| 5 star: | (188) | |
| 4 star: | (22) | |
| 3 star: | (8) | |
| 2 star: | (18) | |
| 1 star: | (167) |
This has been a nightmare. I had originally set up a savings and a spend account whereby I authorized Aspiration to withdraw from my credit union account $100 a month. I had requested them to cease from the withdrawals when I became unemployed. 9 months later, I log into my credit union account and "someone" had gotten into my credit union account and moved around $2,000 into Aspiration account! At the time I didn't know that it was Aspiration that had done the transfer! So eventually I found out that it was Aspiration who did it. It has been a nightmare trying to get the money back, plus they are keeping $5! I know it's just $5.00 however it is the principle of it. All of the aggravation and the transfers of one CSR to another and by the way, if you land at the wrong department, before they will transfer the call to the correct department, you have to verify all of your information to them be asked again to verify your information! It is ridiculous to say the least. I asked the CSR if I was going to have to verify my information to the correct department and she said yes. So I said just transfer me so I can speak to the proper department and she said she would not transfer me unless I verified my information! I still have not received the $1,995 back. This could have really screwed me up had I not had family to loan me the money that they stole from me UNAUTHORIZED. I will never ever do business with them again and I do NOT recommend this at all.
They say there are only 2 things in life you can count on. Death and Taxes! But they’re wrong. There are 3 things in life you can count on. Death, Taxes, and Craig at J e t h a c k s R e c o v e r y C e n t r e .! Craig, who consistently comes to the rescue in solving recovery cases from fraudulent financial institutions for her clients came through for me when I needed help the most. Having lost everything to an investment platform, I had no one else to run to but Craig. Today I want to use this opportunity to thank you Sir and the whole team for everything you have done for my family . In less than 4 days of working with you, my lost USDT funds of $238,400.03329 USDT got recovered back to me and I am now able to pay my two daughters college tuition fees that I wasn’t able to afford before coming to you for help. Besides that, you were so professional and friendly and easy to work with and it is with great pleasure that I say the transparency level of the recovery process was what stood out most for me. I have already recommended you to a friend at work and I would definitely recommend you to anyone needing help with their recovery case to get in contact with you and the team on either email address : J e t h a c k s 7 @ G m a i l . C o m or on Telegram username @ J e t h a c k s s .
Do not trust this bank! I had a fraudulent charge on my account and a large one at that. Over 1k. Initially they gave me back my money and they promised that they locked that company from being able to charge my account again and within a week another fraudulent charge came through from the same company. They later undid the first fraudulent charge but not the second one of $800. So they believed me on one charge but not the other? This put the account negative because I stopped putting money in it. My gut was tingling. Then they lock down my savings account containing over 2k Upon calling they said they would look into it and nothing happened for months. Couldn’t get any changed response for a few calls still being told that they were looking into it. As of 9:45 pm tonight they took the over drawn amount from my savings account. This bank is an absolute scam!
I deposited money exactly two years ago. Tried to use the card three times. Every time it was declined. So then tried to transfer back to my checking account with Chase. Transaction declined!! Called them time after time only to be told they would investigate. Only response is by email. Guess what? Email said my request for refunding my money was declined!! These people are thieves, fraudsters and ripoff artists!! Stay away!! All money was eaten up by feeees!! Over two years.
I'll start by stating that up until this incident, I would say my wife and I were satisfied customers of Aspiration Bank. The application process was simple. It was great to completely get rid of all the fees that come with a brick-and-mortar brand. The few times I dealt with Customer Support it was a great experience. I also was proud to be a part of an organization that was dedicated to bettering the environment. In fact, I recently raised what I chose to pay them monthly for handling my account.
Around the first of September, I received an email stating my debit card had been closed due to the possibility they may have found someone had accessed its information on a pay site. The email explained I had nothing to worry about, I did not need to do anything extra and I would receive a new card in the mail. Roughly 4 weeks later I finally received my new debit card in the mail. While this was annoying it did not cause any real pain. There were no fraudulent transactions on my account, and no money lost, and I was grateful that Aspiration Bank's security saved my account from disaster.
Less than a week after receiving my new debit card I received a text that stated they were with Aspiration Bank security, asking if I had approved a large purchase at a Target in New Jersey. I replied that I had not. Within seconds I received a call from the same number. The gentleman identified himself, explaining that he was with Aspiration Security. He started listing recent transactions from my account, all of which were mine. He explained that there had been questionable transactions from my debit card.
He asked me to check the email he had just sent. IYT was an email from Aspiration to change the password on my online account. I even checked the email address to verify. I changed the password and logged into the account. This guy was reading off all my transactions. I verified the ones I saw as he read them were my transactions. In other words, this person had total access to my account before contacting me. It was when he asked me to give him my debit card number and CVV that I started to question what was going on. I refused to give him any of that info asking him what he would need that info if he was with Aspiration security. After I disconnected the call I logged out and then logged back onto my Aspiration Account. The new password was still in effect. The next morning I contacted Aspiration support and described the call from the night before. The lady explained that there was no record of contact with me from Aspiration, that this was someone probably trying to access my account, and that the account should be locked. I asked what all that entailed and she explained that someone would contact me shortly.
The next day my wife and I received emails stating our account was closed and they would mail us our money. We immediately contacted support, but to no avail they had no clue as to what the next step would be, or how long it would them would send our money. Never mind the fact that our payroll had just been deposited, the money needed for rent and bills was now in Aspiration's hands and not one person could give us any answers.
Here we are 4 weeks later, and still no return of our money, and no answers. The final insult was today when my wife and I received emails from Aspiration stating they had permanently closed our account because WE were in breach of the contract. IF there was any money left in the account they would send it to me via a check through the mail. The email gave the usual customer support number if there were any questions. When I called I asked what exactly they felt I had done to break the contact. They could not answer, nor offer contact to anyone who could.
Over the last two weeks, I have met several others who have recently had the same experience with Asperation. None of them have had their funds returned either. Two people I connected with have been waiting for over a year. Like my situation, it's not just a few dollars either.
I'm not sure what recently changed with this institution, but my recommendation is to stay as far away from this bank as possible.
My brother had authorized me to use his account to receive my tax refund- I received it and used 5k of about 17.5k before it was frozen- in spite of being able to prove our identity and my brother having the authority to allow me yo use his card- they took an entire year to even attempt to return my money to me. I had to report the company to FINRA before they were cooperative. I am still waiting on the check I had to send a notarized release for.
What a cluster f*ck. Would accept my utility bill because it was emailed to me. Wouldn’t accept my driver’s license need to send a selfie. Why does a bank need a photo of me when it’s on my drivers license. Then they informed me if I cancel I can never be a customer ever again. Thought this bank was good until I moved. Seemed a little intrusive to me for a move.
Hope you don't need to request a chargeback because they do NOT issue a temporary credit and it will take a MINIMUM of 10 business days. If a gas company autorizes a higher charge than your purchase, they LIE and say the money will go back to you once the charge resolves - the charge has finalized for a $10 purchase and they are still holding the outrageous $74 auth. BEWARE - they care about the environment but NOT their customers.
I deposited a check a few days ago, the check was approved yet the money isn't in my account. I have attempted to contact support multiple times to see what is going on with no response. Will be switching banks when I finally get my money.
I have had this card for almost two years. They always post my checks two days early even if it's a Sunday unlike other banks that would make the customer wait until Monday. I get checks in there faithfully several times a month.
I have used this card to receive child support from my ex via cashapp. I used it for my tax refund last year with no issue.
I have deposited three mobile checks. Two were from my sons school for internet and the third was a check from my landlord because I paid for something that he reimbursed me for. The only issue I had with the third check was I had to resubmit it because they said it was blurry. I resubmitted it and didn't have an issue after.
I have used this card to receive Uber and Insta cart payments. I used it for Amazon Flex payments as well until my Amazon card came. Never had an issue.
I like how, unlike other prepaid cards, I get my money at 3am versus having to check the card all day because I have no idea when it will post.
I don't remember if they advertised a sign up bonus or not but I believe they sent me either 50 or 100 dollars a few months into having it but I can't remember which.
The fee is very reasonable.
I have no complaints so far and it's been two years. If anything changes, I will update my review but for now I think this card is pretty good.
Hello,
I have been waiting a month for my account to receive new account numbers and I have availability to my funds. I only get the same response and that is to expect an email.
Still waiting...
Aspiration bank, closed my account and kept my money.
Aspiration bank review, is aspiration bank a scam?
Does anyone know of any good journalists wanting to pick this case up?
they did the same thing for me i have my 3k which i need for my expenses for school and kids.. for almost two months now.. and say unfortunately they dont information regarding it. they closed it by themselves and they said they dont need to explain the reason. please spare yourself from this bank. they are the worst nightmare. i never thought this bank could exist. where should i go now to report them. they have ruin my life.
Aspiration has frozen my account for going on 30 days. There’s some mismatched info on my account, possibly my spouse’s because we screwed up trying to get a joint application & they somehow approved it anyway. Rather than work with me to figure out what’s wrong they closed my account with over $13,000 in there. Money I need to care for my ailing father.
I see no reason for it to take a month to close out a basic account. Their customer service is atrocious and beyond stupid. WHATEVER YOU DO, don’t get ensnared into their Ponzi scheme.
Great features for a digital startup bank!
Thought the transition from my long-time bank would be onerous, but pleased that Aspiration made it seamless.
