Chime — The bank account that pays you to save

@passingnotes I think the scenario would work like this: Your son spends $1.23 on his debit card, and 77 cents of his money will then be transferred into his savings account. Then, at the end of the week, Chime will give him 10% of the 77 cent round-up, along with 10% of all the other round ups that week. I could be wrong, but this is how I understood it. Two makers are here, so I bet you'll have a much clearer answer soon!

@passingnotes Cody nailed it. Let me know if you have other questions.

@codysanfilippo @passingnotes Thanks for helping explain it. And to clarify the weekly 10% bonus is paid on Fridays to your Chime savings account.

@chrisrbritt for further clarity and confirmation weekly 10% bonus [on that week's] savings correct? Not 10% of accrued total savings.

@tmcleod3 @passingnotes Hey Tom. Thanks for the question. The 10% bonus is paid on Friday on your round ups just for that week.

@mihirchronicles Thanks Mihir - these are really good questions! To be clear, Chime is not actually a bank. All Chime accounts reside at our partner bank (The Bancorp Bank) which is fully FDIC-insured - so all Chime accounts are insured up to $250,000 just like any other deposit account. In other words, your money is safe with Chime! Think of us as the application layer on top of your bank account designed for mobile. We create and manage all aspects of the consumer experience (since banks are notoriously bad at this), while our bank partner ensures that your funds are protected and that we comply with all applicable laws and regulations from the CFPB, FDIC, etc. In terms of information storage, only our partner bank and its transaction processing system retain your sensitive personal info (SSN, card # etc.), not Chime. Our business model is that we simply earn money from Visa every time our members pay with their Chime card. We pay our partner bank a portion of what we earn for the banking services that they provide us (and you!). Thanks.

@chrisrbritt @mihirchronicles Simple is also a Bancorp application layer. How do you differ other than a very small accumulation of saving? I've been using Simple for almost 5 years, and find that they add more headache than a traditional bank, minus the fees. The only advantage I've found that Simple or many of these application layer "banks" offer, is the lack of fees. No access to traditional financing for things like buying a car. No access to many of the other benefits traditional banks offer, like advisors, business accounts, etc. No way to deposit cash, either. No checks over the app over $3,000, etc. Are there plans to become a savings bank so you can offer a full service account? Or is the plan to maintain functionality, much like Simple, which is simply a prepaid debit card with perks?

@covt @mihirchronicles Hi Chris, We think a beautiful user experience and low fees are a great starting point for your core bank account. The team at Simple created a great product and we really have a lot of respect for them. We know our members have other financial services needs and we'll expand in to other banking services on our own and through partnership. Here are a few other ways we're a bit different than other bank accounts: 1) we believe the best way to help people save is through automation - so that you save automatically rather than with budgeting tools that require work. Most people say they want to use budgeting tools but don't actually use them! 2) we believe that your bank experience should be rewarding, so we've designed a product that rewards you when you spend & when you save. Our rewards aren't going to make you millions but are intended to help create healthy financial habits. 3) our savings account is actually a separate account from the core deposit account so it's protected from your spending balance allowing you to save for something that's important to you or for a rainy day. We definitely intend to expand in to other financial products with these philosophies in mind. Thanks!

@busterc I was thinking the same thing - loved that bofa program for teaching savings, and cash rewards could exceed the 9 cents on many transactions, so makes much more sense for small budget or cash living...

@busterc Hi Buster. You're correct there are a ton of cash-back rewards programs on credit cards but there's been a secular shift in payments in the US from credit to debit as the preferred way to pay. While big banks continue to focus on marketing credit cards (because they make more $$ from them), 70% of young consumers would actually prefer to pay with a rewards debit card (and eventually via their phone) linked to their core deposit account. See: http://blog.chimecard.com/blog/2... We believe the combination of Automatic Savings, other cash-back rewards and lack of fees makes Chime the most rewarding debit card & bank account in the US - and we're just getting started. Our Automatic Savings feature isn't going to make you rich, but can help you save hundreds per year and get you on a steady savings habit. Regarding our other cash back rewards, they vary all the time, are real-time and are personalized based on where you actually shop. And the more you pay with Chime, the more rewards you get. Thanks!

@chrisrbritt @busterc why would people prefer to pay via debit instead of credit, given that credit cards come with lots of protections on your purchases etc? is it because they don't want debt?

@_jacksmith @busterc The primary reason people prefer paying with debit rather than credit is for a feeling of control and knowing that they can't get themselves in to trouble.

@_jacksmith @busterc Yes, the top reason debit is preferred is that many people feel a greater sense of control of their finances versus paying with credit and want to avoid debt. Also, it's a myth that credit cards are safer than debit. The most important thing is letting your bank know that fraud has occurred and you'll get your money back. We provide real-time alerts to your phone on every transaction so you don't have to wait for your bank to try to figure out whether unusual activity is happening. You can also immediately put a temporary block on your Chime card from the app and call/chat with us to resolve the problem - we're here to help!

@nrpalao We make money from Visa when Chime members use their card to make purchases or pay bills, and we share some of that money with our members so it's a win-win. Yes, we closed our A-round financing in late 2014. Thanks for the questions!

@charleyma Thanks Charley!

@krithix Hi Krithika, unfortunately in this interest rate environment there really aren't high rates in any saving accounts - our current interest rate is only .01%. But our weekly savings rewards can help add to your Chime savings account balance over time. Regarding other rewards, they vary and are refreshed every few weeks. For example, we recently had offers from HotelTonight, Dunkin Donuts and MarineLayer. We also offer category rewards (e.g., $5 off your next restaurant purchase, $5 offer your next mobile phone bill, etc). In addition, our platform actually learns where you shop and automatically offers our members small dollar savings at their favorite places.

@_jacksmith Hi Jack. Nope. Like SoFi & others, we don't use any of the traditional scoring models (FICO, Chexsystems, etc) that most of the big banks use (www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-val...). They're just not relevant to our risk assessment and often prevent young consumers from getting accounts. Thanks for checking us out!

@chrisrbritt cool. thanks! signed up

@smliad Thanks Myana. With Chime, there is a deposit account, a Visa debit card and an optional savings account. Both accounts are actual, FDIC-insured bank accounts with our partner bank, The Bancorp Bank, member FDIC. They are separate accounts that are linked.

@evannite Hi Evan, We're working on it! Thanks, CB

@simplygrey Hi Grey, Thanks for checking us out! Yes, we definitely plan to add other automated savings triggers - stay tuned for that. We don't offer a biz account today but we have a ton of members who are self-employed. We may consider formalizing that sort of product down the line, but it's not part of our short term plan. Thx.

@thecruziest Hi Steven. We’ll be launching this feature soon. Currently, Chime members can deposit checks through a third a party app (Ingo Money). We're working to bring this feature in to our app to make the mobile check deposit even faster and more seamless. In the meantime, you can also add money to your Chime account via direct deposit (where most of our deposits come from), bank transfer or by debit card. Thanks.

@williamhockey Thanks William, Zach and the entire team @plaid - great partners!

@gaberkovacs Thanks for the comment Gabe. Saving money can be hard and there's lots of ways to help people with it. We believe the best way is through automation. Our latest research explains why so many people will benefit from having a way to automate their savings. http://blog.chimecard.com/blog/2...

@thisdickie We're US only for now.

@imchrisdavis not a promotional deal. This is a core part of our product offering, designed to reward our members for a regular savings habit.

@davidesquimal Not in the short term, thanks.