Varo is great. I’ve always been well taken care of during any financial discrepancies, no fees for opening the account/overdraft/having no money on my card (so predatory when banks charge you for being broke!! Their cash advance is fair and resoonsible, not loaning out more than what you can afford based on deposits and there’s an interest rate but it’s very low. I came here to talk about their Believe Secured Credit Card. I love love LOVE this card. It’s such a smart idea and I think it really helps young people or people who don’t have the ability to get on mom n dads black card or whatever. I’ve had it for about 18mo now and I’ve raised my credit score over 100 points. It’s been a life changer. I’m almost to my credit goal and will be able to apply and be approved for a car loan!! I’m so proud of myself and this has made me want to be as financial responsibile as possible! It’s like I wanna keep beating my score and I do, so easily and FAST!! And I’m building it by just shopping with money on my believe card lol. Thanks Varo!! Good credit is a serious game changer and life saver as 28yo! I wish more young people would look into secured credit cards bc good credit helps you survive.
It doesn’t make sense that you have to make 1,000 dollars within 30 days in order to use the advance feature which lets you borrow money until pay day but if I was making 1,000 a week or could have it within 30 days I wouldn’t be borrowing money from you all that really makes the feature pointless to those who really need it it doesn’t make sense nor does it seem fair especially to a loyal customer who’s been with you all for a while and never let my account go into the negative until I recently was told I had to make 1,000 within 30 days to even be qualified for an advance. I really thought about just closing my account because of that simple inconvenience being that it was the only reason I had started with Varo and because I could save more with having a saving account, but many other apps have the same feature at this point and would be reasonable when it comes to borrowing money until payday. Also I’ve been with you all since the first varo app that was out all the way up until the new app so I feel as if there should at least a membership where if you’ve been so long and have direct deposit set up then you should qualify it’s not like it’s not already setup where you all will receive your money soon as it hits the account so it’s something to put into consideration not only for me a loyal customer but for the rest of your customers in general. Thank you
I’ve been a member of Varo for 2 years, and have to say that since it’s become Varo Bank, getting through to customer service seems impossible. With the old Varo, I had nothing but excellent customer service. They always answered the calls or emails. I’ve been trying to get through to customer service for a week now, but no luck 😑 I start calling each morning at 8:00 when they open for business. There’s no wait time mentioned then, but no one answers. I’ll wait for an hour, then am told by the automated system that the wait time is less than 15 minutes. Um, no. It’s more like an hour. I don’t stay on beyond that. When called after 10:00 am, the estimated wait time is “ greater than 60 minutes “. Ugh. I just want to find out some important ( to me) information about a direct deposit that seems to be floating around in my old account. Emails aren’t answered either. Their inefficiency has become my problem, and there’s no way to get in touch. I hope someone from Varo bank reads this and makes it right. I don’t like being disappointed in Varo!
This bank started off great- I was getting my direct deposits a day earlier m in the evening and I also like how you can change your pin on the app whenever and not to mention, you can also turn on notifications for any and all transactions with your bank account/debit card. Here’s the bad: there’s been numerous times where I’ve made instant Deposit transfers from cash app and Venmo and they took a day to deposit into my account (they should’ve deposited instantly). When I called Varo about it, each and everytime they would say it was an error with the system and no eta on when it would be resolved. Today , for the third time…. My direct deposit did not deposit on the scheduled day (today) and their excuse was that they haven’t received direct deposits today due to an error in the system and that there would be no eta on when I’d get my direct deposit. Ok, then why is that my other bank accounts received my direct deposits?? (I have my DD split into 3 accounts) This isn’t ok at all seeing as some people have bills and if you’re direct deposit is “delayed” on your pay day and you have important bills to pay on that day, you’re basically screwed. Once my direct deposit posts I will be deleting my account.
I have no idea what happened but if a few bad apples fell from a tree throw them away and not the whole tree. I signed up a friend saying that this bank was hands down the best and he wanted to add a check he received from Carvana. What happens… no check capability. Been like that for quite a bit. He is upset and gave a thumbs down. I also needed to get the 50 for signing him but he did not use my link. I sent an email to customer service and the answer was so confusing. So I don’t know if I can still get the referral bonus or not. I hope I don’t have to change banks been with varo since it opened. No one should have to do direct deposit to cash a check. The first payment once set up with a company is normally a check. So explain how I’m supposed to do direct deposit before getting to cash a check????? Check cashing is a must have feature for banking. With or without direct deposit. If you have fraudulent checks then you need to put in place a way for them to be stopped. New check 10 day waiting period. Different payor then a 7 day waiting fee if your account is established. Large amount again waiting period. If your account is in good standing no issues then these stop gaps would not be in place…but direct deposit in order to cash… not good practice.
