Current is a financial mobile app with a Visa debit card, aimed at modern families.
It enables clients to deposit money in their accounts faster, manage their budgets, and withdraw cash in over 40,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs across the country.
More than 40,000 fee-free ATMs across the US
Fortunly Rating
Fortunly's Rating: Our editorial team determines the rating based on a set of evaluation criteria developed for each product and service category.
- Fast deposits
- Cashback rewards
- Fee-free overdraft
- Fee-free overdraft
- Cash deposits in-store
- Savings Pods with up to 4.00% annual bonus
- No physical branches
- No checkbooks
- Website could be easier to navigate
Current Overview
If you are looking for a modern banking solution to make your life easier, you’ve come to the right place. Current is a financial technology company founded in 2015 by Stuart Sopp.
Following online banking trends, they’ve focused on delivering a unique mobile banking experience to users who want to have their personal finance at their fingertips.
The New York-based company doesn’t provide traditional branch banking services. Instead, it’s a fintech platform whose banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and/or Cross River Bank, both Member FDIC.
Stuart Sopp, Current’s founder and CEO, created the app to help consumers take control over their finances and make banking more accessible.
In addition to standard checking account features, clients get a debit card and access to a wide range of other money management tools that are hard to find elsewhere.
Some clients are especially satisfied with the option to open an account for teenagers, which is useful for teaching children to manage their finances and adopt healthy spending habits.
We’ve done our own in-depth research and can confirm that Current’s banking services deserve your attention thanks to its excellent customer support, feature-rich mobile app, early direct deposit, savings tools, and a free overdraft.
How Current Compares to Other Banking Accounts
Getting Started With Current
The Current product offer is focused on personal accounts, with a separate teen option for parents.
Unlike savings accounts, checking accounts are more liquid and considered one of the most important financial tools for everyday money transactions.
There’s no initial deposit to open a Current account and no minimum balance requirements to maintain it.
Each account comes with a debit card that enables users to quickly withdraw money, make debit card purchases, and earn rewards in specific stores.
The card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted in the U.S.
Features and Services
Current focuses on providing fast, efficient, and affordable online banking solutions. Here’s an overview of what you get by opening an account:
-
Current focuses on providing fast, efficient, and affordable online banking solutions. Here’s an overview of what you get by opening an account:
- Early direct deposit. Current’s main selling point. Your paycheck can arrive up to two days early, depending on when the payer sends the deposit.
- Savings pods. A feature that helps you save money, with up to three Savings Pods available. To fund your pods, make a direct deposit or enable the round-up feature that rounds up the sum you pay and credits your pod(s) with the difference every time you make a purchase. It’s similar to traditional high-yield savings accounts in the sense that eligible balances can earn up to 4.00% annually on up to $2,000 per pod, up to $6,000 total; balances above that earn 0.00%, and non-qualifying pods earn 0.25%.
- Cash deposit. Although Current is an online banking platform without local branches, you can still make cash deposits. You can add cash at participating retailers in the app, though cash deposits come with a $3.50 fee per deposit.
- Debit card rewards. Clients are especially satisfied with the debit card reward program, something you can usually find only with cashback credit cards. With the Current debit card, you can earn up to 15x points when making purchases in specific stores and redeem them for cash.
- Free overdraft. Current gives you a free overdraft through its Overdrive feature. Eligible users can access fee-free overdraft after receiving at least one eligible direct deposit of $200 over a 35-day period, and the available amount varies by account. The app will simply deduct the money from your next paycheck.
- Paycheck Advance. Eligible users can access advances of up to $750 through the app.
Types of Accounts
Current’s main offer is a personal account with no minimum balance requirement, no opening deposit requirement, budgeting tools, savings features, and app-based money management.
Another great offering here is the parent/teen account. Your teens will get an account linked to yours, so you can track their spending habits and help them learn to manage their finances.
Through the mobile app, you’ll be able to see their activity and spending notifications.
The account offers many other valuable features, like setting chores and paying your child when the chore is done.
You can also set spending limits and automated allowances, and quickly send money when your kids are abroad.
A teen banking account comes with a Visa debit card that enables teens to shop online, withdraw money from ATMs, or make purchases via Apple Pay.
