| 5 star: | (12) | |
| 4 star: | (10) | |
| 3 star: | (5) | |
| 2 star: | (4) | |
| 1 star: | (26) |
I have been having issues with their accounts and there is no customer support to answer my questions. I have sent an email to customer service hoping they would respond and I have waited a month and no one has responded at all. I have been constantly calling their phone but no one answers. They literally had me on hold for 3 hours and when the clock struck 5:00PM they hung up on me saying they were closed and to try calling back during normal business hours. This pissed me off the most because I called at 2Pm and they were the ones that didn't answer. The funny thing is, the moment I started complaining to the BBB and trying to close my account is when they start responding to all my support questions. Their social media team loves to start arguments and saying how big banks are terrible when in reality they are exactly like big banks. But big banks actually have an adequate customer support team. If you check their Twitter accounts, they're always saying how they "tripled" their support so they went from 1 person to 3 people. On Facebook, they blocked me after I requested urgently that I needed support. What a pathetic excuse for a bank. Avoid opening any account with them.
I was happy checking with them for a little while. Then they decided to make all of their customers migrate to a different account. I'm so glad I didn't fall for that and have to update all of my payments. But after I switched to the bank that used to host Aspiration, which allowed me to keep rhe same account number, Aspiration never stopped emailing me that I need to "upgrade" soon to stay with Aspiration. So I unsubscribed them from my email. Now they've been robo-calling me and leaving spam voicemails. First they say, "upgrade by March 5 to stay with Aspiration" so I think, ok maybe they'll finally leave me alone after that. Nope. Now I get the same calls, every day, but it says the deadline is March 15. As if I would ever trust a bank that doesn't even know I left them months ago. I tried calling customer service to be left alone but that didn't even get me on hold, just a dead-end message that says to try back later. Really people need to be mkre realistic and not brainwashed about this fake it till you make it kind of ambition for new startups. If you're product isn't ready for market, DON'T SELL IT. Stay away from this bank, they need to die off.
Aspiration is by far the worst bank I've ever used. I was lured in by the ATM fee reimbursement and decent interest rates, like most people are. After traveling to Taiwan, I both set a travel notice in the mobile app and I called them to ensure that its active. The first time I used the card at an ATM, everything was fine. Awesome! The second time, my card was declined. Odd.
I tried again, declined. I then checked the mobile app and everything appeared to be in good standing, so I tried another ATM and again, declined. ONLY AFTER contacting them did they reveal they canceled my card for undisclosed reasons. Okay, fine. No more Aspiration, i'll just transfer my funds to my other bank and eat the fees.
Now all of my bank transfers are being rejected and without notification of any kind. I contact them and all they say is to try again, which I did, and it didn't work. I am now, as of writing this, stranded in a foreign country with no access to my funds and this bank literally couldnt care any less.
To boot, they refuse to ship you a new card anywhere outside of the US. So to review, they cancel your card for no reason, won't allow bank tranfers (to US banks), and then refuse to issue you a new card if you're traveling. Awesome. 0/10 do not recommend, oh, and don't fall for their moral high horse marketing either, it's all BS.
Terrible customer service
Do yourself a favor and take your money somewhere else.
I signed up in order to earn 1% APY on my checking account, and have ATM fees refunded. Shortly after, they converted their account to give 2% on the savings account only - not useful to me at all (I already have a better savings account). Oh well, no big deal, I'll just move my money back to my previous bank account...
Or so I thought. Every time I try to withdraw money into the same account I withdrew money from, they give an error (later in the day) telling me my bank won't accept the deposit. How strange, I can get deposits from everywhere else just fine...
So I tried to call Aspiration, and couldn't get through after 90 minutes of waiting. I emailed and wrote feedback. No response a week later.
So I called Schwab, who answered immediately. They told me there is no record of a rejected transaction at all. I was advised that if I can't get in touch with Aspiration, then I can file a fraud claim.
I tried to call Aspiration again today, and couldn't get through. Not only this, but due to this complication, my rent check has bounced.
I am going to file a fraud claim. I don't actually think that they are knowingly doing something nefarious, but it seems to be my only course of action with them.
