Select one of our recommended fee-free bank accounts for individuals

We keep an ongoing, frequently updated list of bank accounts that offer early direct deposit of pay on our blog.

You are one step away from getting such an account at WiseWage. Both the Axos Essentials and the Varo Money bank accounts offer early access to pay. With both accounts, you will need to establish a direct deposit of your pay to the account as a condition of receiving funds early. You will be able to receive all of your pay up to two days before payday. Neither account charges a fee or interest. You can also receive pay early with a Chime bank account or a Wal-Mart MoneyCard.

You can use Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Android Pay with your Axos Bank account. To enroll in Venmo, go to settings, payment methods (left column), then "edit payment methods" at the bottom of the desktop browser, then "link bank accounts," then instant verification, then "continue," then enter "Axos" in the search bar. Type in your username and password. Hit return. You will be asked to verify your account with a security code. When your code is sent to your device, enter it in Venmo. Your screen should say "your login was successful." Enter "continue." Select your account. Authorize Venmo to use the bank to send payments to friends and/or authorized merchants. Cloick saving settings.

Yes, Varo works with Venmo as well as CashApp, PayPal Instant Transfer, and Facebook Messenger. To link, you provide the Varo Bank routing number (031101279) and your account number.

Comentity Direct High Yield Savings

HSBC Direct

Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Synchrony High-Yield Savings

Ally Online Savings

Barclay's Online Savings

First National Bank of Omaha Online Savings Account

Varo Money Savings Account

Empower Savings Account

American Express High-Yield Savings

Discover Bank Savings

Both NetSpend ($9.95) and Green Dot ($7.95) charge high monthly fees. You can reduce your NetSpend monthly maintenance fee to $5 if you use direct deposit; if you direct deposit $1,000 to Green Dot you will not pay a monthly fee. Still, there are better options out there - even if you have poor credit. Popular fee-free accounts include Varo Money, Axos, N26, Chime, and Movo.

Yes, there are some banks that will approve you for an account. Banks often check with a registry such as ChexSystems before approving an application. Some banks - including Varo and Empower - do not check credit. As a result, they will approve an account even if you owe money to another bank. Typically, banks that do not offer overdraft are the only ones that do not check credit, as they are not taking the risk that you overspend and then abandon the account.

Yes. Most online banks never require an opening deposit - even if you have poor credit. For example, the Varo and Empower accounts at WiseWage both allow you to open an account without a deposit. Later, you can transfer money from another bank account, add money through direct deposit, transfer with Venmo, or take a photograph of a paper check to make a deposit.

You can spend up to $50 more than you have in your account, IF in the prior month A) you have received at least $1,000 in direct deposits to the card and B) you made more than 5 debit card purchases. Varo does not charge a fee or interest for the service. However, you must restore the account to a positive balance before you can spend again. You may not use No Fee Overdraft to make an ATM withdrawal.

You can find the routing number for your Axos Bank account inside the desktop portal. On the home page, click Dashboard in the upper left hand tab. Then click on your checking account tab (left row). Click on the account details tab. The account number and routing number (122287251) appear on this page. From inside the app, go to Dashboard (bottom left), then select your account (you may need to first select See All Accounts), select the name of the account you wish to see, then click "details." Your routing and account number appear on that tab.

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You can find both the bank routing number and your account number inside the account details page on the Varo app. Open the app, go to Checking, then click on "Details" on the upper righthand corner of the app screen. For all Varo accounts, the routing number is 031101279. The Varo account is issued by Bancorp Bank (Wilmington, DE).

Axos Essential Checking is a good card for people who want a fee-free digital bank. It has no fees, offers rebates on all ATM visits, and offers high-yield savings. Deposits are FDIC-insured. Axos comes with a variety of features: use with money transfer services (Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, Google Pay); deposit funds with your phone; and receive early pay by Direct Deposit Express.

You can open a Varo Money account at WiseWage. You click through from WiseWage to sign up inside the AppStore or Google Play.

If you would like, you can research account features on WiseWage to see all of the details on the costs and functions of a Varo Account.

Varo is a bank account. The technical term for a regular bank account is a demand deposit account - meaning that the account holder can draw the funds at any time. It is not a prepaid debit card account. The funds in the account are protected with FDIC insurance. FDIC insurance protects the first $250,000 in balances in an account.

There are six ways to deposit funds on to a Varo Money bank account: direct deposit, an electronic transfer (ACH) from another bank, by depositing a check inside the app with a photo, from another Varo account via an email or text, by loading cash using a Green Dot MoneyPak, and through a money transfer service.

