What is Reddit's opinion of
Simple?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
➔ Simple website
By popularity on Reddit, this Service is:
100 reviews of this app found across Reddit:
It's funny that he mentions financial services as an industry with a lot of COBOL code. Although he doesn't say it, the implication is that they're getting along just fine that way, and the only problem is a looming shortage of developers.
Personally, I'd say the financial services industry (in the US, anyway) is a fucking embarrassment from a technological perspective. ACH transfers take days. Checks deposited in person at a bank office take days to clear. Credit card transactions post immediately but aren't cleared for days. Banks in the US deliver _exactly_ the kind of customer experience you'd expect from an industry that hasn't updated its technology in fifty years, which is why we now have companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, Venmo, Square, and Simple building what amounts to a parallel financial services industry backed by modern technology.
The problem is often described as too much COBOL code, but my experience has always been that any halfway competent developer can learn a new language without much difficulty, so COBOL itself can't be the problem. The real problem seems to be that all the legacy COBOL code is a bunch of god-awful spaghetti with little or no documentation or unit tests. Companies have sunk a huge amount of money into developing code that's always going to be horrifically expensive to maintain because it was written back when nobody had the first clue about how to write maintainable software.
If history is any guide, most of the companies that rely on reams of COBOL code will never update their technology because they will never be willing to invest in technology upgrades that will take years or decades to pay off. They'll just keep limping along doing business as usual until they're put out of their misery by competitors that aren't living in the past.
Thought I'd share this Easter Egg before it's gone: https://www.simple.com/dumplings/recipe
Someone noticed that we were getting a lot of misdirected traffic for people searching for a "simple dumplings recipe," and decided to give the people what they wanted. I think it was t0m from the ops team who put this together.
You can also get a link to it if you reply "dumplings" to a text message from Simple. Emily, one of the backend engineers, added that.
There were a couple early ones, but they got dropped over the years. If you tried to set an insecure passphrase like "password," you'd get the error "passphrase is ridiculous." And if you choose an insecure PIN like 1234 or 1111, it would say "c'mon, dogg." I believe it was Toby who added both of those.
Simple is an online bank located in downtown Portland. We're currently hiring customer relations staff and have a few engineering positions open. It's a really great place to work.
https://www.simple.com/careers/
Last time I posted this we actually hired a couple redditors for the customer relations team.
Primarily yes, and many companies (Google included) have what's called "responsible disclosure policies" stating in one way or another that as long as you don't actually hurt anyone (I.e. take down a server, keep peoples personal info, etc.) and you report the security hole to the company first they will not take action.
See http://www.google.com/about/appsecurity/ for Google
See https://help.github.com/articles/responsible-disclosure-of-security-vulnerabilities or https://www.simple.com/policies/website-security/ for more examples.
How did you (or anyone else in this thread) not mention the recent outage they had?
My debit card was non-functional for a full 24 hour period. They were bought out by BBVA and switched off of Bancorp's technical infrastructure and onto BBVA's, and it destroyed my account for a whole weekday. A huge amount of other users experienced it as well. I couldn't buy lunch or put gas in my car. Lack of preparedness on my part, but your bank shouldn't "go down".
Still no post-mortem on it, either. Not that I received anyway. edit: nvm here it is https://www.simple.com/blog/my-apology-to-you. Wish I got one emailed to me as an accountholder
The problem with Simple is that being a tech startup and having a tech startup mentality is great, but other people's money isn't something to be taken lightly, even a fraction of a bit.
While layoffs and change is always scary, this sounds like a good thing IMO.
One of the biggest problem people I know have had recently is that simple just feels like they're stagnating. Slow development, and little to no improvements on existing features.
If you read through the article (and / or the blog post that this article is about), the main reason for this shakeup is
>[Simple] have been focused on growth instead of innovation. We have been acting like a bank instead of a technology company... The changes for the company are really about focusing on building our product as a lean organization
Which I, for one, am 100% behind.
All things are go at Simple. We're hiring customer relations agents, iOS/Android engineers, frontend/backend engineers, data engineers, marketeers, office managers, you name it. Excellent work environment with a great culture and GIFs. Lots of GIFs.
I have had checks get rejected in the past, and receive a support message from them detailing why. This results in a mobile notification plus an email notification. You might want to double check your notification settings both in the Simple app and your phone's general notification settings to make sure the Simple app is allowed to send notifications. You might also want to take a look at their support pages to see what kinds of checks they can/cannot accept: https://www.simple.com/help/articles/deposits/checks-we-cant-process
~~Trolling~~ Trawling their Twitter page reveals they're close to it. As in, you can scan your card and it'll go through the verification process before saying to contact your card issuer. In the past it would've just said, "Your bank isn't supported"
~~Also, there was an FAQ page going around from Simple that confirmed that Apple Pay was live and what to do if you weren't able to register your card in Apple Pay. I'll keep looking for it.~~ Help Page found!
