BankMobile Vibe review

A seamless way to receive refunds and financial aid from your school.

BankMobile's checking account is designed specifically for students. The account offers cashback rewards, access to free ATMs around the world and a seamless way to receive school refunds. You'll also earn up to 1.5% APY on balances less than $1,000.99, otherwise you’ll earn 0.01% APY.

But you'll pay $2.99 a month if you don't make qualifying deposits of $300 each billing cycle.

If you're looking for a student account with minimal to zero fees, you'll want to keep looking. As always, compare your options when choosing a checking account.

Pros

Uninterrupted refund delivery Balances earn interest Incentive to save Supports wire transfers Cash back promotions Check-writing privileges Budgeting tools Financial wellness assessment

Cons

Monthly service fees No live chat function Cash deposit fee Expensive outgoing wires Lack of overdraft protection Why you can trust this review

How do I open a BankMobile Vibe account?

To qualify for this account, you must be a student receiving financial aid at one of BankMobile’s partner universities or colleges.

You’ll get a refund selection kit from your school, and from there you can opt to receive your refunds through the BankMobile Vibe account. The kit will walk you through the steps for opening the account and creating a username and password.

If you haven’t yet received a refund selection kit or personal code, here’s how you can get one.

  1. Navigate to vibeaccount.com, and select Get started.
  2. Under the box that says Enter your personal code, select Need a code?
  3. Enter your school name and email address. You may also be asked to provide your school ID number.
  4. Select Continue and provide any further information requested, including your mailing address.
  5. Once complete, you should receive your refund selection kit within seven to 10 business days.

Required information

The application will ask for the following information:

You’ll also need to provide identifying documents, such as:

What are the benefits of a checking account with BankMobile?

What should I look out for?

These drawbacks may sway your decision:

BankMobile’s ATM network and fees

Dip your debit card into 55,000 AllPoint ATMs around the world for free. In the US, the ATMs are located in major retailers, such as Target, Costco, CVS, Kroger, Walgreens and Safeway. To find one near you, search by ZIP code on the AllPoint website.

If you withdraw cash from an out-of-network ATM, you’ll have to pay a fee of $3. The ATM provider may charge additional fees. If you’re just checking your balance, you won’t be charged a fee by BankMobile.

The maximum daily ATM withdrawal limit is $500.

Compare with other accounts

How do I deposit and withdraw my money?

Deposit or withdraw funds to and from your Vibe account in several ways.

Frequently asked questions

What happens to the account when I graduate, or if I stop receiving financial aid?
Keep your BankMobile Vibe account open for as long as you like.

How can I contact BankMobile?
There are a few ways to reach the customer service team:

Who issues the debit card?
The BankMobile Mastercard debit card is issued by Customers Bank, which is a member of the FDIC.

What are the spending limits?
You may spend up to $2,500 per day. This can be a combination of swipe-and-sign purchases, PIN-based transactions and teller withdrawals.

However, you can’t spend more than $500 a day in PIN-based debit card transactions — including merchant purchases and ATM withdrawals.

What do I do if I see an unauthorized transaction on my account?
Firstly, log onto the BankMobile app and temporarily turn off your card using the Debit card on/off switch.

Then, contact customer care at 877-327-9515 to report the transaction, and cancel your card if necessary.

Checking account ratings

We analyze top checking accounts and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: monthly fees, the ease at which monthly fees can be waived, the breadth of ATM access, ATM and overdraft fees, and customer service.

BankMobile Vibe is not currently available on Finder

Have you considered SoFi Checking and Savings?

Earn up to 4.50% APY on savings by meeting deposit requirements, and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Members without deposit requirements will earn 0.50% APY on both savings and checking balances. Turn on automatic savings or use the Roundups feature to help you reach your savings goals faster. Get up to $2M of additional FDIC insurance through a network of participating banks.