We wanted to switch to Aspiration for our checking, savings, and primary credit card, but we can't get both me and my husband on an account. When I applied for the accounts, they required a different phone number for each account (and person), so I used mine for checking and his for the credit card application. When I tried to add him as a joint account holder, they tell us there's an account already attached to his phone number, and so you can't add someone as a joint when they already have an account. He's never had an account or applied for an account. But with their phone number requirement, you need FOUR phone numbers for a couple to have both joint checking and credit card accounts. The real kicker is we can't even fund he account, because it won't transfer from accounts that don't have identical account holder names - and our current accounts are in both our names. They've not replied to subsequent inquires by both phone and email, though I do keep replying that we still need help to their "do you still need help with this" emails. So supremely stupid.
Aspiration's environmental features like its personal impact sore and planting a tree per purchase are why I bank here.
For those who care about the environment, Aspiration is the place to bank
Awful institution! Do NOT bank here! Their customer service is horrible. Agents gave me conflicting info and basically lie. Asked for a supervisor (Ian) and Ian is even more vapid than the customer service team! He literally said “we can deny a mobile check deposit for no reason and without explanation”. That is HORRIBLE service.
I tried to deposit a check on their app, and it was denied, for NO legitimate reason. Called customer service and got nowhere. Then finally spoke to Ian who is dumb as a box of rocks. He would not explain why my check was denied and told me that they won’t cash it! That’s absurd!!! Now, I am screwed because they make you endorse the check with “for mobile deposit only at Aspiration” on the back of the check. They won’t cash it and now I can’t even cash it at my old bank because I wrote what they told me to on the check. They have totally screwed me.
I should have read their reviews in the App Store earlier. It is full of dissatisfied customers who experienced similar circumstances. Please please please save yourself and bank elsewhere. Aspiration is not worth your aggravation, and they are as dishonest as Pinocchio!!!
Unlike typical banks, they actually have real customer service agents, which is greatly appreciated
I have had this account for almost a year now. I nevee had any issues until I had fraud on my account in a total of almost 300 $$$!!. I called them to report it they took the information and said someone would contact me. I got word about 2 of the transaction about 2 weeks later. It was an email and all it said was the claims department did not find in my favor. I still had about 200$ outstanding in there claims processing been over a month now I called them and they told me there was no update you can not speak to anyone from claims only by email. I have emailed 3 times with no response. I had a duplicate change on my key bank account it took them 3 days and they credited my account. I don't understand how they can just let people steal money from your account and not care. This is seriously issue and to think I was happy with this bank until this issue. I mean how good can they be they can charge fees and take money but can not protect your money DONT USE THIS BANK IT OKAY UNTIL YOU NEED THEM OR EVEN HAVE A QUESTION ON WHY THEY WONT HELP
Very decieving company they didnt pay my 150 sign in bonus. They are liars and write fake review. Stay away not a good company.
Love that my money is investing in healing the planet instead of destroying it
When I called I was surprised to quickly get an actual human being who helped promptly resolve the issues I was experiencing
Crooked Banking Institution! Stay Away! They stole the $300 bonus I was entitled to signing up for a credit card and will charge you a yearly fee in advance so they gain even more!
I spent way over the required $3,000 under 3 months but they decided I was not entitled to get a bonus. Also, their system, customer service, and departments are so dysfunctional it will take you 5 days to even get to the right person who will reroute you back as they do not know what to do. I contacted NY State Attorney General and also NY State Banking Association to have them investigated!
Me and my college friends, who are climate activists, all bank at Aspiration. I'm glad I don't have to give my money to polluting corporate banks
Deposits and payments go through no problem. Very satisfied
I having been using this card a few months and so far no issues popped up. I deposited a mobile check and had the money the next day unlike other cards that make you wait 10 days. I used it to reserve and pay for a hotel with no problem. I was able to move money from the card to another account I have with no issue. The pay what is fair option as far as fees goes is great. It’s only 1.00 versus 7.99. So for me this card has been great. I am expecting a sure t deposit soon so I’m hoping it comes two days early but we will see.
Very happy with my decision to go green and digital with Aspiration
I tried to wire my money out for an important deal.Aspiration cannot connect to where I wanted my money to go and I had to use an alternate acct I have at a credit union to get the money where I wanted it. I made a mistake on my receiving acct number and it bounced back. Tried again, was told it was being sent, instead my acct was frozen. Then it was being closed. Over 20 emails, and 20 calls and no money. This is $35,000 they have of mine. I lost my retirement property deal because they wont give me my money. It is mine, not yours. Its now 29 days in. And no end in sight. You never get the same person in customer service. Operations wont take calls. Only internal emails which never come. Do not use this institution EVER. YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR MONEY. All my retirement dreams went up in flames. I cannot make this money back. Im sick and have not got the time left . Thanks for shortening my life further.
I have been using this account for a few months to pay done of my bills - 3 months ago I moved . I notified them of my new address but they say their info doesn’t show my home or address is valid ? I live in a huge community with over 300 homes ? It’s not my fault they have outdated info !? So now they locked my account unless I send them important federal or state identification- and I am not sending anything over internet !? No way Jose ! I asked them to send me a code in the mail and I can contact them with it when I get it, but NO they prefer to keep my social security money -so now my phone will be shut off because I can’t pay my bill that I have paid with this account for 3 months already - so how is this not illegal !? RUN RUN from this company it is unethical and steals your money!!!
I appreciate that doing good for myself is doing good for the planet
There is no other explanation as to why I have sent NUMEROUS emails, have called a desperate amount of times, and HERE WE ARE 90+ DAYS AFTER MY INITIAL DISPUTE. $1209 and guess what? You can’t even contact the dispute dept!!!! There are laws in place to protect consumers that keep their money with banks like this. 91 days is over the limit.
Not a single employee wrote me a personalized email after I sent close to 15 responding to their repetition of scripts. Unbelievable. $1,200 of mine is just gone and they’re still investigating when they have had all of the evidence for over three months!! Three months! Also, there was a time six months ago after first opening the acct, $40 went missing and I sent screenshots that clearly showed how much was there. ???? still waiting to hear back. This company is crooked. You can’t speak to anyone above below or next to whichever robot you get on the phone. I wish I could post screenshots of the email correspondence. They would just irate you. Keep an eye out for a class action event.
Fantastic customer support each and every time
Great digital platform that safeguards the planet
No problems to report. Easy banking, easy way to help the planet
Their customer service can't help they rely on teleperformance in philippines. which you cannot talk to, I provided all the needed information and im out almost $200, this is not just a mistake on my part where i spent the money, I moved money into aspiration and the initiating bank showed me all the need info trace and transactions ID's, Aspiration can't find my money. They can't give me any info. Coastal Community is the holding bank. Beware of bank technology apps, it's going to be 5 days tmr, and Inhavent heard nothing. Ill update if i ever get my my money,i won't be holding my breath
After banking with them for around 4 years. Aspiration decides to close my account claiming that I broke their customer account agreement. They then proceed to tell me in the emaik that if I have any questions, I can call them or reply back. I did both. I email them asking for a detailed explanation and they told me they could not discuss the details and dis not know anything. When I called, I was told that account closure team only does email and that they could not tell me why or how i had “broken the customer agreement.”
which just proves that I did not break any rules, they just wanted to close a legitimate customers bank account for no reason because if you really broke a rule or any agreement, they by law are required to give a detailed explanation. Not giving an explanation or not bwing able to, provesy innocence as a customer.
The bank has still failed to respond back to me after 7 days as they stated in rhe initial account closure email.
They said they will notify me when they fully closed my account and issue mr the check from what was left in my bank account within 7 days.
The fact I have never frauded them, uploaded checks except stipend ones sent from my school, and only transferred funds from my paypal from earnings I received from survey and games that pay me and others to play them, and my ssi being deposited in it each month, just to me makes no sense on how I broke their customer agreement. like i was not even sending or transferring the daily limits.
they even randomly refused my stipend checks from my school, unless i cashed them, and seperated them into less than $300 yet the daily deposit limir was $5,000 a day.
this company is not worth it. Please fully do research and take it from me. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH ASPIRATION.
Whenever I have an issue, customer service is quick to address
Solid service, solid platform, all while planting trees. Works for me!
Has great UX, which is a must for a purely digital platform
User-friendly and good for the planet. No complaints
I had this bank for a year in early September I noticed two online charges, totaling $103, that I didn't make Aspiration put a credit in my account then didn't contact me for over 3 months. In late December they told me they were removing the credit and could not give me any information about the purchases.
I did not make these purchases so in essence they stole $103 from me. However even if had there is no world in which it should've taken 3 months to get answer on this.
Aspiration use to be a great online bank paying up to 3% on their savings account. But gradually the bank started rolling back savings rate to zero.
Yes the online portal is pretty good but it is not worth what you actually get in the long run.
Use to be that you would also not get hit with ATM fees worldwide but that is not the case anymore.
As for other fees this bank hits you with their fees to "plant trees" (they brag about helping the planet but who knows where those funds are going to). They do not let you opt out of getting hit with those fees.
Also they tend to lag when you want to transfer funds to your account. This last time one of their reps giggled at the fact that they were late by 14 seconds to post my transfer which cost me $35.00 from my credit card (as they considered it a returned check). Aspiration refused to refund the $35.00.
Transferring funds from their own savings to checking account also is not without unacceptable snags.
