Varo: Existing Users Only Reviews

by Devonte112233445566778899p

I ordered a pizza on my debit card through this app and they for some reason didn’t approve the whole amount of the pizza, even though the money was there. Pizza Hut cancels my order for being $4 short (which I even transferred more money from my saving to the checking to cover it) they said there was going to be a $30 hold on my card and that they refunded me the money for the order and couldn’t tell me why my card was declining. A week a day later the $30 hold is still on my card. I called Pizza Hut customer service and they have even expressed and EMAILED me saying they have already refunded the money and it should be there by now. This happened on a Tuesday the 8th... its now Wednesday...: the 16TH! When I called this app they said it would be off by MONDAY... the 13th. I am a college student and had no extra money for the weekend to eat. I legit ate the same pizza for 3 days because of this. I WILL BE SWITCHING BACK TO “SIMPLE”. At least my paycheck was consistently deposited into my account the SAME TIME every week & I never had an issue with this stupid Authorization charge. Not to mention they know their app needs an update and they still haven’t made the changes... maybe worry less about overdrafts and more about quality service. Seriously can’t wait to get paid TODAY so I can switch my Direct Deposit back to SIMPLE!

Side note : somehow my comment keeps getting deleted but no worries. I have it saved in my notes, nothing a copy and paste can’t solve 😌

by Lavender Magick

Expect to have the worst experience of your life with Varo. I had goes down several times a month in which they don’t notify customers nor can you get through the customer service. I was told Varo was up and running but was still seeing an error sign. AT about 2 months into having this account my card number was stolen in which someone used my card and spent $300 from my account and I physically had my card. His person was able to call this app and change my debit pin in order to access my funds. They don’t have any true secure way of identifying you. You can by pass putting in pertinent info to get to someone. And voila you have access to someone’s account. And early direct deposit is not always accurate. I had one of my direct deposit go in on a Thursday around 10:30 pm this was the week of a bank holiday Labor Day. And fast forward to Columbus Day and my direct deposit has still not shown up. So don’t give me an excuse that this is due to a bank holiday when I got payed in a timely manner for another. DO NOT!!! I REPEAT DO NOT!! Bank with this app. Just go out on Instagram and read comments when Varo has gone down and that will tell you every thing you need to know. Also the company has been in the works since 2017 and only have 8,000 + followers that alone should tell you something. I plan on pulling out of this bank absolutely the worst.

by Iove This

I had some unauthorized charges to my account. My debit card was stopped and a new one was to be issued. It’s has been 3 weeks and counting and i still have not received a replacement card. In the meantime I am unable to purchase anything and all my monthly bills tied to the old debit card are “bouncing”. When I call customer service I’m being told that to get a replacement for the replacement they have to cancel the originally replacement and issue another card which will take another 3-5 business days. That’s four weeks to get a replacement card and no way to pay my bills.

I get a response from developers that my address may not have been correct or the card may have got lost in the mail. BULL! I received a letter from this app concerning the investigation of the unauthorized charges. Mind you I reported to the bank on April 23, 2019 and the letter was dated May 3, 2019. The letter had no problems getting to me. Where is the replacement debit card? I called this app reporting not receiving the card by the date promised. Now I have to wait another 3-5 business days for an “expedited” replacement card. Meanwhile I still have no access to my money in order to pay my bills or anything else. I continue to receive the standard response from customer service of “sorry for your inconvenience but there is nothing we can do other than make you wait.”

by Geezy504

Right out of the gate this is a 5 star app. Beautiful, simple, etc. Everything you want out of a total banking app. All that it does and has to offer is very nice. Definitely a great app to use. UNFORTUNATELY after just hours of use, I realized once I had everything set up, it only refreshes your accounts once a day, or less. Every 36 hours or something. Even the this app account itself. I transferred money from an existing credible bank account that was linked to my new this app account. It said it’ll take 2-4 business days to complete. Fine and totally understandable being separate banks. But after 2 days, I’ve gotten my existing account withdrawal showing and a confirmation email from this app saying I’ve funded my account, BUT when I open Varo , it does not immediately refresh any of the accounts from however many hours earlier and my this app account still shows empty. I’m sure the money will show upon refreshing, but my reason for the average rating and review is that it refreshes all accounts when it wants and does not refresh quick enough or often enough.

