Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC.

What is a Chime Card?

In this article

  1. What is a Chime Card?
  2. So what is Chime anyway?
  3. How do I activate my Chime Card?
  4. Chime Card FAQs
  5. Conclusion

Chime offers two distinct cards to its members, a debit card and a credit card. Learn more about each, including how they work, what they do, and how you can get in on the action.

Chime Team • August 30, 2022

OK, so you were just out somewhere running errands or grabbing food when you heard someone say “I’ll use my Chime card” — and now you’re online trying to figure out what the heck that is, right? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to get into all that and then some, so sit back and get ready to learn how to better manage your money with what we think is the best checking, savings, and credit building account in the world.

What is a Chime Card?

When you hear someone talking about their Chime card, that can mean they’re referring to either their Chime Visa® Debit Card or their secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card. Each one has its own personality and brings something different to the table. Let’s get into it.

Debit Card

Your Chime Debit Card is linked to your Chime Checking Account, so you can forget about confusing fees or overdraft charges. Our debit card works everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. And unlike some prepaid cards and traditional bank accounts, there are no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Oh, and our fee-free ATM¹ network is bigger than the top 3 national banks combined. 

Credit Builder

We offer a secured credit card called the Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card². It’s a no annual fee, no interest credit card that helps you build your credit with everyday purchases and on-time payments³. There are also no credit checks or security deposits to apply, however,  having a Chime Checking account and a qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more is required. And the best part? Our members have seen a median credit score increase of 30 points on average . Learn more about how it works here.

So what is Chime anyway?

Chime is a financial technology company that offers an award-winning mobile banking app. Unique to Chime, you can get your paycheck up to 2 days early, overdraft up to $200 fee-free, send money to anyone, save money automatically, and so much more. Learn how to deposit cash~ and everything else here

~The retailer that receives your cash will be responsible to transfer the funds for deposit into your Chime Checking Account. Cash deposit fees may apply if using a retailer other than Walgreens.

Cool. So how do I get a Chime Card?

When you open a Chime Checking Account, you will receive a Chime Visa® Debit Card – and applying is fast and easy. You don’t need any sort of initial deposit or pay any fee to get your account — just follow the simple steps below.   

  • Visit chime.com and enter your personal info and complete the enrollment.
  • Once enrollment is completed, we’ll send a Chime Visa® Debit Card in the mail to the address you provided. Your new debit card typically arrives in 7-10 business days.
  • Download the mobile banking app, and log in. You can connect your existing bank account to transfer funds or set up direct deposit to your Checking Account. You can also log in at chime.com whenever you need it.

What about getting a Credit Builder Card?

All you need is a Chime Checking Account and qualifying direct deposits of $200 or more². We designed Credit Builder to work with the Chime Checking Account so you can move money instantly into your Credit Builder Secured account. Learn more about Credit Builder and how to use it to build credit here

How do I activate my Chime Card?

There are two easy ways to activate your new Chime Card: via the Chime mobile app or over the phone.

Most people prefer to use the app, which will guide you through a short series of prompts and have you ready to spend within two minutes of signing in. All you have to do is:

  1. Download the app and sign in.
  2. Tap Card Status.
  3. Tap the green Activate button, and you’re all set.

If the app isn’t for you, don’t worry! You can call Chime at 1-844-244-6363 and activate your card by following the automated guided prompts.

As always, you can reach Chime Customer Support for immediate help if you run into any difficulty. We look forward to assisting you and welcoming you as a new Chime user!

Chime Card FAQs

Can I overdraft my Chime Debit Card?

As long as you are an eligible member, we’ll spot you when you need that little extra cushion to cover an expense. Chime’s SpotMe feature lets you make debit card purchases and cash withdrawals that overdraw your account with no overdraft fees. Members have limits to how much they can overdraft based on their SpotMe limit. Limits start at $20 and can be increased up to $200. Learn more here.

Do Chime cards have a spending limit?

For the Chime Visa® Debit Card, there’s no limit on the number of times that you can use your card for withdrawals or spending transactions. However, there is a limit on the amount of money that you can withdraw per day. Get the breakdown by transaction type below – and find more info on our help center here. 