Overall this bank has turned into your regular everyday bank without having a physical presence.
They no longer offer you interest with your savings account unless you pay for that "perk."
Other than the online platform there is not reason to chose this bank for your needs. If you do go with this bank you will ask yourself "what kind of a scam is this?". Seriously.
With Aspiration, the environmentally conscious like myself now finally have somewhere to bank where our deposits won't contribute to environmental degradation. Thank you Aspiration!
Unlike my parents, I never even have to step foot inside a bank! All digital baby!
Had an issue with my account and Rachel from customer service addressed professionally and promptly
I've planted hundreds of trees now with my Aspiration Debit Card! Giving back to the planet has never been so easy
Great bank to make the transition from big, brick-and-mortar to digital upstart
TLDR: This is a classic example of how companies scam. I am an avid user of several fintech apps for investing & saving such as Robinhood, Wealthfront, Titan, Fidelity, Chase, Coinbase, Xoom and have never seen any as notorious as this one. Stay away absolutely at all costs.
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1. Their marketing is HUGE scam. On instagram ads, Aspiration promised upto 10% APY interest rate. Now that is pretty steep for interest rates, so you would want to sign up, right? That's what I did. Only to realize once you sign up that, the high APYs require you to spend atleast $1000 using their debit card, otherwise its <0.9%. Any decent credit card would give you 3-5% rewards, so solid sleazy practices to recruit users. Probably a very cheap attempt to show userbase for their investors I suppose/
2. Next comes the notorious part. Naturally, I wanted to close this scam of an account and transfer backmy money. Well, you cant! The daily limit is $100, only 1 transaction (wt* !!!) and it goes up to $500 after a week and a $1000 after a month. They wont do anything about increasing limits or sending my money back. I mailed them multiple times about this horrendous practices - both marketing and transaction limits related, and 'we are sorry' is the answer.
This is the worst, most sleazy app I ever saw and what worries me the MOST is the eco-friendly branding they are selling. I am 1000% sure these cheap sleazy cons would do anything to so much plant a tree.
Please stay away from this. And if Aspiration team is reading this, please refer to my customer support transaction emails for full color on ' what a sleazy shi**** company you started' & take steps to fix customer pain points, not create a ton. Please learn from Amazon & a ton of great companies out there on how to be customer obsessive. This is not 1960s. Wake the f up.
It's only been a month, but I'm leaving this bank as quickly as possible. I opened the Spend/Save Plus account to manage the two tiny rentals we have. Big Mistake!! I've yet to get a mobile check deposit to be accepted - they keep saying the checks look like photocopies. These are the rent checks from our tenants and are issued by their banks. So I'm not sure how they look like a photocopy when all the (non-photocopyable) security features are printed on the checks. Any photocopies of them would show up with a big "VOID" printed across them. I called customer service they said I could deposit them at another institution, as in another bank. Really?! Oh, but they're happy to charge me the $71 for the Plus account.
External transfers - good luck with that, too. They take daaaayyyyyys to clear. I never know when I'll have access to my funds.
Bill pay ("Payment") is also a joke. They issue a paper check and send it. Yes, a paper check. It takes up to 7 days for the check to be issued.
As someone who has bills, a mortgage, car payment, and not nearly enough time to follow-up on all the snafus I've had with this bank just in the last 30 days, I can honestly say I wish I'd never signed up with them. I'm out $71 but I've learned my lesson.
Not my only bank but happy to be transitioning to digital banking. Brick and mortar really isn't necessary anymore
Love Aspiration! Clean banking for the environment and a clean, sleek banking experience on their digital platform!
I'm so happy with this bank. Been with them for over 2 years. The no fees, prompt customer service and convenient app keeps me 50 times happier than a major bank. And on top of that they support environmental causes! I have had a few glitches here and there with transferring funds, and correcting my billing address but it is always handled well and on top of that customer service are nice people, not robots. I think the people who write the bad reviews should just get an additional account with a brick and mortar bank for emergencies. That's what I do.
I love protecting the planet instead of harming it with who I bank with
Glad I finally made the jump to the neo-banks with Aspiration. There's no need for obsolete brick-and-mortar anymore.
Finally, a bank that doesn't have predatory overdraft fees. This has saved my a** over and over again. Friendly to working class folks
Great interface. Easy to use green digital bank
I got a phone call from someone identifying themselves as an Aspiration employee in June of 2021. They wanted to verify my account. This happened while I was caring for an elderl in rehabilitation. I reported this to Aspiration actually thinking that they had my best interests at heart. However they did not and KEPT MY MONEY! Would not notify me of ANY updates. Unless you want RIPPED OFF Do Not use Aspiration because they are THIEFS!!!!!!
They should be Out of Business!!
So happy to see my deposits no longer going to fund fossil fuels like with the big corporate banks. Wave of the future here.
The climate conscious values and reforestation project really makes me love my bank more than I ever thought I could love a bank.
My favorite bank ever! I can't believe big banks still support pollution for profit like fossil fuels. When I heard about Aspiration and their no fossil fuel policy, I knew they were for me. Never looked back ever since.
I really love this bank. I started with Aspiration about a year ago and I'm never going anywhere else. Such a great feeling that their values align with mine, the transactions are quick and easy, and I never have to step foot into a bank again.
I just stopped here to say thank you to the best bank ever and my awesome customer service rep! I just got off the phone with her and she helped me in no time and she was so kind. I am so happy I stopped the traditional banking and joined neo-bank life. Such a new world!
This “banking” institution is an absolute joke. They don’t care about their customers or their access to there own funds/accounts. I had a stolen debit card that I cancelled. The new card was expected to arrive 2 weeks after it was ordered. The card should have arrived 2 days before leaving town for Christmas
(December 22nd 2021, 2 weeks after it shipped). The card never arrived. Left town came back home on December 26th which was a Sunday. The following Monday and Tuesday passed with no card. Called aspiration for the 3rd time during this process. Only to be told to wait 3 more days. Who is able to go THREE weeks without access to the money in their bank account? Customer service was of no help each of the 3 times I have called. Each time I asked if a card could be overnighted with no luck. One rep said I could pay $59 to overnight a card. So I have closed my account and moved to another bank that ships cards within a couple of days.
I have had Aspiration since 2015 and it's a great bank. Ive used simple too, which was another great bank but Aspiration is better. The UI is laid back and the gas offset is the shit! We even get paid early. only thing i wish it had would be like a payday service kinda like Dave or Earnin, or maybe offer some loan products. Other thann that it's cool (needs a app update tho lol)
Muchhhh quicker to get things done than a regular bank. Customer service is so quick that every time I have the simplest question, I just shoot them a message and they get back to me very quickly. With my last bank (Bank of America), I spent most of my time on hold. Not like that here:)
I didn’t buy all this “green banking” before I joined, but I must say, online and in their application they make it so easy to see the level of positive impact you make on this earth just my banking with them. I’m sure its a small impact, but it really does feel like you’re helping. Every tree counts! Doesn’t hurt to bank green, and Aspiration makes it easy.
I'm extremely happy with the customer service team of Aspiration. Nick from support got back to me so quickly, gave me extremely quick service and helped me resolve my issue so fast. Grade A service!
Very high APY percentage and no ATM fees. What's not to love?
Application is a 10/10, customer service is a 10/10, what more could you ask for? Most banks nowadays, or have always, just given a low effort service. Aspiration really cares for their customers it seems.
This is probably one of the best online banks there are, if not THE best. Here is why -
Easy to get use to
Close to no rates
Eco friendly
WONDERFUL customer service
Would highly recommend joining! Don't hesitate :)
Stay away from Aspiration bank. They have had 18k of my money locked since May of 2021. All I get after confirming my identity over the phone is "we are ceasing communication with you at this time" then the phone is hung up. Thru email they claim they have sent funds, never received funds, and then stated that they still have my funds. I've complained to all governing bodies in banking, they can get away with this because they aren't a bank.
Rear the Google reviews and Google market place reviews. KEEP YOUR MONEY FAR AWAY. ALSO YOU WONT SEE A DIME OF PROMISED PROMOTIONAL MONEY.
I have emails, screenshots and phone recordings as well.
My partner signed up with Aspiration thinking the eco friendly stuff was a nice idea. She wasn't wrong. But this isn't a real bank. From the beginning, we couldn't add my name to the account. It was a repeating cycle of "this user already exists". Customer service is non-existent. If your mobile deposit doesn't work, plan for a week of waiting to figure it out. You can get people on the phone but they don't know the answers to your questions and they don't know who does. Do you enjoy direct deposit? It might work and it might not. Worst case, you'll make a couple dozen phone calls and send several emails and most will not get any response. It's best if you have money on other accounts because your account will be randomly frozen for something caught by security like A DIRECT DEPOSIT. Then you'll twirl in circles of madness while they misunderstand your issue and fail to correct it. Meanwhile all of your auto-payments will bounce. That's a great time to move to a real bank. Better yet, don't even start with Aspiration. It's run by college kids and they can't help you.
Banking ethically is so important nowadays. Honestly it was always important, now is just a crucial time as far as climate change. I really recommend this bank based in its sustainability and astonishing customer service.
Aspiration exceeded my expectations. Provided me with a full run down on their services and an agent explained to me on day 1 how everything works. This bank really gained my trust and earns some spotlight!
Aspiration savings account has a high interest rate and no fees (you have an option to pay what you think is fair, you can also choose 0). Aspiration is the best alternative to traditional banks. Save time at branches and bank sustainably.
