When it comes to cash apps, fees can be a deal-breaker.
In this article, I’m spilling the beans on my favorite zero- and small-fee cash apps that won’t drain your wallet.
Say goodbye to excessive charges and say hello to cash apps that keep your hard-earned money where it belongs – in your pocket!
What are cash apps & are there any free ones?
Cash apps are a digital and cheaper alternative to banks that allow you to send and receive payments through multiple payment methods. They can be linked to your bank account but use advanced encryption to hide your financial details and secure your transactions.
These apps can be easy to use and come with customer support if you have any problems. All the major cash apps available are licensed as money transmitters and regulated by legitimate financial institutions such as The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Most cash apps are free to download on both Apple and Android devices. They don’t charge any fee for registration or account setup either.
Is it possible to send money for free or almost for free?
Though there are no apps that don’t charge any fees when it comes to money transfers, some apps offer specific transfers for free. This could depend on the choice of payment method, type of transfer (international or local), or the transfer amount.
On the downside, international transfers are rarely free. Even if the cash app charges no transfer fee, you can’t avoid the exchange rate margin that comes with foreign transfers.
For some cash apps, there is also a probability that your bank will charge additional fees. For example, some banks charge a percentage fee when you use their credit card to pay from a cash app. The cash apps themselves have no control over these charges.
See our article Best Cash Apps.
Best Cash Apps With Low Costs
📝 summary
- Cash App – best for free instant domestic transfers in the U.S. and U.K.
- Venmo – best for free instant U.S. domestic transfers and user experience
- Zelle – best for seamless fee-free transfers in the U.S.
- Wise – best all-rounder, and best for low-cost international transfers
- OFX – best exchange rates for large transfers and no fees over $5,000
Cash App
Cash App lets users in the U.K. and U.S. make payments easily through its simple and intuitive mobile app. Its investment options make the app stand out among other cash apps. You can invest in stocks and cryptocurrency and get short-term loans.
The company is a licensed payment provider regulated by The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Through Cash App, you can send payments using bank transfers and debit cards for free. The app lets U.S. and U.K. users send each other payments fast and with low transfer fees.
Pros:
- No commission fee is taken when investing in stocks.
- Low transfer fees.
- FDIC covers up to $250,000 for Cash Card users.
Cons:
- Charges a 3% fee for credit card payments, 1% for instant deposits, and additional fees for business accounts and Bitcoin transactions.
- Limited to the U.K. and the U.S.
See our review of Cash App.
Venmo
Venmo is owned by Paypal but was created for peer-to-peer payment transfers for people in the US. It’s a common app people use to split food bills, pay utility bills, or shop online from participating merchants.
The account setup is free with no monthly fees either. The app doesn’t charge any fee if you use your debit card, Venmo cash balance, or simple bank transfer to make your payment.
However, it charges a 3% fee for credit card payments and 1%-5% on its check cashing feature, depending on the type of check.
Pros:
- Convenient and cheap payment option
- Payments are free using your debit card, bank transfer, and Venmo balance.
- Quick transfers
Cons:
- Only available in the US.
- No seller and buyer protection programs.
See our review of Venmo.
Zelle
Zelle is a peer-to-peer money transfer service that’s only available in the US. It requires the recipient’s email address and phone number to transfer funds.
It’s linked to over 1700 banking apps, meaning that you can use the service through one of the available banking apps that you may already have. You can also download their stand-alone app.
Zelle charges no fees for its payment transfers and only accepts bank transfers and debit cards. You can use the service as long as both the sender and receiver have U.S. bank accounts and mobile phone numbers.
Pros:
- No transfer limit
- Easy-to-use app
- Free and fast transfers
- Integrates with thousands of banking apps
Cons:
- No fraud protection program.
- You can’t fund transfers with a credit card.
- No international payments.
See our review of Zelle.
Wise
Wise lets you make affordable international and domestic payments with its easy-to-use app in over 77 countries. These include the U.K., U.S., and Australia, among others. It also offers a multi-currency account that lets you manage more than 50 currencies.
Wise charges no fees when you transfer money in the same currency between two wise accounts. For transferring money outside the U.S., Wise charges a transfer fee between 0.5%-1% of the transfer amount and a fixed fee of $1-$2.
Pros:
- Low and transparent fees.
- Fast transfers.
- Multi-lingual customer support.
- No exchange rate markups.
- Offers multi-currency accounts.
Cons:
- No cash deposit/collection options
- Limited worldwide availability compared to other cash apps.
See our review of Wise.
OFX
OFX is a money transfer service more suitable for people who want to make large international payments. The service is available in over 170 countries and supports over 50 currencies.
The company charges no fees for international transfers above $5,000, making it stand out among other money transfer companies. However, it has a high minimum transfer limit of $1000.
You can use their customer rate calculator to preview the transfer fee and exchange rate that you’ll be charged for the transfer.
Pros:
- No fees for international transfers above $5,000.
- You can set up recurring payments.
- Widely available in over 170 countries.
- No maximum transfer limit.
- No limit on the number of transfers you can make.
Cons:
- The minimum transfer limit is $1000.
- You can’t use cash or credit cards to make payments.
See our review of OFX.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a simple peer-to-peer payment app that charges no transfer fee in the US, Zelle is a good option. However, Venmo offers similar services with the addition of more features, such as cash withdrawals using their debit card.
Cash App is a good option for free transfers between the U.S. and the U.K. if you don’t mind paying the mid-market exchange rate markup.
See our article Cheapest International Transfers.
If you’re looking for a cheap international money-transferring service, Wise offers mid-market exchange rates without any markup.
After reading through our post, we hope that you’re feeling more assured about which cash apps you can use with little-to-no fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Money Transfer Apps Work?
You start by signing up for an account and entering the relevant details, including your name, address, and so on. You’ll then be able to add a payment method to fund your account. This may vary but it often includes the option for a bank account, credit card, or debit card.
The app will then encrypt your personal and financial information to ensure that you can make transactions securely.Depending on the app that you’re using, you’ll be able to transfer and request money with other people by entering the email address or username associated with their account.
Reputable money transfer apps will also provide you with a breakdown of the costs involved in transfers. This includes any transfer fees, as well as the exchange rate and any markup that has been added.
You can then confirm your transfer. The delivery times vary but they can be anywhere from seconds up to 7 working days or more.
How We Chose the Cheapest Money Transfer Apps
Our list of cheap cash apps contains both domestic and international transfer options. For peer-to-peer money transfer apps, we prioritized those with no transfer fee options.
For international payments, you can’t avoid the exchange rate fee. So, we included services with the lowest exchange rate markups and the lowest transfer fees.