This bank has been nothing but great . I can’t stop praising them. They offered me to sign up for their Believe card. This claims it will help build your credit. Let me tell ypu this place delivers. It took about three months and a we bit of a credit score drop for applying . BANG my credit score went up 111 points . Could be more but I still have a few bills left to take care of that take a point off here and there . I recommend this bank and they deliver what they promise. Great customer service. Only bank that has ever retrieved my money from fraudulent charges . Only bank. Never had an issue with customer service even when I was melting down. Lost my card needed money for car gas etc and they got me to be able to access my account with a card o r time access and rushed me a new card and a new account very fast response. They called me down they siding hang up on me like other banks do . I wasn’t rude just melting down cuz I was stranded and they un stranded me very quickly . Thank you Varo for always being their for me . Kudos to each and everyone of you
I opened an account with Varo, they issued me a virtual debit card which was amazing. Unfortunately when I activated the physical card when I arrived the virtual card was canceled. Having a curious, very helpful 3 1/2 year old daughter who was helping clean up around the house happened to throw away dads wallet and buy the time we found out it was long gone. I reported the card lost and they canceled that card. I have absolutely no access to my money other than to link a card and transfer money. I did in fact do that and was told it takes 3-5 days for the transfer, it’s now day 9 of waiting for my transfer and some bills are now behind. I talked with Varo support and was told they could not issue another virtual debt card because not everyone is eligible, I told them that I was in fact issued one when I opened my account, why can’t that one be reopened or i issued another one, they are unwilling to issue or help me, I’m stuck with no money until the new card arrives. I reported the card lost on 11/20 and the card will not arrive until 12/6 that is very unfortunate for me and my family. All my checks are direct deposited so there is no access until the card arrives. They should partner with a sister bank and actual physical bank where someone in a similar situation can go and withdraw their funds.
I’ll just keep adding to this until someone does something. Varo emailed me after the review below. Nothing since 11/22 and nothing back from my email on 11/26 asking for an update. The issue is still there. NO View Card button unless I close the app and start over. I even spoke to a phone rep before writing this - they said they’d escalate it and email me, that didn’t happen. I’m about to close my account. Original review: I switched to Varo from another online bank that constantly had technical issues. It’s been fine until recently. Upon logging in, the View Card button is gone, and I have to close the app and start over to make it reappear. Every single time. I updated the app, did the software update, etc. I submitted a support request, and finally got an “automated” email six days later with seven different suggestions for login help. I don’t need help logging in. I need you to fix this issue that only started a couple weeks ago. It’s very inconvenient. I use the View Card feature all the time to lock and unlock my card since I had my old debit card number stolen. Make it easier to connect with an actual person. Don’t take almost a week to respond and then send me a bunch of mumbo jumbo that has nothing to do with my request. Obviously no one read it. Not happy.
Nothing but ongoing issues since they switched to Varo Bank
Since Varo received their charter to become a bank there has been nothing but ongoing issues with them ever since. From glitches with activation to account glitches, swiping your card and paying for items glitches, weird account error message glitches...I got annoyed with it all and moved my DD back to Chime temporarily hoping that maybe one day Varo will get it together and I would potentially switch back. I did leave my account opened to deposit and cash checks via mobile deposit. They used to have a great turn around time with that. I have been using this service for over a year or two. Well now they are slacking in that area also. Banks make their money based on how much funds you hold in your account at the end of the day. So you would think they would be doing everything they can to keep their customers happy. Hmph not this bank. It was fine when they were Varo Money. I don’t understand why they chose to switch over. It’s been nothing but chaos ever since. I’m to the point where I am so disappointed with these folks that I am about to close my account completely. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I gave them many chances and months to redeem themselves. I’m so disappointed especially after speaking so highly of their services. It’s very saddening and very unfortunate.
I’ve been a member with varo for 2 years now, an they used to be great, I would have recommended Varo to anyone who was looking for a new bank, but recently they’ve been getting bad, I’ve deposited countless mobile check deposit, it’s the main way I put money into my account that I get from work, normally if I deposit the check before 6pm on a week day, they review the check accept it an release it the next day. For whatever reason last week when I deposited my work check like I usually do before 6, Varo reviews an accepts my check, but wouldn’t release my funds until a week later. After calling an being left on hold for 2 hours, nobody was able to give me a definitive reason or answer as to why the wait time was so long even though the check has already been accepted, and I’m an established member. Like the whole thing was very unprofessional, I’m very close to jus closing my account, the whole point of me getting this bank was for the efficiency, an convenience which doesn’t feel like I’m getting either.
I’ve been with varo for years now, and I have had nothing but the best experience I’ve ever had with a bank in my life, until the dark day… when VARO GREW UP FROM O BRCOME VARO BANK!! I’ve have been unknowingly drained financially, and when I realized it was happening I have been given anything but answers , and I’m still trying to figure out how I am missing almost $7k!!! Varo never sent me anything to tip me off my account had a hole in it, and I was just waiting for my new and old accounts to merge together at some point and I had such faith in varo I was giving them the benefit of the doubt on the time it seemed to be taking. Fast forward , and I am very disappointed and terrified that my life savings is gone and I’m not going to be able to get a dime of it back no matter how much I try.. my opinion is to bank with anywhere else, and don’t even consider varo until they get it all together and then pay close attention to the details so your life won’t be thrown off track with no one to help you out..
Pitiful excuse for a bank and their customer no-service is horrible
The mobile deposit feature is pretty useless. I’ve deposited several checks over time, most of my deposits are direct though, and it’s Willy nilly as to whether or not they feel like approving them. I have a check made out to my middle name, rather than first, and they will not accept the check due to that one thing. Oddly enough they’ve accepted a check made out the same way and deposited it into my account earlier this year. I call customer no-service and am on hold for an hour then speak to someone who basically told me there’s nothing I can do but send an endorsement override email so you can take the check to another place and cash it then deposit the cash. Never could tell me why one check was approved and this one is denied nor could they put me on the phone with anyone who could explain. After several minutes on the phone and many emails I’m trying to find a reputable bank to cash my check with the Varo bank name smeared all over the back of it,and me not have to pay to cash it and then pay to deposit it into this account. If it weren’t for my paycheck being direct deposited next week I’d close my account today. Real sad excuse for a bank. Stay far away.