After 24 hours, I’m lowering the rating even more. Still haven’t seen my deposit in this app although I’ve gotten a confirmation email. Having no fees means nothing when you don’t have YOUR MONEY. None of my connected accounts NOR my this app accounts has been refreshed or updated. I don’t understand this.

by BiigSteve44

I was very excited about this app an how it was completely online until I really needed to use it and was left stranded for a whole weekend. I tried to give this app a try by depositing my check online and I did it about 2-3 hrs before the cut off time and I was left broke and stranded because I had no money the whole weekend. Before I even made the decision I tried to search how long it would take for the check to deposit but I got no straight forward answers until you go look at all the legal papers. Then I was misinformed that my funds would be available that Friday by a call center agent and then told something completely different by another call center agent. With all these hoops you have to jump through you might as well get a regular bank account. Plus you have to pay to load cash so why not pay to get a bank account that can accept my checks, answer my questions, and load cash free of charge. And the call center doesn't open till 8am PT which is 11am ET so I'm currently sitting here at 8:26am ET with no money in my account and I have to wait till 11 to even ask a question. I'm also confused why I can't access my funds after I've waited all weekend, this app is just not up to the level of a regular bank, it's more like a psofisticated pre paid card. I will never use this app again, and I will not recommend to anyone else.

by Tiago Miralha

After a first minor bad experience with Uber instant payments, I decided to continue using it. First time I called they said there was nothing wrong with the account and Uber said it was a problem with the card. Almost two weeks later they responded my email with an explanation. So I continued using it.
Second bad experience was with a refund from a body shop, services were paid by the insurance company and the bodyshop offered me two refund options, one by check and another one as a refund to my debit card. I accepted the latter. It took almost ten days to release the funds and not a single email to explain what was going on, so I decided to call. They explained what the issue was, we sorted everything out and funds were released shortly thereafter.
A few days later, without any notices they suspend my account for the same transaction that had been settled and approved. They requested documents, and they were sent. The money in my account was for child support and operating costs for my work. I desperately explained the situation, but nothing helped. I explained why I desperately needed the funds and the response I received from a supervisor was that “child support payments can wait” and she hung up on me.
DO NOT USE Varo, there are better alternatives such as Simple or Chime.

by Rahjiin

So I downloaded this as a perk for getting free currency in another app. Decided I’d give it a try. After signing up and linking both my bank accounts I had to wait for an app approval from this app, okay no worries. I got into Varo and it tells me I’ve been declined an account because my personal identification didn’t meet the standards, well they have no standards outlined and nor did they attempt to reach out to me to verify my identity before a final ejection. So I follow the instructions in Varo and context customer support by email to get a genetic response, so now I call the customer support line only to have the first agent carrying on a conversation with their Co workers and not even acknowledging my existence. I call back again and I get an agent who has no answers or any clues yet the email gave me the number, I follow up with another email where I’m told “Decision is Final” well how can I link my other bank accounts and credit cards yet not pass ID verification. You’ve got a long way to go if you want to remain in this business this app at this point you have failed at what makes a financial institution good and that customer service and support! If you want people to trust you with their money you have to do way more due diligence in obtaining and retaining customers,

by Joshsaliceti

I had been looking for an online bank for some time now that offered the best savings rates. After some research, I found this app. They include a free checking account and an awesome high yield savings account. Few days later I received my debit card in the mail, major upgrade from the old one (was ugly!). Overall, this app has some good features. But if you’re someone who likes to track your finances through apps like Mint, you’re out of luck. I use Mint to track everything, every penny. Unfortunately, this app does not support Mint. After hours of contacting this app and Mint, Mint informs me that they sent a request over to this app and wait for approval/access to the bank. this app said differently. They didn’t really seem very concerned about my issue and made it sound like they knew but didn’t want to tell you that they don’t and are not going to support Mint. That’s unfortunate. this app could be an awesome bank to do business with and has great potential. I’m sure I’m not the only person who tracks all their finances on Mint. Unfortunately if this app does not support Mint, that’s a dealbreaker for me.
I was also told to track all my finances through this app. this app does not have half the features Mint does for finances, bills, etc. I hope they can support Mint in the near future.

by 102938vlt

Varo has a lot of UX flaws and issues. First off, my connected bank/account totals do not refresh on their own. The total showing on the home page is NEVER up to date. I have had to manually re-connect my bank several times to get it to show an up to date total. I thought that’s what Varo was all about? Second, I transferred money from my current savings to my new this app savings account to take advantage of that 2.1% interest...we are on day 3 and it is STILL not showing up in my this app account BUT has been posted on my banks account for days. Where’s my money?? Takes 2-4 days and I have read that many users do not get their transfer until weeks later. We will see. It’s 2019 and it takes longer than 24 hours for this app to show a posted transfer. Come on! I don’t plan on ever depositing physical cash into this account as it cost $5! They don’t make it easy to put money into this thing. I guess that’s the catch for the high interest savings...if you ever get your money deposited. I have yet to try and extract money. Planning on using the debit card internationally in a few months given they charge no fees. We will see how that goes. I’m not hopeful.

by Astiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I actually enjoy this app! It’s structured nicely and the layout is easy to find your way around. I really do like the fact that there isn’t a maintenance fee. I’m using this app as an alternative because I was having fraudulent issues with a chain Bank who refused to close the account. I’ve had a good experience with this app EXCEPT for how long it takes for the mobile check to be deposited. If the check is over $200, do not expect your funds for 1-5 business days (and hopefully you’ll remember to deposit the check before the weekend!). This is a good bank to have if you’re new to banking or only making less than $200 deposits. I once made a deposit that was over $580 and I had $200 deposited the next day, while waiting for the remaining to be deposited 7 days later (5 business days + the wknd). I have a check that is over $250 and I’m waiting on the $200 to be deposited one day, and the remaining two days from now. Also, the balance doesn’t automatically refresh all of the time - so it’s very important that you keep mental (or noted) track of your transactions. Again! GREAT app, but it’s better suited for part-time workers or retail employees who are barely making $300. I’ll definitely be looking into a different bank after this app, hopefully a credit union. It’s also kind of strange that they offer linking your Cashapp to this app, but there is no clear instruction on how to execute that.