Aspiration really provides a great service. No fees, so it would be perfect for savings account. Lots of green businesses/organizations you can invest in and no ATM fees. Perfect bank!
Aspiration is so much better than I expected. I switched from my Capital One bank after being with them for 7 years, mainly because not only wanted a digital bank, but also a green one. Some may think that Aspiration being only online could limit them from many services, but for me it only provided me with more. Everything I need is sent to my phone, and I can withdraw money from almost any ATM.
Glenda from customer support gave me the best service I could ask for. I had an issue finding an ATM near me to pull out money and she was so kind to 1, get back to me so quickly and 2, send me a full list of ATM's in my neighborhood and also where I work. Thank you Glenda!!!
I decided to join Aspiration because I read an article on WSJ about big banks pouring money into fossil fuels. Aspiration plants trees, offers eco friendly investments and is fossil fuel free. What's really amazing is that you can see how many trees you've planted, and whenever you make a purchase, you have the option to round up to the nearest dollar and Aspiration will plant a tree!
Aspiration has no monthly fees and offers free worldwide ATM access. Everything is online, so you can use this bank from pretty much anywhere. Perfect for those traveling!
Everything about this bank is gr8. APY up to 5%, pretty much 0 r8's and customer service is always friendly and helpful. What's not to love about this bank. Its gr8 m8
This bank should be an example to all businesses around the world. Donates 10% of their profits to charity, allows their users to invest into green businesses and don't invest into fossil fuels! A perfect example of a climate change leader. That's why Leonardo Dicaprio invested into this bank. Highly recommended!
I had a savings account with Capital One and there were so many hidden fees and charges. You need a minimum in your account and a minimum to spend on your credit card each month, otherwise you're hit with fees. Aspiration savings account has 0 fees which is really beneficial. You can actually save!
banking with aspiration is a gift. everything is made so easy. customer care gets back to you so quickly too, which was super impressive! 5 star bank :]
Honestly I was nervous when first joining Aspiration. I came here to read some reviews, and some were bad. I must say that those bad reviews really don't add up. Aspiration has been such a good bank to me. If my account goes into negative, a deposit doesn't go through or I'm not able to fully pay my credit card at the end of the month, Aspiration makes sure to notify me of any warnings and help however they can. Really great bank with great service!
Aspirations has a feature where you can invest into sustainable businesses, which is awesome to me. I can slowly invest into companies that help our planet and on top of that, save money since Aspiration doesn't charge fees. Love love loveee this bank!
I want to write about Daniel from customer service, who helped my mom get familiar with their online services, who doesn't really know her way around the computer/phone. My mom called customer service to ask a few general questions on how to use their application, and she got a whole tutorial from Daniel, who was so kind to help and really took his time. More companies need to learn from this! Customer service really makes or breaks the company, and Aspiration is doing it just right. Thank you Daniel! I hope your team sees this :)
I couldn't ask for a better bank. Sustainable, perfect service, no fees, everything about Aspiration is just perfect. Go for it!
I switched to Aspiration after I heard Leonardo DiCaprio is an investor, and if Leo is in, a leader in sustainability, so am I. Aspiration doesn't invest in fossil fuels, plants trees every time you buy something and donates 10% of its earnings to ethical charities!
Checking, saving, business or personal, this bank really works for all accounts. I have a personal and savings account with Aspiration. Savings accounts with Aspiration really is unique because their are 0 fees, so you don't have a spending minimum or a minimum amount of money that needs to be in the bank, which is splendid!!!
At first, I was a bit worried that Aspiration is an online only bank. I always go in to my physical branch for really anything I need. The application is so easy to use, and you have everything you need there, which saves so much time in traffic and at the banks branch. On top of that, customer service is really amazing. Lisa helped me when I needed to make a transfer to my parents (who mistakenly gave me the wrong bank info), and helped me resolve what could've been a really bad situation. Great bank!
I'm really happy I opened a checking account with Aspiration. They don't charge fees, so no minimum balance required and no need to worry about how much you spend! Probably one of the only banks to do something like this. Aspiration really impressed me
Really happy with the service Aspiration provides, they make banking a breeze. The sign up process is very quick, and you get blessed with a $150-$200 bonus. Their fees are close to nothing and the tree planting option is just awesome!!
I've been with Aspiration for 2 years now and they're just getting better and better. Application keeps getting fantastic updates, more features, new credit card just released. This is the future of banking. Perfect!!!
The customer service team at Aspiration really is doing it right. They got back to me so quickly with such good answers, they get you in and out. Time for me really is important, and since everything is online, I don't need to wait at physical branches to deposit money or anything like that, it can all be done online.
I'm really really happy I joined Aspiration Bank. It's all online, but you really have everything you need at your fingertips. I'd recommend this bank to people who have a basic level of use for technology (not boomers who don't know how to use an iPhone).
Asp really is what they promise, I was skeptical at first but they've really proven themselves to be loyal and offer an amazing service.
To get to the point, here's why I love Asp:
1.) Choose what you want to pay as far as monthly fees
2.) Up to 5% APY
3.) High cash back!!
The coolest feature this bank has to offer is easily its tree planting. Just round up to a dollar and Aspiration plants a tree for you, and its all tracked in their website/app.
I switched to Aspiration bank because its a green bank, but I must say I'm very surprised and happy with their service. Transfers enter my account fairly quickly (compared to my last bank - Bank of America), and no fees when withdrawing from the ATM!
Currently I have accounts with Aspiration, Varo and N26 (All three are digital banks), and Aspiration easily beats them all. Best rates and most efficient by far. The perfect online bank!!
Varo and N26 also offer a great service, but it depends on what you're looking for. Aspiration works all around, Varo is more for personal banking and N26 and AMAZING if you have a business.
Aspiration provides not only a customer-first service, but a meaningful one. Banking green is so important, and if you're thinking of switching to Aspiration, just do it. The service is unbeatable -
Quick sign up
Great cash back
Extremely low fees
No fees when withdrawing from an ATM
Plus new Aspiration credit cards are now available
On top of that, this bank is the most sustainable around and good for our planet!
The spending tracker for social impact feature is awesome!!! I love that users can see how green they are. I've only realized how important it is to have a little bit of green lifestyle since I've been with Aspiration. This bank really offers what they say they will, and puts the customer first!
I was really surprised at Aspirations service. No monthly fees and no overdraft fees. Service is surprisingly quick to get back to you. Application is efficient and honestly fun to use. If you're thinking about signing up, just go for it.
Aspiration gives 0.25% cash back for all purchases, but you'll receive a bonus cash back of 0.5% for shopping at businesses with high “Aspiration Impact Management” (AIM) scores, which they'll provide you with a full list of. Perfect for anyone who's looking for a cash-back-friendly bank!
The actual banking service and experience: Perfect. I joined Aspiration because its a green bank, but I was surprised with something much more, how much they care for their customers. It's so easy to resolve any issues, make/receive transfers, save on fees and what's unique - plant trees.
The green benefits from banking green: Life changing (and saving). This is the real reason I joined Aspiration, because its important to me to put my money behind a green company, and make sure its not being used for fossil fuel funding (like almost all big banks do). There's also this really cool feature on their application where it shows you how many trees you've planted. Make the change and help us fight climate change! It's only a win-win!
Aspiration is an online digital bank, which I actually love. At first I thought it would be an issue not having an actual branch to arrive to in person, however its so much easier doing everything online. Everything I need is in their application and the customer service team is always there to help. If all online banks are like this, then online banking takes over physical banking by a ton. Great bank overall!
APY 5%!!! Haven't found a bank yet with such good APY. Customer service is a charm, Aspiration makes sure of this. Quick and informative replies, they actually want to help!!
Wow. The fake 5-start reviews for Aspiration have been flooding in.
Pretty soon Aspiration will be the best reviewed bank on DA!
Banking online with Aspiration is soo easy. Their application is very user friendly and sign up is really quick. If you're looking for a digital bank with not too much commitment, this is it!
Also their green features are awesome! I didn't sign up because they're green and eco friendly, but it definitely is something I got attached to :)
App is really easy to use and it's got all the features I could ask for. Everything has been so perfect with Aspiration. Customer service is also surprisingly helpful.
There are 2 sustainable banks I'm using - Amalgamated Bank and Aspiration Bank, and both have something very unique about their services and customer service. Extremely low fees (the lowest I've seen) and customer service is a BREEZE! Don't hesitate using both of these banks :p
Aspiration really surprised me. They promise, they deliver. I also urgently needed some bank files and they overnight shipped it to me. Plus their support team responds very well within 24 hours.
Overall, Aspirations service is really next level. Customer service responds quickly, ATM fees are non existent, and APY is 5%.
My favorite feature from Aspiration is their Green Sustainable Investing. Efficient way to invest into something you believe in.
The level of customer service support from aspiration is above and beyond. Cathie from general support was so kind and made sure to help me with everything I needed. I'd really want to share to the company how kind and helpful she was!
I first banked online with Monzo, and the difference of levels between them is insane. Aspiration's application is so much better than Monzo's, and the rates are so much cheaper. Also aspiration being eco friendly is a nice bonus
$200 just for signing up? Who wouldn't want that. Shout out to Aspiration, my experience these past 4 months has been perfect. Highly recommended!