They are so incredibly incompetent. I hope NerdWallet will update their review soon so more people don't fall into this trap.
I had joined Chime last year based on the promise of Micro Savings and early direct deposit.
What they DON'T talk about is how their ATM card network is small and if you don't use it, you are charged 2.50 a pop. If you get cash back from a bank, it is also 2.50 bucks. And they had a limit of 500 / day to get cash back.
I've been with Empower for just over a month and so far it is pretty good.
The good:
1. 2 percent cash back on debit card swipes like credit cards. (this is a newly announced feature)
2. 2 percent interest on deposits (as opposed to 0.01 percent by Chime).
3. The app is straightfoward and easy to use.
4. They've lowered the minimum to invest to 10.00 but I'm not inclined to invest through Aspiration.
The not-so-good:
1. No early access to direct deposit like Empower
2. No website to view your activity -- you are limited to the app on your mobile devices
3. The app is not as integrated as Empower
4. ATM network is not unlimited like Empower or Fidelity Cash Mgmt account. They use the same network as Chime so for a company that wants to make a positive social/planet impact, they make you drive around to find an ATM that will not incur a fee.
However, the goods outweigh the bad -- especially compared to Chime. I get the sense they are trying hard to be competitive with Empower. The newly announced 2 percent per debit card swipe proves that. I still like Empower better but Aspiration may evolve.
Saw this company on an instagram ad. Decided to give it a try.. signed up, gave all of my personal info including SSN. They claimed they needed more info and would get back to me within 5 days. I uploaded the ID info they requested. They then continued with automated emails asking for the same info I already provided. Based on all our communications it is clear this company does NOT have it together. Not even close. They couldn't figure out why I was still getting requests, then they said my state wasn't on their approved list and I would be approved in a few days. 2 weeks go by and nothing, yet I'm still getting emails asking for info I already provided, and multiple replies from customer service to the same questions. I didn't take long to see they are just sloppy af and totally incompetent. Do not use them, complete waste of time.
My experience with Aspiration has been very frustrating. The customer service has been incompetent. Paying a fee at another banking institution to have competent customer service has become more appealing to me.
As far as Aspiration goes, You get what you pay for.
This institution is a complete failure on so many levels. They don't just struggle to offer service, they will take your money and hold it until they please and there is nothing you can do about it. They have ZERO customer support at this time. There is no phone support, email support or chat options. You are on your own to figure out how to function with out your paycheck. None of what I am typing here is a exaggeration, please do your homework, look on their Facebook page and read other sites with reviews BEFORE you step into this nightmare. They have cheated so many people. There are far safer ways to make charitable contributions, this is a SCAM that wears the face of a socially responsible organization. If I could have given this joke zero stars I would have.
I am an Aspiration account holder. I have been trying for multiple days to call them to speak to someone in person about an issue with my account. Whenever I call, estimated hold times are 2 hours! There is an option to request a callback instead of waiting. Everytime i get a callback it is hours later and is a robot voice informing me that my callback request has been unsuccessful and lists multiple reasons why this might be the case.
What a joke! This is the worst customer service! Amateur tele spam calls have better customer service phone lines than you! Seriously, you need to add more phone service ! 2+ hours hold time! You think this is acceptable?!
I would give 0 out of 5 stars but that is not an option, you dont even deserve 1 star!
I have been a memeber of this bank for a year now and there have been nothing but problems, it takes at least 45 min to 1 1/2 hours to talk to a live person and I’ve have email requests answered a week later when my paycheck wasn’t showing in my account. Terrible customer service and even worse banking.
Definitely not a trustworthy bank and the employees all have a different story. Supposedly mailed debit cards but never received. Just try getting a replacement. Then they don't send you any web access but all request you have to go through the website. But wait gets better, ask to close and still no access and they take 1/2 of what is in the account for a supposed charitable contribution. NICE Ripoff! Having attorney file federal fraud charges against this bank.