by MakkieRuby

I just so happened to find this app in app store & tried it out. After my acct was open & I received my card, I quickly realized just how difficult it is to get money into the darn account other than Direct Deposit! The most frustrating part is that you can link your other bank accts to this app acct (AWESOME RIGHT??!! WRONG!!!) It's almost IMPOSSIBLE!!! They put you through 10 steps that you have to keep watching or coming back to, but don't wait too long because then you have to start all over!!! VERYYYYYY hard to tell what company to select because they have too many options for each Bank!! EX: Capital One, my credit card acct SHOULD EASILY CONNECT through the "Capital One Credit Cards" option, you'd think that's simple enough to assume it's correct...??!! Right??? NOPE!!!! GOOD LUCK!!! No matter how many times I tried to get it connected, no matter how many different Capital One options I tried to look it through... IT JUST DOESN'T WORK!!!!! I went through TWO days worth of trying LITERALLY, just to get my Bank Of America checking acct linked!!! It's ssooooo frustrating!! They absolutely NEED to make their app/website options EASIER AND PEOPLE FRIENDLY... If they can do that, I'm sure this app will be around for a long time!!!
PS: and get a better Customer Service department!

by ShopLogic

I can’t say enough good things about this app. I was an avid PayPal user due to the fact that I would typically get my paycheck 2 business days before the check date but was tired of paying fee’s and I had other problems I won’t name. I currently use this app as my only checking account and receive my funds on Wednesday when everyone else gets on Friday. I know why because I do the Payroll for the company I work for. It also use Apple Pay once in a while. One time I was in a bind and only had my phone and needed gas. I already had the Apple Pay app and connected my this app account to it. I transferred money in seconds to Apple Pay and with my phone i paid for gas. I also like the Savings account and it take the change from purchases and puts into my Savings. I can transfer money from Savings to Checking snd vice Vera’s in seconds. The only thing I wish I was able to do is once an auto debit happens once if I wish to block a debit from that same company in future (online scheme type companies) that I could click on the previous debit and block all future auto debits like you can with PayPal ( I had the business account though). Best banking app available in my experience!

by ~April A.~

I am very happy with 99% of this app, from account to Customer service, but my one dislike is that when I open Varo , I find it so confusing seeing all of my linked accounts, and needing to really double check how much money is actually in my this app account and not a total amount between all of my banks... I kind of primarily open the this app app to double check my this app balance prior to using my this app card, and certainly can’t make any purchases using the amount available between each of my linked accounts, so I personally feel like that feature should be set further in the background and not the main attraction when you open Varo . I absolutely do like having the ability to see everything together at a glance, but I truly hate it being so difficult to zone in on the this app account, which is the major reason why you would open Varo instead of opening Varo for your other accounts, no?? It would be nice if maybe you could be able to customize your home screen to focus on what’s most important to each person.... Not a big enough reason to make me dislike the bank account, but just something that irks me about Varo itself...

by Dráco

I got this app back in September when I learned about mobile banking over the past summer. I recently turned 23 so I guess you can say that I’m a millennial. Anyways, I rarely ever go to a physical bank and the hassle of having to deal with all sorts of fees with no return on my savings plus without any ease of handling my money I decided to look around for alternative forms of banking. I actually got Chime and this app at the same time but the reason why I kept this app and deleted Chime was because Chime stopped doing there 10% bonus on roundups which gave them a slight edge up. this app also has exceptional customer service so now I can safely say that this app is the best one out there after comparing several different kinds of mobile banking services. They currently only offer checking and savings accounts but if they ever offer credit cards I’ll most likely pursue that. I never review any app but since this is something I deeply care about I wanted to share my thoughts. I hope that this helps some of you guys out.

by Dmitchy

I opened accounts with a few different mobile banks but finally decided to go with this app. Glad I did. Awesome banking app. The only issue I paid a bill the same day I had the first direct deposit in my account. Since it was pending it eventually declined with Verizon for insufficient funds. Not an issue at all I should have waited until my deposit fully posted to my account but I mention it because I called this app about this and their customer service is great!! That’s my main reason for leaving BB&T. I can never get a hold of anyone and when I do they could care less!!! this app had answers for me in minutes and actually tried to resolve my issues. Got all the kinks worked out with the new account and I easily automatically save money every paycheck, and I get those paychecks 2 business days early every time. I would like to see them add small loans like Money Lion does, if this app does they will blow them out of the water! But I’d rather have good customer service. Money Lion was lacking in that dept as well.