Everything has been smooth sailing no issues until I had to report my account for fraud I had to freeze my account so now I have no access to it until fraud department contacts me and I’m being told it can take 2-3 days my opinion fraud issue should be taken care ASAP and you talk to someone the same day to start a report most banks you do talk to someone immediately but this bank is making me wait . I have field a police report and still haven’t filed a report with the bank except freezing my account to stop anymore money coming out so no access to money at all and they don’t seem concerned when this is your main account and have a family to provide for they expect you to wait for them for god knows how long.. bills don’t freeze nor do day to day expenses. I just think these issues should be handled right away and not have to wait days for a phone call . I am not the suspect I am the victim that someone stole a large amount of money from my account it wasn’t just a little .
This app is worse than the original app. You should have kept the old one. I shouldn’t have to open the app to view my updated balance. The old app would let you see your balance via notification if you spend anything. Also when you make a transfer from savings to checking or visa versa there is no notification at all. You guys took one step forwards and 10 steps back. When someone send you money via Zelle for example, still no notification saying the money is received as well. You have to log in and wait to see the funds. It use to be almost instant with the old app. This update was the worst thing you guys have done. I was ok with updating my direct deposit and all those other things, but not giving the user proper notifications is not good. I need to be able to see what goes in and out of my account, and I see other reviews saying the same things. Why change something that wasn’t broken? At least keep the useful things. It’s useful to be able to view your current balance after you spent some money without having to log in completely. Whoever took away these features should give me their job. You had one job. One job. Now I need to find another bank.
If you all are going to be doing maintenance on accounts where customers cannot access their accounts for hours, at least give your clients the courtesy of letting us know in advance. I am stuck at a gas station at 3:45 am because I can’t access my account to transfer money so I can pay for my gas. An absolute inconvenience Update: a representative from the company left a reply to my review insisting that it was my internet connection that hindered me from accessing my account. That statement is absolutely ridiculous because the system displayed a giant screen that stated they were conducting maintenance from 12 am MT - 1:30 am MT and customers will not be able to access their account both through the app and website. Then when I waited up 1:30 am MT to access my account, the screen updated and extended the maintained time to 2 am MT, which is when I decided to leave this review. If I didn’t have connection, how would I have been able to leave this review while sitting at a gas station waiting for YOUR maintenance to complete so I can access my account? This response shows me just why I don’t want to do business with you all again. Instead of owning the failure to communicate effectively, you double down on it. F for effort.
Varo is helping to boost my credit score with the Varo Believe card which did take me a little while to get due to switching multiple jobs during Covid. I’ve never had any issues with Varo. The only problem I am having right now is with the App most recent update here in November 2022. When I try to sign in on my iPhone 13pro max, it makes me type in the email address everytime now. Before the update, it would just scan my face and sign itself in. It’s kind of weird cause now sometimes it will try to scan my face after I have already signed in with the email and password. It’s not a major issue cause I definitely love the new Layout! Keep it up! Just 1 small issue I found with this update that annoys me cause as a Crypto/Stock investor, I check my accounts multiple times per day and also transfer funds all the time. It’s very important to me that I can log in quickly when needed. Love you guys over at the Varo team (live chat & customer’s service too)!! ❤️
I don’t like this app at all because for one I signed up using a friend’s referral link for that $30 bonus promotion for both of us to get that $30 with that being said I spent $20 using my Varo debit card and still didn’t get that bonus another thing about that, I can’t even call Varo customer service to speak to a real life person about this issue they only have that in “chat support” so if anybody have any issues with their money they should be able to call somebody and talk to someone at Varo about that issue right? But anyway, I’ve been going back and forth with the support for 30 days non stop. First time they’ve said we will receive our bonus by this certain date. That date came and gone I contacted support again they saying that I did indeed used the link to sign up but their system didn’t pick it up and escalated my case to another “concerned team” for a review then I got an email from them saying I did not used the link therefore I didn’t qualify? I do not recommend this app for anybody else because they did not want to give you your money or even care about the customers so I don’t want to deal with a bank institution who will not keep their word not trustworthy so no thank you I’ll be closing my account with them
Varo is an excellent bank if you never have an issue, but if you do even if it’s a serious problem which I have had. They have the worst customer service, they never stick to their own policies. I was told 3 days ago after numerous phone calls and emails over the past 45 days that the only people in all of Varo’s banking staff that the only people that can refund a fraudulent charge is the dispute team. I have never had an overdraft, nor filed a dispute before. But I have 2 fraudulent charges that has left our family very tight on eating much less paying bills that are stacking up because $400 is a lot of money to a family of 5. I followed everything Varo said to do in case of fraudulent charges, just to be ignored, lied too every time I call, and been hung up on. The help section on this issue has been going on since 2018 and they acknowledged the problem and it’s the same for Everyone. 2 months or more before they refund money on fraudulent charges IF you get reimbursed at all. I have never wasted my time to write something like this on s business because I know the struggle it is to run one but this has been criminal. Varo should not be in the financial industry. Crooks don’t think about it and run to another bank!