I have been banking with Aspiration for over a year now and I have loved their customer service and account offerings. I have the Aspiration Summit account that has a high interest rate. There are no fees associated with the account and you have the option to pay the bank what you think they deserve. The bank also has investment opportunities like, "The Redwood Fund," which allow you to invest as little as $100 in a sustainable investment fund. All ATM fees are reimbursed for using any ATM in the US. The only negative that I can report is that I had to wait a long time to get accepted as a new account holder. There is a waiting list to join the bank. I would highly recommend this bank for anyone looking for a high interest no fee account, but be prepared to wait a little while.
Aspiration is interested in working with altruistic and green companies that make you feel good about banking. Their "planet first" motto for banking makes me feel like I am banking with the bank that cares about the 99 percent. The online products include checking and investing products. They let you know at the end of the month how green your money is. Their online newsletter is chock filled with information that educates in a positive way.
I've been doing business with Aspiration for nearly a year now. Ever since I left my last bank that did me wrong. In any event, this bank is great. They pay a decent interest rate and I actually pay nothing for the account whatsoever. They even reimburse each month for ATM fees charged. So, I can use my card at any ATM for free effectively. They also have some investment accounts that I may look into in the future. The customer service is also top notch. Every time I have needed anything, they were very quick about responding.
Aspiration is THE greatest online bank I have ever used. Their customer service is BEYOND amazing!! Always willing to answers all my questions and very promptly too might I add (I've contacted them in regards to questions about when the joint accounts will start, the paperwork that's needed to get it going, if I could get a second beneficiary on my account etc)! Their interest rate is also the BEST of all the banks I've seen thus far.. they have 1.00%!! That is unheard of! There is a minimum of of $2500 though for the interest to go through and any amount before that the interest will be 0.25% but even that is better than most banks! Their app is superb too! Its so easy to navigate and transfer your funds from one bank to another. I just wish they had a selection of cards you could choose from rather than their basic blue card.
The process to apply for this online bank though took 3 weeks..so it took a bit of waiting and paperwork to get things going but it all went smoothly after that. I've been telling all my friends and family to get this bank because of the amazing customer service and their interest rate! Soon, they are going to implement a joint account system which I am looking forward to because I REALLY need one for my spouse and I. We already have a good amount saved and would like this joint account to go through as it would be a big help for both of us. They also have an IRA investment account you can participate in and my spouse and I are looking forward to investing in that soon! All in all I would rate Aspiration a 10/10!! Definitely recommend this bank to everyone I know~
I have a checking account with Aspriation. They are an online only bank that seems to pass on typical brick and mortar fees to customers in various ways. Although they have a silly option that allows one to choose how much to pay the bank every month. Only a fool would give a bank any money, after all they make money from your money! So I obviously selected to pay zero dollars a month for that. They give a decent rate for interest, but the advertised rate is a bit of a trick. You need to have over 2000 in the checking account to get the over 1 percent advertised. Anything lower than that is like .25 which is still better than most banks but definitely not better than inflation. They refund out of ATM bank fees which is the best part of having an account with them. They are partner with a bank that isn't very good but apparently that is changing soon. I recommend it but will be on the lookout for even bettter alternatives. Some of their advertising is annoying. They claim to be social do gooders and the like.
I have a fair bit of experience with online banking. Trying to open an account at Aspiration because I think what they're trying to do is very good. Unfortunately they're just not ready for prime time. Poor communications + dysfunctional website. Long delay in opening the account and their website glitch still isn't resolved. Never had this problem with other online banks. Too bad, as I'd like to a fan of Aspiration but so far dealing with them has been one bad experience after another.d
I only use the checking account with Aspiration and I'm very pleased with my experience. First, the bank doesn't automatically charge a monthly fee, you decide if you want to pay and how much. I've decided to pay a dollar a month. They don't have a savings account but the checking account does get a high rate, I believe you get 1% and it's added monthly. Most of my money is directly deposited but I've also used the app to remote deposit a check. I've also checked on their website and they do make it possible to use the ATMs of other banks to deposit cash and checks. Money can be taken out of any ATM and if there if a fee, they will refund it to your account, which has saved me several dollars. I've had contact with customer service and they were very friendly and helpful, and respond quickly. They do offer IRAs and money market accounts that invest in environmentally and socially responsible investments and they have shown a very high rate of return.