Edit: Phonetics are awesome
I personally use Simple Bank. They make money the same way most banks do, by gambling by with yours lol. I think Simple is better able to do this because they are 100% online. They probably cut a lot of overhead costs by not needing physical locations with branch tellers and managers and running electricity etc etc. They are also backed by a HUGE national bank so on the off chance they start to make poor choices my money is still safe.
Basically It’s a smaller partner bank of BBVA Compass so it is still FDIC-insured. It has no fees for anything. Everything is done online. It has direct deposit, and mobile check deposit if you happen to get a paper check. No ATM fees for the bank itself, but if the ATM charges a fee you’re not immune, I just use surcharge free ATMs to avoid this.
I try not to make a habit out of overdraftjng anyway because that’s just bad budgeting, but sometimes shit happens — if it does, no fee for that either.
They also have some pretty neat features like “goals” and offer 2% APY on their savings accounts, with no minimum balance.
If you want to read more, click here. I am in no way affiliated with his bank nor do I benefit from you clicking lol. They’ve just been a really good bank to me. Not many people can honestly say they love their bank. If this one doesn’t peek your interest, there are others out there. Just do a little research. :) I’m at work right now or I’d go look up a few alternates for you.
I have no issues with Simple. I know some do, but I love their budgeting tools and user interface. I’ve been using them for years, but they are checking and savings account but not a credit card.
I'm with Unitus, and they've always been really great to me. Plus they've got some cool loan options (like bike loans) and have really competitive credit rates.
There is this new online only bank called Simple which I just signed up for recently. Pretty limited as to what they offer now (debit/checking accounts) but they're very mobile/app oriented. You do need a smartphone to be able to access/use the accounts. To some that might be a deal breaker. I just got my card the other day, plus they're based here in Portland. Biggest benefit is that they have NO fees. No overdraft fees, nothing.
There are a few other credit unions out there as well like Advantis and OnPoint but I unfortunately have no experience with them.
Thaaat's interesting. Simple themselves said after launching their own checks that third-party checks will work.
Walmart might not have gotten the memo yet, because it used to be the case that checks printed for a Simple account explicitly would not work. You could contact Walmart's service and ask them to confirm with Simple that checks can be printed now.
As per their Depositing or Withdrawing Cash page (https://www.simple.com/help/articles/getting-started/cash?partner=compass):
> If you happen to need a lot of cash at once, a cash advance is your best bet. You can do these at most major banks, even if you're not a customer. (We recommend calling your local branch in advance to ask if they offer this service.) Just walk in, hand the teller your card and a piece of photo ID, and ask them to withdraw money from your card. You can get up to $5,000 per day; this limit includes any ATM withdrawals you've made that day.
https://www.simple.com/blog/how-to-build-a-gaming-computer
In other words, the CPU calculates, the GPU renders, the RAM is extremely fast but temporary storage, the SSD is fast but 'permanent', the HDD is slow but 'permanent'. Case holds shit, motherboard connects shit, power supply powers shit.
Unless your financial situation is fairly terrible you don't need to wait to 'ascend'. Even a modest $400 machine can be tons of fun. You don't need a bunch of high-end components or accessories to enjoy a console level or better experience.
Have you considered Simple bank?
It's entirely online. No fees. Smart phone app that is easy to use and you can deposit checks with by taking pictures. Basic services (bill pay), as well as goal setting to remove certain amounts from your total so you have a "Safe to Spend" amount that takes into account the amount you're trying to save up. Also, if you ever have questions or a problem, you can call them (straight from the app, even) and they answer promptly, from within the US, and have always been a genuine pleasure to work with.
Also, you can set it up with an ACH link to your current bank, and siphon in whatever you want without having to visit anywhere, use checks, or withdraw money.
These guys have been great to me and I highly recommend them.
Simple is an online bank located in downtown Portland. We have many engineering positions open and have been hiring batches of customer relations reps pretty regularly. It's a really great place to work.
According to Simple’s Check Hold support page:
> If you deposit a check greater than $5,000, or multiple checks totaling over $5,000 on the same day, the first $200 will be made available on the day of deposit, $4,800 will be made available the second business day after the day of deposit, and any remaining sum will be available by the seventh business day after the day of deposit.
> If, within the last six months, your account has been overdrawn on six or more banking days or overdrawn by $5,000 or more on two banking days, we may place a hold on the entire sum of any check or money order deposits. Funds will be available by the seventh business day after the day of deposit.
