Simple offers a bank account that has all the tools you need to manage your money built right in. The funds in your Simple account are held by our partner bank, The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC. Simple provides everything else, including the Simple Visa® Card, our powerful iOS and Android apps, a beautifully designed web interface, and customer support that really cares.
What are you all about?
Simple’s about making managing your personal finances effortless. We adamantly believe that making smart spending and saving choices should be easy, and often even fun. All the tools you need to manage your money are built right into your account, where they’re most effective.
Does Simple charge fees?
We're not fans of unnecessary fees here at Simple. They're not part of our profit structure or our philosophy. That means we don't charge overdraft fees, bounced check fees, or monthly account maintenance fees. We don't offer tiered service, since we think all of our customers deserve the best. Although we're passionate about minimizing fees, there are a few services we offer that are too expensive for us to cover entirely. A few examples: we charge a $2 International ATM Cash Withdrawal Fee, and an $8 Treasurer's Check Fee. There's also a $1 fee for Over the Counter Cash Withdrawal. In short, we're not entirely fee free, but the fees we charge are few and far between, there's a real reason we charge them, and we'll tell you about them up front. The list above isn't exhaustive; you can see our entire fee schedule here.
Simple is a business, right? If you don’t profit from fees, how do you make money?
Great question. There are two ways we make money at Simple.
Although we love technology, we don’t knock tradition. In the past, banks made most of their profits off interest margin—the difference between the amount of interest they make on loans, and the interest they pay customers on their deposits. Our partner bank splits this interest margin with Simple.
When you swipe your debit card, the merchant pays a service fee (called interchange) to the issuing bank. Our partners split this revenue with us.
That’s it, which means that we only make money when our customers use and love their accounts.
Requirements, Security, Privacy
Who can use Simple?
We want to make Simple as widely available as possible. However, there are a few basic requirements. We can only offer accounts to permanent residents of the United States, over 18 years of age, with a Social Security number. We also require that you own a device that can run the Simple mobile app. Any iOS device with iOS 7.0.6 or higher, or an Android phone running Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher will do the trick.
Do I really need to have a smartphone?
You’ll get a lot more out of your Simple account with our mobile app. It’s required for Photo Check deposits. Although it is possible to access all our other features through the web application, Simple is designed to offer our customers immediate access to their money wherever they are. A smartphone makes this possible.
Are my deposits insured by the FDIC?
Yes, all the funds in your account are held by our partner bank, The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC. They’re insured by The Bancorp Bank to at least the FDIC maximum (currently $250,000).
What is your security policy?
We’re passionate about security at Simple—so we’ve got a lot to say on the topic. If you’d like the short and sweet answer, here it is: we’re committed to meet and exceed all industry standards. Protecting your information is our job, and we take it very seriously. For more, check out our security policies.
How do you handle my personal information?
Simple and our partners will never sell, rent, or loan any personal information that you give us.
What is Simple's fraud policy?
With Simple, if you notice something fishy, you can block your card right away from our web and mobile apps. But no worries: you're also covered by the Visa Zero Liability policy*. For transactions processed as credit, you're not liable for fraud as long as you notify us within two business days after you notice it (after two business days, you can be liable for up to $500). With debit transactions, you're only liable for the first $50 as long as you notify us within 2 business days. These protections don't apply to ATMs or transactions processed outside the Visa network. You can read more in our Account Agreement. (*The Visa Zero Liability policy covers U.S.-issued cards only and does not apply to ATM transactions, PIN transactions not processed by Visa, or certain commercial card transactions. Cardholder must notify issuer promptly of any unauthorized use. Consult issuer for additional
details or visit www.visa.com/security.)
Where can I find more information on your policies?
Check out our privacy practices, your account agreement, and all the legal information pertaining to your account at simple.com/policies.
Using Simple
What features do you provide?
We’ll send you a Simple Visa Card issued by our partner bank. With Simple, you can make purchases both in stores and online, deposit checks using your smartphone, set up direct deposit, earn interest via our partner bank, pay bills, transfer money, withdraw cash from ATMs–all the basics you need for everyday banking. Simple does a lot more than just the basics, however. You’ll have access to our web and mobile applications, which include a rich set of budgeting tools. For example, with Goals, you can set aside money for routine bills, or once in a lifetime luxuries. Reports will give you a detailed breakdown of your spending. You’ll be able to easily monitor and improve your spending habits. Finally, our Safe-to-Spend is a more relevant version of your available balance—it factors in your upcoming bills and savings goals. And we’re working on new features all the time!