This card for teens is a good way to teach your kids budgeting and spending, although it’s not quite like the traditional credit cards for young people that help them build credit scores and come with additional benefits.
Additional Perks
Current has several other tools and services worth mentioning. First off, the app is equipped with features that help you manage your budget and track your spending habits.
It also includes Round-Ups, which automatically move spare change from eligible purchases into Savings Pods.
The app checks your monthly spending and notifies you each time you are about to go over your limits.
Another feature we need to mention is the mobile check deposit feature.
It’s the fastest way to deposit paper checks into your account: Just take a photo of both sides of the paper check and wait three to five business days before it’s credited to your account.
Then, there’s Current Pay, a tool that enables members to send and request money from each other.
With the tag feature, you can share your profile with other members, type the amount you want to send, and complete the transaction within a second.
Fees and Guarantees
Current’s pricing scheme is less tier-based than this review originally suggested. The personal account is advertised with a $0 monthly fee, while other service fees apply depending on how you use the account.
Current doesn’t charge transfer and overdraft fees. The fee-free transfer is available via direct deposits, ACH transfer, cash deposits at participating retailers, and linked external accounts.
However, there are some costs that come with the Current Visa debit card:
- $3.00 international ATM fee
- 3% international transaction fee
- $5 for a debit card replacement
- $30 for expedited card delivery
- $2.50 for out-of-network domestic ATM withdrawals
- $3.50 per cash deposit
Current’s accounts are insured by its partner bank, with funds eligible for pass-through FDIC insurance up to $250,000, subject to applicable conditions.
This means that if something happens with the platform, your money will be protected.
The Mobile App
You can download the app from Google Play or App Store. After you choose the account type, Current will ask you to provide basic information, such as your name, address, Social Security number, and so on.
Mobile banking with Current couldn’t be easier. The app has a sleek modern design, it’s easy to navigate, and packed with features that accommodate faster and more effective banking on the go.
For example, if you’re looking to withdraw some money from your card at an ATM, the app will show you where one of the nearest 40,000+ fee-free ATMs is located.
It also helps you find cash deposit locations.
Funding Your Current Card
You have several options for funding your Current Visa debit card. Direct deposits from employers or other sources of income (government benefits or alimony) are the most common.
Although Current is not a traditional bank but an online bank, it facilitates ACH transfers from an external bank to your Current bank account.
You can also take pictures of your paper checks to deposit the money into your account.
Linked debit card deposits and cash deposits at participating retailers are also available.
Withdrawing Money
Although the platform doesn’t have brick-and-mortar branches, you can easily withdraw money from your Current Visa card at ATMs - more than 40,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs across the US.
Of course, stores that accept Visa cards will also accept your Current card.
Current automatically places some daily limits on your withdrawals.
Customer Support and Security
We’re happy to report that Current customer support is one of its strongest sides. Agents are available via email, phone, or chat, so you can get help whenever you need it. Support is available 24/7.
However, we were not equally satisfied with other customer-related aspects of support. Despite its cutting-edge design, the website is somewhat hard to navigate.
There’s a knowledge base with answers to the most common questions, but finding what you’re looking for can be tricky.
When it comes to security, we’ve already mentioned that all Current accounts are insured by the partnered Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured bank, Choice Financial Group and/or Cross River Bank, with pass-through coverage subject to the usual conditions.
Current employs industry-standard security features to protect all transactions. Mobile features such as fingerprint or facial recognition, are also available.
Room for Improvement
Our review highlighted the many strong points of this banking solution, but we also need to mention where it falls short.
Regrettably, there are no physical branches, although, to be fair, this drawback is partially compensated with the ability to add cash at participating retail locations.
Moreover, there are no checks and checkbooks, meaning that you cannot write checks from your account.
What You See Is What You Get
In our opinion, Current’s offer is refreshingly transparent. It’s an excellent solution for tech-savvy parents and teens who prefer mobile banking.
It also works well for individuals who want early direct deposit, savings tools, cash rewards, and app-based money management in one place.
Current account’s mobile deposit functionality is what we liked the most, as it allows you to deposit money to your account faster and without going to a bank branch.
Savings Pods, Round-Ups, and fee-free overdraft for eligible users make the app even more practical for day-to-day use.