My so called “secured” banking card was breached so, like any other person would do I locked & cancelled my card through the app. I called to make sure that I’ve started a dispute, everything seemed to be going well. I was told that a provisional credit would be added to my account the next day. However, the provisional credit was never applied, subsequently taking my actual money being deposited into my account. I then called for again, this time being the THIRD TIME by the way to get a better understanding about what’s going on just for the supervisor to tell me (for the first time after speaking with three other team members) that my provisional credit is locked until the 90-day process has been completed. So, here I am stuck paying back a fraudulent charge I never even approved of!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT USING VARO! If in the event that your account gets compromised you will be “penalized” by NOT having access to your believe card, or the money deposited into the account. Seriously, If I could rate at no stars, I would. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! & unfortunately, After being a trusted member for over four years this will be this last time Varo will ever provide me with ANY service they have to offer. 👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾
This online banking app is only good until you come across an issue. Good luck getting phone support and if you get scammed, say bye to those funds as well as Varo won’t help you recover anything. The only thing good I see is getting early deposit. Other than that everything is a headache. So many limitation when it comes to sending money. They finally incorporated zelle but you still have very low limits to how much you can transfer. Security and safety is their least concern. I will be closing my account once I get my deposit and stick to a traditional bank with more safety nets and better banking process. *** update*** I don’t why emailed again even though I knew what they where going to say. They basically copied and pasted the same reasoning they provided last time as to why I was not protected from the scam. They don’t even have the decency or professionalism to assign you a representative to actually look into the issue further. Please stay away from this bank. I have been transferring my funds already. Stick to Chase or big name banks that’s actually internationally organized. Don’t get tricked into the early pay day shenanigans!!!! *** again please do not use Varo. No support after 4 mountain time which is laughable for a bank that claims to be good.
What is the point of having a email support address when you don’t answer emails back? Then when you try to talk to a representative it’s not even a real person! DO NOT USE THIS APP, been waiting for a hotel deposit to be returned to me, contacted the hotel, they have assured me the money was reprocessed the following Monday, yet you could be waiting 32+ days for a deposit to be returned. After some research I see that this has happened to numerous upon numerous people. This is ridiculous, how are you considered a bank but you cant help people who put their money thru this service. I will be done using Varo in the future as this is unprofessional and you can get no help from staff if they even have any. UPDATE!!! USERS BEWARE!!! So I made a complaint regarding the app and waiting for money and then I wake up today to my bank accounts being closed! I still had money in those accounts! And was waiting for a refund regarding my $100 fee so what happened to the money that as in my account when it was closed? I will be awaiting a response or be taking legal action against Varo Bank regarding this situation making a review toward a “banks issues” is not justification to close my account with NO EXPLANATION. Will be reaching out for Legal help this Monday!
Always has been extremely easy to use & works even better on me new device!
I love that the app has chat with customer service available to use if u don’t really feel like calling the 800 numbers like me lol especially when it’s a really simple issue like changing ur phone #, or a gene question Love the features that Varo Bank has to offer such as save your change and taking a percentage out of your direct deposit(s) & then automatically going into savings I do wish they had a feature where if u put something in savings to set an amount of time to not be able to have access to it and then also being able to edit it yourself if u needed it in case of an emergency or something but ya I have trouble saving my $ sometimes cuz then I know I have $ that I can just as easily transfer it to my regular checking account and then being broke till payday regardless lol In this day and age it’s hard to not live paycheck to paycheck no matter how much u make Thx Varo, I love my account!
I opened an account in March with Varo for their interest rate to help grow my savings. Made a few initial depots and pretty much just left it like that. Then, a few weeks ago I was notified that my account had been closed. No reason, no notification beforehand that anything strange was going on. “We will email you in 2-3 business days,” was their only comment. Attempts to log in on the app and website were met with an alert that my account was locked. A week went by with no contact from them. Couldn’t get through via the automated customer support because my account number couldn’t be found. Finally, after being disconnected several times and spending actual hours on hold, a human told me that she was “elevating my case” and that someone would get back to me via email within 24 hours. Again, nothing. So far, it has been two weeks and I have yet to receive any communication from Varo. My account is closed, I have no access to the funds I had deposited, no way of contacting anyone who can actually help me, and I still don’t even know why any of this happened. Zero stars for communication and customer service. I just want my funds back so I can put this terrible bank behind me.
Helps Me Budget & Really Nice Credit Building Card
I’m a college student, with let’s be real these past 3 years I accrued quite a decent amount of debt between student loans and a couple credit cards. It’s very hard for me to not use my credit cards especially since I live in an area where card fraud is rampant and getting money back from your bank when your debit card number gets stolen is like pulling teeth. This card is awesome because I recently got a decent paying but low hours internship and I have all my internship money put on this card for my spending. My part time job goes straight to my bank for bills. The transfers are so easy, many ATM availability options (literally one less than a minute from my house), has a credit building card that can help you boost your score without acruing more crippling debt and fees. This card has really helped me put my life in perspective as put me on path to making better financial decisions.