> We may also place holds on the entire sum of any check or money order deposits if you redeposit a check that’s been returned unpaid, or we have reasonable cause to doubt that we'll be able to collect the check funds from the paying bank. Funds will be available by the seventh business day after the day of deposit.
Not sure if any of those scenarios apply to you, but all of them end with the full funds available after no longer than 7 business days.
I like Simple in the US! Sounds similar to Monzo with online banking and great UI design. The best part is almost no fees for anything (no overdraft fees, no minimum balance fees, etc.) Shameless referral link: https://www.simple.com/friends/DZ44723
Have you tried calling them so they can manually unlock your account? I'd imagine this happens on a regular basis.
Edit: here you go
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/overdrafts
Here's an article on their site discussing the move process: https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-maintenance/move-to-bbva-compass
I messaged support yesterday and asked to be bumped up to the move and they said they could so that and I should be getting an email in the next few days.
You'll also lose the budgeting features and potentially incur more fees.
Look out for things like opt out $3 paper statements, $3 per use on out-of-network ATMs, $32 for overdrafts, $5-$10 for a new debit card, $3 if you withdraw from Savings more then 4x in a statement period, etc. More here:
How I described is exactly how funding schedules were intended to work for goals. Look at the support article: https://www.simple.com/company/goals-just-got-a-whole-lot-smarter
A funding schedule is supposed to align with a soure of income into your account but it doesn't have to.
All on track means is that you've scheduled a contribution that will complete the goal before it's due date. If after your scheduled transaction you aren't in line to meet your goal, that's when you'd have to catch up.
So this doesn't apply to you, but for all of the Android users, Simple lets anyone join the beta channel for app updates, just scroll down on the Simple app page in the Play Store.
As for joining feature tests, such as the shared accounts in the past, and the current beta of having a real checkbook, subscribe to their blog! https://www.simple.com/blog/categories/product-updates
Simple. I do not recommend bluebird, amex is not as universally accepted as visa. I have been using simple for a few years now and they are completely free, no over draft fees, no transfer fees, no ATM fees, etc. I have actually closed my bank accounts and use this entirely. I started using simple when they offered me $20 to switch from the Google card after they announced that they were ending and I haven't looked back.
Edit: here is a link - https://www.simple.com/
Here is the Whois data for the site.
A few things to be aware of:
- Registrant info shows the site is based out of China.
- Fanatics label (which the NHL is using on NHL shop now)
As someone who has been in the financial industry by way of IT for over ten years and has seen a lot of oversea transactions lead to card scamming. I would advise you to be careful and make any purchases with a service similar to Simple or another isolated account that can easily be canceled without impacting your main account.
I recently opened an account with Simple, an online bank, and they do have a lot of built-in tools which allow for budgeting for multiple things at once. They also have a lot of analytical tools for looking at your spending habits over time by total amount and category.
You don't really have multiple accounts within your account, but you can allot specific amounts to specific categories. Then, Simple does the math and tells you what your "Safe to Spend" dollar amount is, so you have the allotted amounts put aside in an enhanced 'current balance'. If you go over your 'Safe to Spend', money from your largest goal is taken to make up for it. It's pretty neat.
They're also a fee-free bank. The only downsides in my opinion are the lack of cash deposit support directly—you have to mail it in or use money orders with their check deposit mobile feature—and there are limits to how much money you can deposit at once given your account age and etc. Slightly annoying, but overall I think they may be something along the lines of what you're looking for.
I have a few Ally Online Savings accounts. They are nice and simple way to have savings with higher interest rate than normal banks. I use it mainly to store my emergency fund (and dump money there before contributing to retirement accounts).
The biggest "catch" is that you are limited on number of outgoing transactions per month: > Federal law limits other electronic, telephone and check transactions to a total of 6 per statement cycle.
Not much else.
I wouldn't use it as a ATM/checking account though. I use Simple Bank for more regular stuff, highly recommend!
Seriously, check out Simple. Even if you can't spare the time to go find a bank with free student accounts, Simple can all be done online / with a mobile app.
Just about the only thing you can't do is get a physical check book.
My wife and I are going to switch, I think.
Credit unions are more than happy to include unnecessary fees in order to boot "undesirable" clients. From an operational perspective, there's virtually no difference between a run-of-the-mill credit union and Bank of America, in fact they're regulated largely the same. The major difference is that credit unions are able to offer better interest loans because they're more exclusive about who they bring on. The vast majority require that you have a job in a certain industry, live/work in a geographic area, or otherwise belong to a specific community. Credit unions are less likely to take poor people, people with bad credit, and especially the homeless as a client.
