Where Can I Load My Chime Card? [Complete List with Fees]

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Are you looking to load your Chime card but don’t know where to start? It can be confusing if it’s your first time using a money service like Chime. They are a fintech (financial technology) company providing financial services and not a bank. Consequently, they are app-based and online only, so where exactly would you load your Chime card? And does it cost anything? We answer all that and more.

The great thing about Chime is that because of its enormous funding, it’s been able to integrate with many popular and familiar places. This allows users like you and me to find a place to load our Chime cards near us. We’ll be covering all the places you can load up on your Chime account, and chances are, you’ll find a place that’s very close to where you are at the moment.

What is a Chime card?

A Chime card is a type of debit card that is associated with a Chime spending account. Chime is an online bank that offers a variety of financial products and services, including checking and savings accounts, as well as the Chime debit card.

The Chime card works like any other debit card, allowing you to make purchases and withdraw cash from ATMs. However, there are a few key differences that set the Chime card apart from other debit cards:

No fees: Chime does not charge any fees for using the Chime card, including overdraft fees, foreign transaction fees, or monthly maintenance fees.

Early access to direct deposits: Chime offers early access to direct deposits, which means you can receive your paycheck up to two days early.

Automatic savings: Chime allows you to automatically round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and save the difference in a Chime savings account.

Mobile app: The Chime mobile app allows you to manage your spending account, track your transactions, and transfer money.

Check out our in-depth review of Chime and also how it compares with Current.

What are the different ways to load money onto a Chime card?

In general, you can deposit money in four various ways:

1. Physical participating retailer (for free)
2. Physical participating retailer (for a fee)
3. Other participating apps (free or charged options)
4. Bank account transfers (free)

As you can see, some of these are free and some are not. The way you should load your Chime card should be whatever way is cheapest, most convenient, or most familiar to you. I personally always like to do it via other participating apps, as it doesn’t require me to drive anywhere and I can choose to do it for free if I don’t foresee needing the money for at least 3 days.

In this post, we’ll show you what the fees are (if any) and how long it takes to get your money into your Chime card with all of the above methods. You can then choose which way you’d like to load your Chime card. It’s really all up to you.

What are the different ways to withdraw cash from your Chime checking account?

There are four main ways to withdraw cash from your Chime checking account:

1. Participating ATMs (for free)
2. Participating cash-back locations (variable fee depending on location)
3. Out-of-network ATMs (for a fee)
4. Over-the-counter cash withdrawal at a bank or credit union (for a fee)

Where is the cheapest place to load my Chime card?

The cheapest place to load your Chime card would be in one of the retail locations that do it for free. This includes Walgreens and Duane Reade. If you’re technologically inclined and have other apps that integrate with Chime (such as Venmo or Cash App), you’ll also be able to do it for free if you choose the standard option instead of the instant option. We’ll touch on all of those below.

How much cash can I deposit into my Chime card?

Chime allows you to deposit up to $1,000 every 24 hours up to a max of $10,000 each month. Additionally, you may only make up to 3 deposits within a 24-hour period.

When approaching the cashier regarding a cash deposit into your Chime account, it may help to tell them you would like to do a “cash reload” to your Chime account. More often than not, they’ll know exactly what you’re looking to do and can help you more effectively.

Physical locations where you can load your Chime card without incurring a fee

The only locations where you can deposit cash into your Chime card for free are the following two locations:

• Walgreens
• Duane Reade

Walgreens is one of the largest drugstore names in the nation, so chances are, there’s one close to you. They have locations in all 50 US states plus Washington, DC. They even have locations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

However, if you don’t live near a Walgreens, you’ve got quite a few other choices below. You’ll have to pay a fee to do so, and the fees vary.

Physical locations where you can load your Chime card for a fee

Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay a fee in the following locations, but if you can’t get to a Walgreens, these are your second-best choices. The main thing to keep in mind is the fee associated with each of these stores. You may find that some stores are slightly closer, while others charge a much lower fee. Depending on the distance and the fees, you should consider which one might be best for your situation.

To help you do this, we’ve included the typical fees associated with each store:

• 7-Eleven ($3.95)
• Circle K ($3.95)
• Cumberland Farms ($4)
• CVS ($4.95)
• Dollar General ($3.95)
• GPM Investments ($5)
• Holiday Station ($4.95)
• Kum & Go ($4)
• Kwik Trip ($4)
• Pilot Flying J ($4.95)
• Rite Aid ($3.95)
• Royal Farms ($4)
• Sheetz Gas Station ($4.95)
• Speedway ($4.00)
• Travel Centers of America ($4.00)
• Walmart ($3.50-$4.95)

Keep in mind these are the typical fee rates and that each store has its own policy. Whether they adhere to the above charges varies from place to place, so it’s best to ask your nearest store first. No matter where you go, the charge should never go above $5. If it is above $5, run far and away to another retailer. These rates are set by the retailer and not Chime, so if the fee is that high, it is simply due to greed on the retailer’s part.