I disputed $2000 that someone stole from my account and they locked my account been 2 months thst i got an email from them that they have returned the amount and the case Is close since then they didn't give me access to my account and not responding to email
Sooo happy to hear about Aspiration launching their first credit card, which is said to earn cash back and plant trees with every purchase. This is what I've been waiting for since I've joined! Will leave a review on that once received :)
High interest rate on savings and no ATM fees. Such a win win. What more can I ask for?
Banking sustainably is really important to me, and Aspiration are doing it just right. Perfect service and they're true supporters of a green lifestyle. Their app has sort of become my Instagram, I'm addicted to going online and see how many trees I've planted! Plus they don't invest in climate-destroying fossil fuels.
The team at Aspiration makes the sign up process and bank experience so smooth and easy. Really easy to make withdraws here in the Los Angeles area, plus users can earn up to 5.00% APY!
Please team aspiration I want to to unlock my account because it been under review for almost 3 month now and my mom is really dying please. I have 5000 in spending and 3000 in saving. Please aspiration
Aspirations rates are on a pay what you want (or feel is fair) basis, which is the first bank I've seen to do something like that. Their APY are one of the best, and the application is really proficient! On top of all that they're a green bank. Putting my money with a bank that helps of our climate system is really important to me. Overall, best bank I've come across!
I realized Aspiration is a trust worthy bank after I had to contact customer service two times. Each time it took them a few hours to respond, which is pretty quick, and they we're always so helpful. The only other big company that offers such good customer service is Wix (website building company), customer service nowadays is so important and only a few are doing it right.
Aspiration makes banking so much easier. I've been through 3 different well known banks (Bank of America, Citi Bank and Wells Fargo), and all 3 have been such a nightmare.
Aspiration strives on customer service. You can earn really good interest and their tree planting program is really easy to use. Wonderful bank!!!
Opened an account with aspiration and they gave me $150! Only thing is you need to spend $1000 in the first two months, but that's so easy (groceries, living, etc..)
Awesome way to greet new bankers :)
Green banking is the way to go, and Aspiration makes it so easy to clean our world. What we all really need in a bank is good service, easy access to funds and a bank you can trust. Aspiration has got all of that! Really happy with this bank. Spring Bank and Aspiration Bank are easily my two favorite banks ever!
Aspiration is ahead of it's time and genuinely cares for the environment. That says it all to me. Not only is banking with them seamless and simple, I feel so much more secure that my funds are not being used for evil like fossil fuels and planet pollution for profit.
I am encouraging everyone to start green banking. This is a huge way to reduce carbon footprint and take power away from the big banks that invest public funds into fossil fuels. This bank has actually ethical values and protects the Earth, not destroy it.
Aspiration was so kind to give me a welcome bonus of $200 for joining. I thought that was really cool and showed generosity, which immediately made me feel comfortable with the bank. Plus who doesn't 200 bucks?! On top of that, Aspiration has a "Planet Protection" feature (which is free). They help match my carbon output every time I buy gas!
It's a smooth ride with this bank. No hassles or problems, Aspiration really makes it easy to bank with them (as all banks should). Their cheap rates is what took my interests -
The 1.00% APY is available only with the Aspiration Plus subscription add-on, which costs $15 per month or $150 per year, and it’s only on the first $10,000 in a customer’s Aspiration Save account.
I love this bank because I love our planet. I made the switch to Aspiration Bank because I found out what Wells Fargo (my old bank) was doing in regards to funding fossil fuels with my money. I don't think people really even know that almost all well known banks are funding fossil fuels (which destroys our planets climate), and if more did they would make the change. After reading this article bellow, I'm sure you will want to switch to a green bank too, or at least I hope so :p
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2021-wall-street-banks-ranked-green-projects-fossil-fuels/#:~:text=In%20more%20than%20five%20years,projects%2C%20according%20to%20Bloomberg%20data.
Before I joined Aspiration I really did my research. Read reviews (which were very mixed), went through their entire website, learned about the perks (extremely low fees and trees get planted), and even looked into who the company works with (Leonardo DiCaprio and Drake).
After banking with them for quite some time, I have to say this is a 5 star bank! Here's why:
1.) Plants trees when you spend money
2.) Fast transfers/receiving transfers
3.) Easy to use app (this was important for my parents)
4.) Extremely low fees
I've been banking with Aspiration for about half a year now and its been a super smooth ride so far. Extremely low fees and all I need is in their app. Plus Aspiration is based around sustainability, which honestly gives me a joy at the end of the day, lol.
I don't get why there are so many negative reviews though. My mom is also with Aspiration, and we both have only had good experiences. Maybe those negative comments are bots? Doesn't make sense to me..
This stringy scam bank closed my account for no reason at all and said you need to pay $32.12 no I do not I have no money at all and do not need to pay a stupid scam artist bank!!this bank is nothing more of a scam and customer service is so rude and do not care about you at all they say they save the planet yeah and do not!! Bunch of scam artists and tired of this lying pathetic bank and glad I have another one but do not have any money at all so no Christmas at all!! Thank you banks you are the worst ever and so over and sick of you and do not get aspiration it will be your worst nightmare!! They do not care about you at all and will lie to oh you need to pay $32.12 no I don't!! And owe this bank nothing they owe me more!! Shame on these money suckers, beware people of these snakes
Love that this bank is online! Found out about them through Twitter. Very easy to use, and customer service is fantastic. Digital is the future of banking! No more clerks or in-person troubles.
I was unhappy with big banks and their connections to the profit from pollution. After the Barclay's incident in the UK, I wanted to do something as well. I found Aspiration and I made the switch. It's such a relief to have a bank that is built on efforts to heal the environment rather than profit from poisoning it. I have been telling everyone that it's a small change that could eventually lead to the big banks in big trouble. Why aren't all banks refusing to negotiate in any affairs regarding fossil fuels and other detrimental deals to the planet? I'm so glad I found Aspiration, they use their position towards climate action like reforestation and it's simply touching to me.
I'm not one to leave reviews, but this one deserves it.
I've only switched to Aspiration Bank a few months ago, after banking with Bank of America for many years, and the peace of mind I got just from making this switch is amazing. Don't have to deal with clerks (since everything is online), superb application and the lowest rates I've ever seen. I haven't had any issues so I have yet to contact customer service, however so far has been a 10/10.
Keep it up Aspiration!
Not only is the service easy and efficient, the bank is green! Meaning they don't invest into fossil fuels and always lean towards sustainability.
Every time I use my credit, I have the option to round up to the nearest dollar and Aspiration will plant a tree. So far I've reached 136 trees and its honestly a really heart warming experience!
Plus, the app is super easy to use. Great bank all around!
I’ve been reading your reviews with tears in my eyes. My account was locked on June 29th without warning. I didn’t know I couldn’t have a PPP loan. And this is the 2nd one I’ve had. No issues at all with the 1st one. I’ve emailed and called and threatened this so called “bank” numerous times without any satisfaction. I’m so mad! Out of almost $19,000 I got down to just over $3000 before anything happened too. They must be too busy monitoring every account on their platform to notice the deposits as they come in ?????? How do we do a lawsuit against this? If it’s against their policy I understand but to lock accounts for months and not do anything with the funds or send them back to the initial company or even worse I saw they would prosecute for fraud???? WTH???!!! All I can say is good luck to all of us! I sure hope something is done soon!
I also was scamned by this company I noticed money coming out of my business accounts and was notified by the security team with aspiration advising my account would be locked due to fraudulent activity from someone in a foreign country. They not only stole 378.00 but now aspiration is making me responsible a total of $756 I'm going to be out of. The worst part two different Departments was working on this security state fraud customer service said we see nothing unusual. I was notified by car that I would be responsible I advised her she needed to speak to security. I'm filing suite against them for this issue.
I've had my aspiration account for almost a year now. In February 2021 I had the backpay from my unemployment deposited into this account (around $21,000). After spending $2000 of it they locked my account with no explanation. It's been 7 months since my account has been locked with every penny to my name in it. My hometown has just been wiped away by a Category 4 hurricane leaving us with no running water or electricity and only pieces of debris where my house was. And guess what, I have no way to access any of my funds and no explanation as to why. ASPIRATION IS A FRAUD AND DOES NOT CARE ABOUT RUINING THEIR CUSTOMERS LIVES!!!!
Aspiration was a terrible experience for me. I was literally played with for two months just to open an account. They don’t communicate with their customers at all. Their website is also defective and doesn’t show the true status of application. Every few weeks I would have to send emails and reach out to the to see whats going on with my pending application. Again it would take them a long time to figure it out and send me an email with the links to upload documents, and they take forever to review documents. Literally forever! And when I decided to delete that application, they answered and deleted that application immediately and didn’t let me to file any application again. So basically playing with you for months and then when u r tired and frustrated kicking you out. Then then have some agents to send you and email and just say we apologize for inconvenience! They have no understanding of how banking and customer service should be. If you ever want to get a headache, try Aspiration. I see why they don’t even have a good rating!
Scam stealing your money after EDL ADVANCE deposits close account and they lock it and will not respond to calls are emails they stole 5000. OVER 2 MONTHS AND REFUSE TO RELEASE
I have been with Aspiration ever since their very first release with the Summit accounts in 2016. Now I'm on a wait list for their "Zero" credit card. Excited for that to roll out. Really love the new look of that card and the restyled debit cards. Asthetics aren't everything but they sure help. What helps more is a sense of relief using my money in knowing it's clean and supporting environmental and social goodness in the background while I'm not using it. Most money is blood money . . . but we gotta use it if we want to be in the system. I'm proud to be a member of a leader in sustainable financing. They're constantly evolving and doing more to become a better company than they were last year, every year. I see this through their regular email and social media interactions where they talk about progressive action and such. Among all their great rewards for spending money towards other companies that also give a crap about things that matter, being able to off-set my carbon footprint is the #1 seller for me.