Transaction TypeFrequency and/or Dollar Limit
ATM Withdrawal$500 per day**, no limit to the number of times per day
Cash Back at Point-of-Sale (POS)No limit to the number of times per day up to $500.00 per day**
Over The Counter (OTC) WithdrawalsNo limit to the number of times per day up to $500.00 per day**
Card Purchases (Signature & PIN)No limit to the number of times per day up to $2,500.00 per day

 

**ATM owner-operators, merchants, and participating banks may impose their own lower limits on cash withdrawals.

For the Chime Credit Builder Card, there’s no pre-set credit limit. Instead, the money you move into your Credit Builder secured account sets your spending limit on the card. How much you can spend with Credit Builder is shown to you as “Available to Spend” in the Chime app.

How do I add money to my Chime Debit Card?

A Chime Debit Card works the same as most other debit cards; to add money to it, you’ll simply put money into your Chime Checking Account. Once you have money in your Chime Checking Account, your funds will be available to spend when you use your Chime Debit Card. Learn all the ways you can add money to your Chime Checking Account here.

Is Chime a credit card?

Chime is not a credit card. Chime is a financial technology company that offers a secured credit card called Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card2. Chime also offers a savings and checking account. Deposits are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.

What ATM is free to use for Chime?

We offer a large ATM network with no in-network ATM fees. Our ATM network works with both MoneyPass and VisaPlus Alliance, which provides more than 60,000+ fee-free ATMs¹. We have an ATM Finder on our website and mobile app. Learn more here.

What is the Chime metal card?

The Chime metal card is a limited-edition version of our Chime Credit Builder Visa® Secured Credit Card. In order for a Chime Member to receive a limited-edition Metal Chime Visa® Credit Card terms and conditions apply. Learn more here

Conclusion

Chime offers great solutions for a variety of financial situations. From helpful features like fee-free overdrafts, getting paid up to 2 days early with direct deposit to using Credit Builder to help you build your credit with everyday purchases and on-time payments³, Chime has what you need to feel better about your finances. Get started today.

Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC. The Chime Visa® Debit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. The Chime Visa® Credit Builder Card and the Chime Visa® Cash Rewards Card are issued by Stride Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see back of your Card for its issuing bank.

While Chime doesn’t issue personal checkbooks to write checks, Chime Checkbook gives you the freedom to send checks to anyone, anytime, from anywhere. See your issuing bank’s Deposit Account Agreement for full Chime Checkbook details.

By clicking on some of the links above, you will leave the Chime website and be directed to an external website. The privacy policies of the external website may differ from our privacy policies. Please review the privacy policies and security indicators displayed on the external website before providing any personal.

Opinions, advice, services, or other information or content expressed or contributed here by customers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of The Bancorp Bank, N.A. and Stride Bank, N.A. (“Banks”). Banks are not responsible for the accuracy of any content provided by author(s) or contributor(s).

1 Out-of-network ATM withdrawal fees may apply except at MoneyPass ATMs in a 7-Eleven, or any Allpoint or Visa Plus Alliance ATM.

2 To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.

3 On-time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Chime will report your activities to Transunion®, Experian®, and Equifax®. Impact on your credit may vary, as Credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.

4 Based on a representative study conducted by Experian®, members who made their first purchase with Credit Builder between June 2020 and October 2020 observed an average FICO® Score 8 increase of 30 points after approximately 8 months. On-time payment history can have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score.

5 Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

6 SpotMe® on Credit is an optional, no interest / no fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account available to qualifying members with an active Chime Credit Builder Account. SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no fee overdraft service attached to the Chime Checking Account available to qualifying members after Visa debit card activation. Both SpotMe on Credit and SpotMe on Debit are sometimes collectively referred to as "SpotMe" or, if you have signed up to use SpotMe with only one account, "SpotMe" means the elected service. To qualify for SpotMe, you must receive $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account each month.

Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account and/or Secured Deposit Account (associated with your Chime Credit Builder credit card) up to $20, but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. The SpotMe limit will be displayed within the Chime mobile app and is subject to change at any time, at Chime’s sole discretion. Although Chime does not charge any overdraft fees for SpotMe, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe Debit Terms and Conditions and SpotMe on Credit Terms and Conditions.

7 Save When I Get Paid automatically transfers 10% of your direct deposits of $500 or more from your Checking Account into your Savings Account.

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