What Is Cash App And How Does It Work? (2024)

As fintech tools continue to gain mainstream adoption, peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps like Cash App have become the go-to payment option for many consumers.

Cash App lets anyone quickly receive and send money from their mobile devices. In addition to mobile banking, Cash App also offers the option to purchase stocks and bitcoin through its platform. The company has even made it possible to file your taxes through its Cash App Taxes feature.

Here’s a deeper look into Cash App’s features, fees and more.

What Is Cash App?

Cash App is a P2P payment app that lets individuals quickly send, receive and invest money. Block, Inc., formerly Square, Inc., launched the app, initially named Square Cash, in 2013 to compete with mobile payment apps like Venmo and PayPal.

Cash App is a financial platform, not a bank. It provides banking services and debit cards through its bank partners. The balance in your account is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation through partner banks. Cash App provides investing services through Cash App Investing LLC, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulation Authority.

Through Cash App, users can send and receive money, get a debit card and receive direct deposits. The investing feature lets users invest in stocks for as little as $1. This is done by buying a portion of a stock, called a fractional share. Consumers can also buy, sell or transfer bitcoin through the app.

With Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax), users can file their taxes for free. With this feature, Cash App is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for financial services.

How Does Cash App Work?

To use Cash App, you must first download the mobile app, available for iOS and Android. You can also sign up for an account online. The app features several tabs for its various services, including banking, debit card, payments, investing and bitcoin.

Send and Receive Money

After setting up a Cash App account, you’ll need to link it to an existing bank account. Once a payment source is connected, you can send or receive money through the mobile app. Users can enter a dollar amount from the green payment tab and tap “Request” or “Pay” to create a payment.

Each Cash App user creates a unique username, called a $Cashtag. You can find individuals and businesses by searching for their $Cashtag in Cash App, then you can request or transfer funds. You can also search for individuals by name, phone number or email address, and you can choose to send funds from your Cash App balance or your linked funding source.

Transfer Money

Any money you receive via Cash App is added to your Cash App balance by default. You can keep it there or transfer it to a linked bank account. Cash App charges a fee for instant transfers (0.50% to 1.75% of the transfer amount, with a minimum fee of $0.25), but you can also choose a standard no-fee transfer, which typically takes one to three business days to complete.

Add Money

To add money to your Cash App account, navigate to the app’s banking tab and select “Add Cash.” Enter the decided amount and tap “Add.”

Save Money

Cash App added a savings feature in 2023. Users can now set money aside in savings without leaving the app. There are no fees or minimum balance requirements associated with Cash App’s savings feature.

To save money using the app, tap on the Money tab, which then lets you create specific savings goals and choose a goal-appropriate emoji. You can contribute to your savings from your Cash App balance or a linked payment source, like a debit card or bank account. To withdraw funds, you’ll first need to transfer the money to your Cash App balance before sending it to an external account.

Unfortunately, the savings feature doesn’t earn interest, so there’s no way to maximize your savings potential like you could with the best high-yield savings accounts. Even so, it’s a nice feature for Cash App users who want to set and track savings goal progress within the app.

Round Ups for Savings

Another savings feature within Cash App is called Round Ups for Savings. This feature lets users with an activated Cash App Card round up card transactions to the nearest dollar and automatically transfer the spare change to a Cash App savings balance. You can turn this feature on or off whenever you want by navigating to your savings balance within the app. For individuals who frequently use their Cash App Card for purchases, this can be a great way to boost savings toward chosen goals without much work.

Who Can Use Cash App?

Cash App is for individuals ages 13 and older. Users age 13 to 17 require approval from a parent or guardian to access expanded Cash App features like P2P transactions, direct deposit and a Cash App Card.

Other features, such as investing and bitcoin, are only available for Cash App users who are at least 18 years of age.

Does Cash App Offer a Debit Card?

Yes. Cash App users can receive a Cash App Card, which is a debit card tied to their Cash App account. Like most debit cards, the Cash App Card can be used to make purchases online and in person. You can also add your Cash App Card to digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Users can also use the Cash App Card at ATMs. Cash App charges a $2.50 fee per ATM transaction. In addition, the ATM owner may charge a separate fee for ATM use. For users who receive direct deposits of at least $300 each month, Cash App reimburses ATM fees, including one third-party ATM fee per 31-day period. Each receipt of qualifying direct deposits of $300 or more within a month extends your ATM fee reimbursem*nts for an additional 31 days.

Cash App Card transactions are subject to the following withdrawal limits:

• $7,000 per day
• $10,000 per week
• $15,000 per month

What Does It Cost To Use Cash App?

It costs nothing to download Cash App and create an account. And Cash App doesn’t charge fees for many of its services. Standard transfers from a Cash App balance to a linked bank account are fee-free, but Cash App charges a small fee for instant transfers.

Users that request a Cash App Card are subject to fees for ATM use. Cash App may also charge a fee if you buy or sell bitcoin. The fee is listed before you complete the transaction.

How Long Does It Take To Send Money?

Cash App payments are instant and funds are available to use immediately in most instances. If your account activity lists a payment as pending, you may need to take action and follow the steps provided by the app to complete the transaction.

What Are the Dollar Limits on Cash App?

Cash App restricts how much you can send or receive when you first open an account. Users can send up to $1,000 per 30-day period and receive up to $1,000 per 30-day period.

Cash App users can have their accounts verified to access higher limits. Sending limits vary depending on the amount of money Cash App approves you for. However, there is no limit to how much money you can receive through the mobile app once you are verified.

Is Cash App Safe?

Cash App’s website says the app employs the latest encryption and fraud protection technology to protect its users. As a security measure, the app will send you a one-time-use code when logging into your account.

Cash App also offers optional settings to enable additional security measures. By enabling a security lock, for example, every Cash App payment requires your passcode. You can also disable your Cash App Card within the app, which could come in handy if your card is lost or stolen.

Does Cash App Report Payments to the IRS?

Not yet. In 2021, a law was created that aimed to revise tax reporting for P2P apps like Cash App, Venmo and PayPal. Under the law, these companies would be required to report transactions of $600 or more for payments of goods and services. However, the IRS announced in 2022 that it was delaying the new reporting requirements until the 2024 tax filing season.

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