Empower
Empower tracks your spending, helps you budget, and automatically sets savings aside. You also get the Empower card, which you can use at selected merchants and get up to a 10% cashback reward. There are no overdraft fees, insufficient funds fees, or minimum balances.
Empower costs $8/month, but offers a free cash advance up to $250. To link Empower to your Chime account you search for Chime, select, and fill in your account details.
Varo is a full-fledged online financial platform with features very similar to Chime’s. You get a debit card with access to an ATM network and a variety of other products, including high-yield savings accounts paying up to 3% interest.
Varo will give you a cash advance up to $100 if your account is active and at least 30 days old. You’ll also need to have received at least $1000 in direct deposits in the last 31 days. You will have from 15 to 30 days to pay the money back.
Most account holders who take a cash advance from Varo will simply take the money in their Varo account and use their Varo debit card to withdraw it. If you want to use Chime, go to Accounts on your Varo app, Choose Link an Account, search for Chime, and log into your Chime account.
MoneyLion
Like Varo, MoneyLion is a mobile banking platform. Part of the package is a cash advance program they call Instacash. The cash advance limit is based on the size of your direct deposit and can be as high as $250. If you sign up for other MoneyLion products you can advance up to $1000.
MoneyLion has its own debit card, and most users will take their cash advance through their MoneyLion card. If you use both services and you’d like to receive your MoneyLion advance in your Chime account, just go to “Transfers”, click “Add Account”, select Chime and add your account.
What is Chime SpotMe?
If you’re looking at cash advance apps that work with Chime, the simplest place to start is SpotMe, Chime’s own advance program. SpotMe is a no-fee overdraft service.
If you have a Chime bank account and you have received $500 in direct deposits in the last 31 days you are eligible for SpotMe. You will have to continue to receive at least $500 every 31 days to stay eligible.
When you register you will get a SpotMe limit, usually starting at $20. You may be eligible for a limit up to $200, depending on your deposit history.
SpotMe will cover all or part of debit card purchases up to your limit. There’s no limit on the number of transactions. Your overdraft will be deducted from your next direct deposit, with no additional fees. You cannot withdraw cash or use SpotMe to fund a transfer.
There are many different cash advance apps with different features, but not all of them are compatible with Chime. Here are some that, for now, won’t work.
Earnin
Earnin allows you to draw money you’ve already earned before your actual payday. There are no fees or interest but the app will ask for a tip. The initial limit is $100, which can go up to $500.
Earnin offers a few unique features, including Balance Shield alerts, which inform SC installment loan customers by push notification when their account balance falls below an amount they can specify, ranging from $0-$400.
Earnin has been unable to support Chime users because Chime allows users access to their paychecks up to two days early, making it difficult to define a fixed payday. Earnin is working on a solution and is currently allowing a group of test users who bank with Chime to use the app.
