Varo Visa® Debit Card review
Updated September 28, 2026 · DebitCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
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.
Key facts
- Best for
- US adults with poor credit who want cashback, a virtual card and no monthly or annual fee.
- Monthly fee
- $0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Currency conversion fee
- 0% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card type
- Debit (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card network
- Visa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Varo Bank, National Association (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2015 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Phone, Email, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Virtual card
- Official website
- varomoney.com
Credit cards
- Annual fee
- $0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- APR
- 0% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Currency conversion fee
- 0% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Rewards type
- Cashback (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Rewards rate
- Offer-based, varies by merchant offer; up to $750 per calendar month (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Credit needed
- Poor (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Perks
- 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 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card kind
- Credit (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Varo Bank, National Association (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2015 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Phone, Email, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- No annual fee
- Features
- Virtual card
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App StoreGoogle Play
Pros and cons
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.
- Support runs through chat, phone and email, so phone and chat sit alongside email and a help centre.
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.
- The bank behind the card is Varo Bank, National Association in the United States, so anyone outside the US is holding money in an account built for a different market.
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.
Using it abroad
Abroad, the extra cost on a purchase is the currency conversion fee of 0%. The card runs on visa, so the same card is accepted wherever that network is taken. Set against a site median of 1% for currency conversion, a fee of 0% keeps a trip paid for on this card light in currency terms. Compare that figure with a travel account before the first payment abroad.
Safety of your money
The money sits with a US bank that carries its own licence, listed as FDIC cert 59190. That certificate number is how the bank is identified in the regulator's records, and the FDIC is the body named for it in the US. The licence terms set out what the deposit protection covers, so read them before deciding how much to hold. For a card used day to day, that deposit sitting with a chartered institution matters more than any reward rate.
Who runs it
The bank behind the card is Varo Bank, National Association, headquartered in the United States and founded in 2015. The licence it holds is FDIC cert 59190, and the FDIC is one of the two US regulators named for it. Support runs through chat, phone and email, so help comes by phone and chat as well as email and a help centre. The name and the licence together tell you this is a US chartered bank, which is the first thing to check when money will sit in the balance for a while.
How Varo Visa® Debit Card compares
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.9
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.7
9.2 vs 9.2Its monthly fee is €0, matching this card, so the deciding points are the debit card, the cashback at select merchants and the credit building on offer here.
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.9
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 9.6
Varo Visa® Debit Card vs Current Build Card9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.8- 9.2 vs 8.8
- 9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.8- 9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.3
9.2 vs 8.2
9.2 vs 8.0
9.2 vs 8.0
Where Varo Visa® Debit Card is available
- Available
- United States
- Licence in United States
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- FDIC (FDIC cert 59190), checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
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.
What does it cost to spend abroad?+
Spending in another currency costs a conversion fee of 0%, set against a site median of 1% for the same thing. The card runs on visa and the account is a debit account, so the currency line is the main extra cost on a purchase made abroad.
Can I get free cash from ATMs?+
Cash withdrawals come under 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, which includes free Allpoint machines. The card lists no monthly free withdrawal allowance, so plan your cash around the Allpoint network rather than around a counted number of free withdrawals.
What rewards does the card pay?+
Rewards come as cashback at select merchants, and the rate is offer based: it changes with the merchant offer instead of sitting on a single rate, so what you earn depends on where you shop. Cashback offers are listed in Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app and No credit check to apply.
What credit do I need to open it?+
The credit level asked for is poor, and there is no credit check to apply, so the account opens for a thin credit file. The card also asks for no minimum security deposit, because the cardholder sets their own spending limit, as set out in Reports to all three credit bureaus, Free credit score tracking in the Varo app and No credit check to apply.
How do I get help if something goes wrong?+
Support runs through chat, phone and email, so phone and chat sit alongside email and a help centre. A help centre is the route offered by 75.6% of the cards on the site, so this card covers the common ground and adds phone support.
What card do I actually get?+
It is a debit card on the visa network, and a virtual card is included, listed as virtual card. The virtual card suits online spending and subscriptions, while the physical card handles shop purchases and Allpoint cash withdrawals.
Who runs the account?+
The bank is Varo Bank, National Association, headquartered in the United States and founded in 2015. The regulators named for it in the US are the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the licence reads FDIC cert 59190.
Sources
- banks.data.fdic.gov/bankfind-suite/bankfind/details/59190 checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Licences
“CERT=59190; NAME=Varo Bank, National Association; WEBADDR=www.varomoney.com; ACTIVE=1”
- support.varomoney.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000334946-How-... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Chat - Live, in-app support; Phone - Call 1-877-377-8276 for live, specialized support; Email - Visit varomoney.com/support”
- varomoney.com/about-us checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“We were founded in 2015 in San Francisco, California by Colin Walsh.”
- varomoney.com/bank-account checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Monthly fee
“KEEP MORE OF YOUR MONEY WITH A FREE BANK ACCOUNT. No minimum balance, maintenance, overdraft, or account fees”
- varomoney.com/cashback checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Rewards rate, Rewards type
“The maximum cashback earned is $750 USD per calendar month”
- varomoney.com/credit-builder checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Annual fee, APR, Card kind, Credit needed, Currency conversion fee, Pricing model, Perks
“No interest, annual fees, or security deposit”
- varomoney.com/debit-card checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Card type, Features, Card network
“VARO VISA DEBIT CARD. NO WEIRD FEES”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.
Varo Visa® Debit Card
US adults with poor credit who want cashback, a virtual card and no monthly or annual fee.