What kind of card is the Simple Card?
The Simple Visa Card is a debit card issued by our partner bank. You can use it anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, and at ATMs. Since it’s a debit card, transactions that exceed your available balance will normally be declined. We don’t charge overdraft fees or interest.
Does Simple offer bill pay?
Sure thing! You can use our Payments & Transfers features to pay pretty much anyone. Most payees will be mailed a check, which will arrive in about 3-5 business days. Many larger businesses will be paid electronically, and those payments will arrive within 2 business days. There’s never a fee for payments.
How do I deposit funds?
There’s a plethora of options. Direct deposit is the easiest way to fund your account. You can also transfer funds electronically from an account at another institution, or deposit a check by taking a photo of it with our mobile app. We can also accept deposits by mail. Cash is a bit trickier, but still possible. The easiest way to get cash into Simple is to get a money order at any USPS, or a local grocery or convenience store, and deposit it with the mobile app.
How’s the ATM access?
We’re partnered with STARsf®, the country's largest surcharge-free ATM network. That means that all of their 55,000 ATMs are totally free for Simple customers. We have an ATM finder in the mobile app that makes it easy to find the nearest STARsf ATM. You can also get cash back at many merchants without a fee. A note about international ATMs: international ATMs cost Simple two to three times as much as domestic ATMs. There is a small fee for international ATM withdrawals, but we only charge you what it costs us—we never mark up fees.
How does Simple Instant work?
We offer Simple customers the ability to instantly move money between accounts with no holds, no checks, no fees, and no wait. Add another Simple customer to your Instant contacts with just their email address and phone number. Once they've confirmed the connection, you'll be able to send and receive funds instantly.
Can I export my data to use with accounting or budgeting software?
Yes. We currently offer the ability to export your Simple data in CSV or JSON format. We may support other formats in the future. You can isolate the data you’d like to export with our powerful searches. You can also download your monthly statements in PDF format.
Does Simple integrate with Mint or PayPal?
You can link your Simple account to Mint, PayPal, and many similar third party services, just like you would any other bank account.
Does Simple offer competitive interest rates?
Our bank partner’s interest rates are generally comparable to those of other banks for the type of account we offer. That said, they are fairly nominal at the moment. If you’re looking for a high-yield savings account, Simple probably isn’t the best option for you. Keep in mind that institutions offering sky-high interest rates usually pay for those rates through fees, balance requirements or spending requirements–all of which run counter to our philosophy.
Does Simple rebate ATM fees?
If you use a domestic out of network ATM, we won’t charge you, but the ATM owner probably will. We don’t rebate that fee for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we help our customers easily avoid it by offering 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs, and the ability to get cash back at thousands of merchants. The second reason is more philosophical: we anticipate that our customers would rather not subsidize the big banks they left behind.
Does Simple offer rewards programs?
We don’t currently offer a rewards or points program, as these programs are often funded through extra fees or interest charges. We’d rather help our customers save effectively, so we focus on offering a great product and excellent service.
What about…
Will you offer credit cards, brokerage accounts, CDs, mortgages, or loans?
Right now, we’re focusing on the basics—perfecting personal spending accounts. However, we know that our customers have diverse financial needs. We’re looking into offering other products and services in the future.
Will you offer small business accounts?
We’d like to! We don’t offer small business accounts yet, but we’re looking into the possibility. We’ll keep you posted.
Is Simple expanding to other countries beyond the United States?
Not yet. We’re working to revolutionize banking worldwide, but we’ve to take things one step at a time, and expanding internationally is a huge project due to the laws and regulations that are unique to each country. We’re really looking forward to serving customers outside the US, but it’s likely to be quite some time before we’re able to do this.
Does Simple support joint accounts?
We don’t currently offer joint accounts, but we know there’s a need for them, and we’re planning to build many features that will help you use Simple with a partner in the future.
Why haven’t you answered X?
We love questions, ideas, and feedback, so shoot us an email at hello@simple.com.
How is Simple working with BBVA?
Check out this page for more information on Simple’s decision to join the BBVA family of companies. Spoiler alert—this move means great things for our customers.