Happy summer! By now, you know we’re all about bringing our members financial peace of mind, but it’s not every day we get to hear from them on how our efforts are paying off.
So we asked a few of our members how we’ve impacted their relationship with money – saving it, spending it, and stashing it. In their own words, here’s how Chime has changed their lives, for better or for worse. (Spoiler alert: it’s for better. Boo-yah!)
“The freedom of getting paid early.” -Carmen, Medical Biller from Boston
Carmen joined Chime in 2016, when she heard she could get paid up to two days early with direct deposit¹. Back then, she was surprised. She told us that “The best part about Chime is that it just seemed so simple, so I thought, why not?” and never looked back.
With an earlier paycheck, she can enjoy shopping and paying off all her bills during the week — beating the “weekend rush” of scrambling to meet those annoying deadlines! Her favorite part? “I never have to say ‘oh I have to wait till Friday’ to do something, because my paycheck is already in my account.”
Carmen also shared her love for SpotMe², and the reason is pretty sweet. She recalled one summer night when she was out with her nieces and nephews because she promised them ice cream. When it came time to pay, she realized she was low on cash! “I was like. Oh my god. But then, I thought, let me try out this new thing — and it worked! It was beautiful, and there were no broken promises.” she said, sighing. That was her first time ever using SpotMe, which allows eligible members to overdraft on debit card purchases², and it was definitely a “highlight” in her journey with Chime. For her and for us!
“My credit score increased.” -Eli, Registered Nurse from West Virginia
We get a lot of love, but we’ve never been more flattered than when Eli told us that he recommends Chime to “literally all of my family and friends.” He joined us three years ago, and a lot’s changed since then.
2020 was filled with ups and downs, but there was one silver lining—Eli’s credit score. With the help of the secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card³, he was able to refinance his car loan, and get a better interest rate. This made his car payments go down. And, meanwhile, his score kept climbing⁴. “I love how easy it was for me to be able to transfer to and from the credit builder account at any time.”
The convenience of using the card encouraged him, and reminded him of the importance of smart spending. With his savings and his credit on the rise, Eli told us that he loves banking with Chime because, in his words, it’s “like a friend who always has your back.” 💚
“Literally everything, but mostly increasing my savings.” -Firishta, Dietary Assistant from Delaware
Firishta joined Chime nearly three years ago, when she was looking for a new bank account. Her old one was charging her lots of overdraft fees, and she couldn’t handle it anymore. So, one day (June 4th, she remembers clearly) she made the switch, and said goodbye to her old bank forever. For starters, no overdraft or ATM fees⁵ has allowed Firishta to stash all that cash in her savings account.
But dodging hidden fees⁵ isn’t the only way Firishta saves. The day Chime’s Automatic Savings feature was announced, she opted in on a whim. She said “To be honest, I didn’t really understand what it was. I just turned it on, and didn’t think much about it.” What a lucky coincidence, because she soon noticed that new Savings Account started growing even more.
She admits that it did take a minute to get used to. The first few weeks, she had moments where she wondered “Where did my money go?” before she realized “Oh! It’s in my savings account!” Now, she’s grateful for this effortless savings habit. “Sometimes I don’t pay attention, but I really should be transferring most of my paycheck into my savings. Now, I don’t have to worry about that at all.”
“SpotMe gives me peace of mind.” -Vanessa, from New Jersey
When we spoke to Vanessa, she told us SpotMe was her favorite Chime feature. We all know what it’s like to be short a couple of dollars and now—in those moments—Vanessa is grateful to have backup, right in her pocket. “Recently I was at the grocery store and, when it came time to check out, I paid in cash,” she said. Realizing she didn’t have the funds she thought she had, she used her debit card so she could use SpotMe to pay the difference. “My next step was just to take something out, but I needed the things in my cart.” Luckily, she didn’t have to choose, and made out with everything she needed, minus any awkward moments.
Speaking of win-win scenarios, Vanessa actually joined Chime through a referral from her sister a few years ago. As someone on the go, she was often using ATM’s for cash withdrawals around three times a week, and those ATM fees were really adding up. “I remember I once took money out at an ATM, and they charged me almost $3 to take out $20. It’s hard,” she said.
So when she heard it was possible to open an account with a fee-free ATM network, she was excited to see what the Chime world was like.
As a member, she has the confidence to pay her bills on time, straight from her card. There’s also one more factor that she loves: the security. “I can be doing anything, and knowing that I have the ability to turn my card on and off is a life-saver.” she says. Staying safe from scammers and being able to make payments on time—every time—is priceless.
So, What’s Your Favorite Thing About Your Bank?
If you don’t have an answer, that’s alright. If you’re interested in discovering financial peace of mind, growing your savings, and finding an account you (actually) love, then it’s super easy to check out Chime for yourself and start making some money moves. 🤝
Learn more about our features here, and level up your finance game instantly!
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