To use ACH, you will need the account number and routing number of the Varo account. You will submit that information to the sending bank account under "external transfer." Direct deposit works the same way - the sending account must know your routing and account numbers. The Varo Money direct deposit bank routing form is available at WiseWage.

You can buy a MoneyPak in retail stores (Walgreen's, Walmart, et al) for $4.95. Varo does not charge a fee to use MoneyPak. You can also use Green Dot's reload at the register feature at some stores for the same price.

Varo works with Cash App, Venmo, Facebook Messenger, and PayPal Instant Transfer.

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Yes, you must have a physical mailing address inside the United States to get an Axos Essentials account. You can be approved for an account if you are living at an address in the United States, even if you are not a US citizen. You must have a SSN to get an Axos account. Also, keep in mind that if a bank receives several applications from the same address during the same day, they may reject your application because of concerns about the possibility of fraudulent activity. 

No, you cannot. Both accounts require a social security number. You cannot use an International Tax Identification Number ("ITIN") as an alternative form of ID.

Yes. The banks will reject an application if they believe that their person has a social security number but has chosen not to reveal it in the application process. The banks use a service that can verify this information on their behalf. Besides, it would create difficulties for you when you file your taxes if you have used more than one form of identification for managing your finances.

No, unless you make a very large transaction. The only time a bank must disclose information about an account holder to the government is when as account holder makes a transfer of more than $10,000. While it is always important to be protective of your SSN, banks are regulated by stringent rules that hold them accountable for safeguarding your personally identifying information. The banks face severe penalties if they fail to honor this legal requirement.

We aim to help every worker. 

• Some workers will not qualify for a standard checking account because of their credit history. 
• Others may avoid traditional banks because of minimum balance requirements and associated fees.
• Everyone qualifies for all of our card accounts, subject to ID verification.
• All card accounts on WiseWage provide a full fee listing up front.

With the Axos Essentials account, the transaction will be declined, be it at the point-of-sale or elsewhere.

With the Varo Bank account, you may be able to qualify to spend up to $50 more than your balance. You must meet conditions to do so - including satisfying their requirement for you to have a minimum direct deposit and to have made a minimum number of purchases with your debit card. If you do spend more than your balance, you will not be charged a fee or interest. You will have to satisfy the overage before you can make another expenditure with the card.

You will not be charged an overdraft or an insufficient funds fee by cards on WiseWage.

A routing number is a unique identifier for a bank. 

For a transfer of funds to work, both the send and receiving bank need to have their own routing numbers. 

A routing number is sometimes called an ABA Number.

• Many of the mobile photo deposit apps that come with the cards featured on WiseWage give you the choice between immediate access to the funds (for a fee) or access to the funds once they clear through the inter-bank federal system, which is typically 3 or more business days
• If the card you choose allows you to deposit a paper check into your account at a branch or via an ATM, it will usually take several days before all of your funds are available. 

Because direct deposit is so much faster, many people prefer to use it as the means to process their paychecks. See individual cardholder agreement for more information on applicable fees and funds availability.

Yes, all WiseWage cards can receive a direct deposit of a government benefit payment.

Yes, typically you can designate that your pay can be split up into several destinations. Check with your employer or benefits provider for restrictions or limitations.

For example, you could send most to your regular prepaid card account but request that a fixed amount go to a separate savings account.

Yes. Funds in an Axos Bank account receive full FDIC protection up to $250,000.

• As long as the employer transmits your payroll two week-days prior to the paycheck date, direct deposits are made available on the paycheck date. 
• Banks vary in what time of the day they release funds. However if the paycheck date falls on a week-end or bank holiday, direct deposit paychecks will be posted on the next day. when the bank is open.
• The same applies if you receive benefits from a government agency rather than pay from your employer.

In certain cases, Axos may turn down an applicant for an account. They will ask for your SSN, date of birth, mailing address, and other info to verify your identity, as they must do so to comply with one of several federal banking laws. They may turn down your application if they cannot adequately verify your identity. Some applicants with poor banking histories may be turned down.

The simplest way to deposit your pay or benefits is to set up a direct deposit. 

To do that, you will need to know your card account number and routing number.   This information is provided to you when you enroll in a card account. It can also be accessed by signing into your online card account mobile app, or contacting your card account’s customer service. See the back of your card for website and customer service phone number.

To the right is a sample of a direct deposit form that you can download and print. Provide this form to your employer or benefits provider.

If you cannot set up direct deposit, then you can still use the card account to deposit funds from approved checks. Your card account will need a mobile app to achieve this; from the app, follow the instructions to add funds from an approved check to your card account.

You can download and print Direct Deposit Forms for the cards on WiseWage here.