If you have a couple of choices around you, the best thing to do would be to call and ask each of them what their rate is in their specific store. Whichever wins in terms of lowest fees, you should go to that one if it is close enough. If there are two that are the same fees but one is closer than the other, consider going to the closer one to save on gas and time.

Phone apps that allow you to load your Chime card

• Cash App (free or 1.5% fee)
• Venmo (free or 1% fee)

How much does it cost to load Chime card via Cash App?

This depends on how quickly you need the money to be in your Chime card. If you just need it in up to three business days, this is the Standard option and you don’t have to pay a fee.

However, if you need it right away, you’ll need to choose the Instant option which will make the money available to your right away in your Chime card. The fee for this is 1.5%, with a minimum charge of $0.25. Essentially, this is a loan that is provided by Chime to cover the period that it takes for the money to normally transfer between Venmo and Chime.

If you want to do an Instant transfer, make sure you are willing to pay the fee, and ideally, the amount you’re transferring should be $16.67 or higher, as 1.5% of $16.67 is roughly $0.25. Any lower than that and you’ll be paying a higher than 1.5% fee, which is quite a steep charge relative to the dollar amount.

How much does it cost to load Chime card via Venmo?

With Venmo, the cost is similar to Cash App to load your Chime card.

If you need it in up to three business days, you won’t get charged anything. Simply choose the Standard option and you’re good to go.

However, if you need it instantly, you choose the Instant option and you’ll be charged a 1% fee for it. There is no minimum fee like in Cash App, so feel free to send an amount as low as you’d like if you’re ok with the 1% charge.

Banks that allow you to load your Chime card for free

• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Charles Schwab
• Chase Bank
• Citibank
• Fidelity
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• PNC Bank
• SunTrust
• TD Bank
• US Bank
• USAA
• Wells Fargo

How much does it cost to load your Chime card with a bank?

If you decide to load your Chime card through a bank, you are basically initiating a direct transfer from the bank into Chime. You can do this by following the instructions below:

1. Go into your Chime app
2. Select the ‘Move Money’ option
3. Choose ‘Transfers’
4. Login using your bank credentials
5. Input the dollar amount you’d like to transfer
6. Confirm the transaction to complete

You can transfer up to a max of $10K per day using this method, or up to $25K per month. Note that this method takes longer than the Venmo or Cash App method. The bank transfer will take up to 5 business days to complete.

ATMs and cash-back locations where you can withdraw cash from your Chime account for free

There are over 60,000 available ATMs around the US that charge no fee to load your Chime card. The best way to find the nearest ATM within Chime’s network is to use the in-app search function. Simply find the ATM Finder in the app (you can find it on the bottom right in your home screen), input your location, and the app will let you know your nearest available options. Not only do they list out bank ATMs, but they also list out retailer cash-back locations too!

Fee-free bank ATMs (limited to withdrawal of $515 per day):

• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Charles Schwab
• Chase Bank
• Citibank
• Fidelity
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• PNC Bank
• SunTrust
• TD Bank
• US Bank
• USAA
• Wells Fargo

Fee-free retailer cash-back locations ($40-$100 cash back allowance depending on location):

• Bed, Bath and Beyond
• CVS
• Safeway
• Target
• Trader Joe’s
• Walmart
• Whole Foods

In general, grocery stores will allow up to $100 cash back at the register, while drugstores like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens will allow up to $40. Each individual store will have its own minimum purchase policy, so be sure to ask before attempting to make a withdrawal from a retailer cash-back location.

In all, there are over 38,000 cash-back locations on top of the 60,000 ATM locations for a total of over 98,000 separate locations across the US. Chances are quite good you’re near one or more of them.

Out-of-network ATMs where you can withdraw cash from your Chime account

All out-of-network ATMs will charge you a fee to withdraw cash from your Chime account. You are limited to $515 per day in withdrawals and will be charged $2.50 per transaction.

Over-the-counter bank and credit union withdrawals

Virtually all banks and credit unions in the US will allow you to withdraw as long as you have your Chime debit card with you. The maximum withdrawal limit and fee is the same as out-of-network ATMs with a max of $515 per day and a $2.50 transaction fee.

Final thoughts

Chime has a robust network of retailers and ATMs that serve to make them as convenient as possible while keeping them an online-based company. This allows you many options in terms of loading your Chime card or withdrawing from your Chime checking account. However, there are certain ways that are more convenient for some, and certain ways that are cheaper to do.

To summarize, here are the four various ways to load your Chime card:

1. Physical participating retailer (for free)
2. Physical participating retailer (for a fee)
3. Other participating apps (free or charged options)
4. Bank account transfers (free)

And here are the four main ways to withdraw cash from your Chime checking account:

1. Participating ATMs (for free)
2. Participating cash-back locations (variable fee depending on location)
3. Out-of-network ATMs (for a fee)
4. Over-the-counter cash withdrawal at a bank or credit union (for a fee)

Hopefully we’ve helped you figure out what works best for you. As always, if you feel we’re missing anything, let us know and we’ll be sure to update our post!

Share the wealth!