Updated September 29, 2026 · DebitCue Editorial Team
Chase Slate® vs Varo Visa® Debit Card
Chase Slate®
Varo Visa® Debit Card
Higher score in this comparison
Chase Slate® vs Varo Visa® Debit Card: the differences
| Compare | Chase Slate®ReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives | Varo Visa® Debit CardReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| APR | 18.24% to 27.74% | 0%Lower |
| Currency conversion fee | 3% | 0%Lower |
| Rewards rate | 1.5% cash back on other purchases, 3% dining and drugstores, 5% Chase Travel | Offer-based, varies by merchant offer; up to $750 per calendar month |
| Credit needed | Good | Poor |
| Perks | $200 welcome bonus after $500 spend in first 3 months, 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, Free credit score and alerts with Chase Credit Journey, No minimum redemption value for cash back, FDIC insured | Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app, No credit check to apply, No minimum security deposit; cardholder sets own spending limit, Cashback offers at select merchants with the card, Free out of network free Allpoint ATM access |
| Balance transfer intro period | 15 months | Not confirmed |
| Balance transfer fee | 5% | Not confirmed |
| Cashback rate | 1.5% | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Annual fee ($0), Rewards type (Cashback), Card kind (Credit).
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Key differences
- Varo Visa® Debit Card scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 8.8.
- APR is lower at Varo Visa® Debit Card: 0% vs 18.24% to 27.74%.
- Currency conversion fee is lower at Varo Visa® Debit Card: 0% vs 3%.
- Perks: only Chase Slate® offers $200 welcome bonus after $500 spend in first 3 months, 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, Free credit score and alerts with Chase Credit Journey.
- Perks: only Varo Visa® Debit Card offers Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app, No credit check to apply.
- Support channels: only Varo Visa® Debit Card offers Chat, Phone, Email.
- Features: only Chase Slate® offers Rewards.
- Features: only Varo Visa® Debit Card offers Virtual card.
Our verdict on each
Chase Slate®
Chase Slate suits people who want a rewards credit card with nothing to pay for holding it. The annual fee is $0, cash back runs at 1.5% on most purchases, and the balance transfer offer runs for 15, so it works for everyday spenders carrying a balance.
Varo Visa® Debit Card
The Varo Visa Debit Card is a US account for people whose credit is poor who still want cashback and a virtual card, and it charges a monthly fee of $0. Wise and Starling sit on the same monthly fee, so the deciding points are the credit building and the card network.
Score breakdown
| Area | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.8Annual fee $0, cash back 1.5%, but 3% on foreign spend and 5% to transfer a balance. | 9.4HigherMonthly fee $0 and annual fee $0 sit at the foot of the debit table; conversion fee 0% beats the site median of 1%. |
| Offer | 8.8Cash back of 1.5% with higher dining, drugstore and Chase Travel rates, plus an intro period of 15. | 9.9Higher |
| Trust | Not confirmed | 8.6 |
Licences and countries
| Country | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Not confirmed | FDIC FDIC cert 59190 |
Available in 1 country for both.
Cost in a real example
A year with 1,000 spent abroad
Chase Slate®
$30
1 × $0 + 3% of 1,000
Varo Visa® Debit Card
$0
1 × $0 + 0% of 1,000
Varo Visa® Debit Card costs $30 less.
Worked out from the stated prices and rates; your own total depends on how you use it. Facts checked September 26, 2026.
Positions in our rankings
| Ranking | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Debit cards | 285 of 1336 | 150 of 1336 |
| Credit cards | 262 of 1020 | 141 of 1020 |
| Cashback cards | 107 of 203 | 47 of 203 |
Sources behind this comparison
Chase Slate®
- chase.com: 8 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- nerdwallet.com: 7 facts, checked September 26, 2026
Varo Visa® Debit Card
- varomoney.com: 11 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- banks.data.fdic.gov: 2 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- support.varomoney.com: 1 fact, checked September 26, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Features | Rewards | Virtual card |
| Legal entity | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Varo Bank, National Association |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2015 |
| Support channels | Help centre | Chat, Phone, Email, Help centreCovers more |
Debit cards
| Fact | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $15 | $0Lower |
| Card type | Debit | Debit |
| Card network | Not confirmed | Visa |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0at the median | $0at the median | $0 |
| APR | 18.24% to 27.74%below the median | 0%lowest quarter | 19.39 |
| Currency conversion fee | 3%highest quarter | 0%below the median | 1% |
| Balance transfer intro period | 15 monthsat the median | Not confirmed | 15 months |
| Balance transfer fee | 5%highest quarter | Not confirmed | 3% |
| Cashback rate | 1.5%at the median | Not confirmed | 1.5% |
Median across 312 listed cards.