Meanwhile, online-only banks are a great alternative because they don't have any of the overhead that conventional banks do. Hence, they don't do things like charge any fees like overdraft, ATM, checking account. They're a way way way better deal than credit unions for the vast majority young people. The tradeoff is that they’re financially limited in capabilities, and so they usually don’t offer credit cards and have simplistic “savings accounts”. These online banks receive ample profits from their customer’s checking account investments and are a much superior banking model if you don’t need a mortgage, credit cards, or have complex financial requirements.
Compare Simple to any credit union for a college student or renter: https://www.simple.com/
Simple.com I've been using them for a few years now. Zero fees. You need a smartphone because about 90% of everything you do is through that. They have a system of creating "goals" and it really helps saving money. I'll be more than happy to answer questions if you would like.
Simple is absoutely terrible. They give you a 0.01% APY. That's 87 times less than I get with Ally, and Capital One 360 has similar rates. Both of those also refund ATM fees.
If you sign up for a Simple account, you're just giving them your money and getting nothing in return. Don't support that shit.
In case you haven't heard, simple is shutting down. Most of the employees have been let go and the accounts will be adopted in to BBVA https://www.simple.com/blog/simple-is-closing
You're right they are incorporating Plaid! Good catch.
<string name="link_account_plaid_forced_body">"Trial deposits aren't required to link your account with %s. Instead, you're able to log in to your account from within the Simple app.<br><br>Learn more in this <a href=https://www.simple.com/help/articles/payments-and-transfers/external-accounts#linking-the-accounts>support article</a>."</string>
It resets monthly. https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/spend-limits
I believe those limits only apply to transfers initiated from within the Simple site/app. If you initiate the transfer from say your receiving bank, I don’t believe that counts towards Simple’s limit.
As always, customer support should have answers for you.
If you're using the Bill Pay offered by Simple where they either send a mailed check or an electronic payment the limit is $5,000 in payments per day.
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/payments-and-transfers/sending-a-payment
Cheapest way (free) is a simple account. Theres no cost and amazon verified mine in a few days. https://www.simple.com I have real bank accounts too, but I deposit a chunk of my mturk earnings to my simple card as my mad money fund. Good way to keep a budget.
In a similar vein, I started banking with Simple ~2 years ago and it's been awesome. It's seriously helped me with budgeting; I've been able to smartly save for "fun" things while simultaneously paying down some outstanding debt. 10/10 would recommend.
I've been using Simple. Their goals system helps me stay within budgets and lets me think about my money how I want.
No, I don't work for them. I just really, really like them.
I'm just starting college and don't make my own money yet, but I can tell I'll be enjoying that stuff very much as well. I can imagine what it must be like to buy something and feel like I've actually earned it. Or have money in the bank that I made, using my skills in a job. Just, like, checking balance and stuff. I'm overlooking the crippling sense of responsibilty that comes with that of course, but other than that, it sounds like a lot of fun! I'll take being responsible for myself over vaguely guilt-ridden entitlement any day.
Edit: ever heard of Simple? Looks really good for budgeting. I wonder how much they paid for that domain name
If having a physical bank is important to you, ignore me with haste.
If having a bank you use through your phone, with ATMs all over the place, and no fees for any-damn-thing appeals to you, consider checking out Simple. I'm so ridiculously in love with this bank. Legit, personal customer service is mindblowing.
If you're interested, shoot me a message and I can send you an invite.
I'm a huge fan and advocate of Simple. They're partnered with Bancorp (at least pretty sure that's it) and pretty much provide a better interface and customer service end over their infrastructure.
This is what I’ve done. But, I would recommend keeping at least a small balance because they said in their FAQ that if there has been a Zero balance for 60 days on the day of migration then they will not migrate you to BBVA and they will close your account.
Edit: Unless of course you’re planning to get your tax return before the migration date or you’re planning to leave entirely.
- Call support. (Don't do the online support, it's backlogged.)
- You may have more luck requesting a cashiers' check. https://www.simple.com/help/articles/transactions/making-large-purchases-with-simple
Googling "simple bank wire transfer" brings up https://www.simple.com/help/articles/deposits/wire-transfers, which has an address and all the other details you need.
>There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
Lmao, no shit. Milton Friedman is one of my favorite humans of all time, and the fact that you're using his quote in the wrong way pisses me off.
I'm not sure why you're trying to pidgeonhole my argument as "don't invest in stocks" -- obviously everyone should keep most of their portfolio in an index fund at the very least. In fact you're the one ironically thinking there is a free lunch by seeking high yields like junk bonds assuming you're going to get all of your money back.
All I'm saying is that if banks were real financial intermediaries instead of credit creating institutions , deposits would have a functional difference.
It doesn't matter anyways because the banks will inevitably fail again with this practice and at thats why you need to hold a commodity like Bitcoin.