Updated review: No hard feelings this bank helped me get out of a tough spot at the time. There’s just too many draw backs to using mobile banks. I’ve moved to a local credit union as it’s much more convenient. Old review: I’m looking for a new bank now since I’ve had a myriad of issues. 1 it takes 2 weeks for my checks to hit my bank with mobile deposit which has made me late on payments. 2. The mobile deposit system has issues capturing my checks and takes me from 10 minutes to 2 days to get my checks through. 3. Even when I have everything filled out correctly, the check is on a black background, and it’s sent for review I’ve been rejected. I do not want a reply telling me to call customer support as I have. 4 customer support doesn’t seem to be much help. 5 They decreased my mobile deposit limit to $500 and I get paid more than that so now I can’t even use this bank. So I’m choosing another bank unless they can fix all these problems. TLDR: I’ll deposit a check and the best case scenario is it goes through my the time my next paycheck is here, the worst is they’ll treat you like trash and not let you have your money (which has been my normal).
Horrendous deposit limits that competitors don’t have
Came for the high interest yield savings (like most people) and cancelled my account within a month. Would’ve cancelled sooner but I wanted to give the bank a chance. It’s the 1st of December and I still haven’t received my funds and it’s been over three weeks since I cancelled. Customer service’s feedback was “they’re escalating it and they’re not sure a check was even issued...”.I still don’t have my money which I saved for Christmas shopping and I don’t even know when I’ll get it. To be more specific Varo has ridiculous limits (like tiny limit i.e $50) for the amount you can deposit into your savings from an outside institution. You can avoid the limit if you originate the transfer from the outside institution but many banks charge a fee for doing that. Ally bank, a direct competitor, doesn’t have any limits or restrictions like that. Essentially Varo tries to get you to utilize more of their services like their checking account (obligatory checking account by the way). They want you to get automatic deposits too, for example, and in return they will increase your deposit limits. On top of everything they made the cancellation process a nightmare. There are so many better options out there. Stay away
Absolutely terrible bank, app, and customer service
Tried switching to Varo because they advertise the “$500 cash advance” everywhere, so I set up my direct deposit. I know it says “up to $500” but I figured my $4000 direct deposit would at least get me more than a $20 advance. Absolutely pathetic. The first day I got my direct deposit, I attempted to purchase something from several online retailers and every single one was declined from 4 different retailers. I contacted the support chat 5 different times throughout the day and every time was told “try again again in a little bit.” No one could actually give me a real time frame. Finally the last time it was declined, I contacted support again and was finally told the reason was because Visa was flagging the merchant as “high risk.” I have bought from them with absolutely zero issues with other Visa cards. They told me there was nothing they could do. So it only took me one day with this bank to realize it’s complete garbage. Not to mention there’s no way to deposit cash into your account without paying a $5 fee. At least Chime has fee-free deposits at Walgreens. Not the case with Varo. Huge waste of my time.
I started with chime. Phenomenal bank. Then I tried Varo. Worst experience for online bank. Terrible customer service. They don’t even have an in app way to chat to customer service. You can’t even request a new card within the app. I had my account charged or hacked 5-10 separate times. Sometimes for 99 cents other times for 40, then hundreds. At least they disputed and gave it back or this would be way different. Varo advance is trash. Doesn’t pay it back on when you get direct deposited you have to schedule it and if you miss like I apparently did you can NEVER be eligible wow for 20 dollars. Chime let me 25,45 then 90. Even 200 when Covid started. Never a fee always paid back and able to be used again after I got paid or deposited. I now use current which visually looks better and has better features. I CANNOT for the life of me could see how Varo could even earn praise let alone preference when there way better banks. You can’t link Varo with other services like plaid since apparently not famous enough but either choose Chime or current. Albert or anything. Varo is trash.
I’ve been using Varo since 2018, and it’s pretty cool. I’ve also banked with Chase, IBC, and MidFirst. A physical bank comes in handy if you’re living paycheck to paycheck and need that money on your card that day. Varos’ answer; if you have direct deposit then you can get paid early like with other popular apps. So that’s even better. And if you’re not in a rush you can just take a picture of the check and it’ll be in there the next day of the week. And you can deposit cash by green dot cards. But the customer service is better than any other bank I’ve had. And I’ve yet to run into any issues. They are also always ontop of the new. They were one of the first to get the cards you can just tap like Apple Pay etc. idk I’m easy going so this bank works out well for me. And the early pay is cool. If you need a bank I’d recommend this Forsure. If your bank is troublesome or anything switch over. If it’s not then only switch if you need to get paid earlier
I have been using Varo Bank for about a month now. The first two weeks went fine, no real issues. I got all of my funds transferred into their bank, and then they froze my account, stating that there was a problem with their system that should be cleared up by the end of the day. So I waited. 2 days later, I still have no access to my money. I call again, each time with over an hour hold time. I get another rep that tells me the same thing, almost word for word like it’s memorized. You’ll have your funds by the end of today, tomorrow at the latest. I wait a couple more days, spend an hour and a half on hold. Same memorized speech. I’m leaving for a work trip in an hour with a $20 bill and a prayer that they will fix it so I can get home. My mortgage is past due, bills are stacking up, and all my money is controlled by Varo. After explaining this to the rep, he just hung up on me. I’m completely at a loss here with no money, and now am seeking legal action to obtain my funds and close that account. Oh yeah, I can’t even close my account, did I mention that? This company has cleaned out all of my funds overnight, and I’ve had it. Stay away!