Don't be fooled by good web design: They're garbage. Got drawn by the high interest rate (1%) for the Summit Checking and the "socially responsible" different-kind-of-bank marketing. Then I made an admin error and they killed me with the worst overdraft fee situation I've ever seen. Daily fees that incurred while they failed to notify me of the issue and then continued even as I was trying to resolve the issue. Continued to assess fees even after I closed the account. This is absolutely the kind of bank that reminds you why we still need the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The only thing that can be said is that their frontline customer-service people are quite polite even while they're telling you there's nothing they can do for you. Along that lines, it would have helped if they didn't try so hard to hide their customer service number - fyi, it's 1-800-683-8529.
Aspiration online banking is literally one of the best financial decisions I've ever made. Receiving 0.25% APY on my "checking" account is absolutely incredible. They do not charge me ATM fees or Overdraft fees. The customer service reps are easily accessible both online or through the phone. I have been with Aspiration for almost a year now and have not had one single problem with the entire company. I am in the process of moving all of my money over to this bank. Simply gaining money each month on my checking account makes this worthy of the best bank available online. One experience where my account went on a brief hold also showed me how good this company can be. I received an email notification and a text message immediately to confirm whether or not I was the one who made this purchase. I confirmed my purchase and they lifted the hold, called the company I made the purchase with, and sent me a confirmation of the final details!
At first I loved them, then things turned quickly sour. My automatic payments I had set up for some of my bills started getting rejected, and not just one of them, but all of them. It was almost as if I didn't have money in my account. The bank did very little to help, I pretty much got a "oh, I'm sorry. Good luck!". Then the second issue was when I needed to withdrawal a large amount of money for a car I was buying, there was literally no way too do it without doing anything ACH transfer, so I did. It took 5 days, the car ended up being sold. When I called the bank initially, they had no idea what to do, the customer services representative literally told me to do a cash advance on my debit card. When I informed her that her bank had a $2,000 cash advaced limit, she told me to just go back each day until I had enough... That would of taken 3 days!! The final straw was when I closed my account. They gave me the run around for weeks! I finally lost my cool on them and they made it happen. This bank is just horrible. Just don't do it.
This bank offers a great overall selection of services for being an online only bank. Their interface is sleek and very easy to work with, and they provide fair fees for their services and good interest rates for putting money in a checking account. They also offer investments where you can pay what you want fees for the fund management. Their customer service as so far been pretty stellar as well. I am satisfied with this bank as they offer a good alternative to brick and mortar banks and offer much better interest rates and options to manage your money. I would suggest this bank to anybody who is good with computers and does not mind not having a place to go in person to bank. So far they have been very trustworthy and I do not worry about my money at all there.
Terrible customer service, no physical branches or speaking to someone face to face. When you deposit a check they will hold it for over a week cashier checks or money orders like my other banks. Annoying liberal junk emails pushing their agenda to all their customers.
My experience with Aspiration Banking institution was very good. I had lots of doubt about it at first, mainly because of the online only factor but over time, i realized it was a great opportunity. The first reason i started using Aspiration was because of their savings accounts, i had saved up a good sum of money and was keeping it in another bank account with a bank that is "brick and mortar" with very little interest. When i heard about Aspirations savings account from a friend and how they had an interest rate that was way better than anything that the banks in my area were offering i jumped at the opportunity. Like i said i was a bit skeptical at first, not having any experience dealing with online banks, but i filled out the application to join and went through the motions, but i only deposited a fraction of my savings in my new savings account, expecting the worst. To my happy surprise nothing went wrong and i accumulated interest and my money was still there, i was honestly shocked and couldn't believe that this worked. Before i went head first i decided to wait another month to see how things were going and if this was a good idea to pursue. The next month came and all my money was still there, and i swiftly closed my savings account at the bank i had been with for years and transferred my savings to my Aspirations account. It was just surreal, i couldn't believe that this online bank was ridiculously better than any bank i could use in my area, at least the savings account. I have not moved my checking account because i am not comfortable being able to deposit money at my convenience, so i cannot speak on the checking accounts, but the savings account that they offer are a great opportunity.