Hey. I don't know if you wanted advice, but Simple is an amazing bank. I learned about it on this sub, which is fitting since it's like it was built for people with ADHD. I've been using it for a couple years now and I've managed to save up so much money because of their goals and saving account (about $6,000 saved this year).
The goals (built into the foundation of everything) "pull" money from my safe to spend and put it in a specific category of spending. Because of that, I may have tons of money in my account but since the number I see when I open the app is my safe to spend money (which is almost always 0), I never feel like I have money to spend. Plus, if I want to buy something, I need to open the app and check how much I have in my goal. Just the 3 to 4 taps to check puts me off from buying things. Lol. That might help you cut down on your impulse spending like it did for me.
I've gotten my entire family to switch to them and they all love it.
this article about the collected data seems to claim the average for Texas is around 14%, and the US average in total is right around the commonly quoted 15%. I saw another article that had it closer to 18% for the national average. Pretty much every guide on tipping I’ve ever seen says 15 is average and 20 is for excellent service. I haven’t seen anything claiming 20% is “normal” or the average for any area.
Now whether those average number are appropriate or the majority of the US are cheapskates is up to you to decide.
Small amounts at a time and you won't even notice.
This is what I used to help me save: https://www.simple.com. I basically told the app that I wanted it in a year and what amount I wanted to save. I've never saved so much money in my life, it's nuts how easy it is!
The first place to start is learning what the basic components are:
1.) Motherboard 2.) CPU 3.) RAM 4.) Hard Drive 5.) Power Supply 6.) CD drive (grandpa USB drives, you can probably skip this one) 7.) Monitor 8.) Case 9.) Mouse & Keyboard 10.) Video and Sound Cards
That's the basic list, I learned by building gaming computers. Read this: https://www.simple.com/blog/how-to-build-a-gaming-computer
Then set a budget and you can usually find detailed instructions on builds that break down each part and price within your price range. Also they give you instructions on how to put everything together. This is a basic start that should point you in the right direction.
https://pcbuildsonabudget.com/best-gaming-pc-build-under-500-dollars-2017
Remember, Simple is pretty much a hip front end to BBVA Compass - https://www.simple.com/simple-bbva-faq
I doubt they will go under, but I could see them being completely absorbed by BBVA and becoming one brand.
I know Wells Fargo has a monthly maintenance fee, not sure about BMO Harris. Don't pay that fee! If you can find a way around that, then great otherwise just go to TCF, sure the banking experience sucks but hey I'm a frugal guy who cares more about actual $$$ than my banking experience of all things!
Check this out too: https://www.simple.com/
> Occasionally a fee-free ATM will say that it will charge you a fee. Don't worry—any ATM you find with the ATM finder shouldn't charge you, and if it does charge you in error, just let us know and we'll refund you.
Check out Simple, they have budgeting tools built in that are just like you describe.
Been with them for a few months now and it has done an amazing job showing me where my money actually goes with their goal system.
I work for Simple, and it rocks! It's a technology company that's actively trying to make the banking industry not suck so much. They're hiring for several positions on the Marketing, Customer Relations, and Engineering teams.
Specifically, there are openings for an Affiliate Marketing Analyst, Product and Operations Business Analyst, Customer Relations Representative, and a handful of engineering positions with more openings in the future. We're moving to the Puppet Labs space in December! Come join our team!
You may want to consider Simple (takes awhile to get invited), USAA (if eligible), or EverBank. It's usually easy enough to avoid ATM fees and any of these will be vastly better banks than the ones you'll find locally. There's exceedingly little advantage to local physical branches if you can direct deposit your paychecks. I personally hold both an EverBank account and a Simple account. I can't say enough good things about EverBank (for instance, no hold time... ever) and they're great if you travel a lot. Simple has the best online banking user experience, bar none. Honestly, it's not even a contest on that one. USAA is amazing and offers a lot more than just banking services if you have military family members who can get you in.
Taken directly from the second question in the FAQ > When will my Simple Account transition to BBVA USA?
> The transition will happen in spring 2021. We are still determining the exact date—as soon as we know, we’ll update this page and send you an email.
Welcome to Simple. Like /u/electro1ight said, this doesn't have anything to do with Simple but more anti-fraud regulations imposed by the US Government.
Review https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/spend-limits, for example, to see your spending limits and some workarounds.
"Another unemployment"? Is this a Paycheck Protection Program loan?
If so, you're probably running afoul of https://www.simple.com/policies/deposit-account-agreement.
>No Business Usage. We reserve the right to close your consumer account if we determine that it is used for business purposes...
Changing banks to chase a fraction of a percent seems unwise and an effort in futility. Hopefully rates will go back up once the economy starts recovering from the ongoing pandemic...
Darn. I did a Google map search and there's a handful in the west bottoms (one close to Stockyards).