Pros and cons
Chase Slate®
Pros
- Annual fee of $0 with cash back of 1.5% on most purchases, paid in cash rather than points.
- Intro APR for 15 on purchases and balance transfers, with a balance transfer fee of 5%.
- Higher listed rates on dining, drugstores and Chase Travel, and $200 welcome bonus after $500 spend in first 3 months, 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers and Free credit score and alerts with Chase Credit Journey includes no minimum redemption value for cash back.
Cons
- Foreign purchases cost 3%, so card use abroad erodes the cash back.
- Support runs on help centre only, with no phone or chat line listed.
- Purchases and balances outside the intro period carry an APR of 18.24% to 27.74%, against a site median of 20.97%.
Varo Visa® Debit Card
Pros
- Rewards are cashback at select merchants, and the rate moves with each offer, so the card pays back at shops you already visit.
- There is no credit check to apply and the credit level asked for is poor, so the account opens for a thin credit file.
- A virtual card is included, listed as virtual card, which keeps online spending and subscriptions away from the physical card.
Cons
- Rewards are cashback, but the rate is offer based and moves with each merchant offer, so everyday spending earns whatever the offer happens to be.
- Every card compared here charges a monthly fee too, at £0, €0 and £0, so the free monthly account is not by itself a reason to move.
- The cardholder sets their own spending limit, as listed in Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app and No credit check to apply, so the ceiling stays where you put it instead of rising on its own.
Who each suits
Chase Slate®
Who it suits
- People with good credit who want rewards on everyday spending.
- Cardholders moving a balance who can clear it inside 15.
- People who shop on Chase Travel or at drugstores, where the listed cash back rates are higher.
Who should look elsewhere
- Heavy foreign spenders, because foreign purchases cost 3% here while Chime Card (Secured Visa Credit Card) lists 0%.
- People rebuilding credit, since this card asks for good credit and Varo Believe Secured Credit Card is built for that, with an APR of 0%.
Varo Visa® Debit Card
Who it suits
- People whose credit is poor and who want a card that opens without a credit check, with cashback at select merchants rather than a travel account such as Wise.
- US residents who want a virtual card alongside a physical one and free Allpoint cash withdrawals, where Starling is the alternative to compare.
- Spenders who want rewards paid as cashback at merchants they already use, and who are happy setting their own spending limit.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for people whose main need is holding and spending in several currencies: Wise is the alternative to compare, while this is a US debit account.
- Not for people who need cash machines in many countries: the ATM access listed in Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app and No credit check to apply is Allpoint, and Starling is the alternative to compare for a different debit setup.
- Not for anyone who wants a card that sets its own ceiling: the cardholder sets their own spending limit, as listed in Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app and No credit check to apply, so Bitpanda is worth a look for a different spending arrangement.
Current offers
Chase Slate®
Current offer
Bonus
Chase Freedom Unlimited welcome bonus: USD 200
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Bonus
Chase Freedom Flex bonus offer: USD 250
5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories, categories must be activated each quarter; spend limits apply
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus: 75000 points
Sign-up bonus after spending requirement on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Bonus
Chase Sapphire Reserve welcome bonus: 100000 points
Sign-up bonus after spending requirement on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Bonus
United Explorer welcome bonus and $0 intro annual fee: 60000 miles
Intro annual fee $0 for the first year; sign-up bonus after spending requirement on the United Explorer Card
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Chase Slate® | Varo Visa® Debit Card |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Yes | Yes |
Questions about each
Chase Slate®
What does Chase Slate cost to hold?+
It is a credit card on a no annual fee model, with an annual fee of $0 and nothing to pay for keeping it open. Spending earns cash back at 1.5% on most purchases, and the rewards type is cashback rather than points or miles, so the value arrives as cash.
What is the balance transfer offer?+
There is an intro APR for 15 that covers purchases as well as balance transfers, and moving a balance over costs 5%. The regular rate once that period ends is 18.24% to 27.74%, so the deal only pays if the balance clears before the intro rate ends.
Varo Visa® Debit Card
What does it cost to hold this account?+
The account charges a monthly fee of $0 and the card an annual fee of $0, so there is no charge for holding it open. The credit building side of the same bank lists the same annual fee and an APR of 0%, and the model is listed as no annual fee, which keeps the cost of holding the card at the bottom of the table.
Is my money protected?+
The bank behind the card is Varo Bank, National Association, based in the United States, and its licence reads FDIC cert 59190. The FDIC is the regulator named for it in the US, and the certificate number is how the bank is identified in that regulator's records. The licence terms set out what the deposit protection covers.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
Chase Slate®
Varo Visa® Debit Card