I absolutely love this bank. I was very skeptical at first, as I have never had an online bank account but after researching everything I could, I decided to go ahead with it. The savings with this account vs a normal account is impeccable and who doesn't love a bank who gives back to charity? For every $1.00 spent Aspiration will donate 10% to charities deserving and needing donations. I deal with a lot of charities in my day to day activities so this was a huge bonus for me when I decided to sign up. It's very eco friendly as well. You don't even have to pay a monthly fee. You actually get to CHOOSE what you feel they deserve as a banking institution, even if that's NOTHING, meaning $0.00. I went with the Summit account and in my experience it's just been great, it's my primary "vacation savings" account now. I didn't even have to have a minimum balance. Aspiration has reimbursed all of my ATM fee's the following month, so can't really argue with that either. I am one for really easy navigation, usability and user friendly experiences. Their app is really easy to use and makes me look forward to seeing my balance, as much as you can look forward to that. The only downside is that they have not integrated the ability to have joint accounts, or savings accounts. I was speaking with my husband about setting up a savings account for our son but as we can't have joint accounts, that couldn't happen so we had to open one with our bank, and deal with the fee's of that institution. Really hoping they add this feature soon.
I've been banking with Aspiration for over a year now and I'm so glad that I opened a checking account with them. Unlike many of the larger banks, Aspiration doesn't charge fees meaning there are no minimum balance requirements, a certain number of debit card transaction required, or direct deposit requirements to get the monthly fees raised. Aspiration leaves it up to the customer to decide if and how much they want to pay (sort of like a voluntary donation). The only downside is that every once in a while I wish there was a physical branch I could go to, but this doesn't happen often. I've also spoken with customer service on several occasions and they gave excellent customer service each and every time. I would definitely recommend this bank to anyone tired of spending monthly fees on accounts at the brick and mortar banks.
I have tried to close my account for two weeks and the bank has "lost" the remaining $1,015.21 that was in my account. I have had multiple calls and chat sessions and I have been told many different stories; unfortunately I have still not seen my money. Try getting through to a live person, and expect to wait a VERY LONG TIME, regardless of day or time that you try. Yesterday I wound up submitting a complaint with the Federal Reserve. I am hopeful that they can help. Oh, I didn't mention that they locked my account, so I have no online access to my information. Absolutely horrible situation. Avoid at all costs >> not worth the extra .1% you may "earn".
UPDATE the following is what I sent to the Federal Reserve: This is a follow up to my previous complaint against Aspiration Bank filed on 2/7/18 at 2:25 pm. I called Aspiration Bank on Friday evening to see if they had a status on my missing funds. I was threatened by them regarding putting my account into collections and that I never returned "the check". I had NO IDEA what they were talking about. Bottom line is when I closed my account with Aspiration Bank, I followed their procedures and scheduled multiple ACH transfers to Wells Fargo. So here is what happened: They evidently sent me a check for $10,015.21 when they closed my account, not realizing there were still some ACH payments scheduled. $9,000 was transferred, leaving a balance owed to me of $1,015.21. They said they will not send me those funds until I return the check they sent to me in error. I explained that I have yet to receive this check for $10,015.21 and that they can just stop payment on it and issue me my funds. The representative told me that they work with Radius Bank and THEY CANNOT STOP PAYMENT ON A CHECK. What??? So I have to wait for this check to come, return it to Radius Bank, who I never even heard of, and then wait for them to cut me another check for the balance owed to me. How can this be possible that they can't just stop payment on the incorrect check and just issue me a new one? And then they threaten me that if I cash the erroneous check, they are taking me to collections. I have NEVER been involved in such a ludicrous situation. As I ended my last complaint: PLEASE HELP.
I’ve never dealt with a bank so complicated. They do not keep up with the amount of money you have and when you overdraft your account they’re supposed to make you aware, but that NEVER happened. They charge you $5 every single day that you are overdrawn. It’s bullshit.
I originally found out about this bank on DepositAccounts.com. The main thing that attracted me to this bank is that there are no monthly service fees, which most other banks charge for checking and/or savings. Signing up was simple and took about five minutes. I did an automatic transfer of $10 from my current bank account in order to set up the online account. The money posted in three days which is also when I received my debit card. I currently use my account as a savings that never gets touched. I have $50 from my direct deposit go into the online account every two weeks. Having an online bank account is more simple than one of the more traditional banks and I believe that they offer better rates as well. Plus, being able to use ANY ATM without having to pay a fee is the best bonus.