Here's two companies that have ATMs in the city.
https://prineta.com/atms/service-areas/kansas-city-atm-company/
Perhaps consider Simple as they have a promo right now -- $500 bonus if you deposit $20000.
~2% APY on $25000 plus a $500 bonus is effectively 4% APY.
Of course you can just switch to a different bank after the bonus is applied if you don't like Simple. No idea how their customer service is.
How do your check deposits fail?
The one thing I was aware of was that after waiting 30 days some of the limits would be increased.
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/spend-limits
To be aware of
There are no overdraft fees because they decline charges that might lead to an overdraft. The same can be done at most, if not all, banks.
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/overdrafts
While this might not help you out right now, in the future you can always go into the bank branch and ask they do a Cash Advance on your Simple debit card. That way it's a teller giving you the money.
Double check they don't charge a fee for this service, when I've done it at Chase its a free service.
From Simple Support Site: https://www.simple.com/help/articles/getting-started/cash
> If you happen to need a lot of cash at once, a cash advance is your best bet. You can do these at most major banks, even if you're not a customer. (We recommend calling your local branch in advance to ask if they offer this service.) Just walk in, hand the teller your card and a piece of photo ID, and ask them to withdraw money from your card. You can get up to $5,000 per day; this limit includes any ATM withdrawals you've made that day.
I'm in the same boat, looking for new checking and high-yield saving account to use a joint account for my fiance and soon to be wife. After searching for a while, I came across Simple (https://www.simple.com/) that is an online only checking account. Their interface reminds me of a poor-mans YNAB, letting you set expense categories for various things and then only showing a "safe to spend" amount afterward. We're giving it a try, for now, to see how we feel. So far its been okay, transfers from Chase take about five days which has been annoying. Customer service is also a little slow to respond which I was surprised about considering it's online only.
However, they offer a quasi-saving account called "Saving Goals" that does 2.02% APY on balances over 2,000.
Still not sure if we should use it as our primary account or not, i.e., neither of us has set up direct deposit straight into it yet.
Anyone have any experience with them / recommend something else?
Wee doggie - $100k in the bank.. sign me up!
Kidding aside - for years we each had an account at a brick and mortar bank. We'd manually withdraw money from accounts and deposit it into a shared account for bills. The shared account was just a single account with a single balance - we manually kept track of what the money was for.
Now we bank online through Simple. I won't give a full on pitch for them but we absolutely love it!
We've got 3 accounts - 1 for each of us and another that is shared. We can instantly move money between the three accounts just using their phone app.
Where Simple really nails it is with what they call Goals. Goals are basically virtual buckets that you use to organize a single account balance.
So, when you first login to the share account it shows you only money that is not currently allocated to one of the Goals. If you go one level deeper you can see each of the goals, how much money is in it, and a grand total of everything in the account. This is very useful for organizing the shared account (vacation, gifts, emergency fund, etc) but is also nice for our personal accounts as well as it makes saving for a bigger purchase almost effortless.
I encourage anyone to check out Simple. I'm not sponsored by them or anything like that, it's just been an incredibly useful tool for the family budget.
Technically shouldn't you be able to also make your initial deposit via any of these methods shown on their website?
It would make sense, especially if someone who has never had a bank account before wants to open a Simple account as their first bank. They should be able to do it via a direct deposit from an employer, or a money order, etc...
But I am not sure. Might be worth calling their support to ask.
Well this website doesn't show me that VeChain has character or a soul. I like websites like a Stellar, Simple Bank, and Kickstarter. And honestly i first invested in VeChain because i thought it was gonna give me a nice return on my investment. But i soon found out its gonna be huge and now i'm more so invested in the tech (i'm a developer) and how they're pushing this space forward.
But i'm an investor not an enterprise. So i get this website. Awesome work.
edit: added text
Why would it bind you to Wells Fargo? The Shift card is a standalone Visa that connects to a wallet you create in Coinbase. Go get an account at a credit union or some other Bitcoin friendly bank and connect it to Coinbase for BTC/Fiat conversion. Send BTC to the Shift Card wallet in Coinbase to load it for use. Wells Fargo is not required at all. I use Simple as a bank. It's online only, no brick and mortar locations, and is Bitcoin friendly.
Looks like Simple has 0.01. Ally has 0.10 to 0.65 depending on balance (https://www.ally.com/bank/interest-checking-account/)
i use Simple which allows for goals which can be very useful for saving for specific goals. it's a checking account though so you won't be earning much interest, though when i'm saving for a large goal i save it then transfer to my savings account to earn interest before i spend it.
> 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. You’ll also need access to a device that can run our mobile app—find all the details here.
Found here.
