because their rates are solid. I used to rely on Revolut for transferring money from Sweden to my American account since they had great rates and zero fees back in the day. Since they killed the fee-free transfers, I don't use them for incoming wires to the US anymore, though I still use them to fund my Chime account. It’s basically just a bit of card juggling to stay ahead of the banks. It might only be a matter of a few bucks here and there, but I'd much rather spend that cash on another beer than hand it over to some big bank.

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some straightforward answers specifically regarding N26, so if there are any experts out there, please help me out.

I’ve been going back and forth with my sister for days about these online banks—I can't seem to convince her on certain points, so I'm not sure if I'm the one in the wrong here. I have a few questions, so if anyone knows the deal, please let me know.

1. Can an N26 card be used for ATM withdrawals in the US even though it operates in dollars rather than, say, a different local currency? Basically, can I withdraw cash from an ATM using my account if the account is set up in USD? (I know there’s usually a conversion fee, I just want to know if it's actually possible.)

2. Can a collection agency block an N26 account, and does that depend on which state the address is registered in? Has anyone dealt with debt collectors regarding this?

3. If the bank is based in Germany, but my sister is currently living at her address here in the States, could a German Equifax report or some other entity garnish her wages or seize funds in Germany if she has an unpaid bill over there?

4. I read somewhere that the virtual card in the app can be used for both payments and ATM withdrawals. How exactly do you pull cash from an ATM using just your phone or a virtual card? Do you actually need a physical card for that?

5. If an account is ordered here in the US, will it have an American IBAN or a German/Canadian one—for instance, if Canada is listed during setup? How do those different versions of accounts work, what do they apply to, and what are the actual differences?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. Cheers.