At first I recommended this to everyone I knew but in the last year their customer service has become a joke excessive hold times, hung up on multiple times, ask for supervisor and they transfer you back into the call que now because they do not have a declined transaction info system set up I am being charged a $30 fee a $50 fee because they declined a $20 transaction and are now telling me basically that I’m lying I couldn’t have seen the transaction pending if I didn’t use my card and asking me if I had a screen shot of something I tried to pay last month well had I thought I needed to prove I’m not a liar I would have taken one,seriously? So now because no one thought to make all the account transactions available to customers I will be paying $80 instead of the original $20 reinstatement fee I thought had been paid already. And got hung up on by Lenny yet another supervisor that did not bother to even call me back. DO NOT GET THIS!!! I can’t stress that enough it’s not worth it. After I close this if they can’t take cash then they don’t get paid because I will never trust another banking institution again.
This bank is the WORST bank in the history of online banks! They are never on time with stuff they mail you, customer service is absolutely horrible, and if you have to call them don’t expect any kind of help! The app is terrible and you can’t do anything with your money until you receive the card even if it’s a varo to varo transfer, which has nothing to do with a card! Hardly any kind of transfer is instant! It’s all around a horrible bank! I sat in the dark for 4 days all because my card didn’t come on time and customer service couldn’t help me in any kind of way with “MY” Money to pay my lights until the card came! I was supposed to receive said card on Friday well it didn’t come, even though the crappy app said the 14th which was 3-4 days before the Friday date that customer service told me. They also preceded to tell me they couldn’t give me my card number over the phone! I was gonna connect it to my Chime (awesome bank btw)and transfer my money out which they couldn’t help me with. So once I finally get my money out of this bank and turn my electric on I will definitely be closing my account down!!!
I’ve been with Varo for awhile now and it just gets better and better! My only complaint ever is I don’t have direct deposit so ACH transfers do take awhile, roughly 3-4 days but money gets there. Transfers within the account are instant though. ALSO I’ve had a few ACH transfers take an extra day or two. I didn’t even send any complaints and they just GAVE ME MONEY! I’ve gotten $25 twice now for delayed transfers as an apology from them. Most recently my reason for making this review was their email responses. I sent an email noticing I couldn’t make any ACH transfers. Their automated reply said 3-4 days so I thought they’d get back to me by Monday or Tuesday. THEY REPLIED NEXT DAY ON A SUNDAY! This may sound silly because this is a bank. But from my experience it really feels like they care! It’s like a small town bank with the bigger bank benefits. If you’re on the ropes definitely join Varo! You’ll soon find out for yourself why it’s so great!
Update: I must not be the only one to complain about how difficult it is to just change the cell phone number…because just the other day, surprise surprise! I can change my cell phone number easily on the app (which took seconds). Thank you Varo. On 28 March, I tried to contact customer service, because there is no way to change my cellphone number on the app (they send a canned response requiring me to send a pic of my id AND a pic of me holding my id. Hmmm... didn’t have to produce those pics to start the account with varo. Wait time was “over an hour”. They replied to my complaint online, saying it (hold time was temporary). 19 of April, again, heard “your wait time is over one hour.” All I wanna do is change my cell phone number! What if I had a deposit that never showed up? What if I need to dispute a charge on my account? Look at other reviews, that’s what ppl are saying about varo. So good luck to you if you decide to bank with these guys.
I love your banking app it’s easy and I get my money early my bank use too then changed it to Fridays I hate the bank I have for savings and checking I use it occasionally now that I have u u are the one I go to for almost everything I may put money in that bank to pay bills but that is it !!! Thank you for all the benefits you offer and the believe credit card as well to help build credit beens my bank took down my credit twice just to run a credit check twice one for me to try to fianance a house then second to refinance a car they pulled down my credit score when they should have honored one of them knowing they know me and I have banked there for over 13 years plus already have a small loan with them currently in good status so when I found you guys I was like I’m giving you guys a try so far you are AWSOME!! Thank you!!! Scincerly Lisa stout
Varo allows you to borrow an advance but if you don’t pay it back within 30 days of borrowing you are never allowed to borrow again no matter how many times you’ve paid back on time. With my specific situation I was late paying back my advance due to a pay check error with my employer. Due to this error I was very low on funds. I got an email from VaroAFTER I was 30 days past due and no longer eligible for an advance stating “woo hoo! Your advance amount has increased !” So of course with me being low on cash I figured I was still eligible and paid it back assuming I’d be able to not only borrow again but borrow a bit more. WRONG. I called them and I complained about the email which wasn’t automated because it had very specific account info and I had received daily emailes reminding me about the past due advance balance , so their system was updated In regards to that fact. When I contacted Varo to see if my ability to take an advance could be reinstated they just said sorry they sent out the email on “accident “ and oh well basically. Terrible terrible terrible. I have never had a bank literally LIE in an email!
High interest rate but at VERY high frustration cost
Sure the interest rate is great, but what use is it when they won’t even allow external transfers to a different bank—an incredibly simple core functionality of any standard bank! When I emailed and called to understand what was going on, and why I was receiving an error message that said “your transfer didn’t go through. An unexpected error occurred,” they said “periodically our automatic system has new requirements that allow certain accounts to conduct external transfers” —zero transparency as to what these “new requirements” are and zero clarity as to why I am supposedly “ineligible” ?? PLUS after I click on the “try again” button in the error screen, it then says the transfer was successful even though the Transfer history page shows every attempt of a transfer has been cancelled (and no actual money was transferred out). Inconsistencies in UX across different pages. How am I supposed to know if the transfer went through or not? How am I supposed to figure out what to fix on my end, to make it work??