Just like with any other bad habit, realizing that it is a problem and needs to change is the first step. Saying no to yourself and especially your friends was the hardest part for me. Put yourself on a budget. Until I learned self control I signed up for a Simple Card (plenty of others like it) and sent a couple hundred dollars there each paycheck. I kept every other card out of my wallet and removed every other card from my online stores. I used it to buy groceries and gas. I paid all of my bills with my regular bank account only. At the end of every two weeks, if there was anything left on it before the next payday I would buy myself something. By that time the urge to buy it was usually gone. Another nice thing about Simple is that it sends me a text with an amount after I use it.
Eating every meal at home can add up too. Buying from the expensive groceries stores and the bigger brands or having Amazon deliver. In the end, I just had to, and continue to, constantly ask myself if I need whatever I am thinking of getting.
Great mark! I like the color too. Reminds me a bit of the Simple logo, but I don't think that's an issue since you guys are in different business sectors.
I would keep playing with the type, but I think you've got the start of something really cool!
Seriously? I just noticed because it's the first time I've tried it and wanted to see if it went through.
The handwriting on the check was a little hard to read I guess, so BoA must be pretty inconvenienced that I had to correct the figure. I guess it's time to switch all my banking to my Simple account.
Also, that this mispelled subreddit exists. I think this is intentional. If so, well played.
Uhh... They do support Apple Pay.
And their Twitter is currently filled with responses to people telling them that Android Pay is also coming.
I actually left Wells Fargo due to their crappy business practices, especially with excess fees and over-drafting. I've since moved to https://www.simple.com/ and have never been happier with a bank.
Hey! Me again. This is about your interactions on OUR website/apps. Good question! You'll notice the top of the Privacy Policy says:
"This policy applies to information we collect when you use our website and mobile application (collectively, “Services”) or otherwise interact with us as described below."
As this is language that is combed and scrutinized by lawyers and regulators, we definitely try to make it readable and understandable, but sometimes it's not. Please let me know or send us a message if you think there's a way it would be more understandable. As the person who wrote the email you received, I probably could have added that part to that bullet. Oops. :p
Have you looked into Simple ? I was using Mint for a while but learned about Simple recently. When I turn 18, I'm definitely switching to them. As a web developer, I greatly appreciate how in-tune they are with modern technology.
Edit: I forgot to mention that it's invite-only. I signed up about 9 months ago and didn't get my invite until just at the end of December. So if you are interested, definitely sign up now.
Who reads most TOS? Who reads all of most TOS agreements?
I don't see the "no reason" in Simple's TOU.
They do have this though: OUR LAWYERS HAVE TOLD US THAT WE NEED TO PUT THE FOLLOWING TEXT IN ALL CAPS. PLEASE EXCUSE THE FOLLOWING WALL OF TEXT. WE DON’T USUALLY YELL.
Sure, I get it. It's in there to cover them. Still kinda strange I guess.
I guess it could go like this?
- Joe's account is closed.
- Joe contacts ONE, "Hey, why did you close my account"?
- ONE: Oh, no reason.
It took a while for Simple to implement faster ACH transfers as well. Give it time. This bit from the Simple blog back from when they sped things up explains more.
Every bank determines their interest rate at their "discretion", they can say it's based on some sort of rate or what not but in the legal documents it pretty much says they can change the rates however they see fit.
https://www.simple.com/policies/deposit-account-agreement
At any time and without prior notice to you (except where prior notice is required by law), we may change these rates and minimum ledger balance amounts or discontinue the payment of interest.
https://www.bankofamerica.com/salesservices/deposits/resources/deposit-agreements/
Your funds earn a variable rate. Your interest rate and annual percentage yield (“APY”) may change. At our discretion, we may change the interest rate for your account at any time without notice or limit
Your account has a variable interest rate. That means we may change the interest rate and Annual Percentage Yield as often as we choose, without limits and without notice.
Nope, the Protected Goals account was another checking account.
>What is a Protected Goals Account? A Protected Goals Account is designed for your savings and stashes away your money in a separate high-yield checking account
Here's the original old email from their transition to simple.com, Nov 30, 2011:
> Hello there,
> As you might have heard, on November 8th we had some big news: we've launched to our first customers, and BankSimple became just Simple (see the blog link below). We couldn't be prouder of what our team has been able to achieve so far. But we know a lot of future customers are wondering when they’re going to be able to use Simple, and we want to be sure you know what to expect.
> You’ve been on the list a long time, and we’re thankful that you have stuck with us. Our first invite request was in February of 2010, and we’re bringing people on board generally in the order they requested the invite. Those of you who signed up most recently can expect to receive your invite by summer. Those of you who signed up earlier will receive their invite sooner.