My one frown is bank-to-bank transactions take a few days. This is the only reason my partner has not been actively using their spend account. They're still growing, so I'm patient on things like that. Much anticipation by many people for this to be updated.
Overall, if you are an Earth/human/animal/future-conscious person, put your money where your heart is and go with this bank. They're a trusted and highly rated bank. It is NOT scam. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of the other reviews are generated by bots and have really been skewing the average. Hopefully that changes with time. I only made an account with Deposit Accounts to make this review. That's how much I appreciate what this bank is doing for the planet and the people who live with it.
DO NOT BANK WITH THIS INSTITUTION!!! They will rob you. I accepted 2 ppp loans into my spend account without incident I received a sba grant into this account of 10000 they closed my account and are holding my money gaining the interest I’m sure. How they can legally do this is beyond me I sent proof that I obtained these funds legally and legitimately. That still isn’t good enough. My account is PENDING CLOSURE!! What does that mean close the account and send me my money!! How long can an account pend closure when initiated by the bank??
How do I get this stupid bank to give me back my money that was received through a legal loan from Blue Acorn this bank will not accept my phone calls or emails out of the $11,000.00 I received I spent $7000.00 of it before they locked my account due to security reasons well that’s all good but why won’t they take my calls or my emails to resolve the security issue I’ve been with this bank from the beginning when they first started and this is how you test a charter customer makes no sense to me how they can legally do this to people can someone please help me how do I get my money back that is legally mine?
This is one of the so call themselves bank, that under this pandemic and horrible time our country and our people are going through, decides to wipe their hands and make it harder by freezing and closing accounts and returning deposits that are being given to help rebuilt our Country, They Should not be allowed to operate in the US.
You have a problem with a deposit, you hold the deposit until you verify it, you don't freeze a customers account with everything they own, specially not while the country is going through this pandemic.
STAY AWAY, Worst Possible fakebank, will freeze your funds for no legal reason, will not answer emails and almost impossible to talk to on the phone, Coastal Aspiration gives headaches not solutions, not worth it stay away trust me.
Aspiration froze my account in late July. Since then, they have transferred monies from another bank and won't let me have access to my own money.
I now believe it's a scam and they are taking people's money.
Is there anyway to help facilitate and expedite money recovery from this circus? I'm going on week 6 of the siege, theft, or whatever you wanna call it with this company holding my money. I'm now out of $ except for the 20,484.00 they are holding of my $. I have no food, nobody to help me through this, no phone in 3 days and I will be homeless as of next Friday. Not sure what to do with my pets that I've had for 7 years. I'm at the end of my rope, if I had known it would take this long or longer at week 1..I would've driven to California and made it worth all this punishment I have received. I would've have impacted there lives just as much as they have impacted mine, in such a negative way. The owners, ceo's, investors should all be jailed. How they continue to operate behooves me. I hope every single one of them loses everything in their life. I will pray for this and hopefully one day it will come true.
On my daughter's recommendation, I opened an account with Aspiration a few years ago. I deposited $7K. Things were going fine until they were stupid enough to send me an anti-2nd Amendment e-mail. It was then that I realized I had entrusted my money to an entity lacking common business sense. Business 101 - alienating a segment of your customer base is never good; don't do it. I immediately directed them to close my account and had them transfer my money to another bank. They were not pleased when I explained why. I was told if I closed my account, I would not be allowed to ever come back. Oh, boo hoo! You mean I can't play in your fort ever again? Seriously folks, I think this bank is run by children. After reading the reviews here, I'm very thankful I got out before they could steal my money. To the victims of this bank, please consider a class-action lawsuit.
I had my account locked with a threatening and nasty email sent to me on July 29,2021. It tersely claimed that I had “suspicious activity” on my account and my money “federal or state deposits” would be returned to the sender. Luckily I have already spoken to the originator of my loan, Blueacorn, and they have told me they would return my funds as a prepaid card. Of course, I can no longer call or email Aspiration to gather any information about my account. Phone calls are hung up and customer service acts like the Mafia! So be it- I will talk to my friend, who works for the Banking Commission, and go from there!!
UPDATE!!! If you want your account unlocked get on Twitter. It's the only thing that works. Tweet at their CEO Andrei Cherny and any news oraganizations. Particularly The Young Turks who they sponsor. I started tweeting my story and screenshots of the horrible reviews on a Friday....my account was unlocked on Monday. This is the only thing that gets their attention!! Spread the word! I closed my account immediately after I had my money out. Best of luck to all of you!
They locked my account with no warning and will not give me an explanation. Filed complaint with BBB so waiting to see what happens with that. No idea what to do to get my hard earned money back. This has to be illegal...what can we do?? I am terrified I will lose everything. Customer service can't tell me how long it will be or even why it was locked in the first place. I've spoken to 2 supervisors who also know nothing. They promise to call me back with updates and never do. This is unbelievable!!!
They froze my husbands account, it has been over 4 months of empty answers, no changes, just locked out. Two days after they accepted a deposit on my husbands behalf and funded his account, Aspiration lock his account and has been sitting holding his PPP Funds. WE are now homeless, loosing everything and getting more and more in a hole. my husband is so depressed, I worry he might do something to himself.....please unlock his act....please stop stealing money from your customers...please!
Nobody should ever ever ever ever use this financial institution for anything. They have blocked my account 3 different times because they're systems screwed up then they expect me to have numerous email addresses so that I can change my user email and password multiple times. They say that they send you an email to unlock your account that never yet sent. You can't call to customer service via email because they won't respond to you and when they do they send you something that saysomething that says oh I'm sorry it's taken so long if you still need help then reply to this email and we will help you otherwise we'll just close your This problem out. Then If you respond to their emails that close your account because there's fraudulent activity even though it was their system that messed up because their app isn't working with their website and it's their fault but the fraudulent activity caused them to close my account and the fraudulent activity is on their side. You can't talk to anybody over the phone because they want you to wait 4 hours to talk to somebody and so everybody has 4 hours to stand around and wait to talk to somebody to get their own money. These people need to unlock my account, comma give me my money, and then close my account and I'm gonna make sure everybody knows how sorry this company really is
This bank outfit rings like the Fyre Festival. Any investigative journalists out there?
DO NOT TRUST THIS SCAM BANK CALLED ASPIRATION , DO NOT FALL VICTIM LIKE ME BECAUSE THIS BANK FREEZE MY ACCOUNT I CALLED , EMAIL SAME SHIT EVEN ONLINE THEY BLOCKED ME ON TWITTER BECAUSE I EXPLAINED TO YOU PEOPLE NOT TO FALL VICTIM
Should have done my research here & BBB before opening a/c. I opened account & did required transactions for advertised bonus. They never issued bonus. I only get canned email responses that they "are investigating". On top of that, after using my a/c for a month, they suspended my online access & frozen the account. I've called & emailed over TEN TIMES and the only response I get is "we have forwarded your complain to our compliance department". THEY ARE SCAMMERS. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY !! I am now filing complaints with SEC, FINRA. BBB and STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
Had my first account locked by them, no explanation for months. After 5 months they finally gave me a new account and my money. But now account is fully active but can’t use it has it still has restrictions in which they won’t tell me why. Makes no damn sense as to why they give me half an account. So still can’t use account, but oh by the way new debit card is on the way. Don’t use these people, there are better banks out there.
I opened a bank account with the knowledge that if I spent $1000 on my spending card, I could get a $100 bonus. There were no stipulations except it was your total net purchases, so if you returned something, that money you initially spent would not could. Simple, right? Wrong. Now they aren't paying me the bonus because one of my transaction was made using my routing and account number. So misleading. There terms and conditions for bonuses are no where to be found. PLEASE don't use this bank.
They owe me 825.00 from rental car deposits they never returned to my available funds. They also took an extra 75.00 on these holds calling it a "buffer" that they do..they manipulate and steel your money, even on the micro side you are paying god knows whom ridiculous fee to "plant trees"
Stay far away from this bank
This is by far the worst institution i have ever bank with, they entice you by telling you they're saving the planet when all they are doing is to rip you off your hard earned money, i apply for ppp loan which was paid into the account,they got my account locked days later claiming they detected fraudulent activity when nothing of such happens, i reached out to them by calling and mailing them but all effort prove abortive, how do i apply for forgiveness of the loan when i didn't even use a cent out of the fund yet, my business crumbled as a direct result of COVID-19 and i was hoping this fund will get me back on track and now i'm here with no hope in sight thanks to Aspiration for crushing my only hope.
My account has been locked for 5 weeks! It started with an email stating my email address had been changed and progressed from there. 2 weeks ago I was informed the fraudulent activity had been resolved but I have still been locked out of my account. Getting someone on the phone or email takes an act of Congress and when you do they don’t have any answers other than it’s being “reviewed “! I tried canceling my accounts over the phone but that was denied too. If you are lucky enough to still have access to your funds, I suggest you pull them out now
I also was told my account was compromised and a new account was created. All my auto payments, checks were returned NSF even though the account was closed, mortifying. I can not close my investment account and when you do manage to reach someone for assistance they are smarmy and condesending. This has been a truely awful full time job.