I like this bank because they refund all atm fees. This makes it so worth it just to use this bank. I transfer money from other banks to this when I need to use an atm. The atm fees add up. Think about it. What I don't like is that they spam my inbox and screen with their leftist causes. They also give a higher interest rate than most banks. But there is a bit of false advertising. You need a few thousand in your checking to really gain the over 1% they claim. Only a fool would leave that much in a checking account when stocks and bitcoin are better investments. I think I get like .25 percent which is better than most banks. Overall I'd recommend the bank. They offer investment products but they seem to be a bit of a waste. The cards they give are pretty nice looking. It's a mountain. I get good comments about it. I think the concept of aspiration is good, too. I aspire to improve my finances and this helps a little.
I applied for the Aspiration Summit checking account but was declined because they couldn't access my credit profile. I gave them a one time pass so they could access it, but I was still declined. When I asked why, the only response was "We used the pin, contact Equifax for further details". He didn't want to say anything else. I checked with Equifax and it turns out that they didn't use the pin. This is very creepy. If your looking for a secure bank, please look elsewhere because I don't like lies (especially from a financial institution).
The Aspiration Summit Account is one of the best checking options on the market. The account earns interest and doesn't have monthly fees or ATM fees. In addition, Aspiration doesn't charge overdraft fees on debit card purchases, ATM withdrawals or online transfers that would push your balance below zero. Those transactions are simply declined. But Aspiration is an investment firm, so it doesn't have bank branches or offer savings accounts or certificates of deposit. You can use any ATM and Aspiration will reimburse your fees. I love this bank!
I opened up an account at Aspiration for a couple reasons. I wanted a debit card not linked to my bank or savings account, I also liked it didn't have any service charges. All going well.. until I wanted to deposit monies in the account with cash. There was no place I could do that. When I called customer service they were nice but not helpful. They said they would be putting in notes to request a place where I can make deposits, but who knows when that will happen.
I no longer use this service
Aspiration has been a wonderful online bank. They provide a very competitive interest rate of .25% on their checking account, and they have implemented a "pay what you want" system for their banking fees. They also have several investment opportunities available, and focus on only investing into sustainable companies. This makes for great returns, and helps to assure that their funds will be able to continue providing returns far into the future. Their website is extremely user-friendly, and requires very little thought to navigate. Added to the whole package is free ATM usage for any ATM in the United States, making Aspiration one of the best checking accounts available.
Horrible Service! Lied to me numerous times, still holding my account locked together with my money! Demanded documents and 3 way bank call, still holds my money, lied to me again
I loved the idea of using this account but never got around to it because I used Simple Banking and was highly satisfied with my banking with them. I was gonna give Aspiration a try and maybe even do a review on them, but they closed out my account before I could even start using it. They claimed I "never made the first initial deposit (which I did make the initial deposit) and terminated my account for security reasons". I asked them about starting a brand new account and they said it was "impossible". So one start for them 1 star, if there was a 0 star option I would give them that.
Worst bank account ive ever had. Never got my debit card and the eventually took 50% of my money in fees and other nonsense. Closing my account was even more of a hastle.avoid like the plague and stick to your locally owned credit unions.
I was excited to get this account with them. but I had NOTHING but problems with them. I would deposit a check on Thursday and it wouldn't be "available" to me until Monday. The worst is the stupid app said the money was in my account on Saturday but of course all my transactions were declined, so I went to the ATM and nope, my check was not deposited. Trying to get a hold of the "24/7" costumer support is a freaking joke, then of course they say we have online support well what they really mean is you can go read through questions and answers but you don't actually get to talk to anyone about your problem. Every time I have talked with costumer support (which always took me at least an hour!) They were rude and not helpful.
I will be closing out my account with them because I'm sick of trying to get a hold of the costumer support and consistently having problem with them.