I would have recommended them 2 or more years ago, but now this bank is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE and I would NOT trust your money with them!! HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! it’s basically non existent and they will not do anything to work with or help long time loyal customers whatsoever! I filed a dispute over money that was never received, they denied the dispute and it was soooo hard to go through the appeals process and actually get this money! My final straw was when I had a $900 refund pending in my account for days and the merchant had released it 2 days prior - Varo used to immediately release the refund and now they hold it for some reason. I was never made aware of this change and when I tried to talk to customer service nobody would help me! I have been with no money in my bank account now for 4 days with a pending refund that is showing in my account!!! I asked if they could release this refund as the merchant has already released it and I am literally without funds and they won’t do a thing! They have no empathy because it’s most likely a bot I’m talking to - never put your money in this bank!
This bank was great when they first launched. I loved banking with them. Over the last two years, they’ve become increasingly disappointing and as of today, seem just downright incompetent. Their customer service has completely evaporated and their banking practices are ridiculously inconvenient and frustrating. All they seem to care about is safeguarding themselves, no matter what the cost to their customers. They “accidentally” refused a refund I had waited a full two weeks for them to process, only to be left stranded with nothing in a strange town when the money never made it to my account. This was back when customer service was reachable, but all they could say was “0ops” and that I had to have the refund issued again and wait for it to process - again! Unbelievable. Now, you cannot even get a person to assist you, and when they respond by email 3 days later, they offer you an automated response that is completely worthless and unhelpful. Like I said, I was a huge fan of this so-called bank for a couple of years there. But now I have to warn you all - BEWARE.
Beware of this bank!!! I don’t leave reviews but had to in this case. Varo originally had super attractive savings rates, but made you jump through a bunch of hoops to get those rates. Absurd hoops that no other institutions require, like specific balances down to the dollar amount, and number of debit transactions in a month. I didn’t mind in the beginning because the rates were so good. But once I had moved a bunch of my money into Varo, they put new restrictions every few months on how much interest your money could earn. They also cut the rates every few months and revised their policies and just mailed you the new, lower rates. Complete BAIT AND SWITCH. Then, when I tried to remove money from Varo, they made it really difficult to pull money out. They imposed really restrictive transfer amounts. And they don’t play nice with major US banks, making external transfers even more difficult. In other words, they tricked me into bringing my money to their bank and then tried everything possible to keep my money. Horrible way to run a bank. The advertisement of being “the bank for all of us” is a complete lie.
Varo USED to be an amazing bank. They USED be unique and miles above other mobile and even brick and mortar banks. They USED to be 100% run and serviced and based in the US. You could call in and get a normal person on the phone with barely a a 5 minute wait. ACH transfers from outside never took more than 36 hours. Now, you can't call you can't only chat. And the chat support uses Google translate and 90% of the time don't understand the issue you explain to them and simply copy/paste pre-written responses that correlate to a word in your message but not the actual issue. Ie - if you said "my bike isn't turning the wheels when I pedal." They would respond with instructions on how to remove training wheels. There's literally no personality in their customer service anymore whatsoever. I used to love varo and brought a lot of friends in without even utilizing the referral bonus just because they were so great and worth sharing. Note, we're waiting for our direct deposit changes to go into effect and my family will be closing all of our accounts and opening with another institution. Very disappointing.
Update: If you notice the developers response says nothing addressing this horrendous privacy policy other than they aren’t “committing fraud.” If the developer wants to respond to me and tell us whether or not Varo shares your transaction data with 3rd parties than they are free too. Why block VPN access? Why does “Varo” own my transaction data? Why are they collecting every piece of data they can? “Varo owns your Transaction Data.” Varo collects your IP address, browser type, display settings, data about your mobile device, location, social media preferences advertising identifiers. This is all verbatim from their privacy policy. They even go as far as blocking the use of a VPN presumably to force you to give more accurate location data. Think about what this means, every time you swipe your card they use what you purchase to then provide advertisers that information. Banks are supposed to be trusted and private entities. In the 6 months I’ve used them they also have changed the interest rates and agreements multiple times. This is not a bank it’s a data farming scam.
I was really surprised by VARO’S ease of use and absence of unnecessary stuff. I don’t expect much from online only banking platforms, I guess because of the abundance of them. Throughout the past year however, on lock down, and now transitioning back to work, transactions that go through VARO move very fast and the security system is completely reliable without being as over the top as some of the competition’s, which, despite having an account for over two years (with one service in particular) and having used the same device for banking for nearly a year, requires my full web login and 2-factor authorization, on TOP of biometrics. VARO also had a feature that will cover you if you’re in a jam. When I needed $50 and just didn’t have it on me, I launched VARO and set up a loan in about 2 minutes.
My bank currently closed after many years, so I was forced to find another provider. Varo is pretty close to my previous simple account, and they have all the features you could want in an account. I just wish a few extra items were tweaked in there. Such as transaction search by name. And the ability to earn interest on anything over $5k in savings. For some reason, my Varo account also does not work with a few service providers, such as Paypal (as a bank account - it only accepts the debit card number), Target RedCard (to make payments), Earnin app (to receive), and a few others. I find this all highly inconvenient, and its unclear why these connections don't work. I also don't appreciate the limits of deposit or the fact you make me write "check for deposit with varo bank only" but then refuse a check because the person who gave it to me cut it off too fast and the edges aren't 100% perfect.