They stole my money. Over a month ago (so I have given them time to attempt to resolve) my account was somehow compromised. I received an email informing me that my email was updated. This is strike number one. When handling, not only money but also sensitive information, you need to be able to create multi factor authentication for things like this.
I called them roughly 7 hours after the email arrived, immediately after seeing it (it happened at midnight. Checked my email at 7am). For 'security' reasons they locked me out of my account for a little over 3 weeks. Constant calling and emailing to see what was going on (they did *not* tell me they were about to do that) yielded nothing, not any response or explanation. When I finally was allowed into my account, all of my money was *still* gone after they told me they knew it was fraud. I had to re-report the fraud and, two weeks later, they say they have not gotten to it.
Customarily, the money is returned to your account during the investigation and if it was deemed a legitimate transaction, withdrawn. Nope, they still have my money, no progress, no Customer Service assistance, blocked on Twitter, hung up on by the Customer Service. I am lucky that I have other accounts and only used this one for certain bills and was able to - mostly - maintain my life without this money (despite it being theft on them). However, through looking at other's experiences, this is not uncommon. Stay away from them. You're better off putting you money under your mattress. It's safer there too.
Frozen my account May 22nd after I reported fraud on it. They told me they'd investigate it and get back to me. No time line given no matter who I talk to. I've called a dozen times and got maybe roughly less than half of the calls through. They don't respond to emails. It takes anywhere from 3 hours to never to get a hold of someone.
This "bank" is purposely holding peoples money hostage. They claimed that they'd do a one time debit activation. All I could do is check my balance. Money couldn't be withdrawn.
Stay away from this institution - it's falling apart. They don't care. There have been people who nearly became homeless because of these scumbags.
I'm on assignment in a foreign country and they sent me an email saying that because of fraudulent activity my card has been canceled which leaves me stuck her with no way to access my funds here in the country that I am traveling in.
I opened my account and I saw over $200 in fraudulent transactions not including money that Aspiration has taken from me to "plant trees" which I never authorized. I called them on Friday to try to get my problem sorted out and I was on hold for over 45 minutes and they never answered. Now it's Monday and I have been on hold with them for almost two hours waiting and waiting for someone to help me. This is utterly ridiculous.
My brother travels a lot for his work as well and they randomly closed his account because they said he was outside the US too much which is probably not even legal.
I would not trust this bank at all and I am closing my account as soon as possible.
I’ve been with them for a couple of years and the only issues I’ve had were related to fraudulent activity. They send an email telling you that your accounts are closed and debit card frozen. The notice assured you that any transactions already scheduled in the old Account will come out of the new and that a new debit card has been sent.
None of that is true. All three times it’s happened I’ve had to call to get a debit card issued, transactions have bounced, and direct deposits appear in transaction list but don’t actually post to your balance.
Each time I’ve had to call repeatedly day after day and speak to a call center rep, who after 10 minutes decides they can’t help and put me on hold for a manager, who also can’t help but cheerfully assured me that they will send a message and get it fixed tomorrow. If this were my only bank it would be beyond problematic. I tried them out b/c I like their mission but it is truly appalling how bad the customer service is. And the fact that the security is so poor this has happened to me three times is abysmal.
I’m closing my account with them as soon as they resolve this latest mess, which began a week ago and still has no resolution. They simply pass the buck each time I call and refuse to provide a solution to the fact that they can see my money and won’t release it.
No reason to ever use this bank with so many other options out there.
I am attracted to try their checking account because of the $100 sign up bonus. However, after fulfilling the qualifying activities and patiently waited 120 days. There wasn't any bonus. So, I tried calling them but I never ever managed to reach a person. They said you will be in the queue if you hang up. They will then call you back but this never happens. There isn't any customer service!! I feel like this is scam and this is the worst banking experience I ever have.
I can only speak to Aspiration's quality from an outsider's perspective. My father was an account holder who passed away in April, and I've spent the past several weeks attempting to contact their customer service department to get them to stop automatically pulling money out of his checking account (I don't actually have rights to his checking account because it's also in his ex-fiancee's name, but he was the sole owner of the Aspiration account so as sole next of kin, that one's my responsibility). I've had better queue times at the DMV! Every time I call in, I sit on hold for hours - sometimes the "call back" feature works, sometimes it doesn't. They've got pretty standard "business hours," so I'm at work, and I volunteer on the weekends. The one time I did get it to work, they called me back 8 hours later and I missed it, as I sure wasn't expecting a call back that late in the day (I live in a different timezone I suppose, so it was 8pm for me)... In what world am I supposed to be able to sit on hold for 8 hours straight? So yeah I still haven't gotten ahold of anyone. Do they have only one person working the call center at any given time? I don't understand.
I was able to access his account through his laptop, since all his passwords autofilled. But of course, the only thing I can do via the website is INCREASE the amount of money withdrawn every week. Great user experience.
I got a ppp loan credited to my aspiration spend bank account which was newly created, after that I took out some of the funds and left $7800 in the account, suddenly Aspiration locked the account and have refused to give me a way to get my available balance which was $7800. Has anybody experienced this?? if yes what did you do to get your money back.
This is a scam of a supposed bank. If you report them or say you are going to report them, they don't work faster, they slow wayyyyy down.. I had an issue with a card that they were supposed to send me a replacement weeks ago, I called in when I hadn't seen it during early May. They finally answered after an HR on phn. Then asked me if I had not used my online/digital card, I told them there was issues with it, they fixed it right then and there. For whatever reason, right after May 26th of this year, Aspiration has pretty much fallen apart. I had issues after the app updated. Cannot get into my acct, and have not been in my acct for almost two weeks now. There are federal funds going into this acct, anyone who is getting your taxes or a long awaited stimulus in this acct, you better make sure you can get into it. If not, REPORT this bank for fraud and withholding funds. Because there is something fishy going on and I'm smelling SCAM!!!! Because after I write and submit this review, I'm headed to Federal Scam/Fraud team page on the Fed Gov website for reporting fraud. The Gov doesn't like Fed funds messed with and if it's being withheld, it's against the LAW! Do not bank with a bank that claims to help the Earth, when they'd rather help line their own pockets. Ever seen their reports on planted trees? Well, look up how many they claim is done in a year on their site (if you can get on it now), compare and do the math to how many in the length of time they've been open. You'll see, their math is off a whole lot! They have NOT planted that many tree's, and they probably don't do it themselves, they probably don't even donate the funds they claim are planting these trees to a org that does it. Cause I have yet to find this supposed org!? Just sayin.. Don't donate to them, don't open an acct, and run far from them. Scam scam scam...
I am still in shock writing this. On May 22, 2021 I got an email letting me know that my email and backup email were changed to somewhere in Germany. If I didn't initiate the change I was supposed to call them. I did. I waited on hold for 2 hours and then let them put me in the queue for call back. That never happened and Sunday I got an email that said sorry, try your call again. So I did and 8 hours later got a call back. The guy returned the account to my email and let me know no money had been removed. He then said the account was going to be frozen while the security team "reviewed it." I asked how long that would take? He didn't know. I asked what that involved? He didn't know. The only thing he could say is that they would respond via email and I could also email them. Since that time I've emailed 6 times and received ZERO RESPONSES. I've called 4 times. Today I also reached out via twitter, facebook, and instagram. They responded with a different phone number. This woman was horrible and let me know the most they could do was to give me access to a debit card I've never used for 24 hrs and then re-frozen and no, I was not allowed to log in and look at my account. She reiterated they had no idea when my account would be looked at or my money returned to me. They have almost $15,000 of my money. I've complained to the BBB and FDIC but am still researching to see if this is the right place to complain since they are actually an LLC and not a legit bank. Whatever you do - run fast and if you've got money with them I'd take it out while you still can. The internet is full of similar stories and many of them started May 22.
I should have known there was going to be trouble when I never got my debit card after opening up the account. After about a month I called or chatted, can't remember which, and they finally sent one that arrived a couple weeks later. And then there were the many, many promotional/spam emails I got from their partner companies...all a bunch of ripoff nonsense. Last straw was the offer to let some company give you a life insurance quote for a $25 credit. All those questions were way too personal and intrusive, plus I got turned down for coverage! Then I followed up with Aspiration to find out when I'd get my 25 bucks. After several days, some lazy CSR copied and pasted the offer from where I signed up. Duh, I had already read that. I wanted her to check on mine specifically. Nah. Their work environment is probably lovely...while it lasts. Because it won't last long, the way they are running this business. See all the other complaints that aren't even related to the issues I have. I'm sure glad I never really switched my real banking over to them and moved my direct deposit. I'll take my $25 when and if it comes and say c-ya!!