> We have begun sending out invites, currently a few dozen at a time, and then we will escalate from there. If that seems a bit slow, it is deliberate. To get ready for a wider release, we are beginning with the core features of spending and depositing, and looking to our first customers for feedback before releasing the full product. We’ve been using the full product internally for a few months, but Simple presents key departures from how banking typically works and we want to make sure that you all love it as much as we do.
> Thanks so much, once again, for your support.
> Rachel > Customer Relations | Simple
> simple.com > twitter.com/simplify
> Here's the blog post about our recent launch and rebrand: > https://www.simple.com/blog/Simple/introducing-simple/
Think of expenses like a bucket. You stick money in there every payday. Your balance shows whatever is left. Then when that bill finally hits the account, it comes out of the expense bucket. Your Safe-to-Spend balance won’t change.
You should transfer enough money to the expense. Your Safe-to-Spend will go down. Then setup an auto expense for either the phone company or the Phone category. When the bill finally hits, it will automatically take from the expense. You don’t get double charged.
I love Expenses. It makes it so easy. Read more here
I use Simple bank and when the paycheck enters my account it automatically moves money into buckets for my bills and then shows me what's left after that as my "Safe to Spend" money. It's so helpful for me
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/expenses/funding-and-spending-from-expenses
I just looked it up and Visa charges a 1% fee on international charges so I guess it didn’t have anything to do with an ATM.
All banks have limits, it's to cover your ass and theirs. Both have pretty comprehensive outlines of those limits available from a quick Google search:
https://www.sofi.com/money/limits/
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/spend-limits
My personal experience with Simple is needing to do a cash advance at a physical bank for a large cash withdrawal same day, back when I had terrible credit. Didn't get charged any fees, took about 5 minutes.
Hi! I had the same problem with not being able to receive payments, what I had to do was get a Simple ( https://www.simple.com/ ) online bank account and connect it to my Paypal, so that my paypal would be verified. Hope this helps.
It says: We created an FDIC-insured checking account built to help you save money, and to support smart spending with built-in budgeting tools. The accounts are free and our customer service is kind, helpful and human (in other words, talking to us won’t inspire you to start a bank of your own out of frustration).
Personally, I like Huntington.
If you're willing to skip the brick-and-mortar, though, check out Simple!
I've had VERY bad experiences with both BB&T and City National (just typing the names raised my blood pressure), so I don't recommend them.
I've had an account with United for years, but their app...isn't the best, so it's just a backup account.
Chase charges. For everything. Well, unless you have $500 or more in direct deposits a month, and who can guarantee that, especially with what's going on now?
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/overdrafts
If you don't wish to open the link i'll paste you the meat of it.
Can my account become overdrawn? If so, what happens? It's possible, but rare. Our accounts are designed to minimize overdrafts, so transactions that are greater than your account balance will typically be declined or returned.
We will not charge an overdraft fee if you do end up with a negative balance in your account. (For more information, check out our schedule of fees.)
Of course, it’s still important that you bring your account out of the negative as quickly as possible. Check out the Getting Money Into Simple article for an overview of the different ways to deposit funds.
There are a few extra facts to keep in mind if you happen to have a Shared account with a negative balance. You can find all these details in our Shared Account Ownership article.
I switched from Wealthfront back to Simple for my cash account after the first decrease last year. As of today (2020-01-13), my Simple account has an Interest Rate of 1.88%, and a 1.90% APY.
Documented in their Protected Goals Account Truth in Savings Disclosure: https://www.simple.com/policies/protected-goals-truth-in-savings-disclosure
Quick google indicates (a) you opened your account during a recent promotional period and (b) put > $20k in.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/simple-finance-500-savings-bonus/
Simple bank has no fee, online only (except in Kansas as they have 1 location), can’t over draft.
One nice thing is you can have a simple account, they can have one and the two can be linked. more details at their website. You can transfer funds from your account to theirs.
Simple also has budgeting built on the app and website so it could teach them a little about budgeting.
It seriously sounds like you need to seek a mental health professional for whatever it is you're struggling with... No one is fighting with you, Simple Bank did nothing wrong and yes, they are open during business hours and I've called them 4 separate times and have always had exceptional customer service...
"Give us a call at 888-248-0632. Calling is best for urgent issues that need immediate attention—our phone lines are open from 6 am to 4 pm PT (9 am to 7 pm ET) on business days, and from 7 am to 2 pm PT (10 am to 5 pm ET) on Saturdays. Our phone lines are closed on holidays and Sundays."
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/account-info/contact-us
I know Simple doesnt allow checks to be used with their accounts and even says if you try the checks will not work because their service isnt set up that way.
https://www.simple.com/help/articles/getting-started/checks
You can mail paper check through the online service for free. Simple and my credit union offers that option and I did automate it with my credit union to send it a week before my due date just in case there's a delay with the mail.