BEWARE: Aspiration pulled the bait and switch technique on their interest rate! They no longer actually offer 1% interest on your money if you have a balance over $2500. They only give you 1% interest on money over the $2500; so if you were storing $2600 dollars in the account, they cut your effective interest down by a factor of 4!
Unfortunately, Aspiration has just shown themselves to be like other banks that disingenuously drop interest rates once they gain lots of customers from the publicity. Mathematically you will now NEVER have an effective interest rate of 1% on your account. If you keep $3000 in your account every day, you’ll only have an effective interest rate of 0.37%.
If you keep $4000 in your checking account on a daily basis, you will still only have an effective interest rate of 0.53%
They advertised and sponsored posts in financial blogs etc. throughout the entire last year bragging about their interest rate and pulling people in, only to switch this on us all as soon as their user base increased. I checked many of these sites again and there are now many other options with higher interest checking accounts (without gimmicks) than Aspiration now.
Please join me in asking Aspiration to restore the rate structure they advertised to us so thoroughly over the past year. If they don’t, we have plenty of better options to take our money elsewhere. I had previously been a happy customer, however this switch places Aspiration firmly in the category of institutions that they swore they were different from.
This bank is still in the growth stage (still working on features like electronic check delivery, etc.) and may have just shot themselves in the foot with their user base.
Card declined for $4.00 charge. Have funds available. No one to talk to 24 hours.
Aspiration is a terrific online bank with a unique fee structure. They have a great 1% interest rate on their savings account plus you can choose what fee to pay them (they default it to $3). Their website is very easy to navigate to make deposits and withdrawals. Plus they refund all atm fees on their debit card. Aspiration does run their accounts through Radius Bank so during tax season you will receive your documents from Radius not Aspiration. They also offer IRA investment options and a Redwood Fund that invests in environmentally conscious companies, though I have not put any money in those and can not report on their performance. Overall my experience with them has been extremely positive, I have made more in interest with them in a month than I did over four years with my previous bank.
Absolutely terrible customer service. After 2 years of being a customer, my account was frozen and I could not access my money. After several emails I called the bank for more information as it was going on 2 weeks that I could not access my account. After my 2nd call, I was informed that my account had been closed and a check mailed to me with the balance without prior warning. What kind of customer service is that? My account never fell below 5K the entire time that I banked with them. DREADFUL
Aspiration banks Summit account is pretty good over all. I like the fact that it's so easy to set up and that it is interest bearing. I don't like the fact that you have to pay at least $1 per month to have the account, which is frustrating if you just used most of the money. I use this account as my savings account, even though it's technically a standard checking account. I like the fact that you can have checks and a debit card like you normally do. I still have to have another bank account though because if I need to deposit cash, I can't with an online only bank. Otherwise it's good though.
My experience with Aspiration Bank's online website was almost entirely a positive one. The process of creating a bank account on their website was very fluid and they anticipated my needs at each step of the way and made it as painless as possible to complete each step. Signup up for a bank account is typically a long painful process but I was able to complete the entire thing in under 30 minutes, without having to spend too much time on the phone or waiting for any one particular step. I would definitely recommend Aspiration bank to anyone looking for a new, ethical bank provider to use. Furthermore, their interest rates are some of the highest in the industry and have no fees for their free bank tier.
I signed up with this as they actually give you interest on your checking account, whereas my bank doesn't give anything for checking accounts. I haven't had to speak with the customer service lines yet as far as my account goes. It runs very seamless and smooth. I only spoke with a rep before signing up to have questions answered and they were quite nice. I'm loving my decision so far. As long as I don't run into any issues with customer service if I have an issue I would be quite happy to recommend this bank to anyone who wants a bank who works with you, not just for their benefit. I mean who doesn't want to have money back into their account? I mean the bank borrows your money to make money, you should get more than just fees!
I knew the multiple steps to open a checking account with them. Getting on the list for the invite, waiting for the invite, etc. That wasn't the issue. They have a slowly rising daily limit for a deposit which made transferring my current checking account to this new checking account quite tedious. I also made the mistake of attempting to make two deposits in a daily that added up to their daily limit. They only take one deposit a day! If all that was bad enough over 30 days then I finally got to the point of switching to have my paycheck deposited. My paycheck amount was over their daily amount after 30 days which is ridiculous. Customer Service would reply 3-5 days later. Overall, worst experience ever with a bank in my 38 years of having a checking account.