Varo States you get earlier two day Direct Deposit but that’s truly false I’ve been set up with my direct deposit with Varo for 1yr now and I can truly say it never comes on time or it’s all over the place I’ve been penalized because depending on Varo I can never pay bills on time… that right there makes me dislike them a lot esp when 9/10 ppl get Varo for the early Direct Deposit but to get the same deposit from the same job for this is long and Varo still processing things all over the place is just ridiculous and crazy! I’m getting tired of going threw this and they are non-helpful at all and I don’t believe customer satisfaction is a priority to them ! Don’t blame my job when payroll processed on time exactly earlier and give us proof it’s you ur bank Varo they are not releasing or giving you any alert or status or any information! IF VARO KEEP DOING THIS AND j NOT TAKEN PPL GETTING THERE DEPOSIT AS ADVERTISED JUST 1x MORE TIME ILL BE LEAVING THIS BANK FOR GOOD ! I suggest if you want good banking and to get the money you work very hard for as promised then double or triple check with this unprofessional lien bank before you join ! Smh
I used Varo for a couple of years with no issues and loved it. I have/had the advance line and would use it between paydays if I was running short. Made my repayment in full, have screenshots SHOWING the payment was successful (since they don’t give you a confirmation #) and they still say I have a $94 balance on my advance and will withhold any incoming $. I reached out to customer service and was told the payment failed even tho I sent in the screen shots that gave the successful payment message as well as the balance deducted from my account. That was when I stopped using them. They’ve already gotten their $ back, but continue to tell me I owe it. The only reason the account is still open at this point is because it’s the deposit acct that was listed for my income taxes and I unfortunately can’t change it with the state. So I’m assuming I’ll lose that $94 AGAIN when that deposit is made, but at least at that point it’s excess $ that I don’t necessarily NEED to run my household and I can finally be rid of Varo for good.
Before they switched I never had a problem! I am a Varo user for years! Mid last week, I actually ran into a problem where I felt my account was compromised, I called them, and they froze my account for potential fraud. Ok that’s fine. That was on Wednesday. It is not the following SATURDAY and I still have NO ACCESS to my money. I have called EVERY DAY waiting on hold for nothing under an hour..Thursday once I got thru the call “dropped” so guess who had to stay on hold another HOUR!?. I have bills to pay and no access to MY MONEY. I keep hearing “I’m so sorry...fraud will contact you”. I have gotten 1 email from them and that’s it! This is crap. And the only way to reach someone is by email? I’ve emailed support and “fraud” so many times I’m sure they know my name by heart now. I’m tired of this and I need my money. It’s not fair...it has been 10 days and bills are due. All of my money is frozen like art on a wall...this is ridiculous. After this whole situation and the way it’s handled, I’m considering pulling all my money once it’s open again and closing this account. I’m totally disgusted....
Yesterday afternoon I cash out money from my cash app to my Varo debit card and went to check my account and the money was NOT THERE ! Then Varo posted on the same day that they are experiencing technical issues with app and your balance might not be correct. I waited all day for the issue to be resolved and it wasn’t. I called Varo this morning and spoke to a representative and she tells me the supervisor is taking care of the problem and I should receive a email by the end of today about my funds and my account. Remember, this has been like this since yesterday and yesterday was my birthday. If I was really dependent on this money or had a emergency I would have been screwed because of Varo issues. Once this problem is resolved, I will deactivate my account Varo and move on to a better company. Varo was a great app to use til the New Varo debit cards came out and the new Varo app. Varo you have officially lost a long time customer because of lack of communication and the long waiting period for my funds to be shown on my account. I will NOT recommend Varo to any friends or family.
The absolute worst company to deal with. Waste management is about the best they get. They have been holding a hotel deposit for over thirty days. And also charged a transaction to my account that says it’s Varo initiated transaction. When I ask for details about why and what the transaction is for…. I receive the most generic answers. I have been asking them every day for 2 weeks. And still don’t know anything more then it was a transaction and that’s it. The chat support is such a headache I just use text to talk and ramble on and on because I doubt the support staff even knows how to read. It’s the same generic reply from them every time. It’s a worthless argument with them. I just want my money that is owed so I can close my account. I’m sick of hearing them say sorry. I just want to end my business relationship with them. Poor everything at Varo.
I’ve been with varo for almost 3 years and loved every minute of the experience with the old Varo money!, every notification, the customer service, and of course timely direct deposits. Imagine my surprise when I crossed over to the “New & So called Improved” Varo bank :(.. I don’t get none of my notifications anymore for my transactions and that’s a huge thing for me. Not knowing when things come or go and then dealing with Calling customer service, being on hold for hours, just to be told “I’m not sure why your notifications are not working, but they should be”.. DUH!!, I know they should be but for whatever reason ever since crossing over to this new bank, everything has taken a downfall which made me start moving my money back to my chime account. Please get it together Varo so I could come back to you. I’m obviously not the only experiencing this because if you look at other reviews other users have the same problem!!, New customers may not have this issue, but people who’ve had to transfer over surely do!!! Please fix this