What a mess this "banking institution" is. I thought it looked like a good option from the big banks but after a week and a half after opening my account, I didn't receive my debit card. Meh. Things get lost in the mail, no big deal. I contacted Aspiration and they verified that my address was correct and they said they would mail another card. 10 days later, still no card. I contacted them again and this time they stated that after their research, it looks like I listed a different address when I opened my account so I must now follow the multi-page set of instructions in an email they sent and send: a Utility Bill (Gas, Water, Electric, Cable, Land Line Phone, dated within 3 months), a Property Tax Bill, Auto Registration, a Bank Statement with address (dated within 3 months), a Student Loan Bill with address (dated within 3 months) or a Mortgage Bill/Statement, then fill out the change of address form. Sign the document in ink, upload it.....and then they'll send me a new card.
Well, how about I send you a screen grab of my account information page showing that my address is not incorrect and INDEED lists my current address? I did that, and promptly closed my account....which by the way also involves a lot of hoops.
No thank you, Aspiration, I'll stick with my big bank, which come to think of it has never really done me wrong anyway. We give big banks a hard time, but at least they have one thing down: how open (and yes close) accounts. To me, if you are banking institution and you can't manage how to properly open an account, then it's just a matter of time before you fail. Can't wait to say, "I saw it coming".
Terrible customer service not for international customers. The fraud alert could only be removed temporarily after talking to many people and three weeks and costing me 100s of dollars as their go to is we will look into it and contact you tomorrow. They then don't fix it then say I am not able access my money for my own safety. I am constantly traveling and luckily have accounts with banks with actual people that understand that or I would be sleeping on the street in China or Paris when my aspiration card is rejected as a fraud safety measure even though I told them I would be there. I emailed the CEO no response. Customer service also were rude and now give me no response.
Getting an Aspiration Summit bank account has been one of the best financial decisions I've ever made! It was so easy to get set up, and I love the fact that it can be free, or you can pay them via a monthly tip that you choose. On top of that it's interest bearing which is amazing for an account like this. Since I travel a lot, having a bank that allows me to use all bank ATM's and that refunds the bank fee is really nice. I am using the bank account for savings because it's interest bearing, but also ordered checks through them as well as the debit card that automatically comes with the account. I very much recommend this bank as hands down the best online bank ever!
I opened an account with aspiration online. I liked the idea of having a bank account away from my immediate everyday life. It was fairly easy. At first I was put on a wait list. I soon passed the wait list by sharing the company on Facebook. The company grabbed me with a 1% interest on your funds in a checking account! Usually you are charged. However once involved they say you. An make a donation every month. You can choose to do so. Well that's not true the minimum is one dollar a month, one cannot slide bar to any less. I did keep the account though. I still liked the idea of having a separate account away from my everyday. I figured I'd put twenty bucks a month in case of emergencies. I signed up and was easy. No check books but they did give a prompt delivery card through mail. They have been very secure. With Everytime I sign in; they send me a text with a unique temporary password. They schedule transfers and live up to it. The website is set up nice. Account summaries and always give options to invest.
I opened an account easily, with a transfer from my old bank account. My new debit card arrived quickly. There are no fees associated with this account, no overdraft or automatic monthly minimum fees. I can use any ATM without being charged, or charges will be reimbursed. I get to choose what my monthly fee will be and 10% of that goes to charity. When I was looking for my statement, the online chat representative was helpful and friendly. I haven't used their other investment products but I have looked into them and look forward to building my finances with the money market accounts, which look to have given a really good return. The checking account I signed up for has a high interest rate, I believe it is 1%, which is about 10 times more than what I was getting before.
I must say that I was a bit wary at first. I heard about them from a friend. The transition from my personal bank was smooth and you helped me along the way, and for that I am very thankful. They have no ATM fees or monthly fee. The interest rate is exceptional for a checking account. Overall, I am very happy with Aspiration and would highly recommend them to those looking for a checking account.