I am trying to get my life back on track. I am a recovering alcoholic that has been sober now for 2 years or should I say had been. I decided to take on a new challenge and I checked into school. I completed my fafsa and got my classes had a lil money left over for me to get an apartment and maybe a lil car. But to my surprise I couldn't even buy my books. This bank has frozen my accounts, they have taken away my opportunity to further my education, and they have given me no reason at all how I instead of going into my second year of college am I in debt to the U.S. Department of Education due to a loan I took out for school but Aspiration used it for their own spending pleasure. Would you like us to protest on the front of your steps in Marina Del Rey. I have compromised my sobriety deal with these people. I am home with 4,000 in aspiration bank.... I think???? Some one tell me who I can call to get some help this is unfair!!!
so they came across my Facebook and everything sounded good. signed up and did a small transfer. nearly a week to get that transfer when i can transfer between Chime and my other bank in 2 days...so i transferred that money back to Chime and figured screw it...well i forgot to chance my direct deposit from Doordash in time so I have money still sitting there after 4 days...i keep getting emails from Aspiration telling me Chime is rejecting the transfer..Reached out to Chime which I trust, have been with them for 2 years, and they say nothing has been submitted from Aspiration...the customer service with Aspiration is a freakin joke...so now here i sit with $139 sitting there in the Aspiration account trying to get a hold of that...DO NOT GO WITH ASPIRATION!!!
Absolutely ridiculous banking practices and horrible customer service!!! What should have been a simple technical support concerns turn out to be a hours of hold time and several emails of useless pre-programmed correspondence just to finally receive a call back from an insensitive and unprofessional representative, without the authority or knowledge to actually resolve anything. Incredible. Do not be filled and put your money someplace safe... far away from here.
i got my Loan payment on the checkings account, then i linked my greendot account with it to remove my money.
at first 500 was the daily limit and it was going through, then when the limit raise to $5000 i try to send 5k to my greendot external account then i got a email from them saying ( due to the return of your transfer, your aspiration account may be restricted for further review)
fine the transactions failed and why do you have to lock my account without providing a way out to remove my money on it ??
I still think cash app is the best online banking because if your cash app was locked or closed, they will definitely provide a way out to remove your money and lock their account.. You can not lock my account and lock my money.. That's impossible and i will have to file this case if my account is not unlocked for me to remove my money on it.
When I first joined, there were many perks:
1. Competitive APY without hoops to jump through to reach it.
2. Single account so I didn't have to shuffle money back and forth from savings.
3. Free global ATM usage.
These were all removed over the span of 3-4 years, making it pretty much useless.
1. Now, there is 0% APY on checking unless you *pay them* for Aspiration Plus™, *and* use your debit card for $1k a month of purchases.
To make matters even worse, they only pay the APY up to 10k, meaning you make max $8.33 a month.
Aspiration Plus™ is $7.99 a month, meaning you net 33¢ a month, *if* you tie up $10k in their account. Big whoop.
2. They forced the accounts to be split into a savings and checking account, only giving the feeble APY above for the savings account ("spend and save," they euphemize it).
3. As of this writing, I think they don't cover basically any ATM fees, or perhaps have a microscopic network.
Finally, their customer service is a joke in at least two ways. The first is that it takes almost 1.5 hours of holding to reach a representative. I had to do this two times to send a wire.
The second is that they make believe that they're helping/ saving the planet by having "green" investments or some nonsense. Cool, so enslaving lithium / cobalt miners in the global south, sounds morally compelling.
Which feeds into the overall joke that they expect you to *voluntarily* *donate* *to them*. Imagine giving more money to a bank which has full wherewithal to heavily-leverage / reinvest your deposits, making a ton for themselves regardless. Truly laughable and delusional.
Aspiration treated me like a criminal from the very beginning. In hindsight, that's a bit ironic considering their criminal practices. The first blow was when they refused to pay me the bonus which was promised. After sending them copies of the emails regarding my account which THEY had sent me, and copies of my bank statements from THEM, they actually had the audacity to tell me that I had no account with them, so therefore no bonus. In hindsight, I should have read more reviews, but then again, who expects a huge business with their fake virtue to commit felonies against their customers?! When I opened the account, I deposited over $1000. This was over 6 months ago. After not receiving the bonus, and seeing examples of how poorly they treat people, I began a quest to get my money out of there as fast as I could, and close my account. That was 6 months ago. It has been a seemingly endless cycle of them asking me to jump through this hoop and then telling me that I didn't jump through the hoop properly, so could I please jump through the same hoop again, and while I'm at it, please jump through these 11 additional hoops. The excuses they come up with are so ludicrous and nonsensical I would be laughing if not for the fact that they have essentially stolen an extremely large amount of money from me. The fact that their claim to fame is based on their contention that they donate jillions of dollars to various virtuous groups makes their criminal behavior even more maddening. And when you think about it, THEY are not donating THEIR $, they are donating OUR money. They have hurt a lot of people - people who don't have piles of extra money lying around, and sadly, they will continue to do so. I would encourage anyone who has had a bad experience with them to spread the word as often as you can, on every forum or social media site available.
I moved to Aspiration for a couple of reasons, the early direct deposit and the global impact (planting of tree's). They have failed on the promised product of early direct deposit with no communication as to why.
Lack of communication and failure to deliver a promised product are the reasons I am leaving this review.
I contacted Aspiration to report that I received an Apple Pay signup confirmation text that I did not authorize. On the phone, the representative told me that they are going to secure the account pending an investigation, and would reach out to me when the investigation is complete. What I did not realize at the end of that call is the reality of how Aspiration actually handles account fraud investigations, and the extended time frame such an investigation would require. Once your account has been flagged, both Aspiration email and phone customer service are trained to refuse giving out a timeline, and give you no direct contact to the fraud investigation team. I have been locked out of money that I badly need for living expenses for almost a month now, and I am desperately seeking some sort of resolution to access my funds immediately, and have filed complaints with the BBB and Finra (turns out Aspiration isn't a real bank even though I was under that impression for years and therefore falls under Finra's jurisdiction). Unfortunately because of the lack of response from the fraud review team for almost a month, I am going to post my experience on every review site until I get their attention, and they provide a suitable resolution. It absolutely boggles my mind how an organization that claims to always put their customers first could lock loyal customers out of their money for this length of time for what seems like such a minor review, especially considering this customer (me) was proactive in trying to catch potential fraudulent activity early and at the first signs. This long term customer now wishes to completely cut ties with Aspiration after my experience with the fraud review process. Whoever authorized the directive to train their customer service agents to tell anyone locked out of their account for an extended period of time that "there is nothing that can be done" and to "keep waiting" should be ashamed of themselves. A cookie cutter message stating that "we are sorry for the inconvenience", and that "this is necessary for the security of the account" is not legal tender that can be used to pay bills and is not an acceptable solution, especially considering the opaque review process, lack of provided timelines, and the ridiculous and unacceptable amount of time this review has taken. The lack of correspondence and customer service from Aspiration's fraud department is disappointing to say the least.
My account has been locked for a week and in review. I did as requested (submitted every document) and was promised a resolution in 2-5 days.
No resolution in 7 days and no promise of a time anymore to resolve this matter.
It’s been fine up until now but definitely do NOT give them anything you’re not willing to lose. I’m unable to access almost $15,000. It’s on me for not doing due diligence that they are not a bank and therefore, not culpable to banking regulations.
I have filed a BBB complaint, have notified my lender and will be taking legal action if not resolved in another ten days.
Wanted a way I could start a separate savings account for any emergencies, buying homes & such. I saw Aspiration popped up on my social media almost everywhere, so i got curious. Skeptical even after doing research, but so far its been a really great experience. I've been able to save, invest, help the planet and those in need of jobs. The notifications you get after a transation (planted a tree) is rewarding in a way. Like the title, Aspiration has been really great and im glad I found it to help me with what i need.
ITS A SCAM people. They will try and hold your money hostage as long as they can.
Did a deposit. They had already drawn money from my bank account but it didn't appear in aspiration until two weeks.
Then a unknown charge appear. Good-luck with trying to reach to them, the customer service is non existent. I had to wait until three months for the dispute to be resolved. My account was locked until then and couldn't withdraw.
Then after the resolution of whole thing I was fed up and wanted to close my account and guess what they blocked the withdraw for no reason until 3 weeks.
Since their cs is useless and their twitter handle is very active, I asked on twitter why my withdraw is being held and if they could help me connect with cs. They BLOCKED me instead of replying LOL.
I switched to Aspiration because I want to ensure my money is being used ethically and not invested in fossil fuels. I learned about Aspiration and have been moving money into this bank. I like that I can use any ATM and not be charged ATM fees. I have not had any serious issues so far. I would say that their customer service replies can be a little slow but I haven't had any real issues so far. I am willing to continue to support them and their growth.
I got my taxes and they froze my account down n won’t give me my money nothing was wrong with my account
Recently discovered aspiration bank & i absolutely love it. Reasonable fees it's honestly the only bank account I use plus its greener. Which helps the environment. I'd recommend Aspiration to anyone of my friends. Thank you guys fo ed the great service and best banking experience possibly.
It was such a treat to be able to switch my money away from Citibank to aspiration. Glad my money is in a bank that invests in the health of our planet, rather than fossil fuels and other harmful industries. Their banking service is easy and the ATMs are super easy to find. I am taking advantage of the debit card service, savings with a APY return, and the investments, which were super easy to sign up for. I signed up for the plus tier for a bunch more benefits you should definitely check out. Aspiration is as-advertised, which is more than I can say for the big banks. Thank you Aspiration!
I had Aspiration bank for a few years. I was basically satisfied until a few months ago when I had a charge I didn't recognize. I called to dispute the charge. They were great as usual, they froze the account and said they needed to investigate. Little did I know I would not have access to my funds for months. You would think I was a millionaire! It took them over 2 months to finally say the charge was erroneous AND they still would not release my funds saying that the account is still under investigation. I had to call 3 times to complain and ask them how I would have access to my funds. They had no answer at first other than to say the account is frozen! Then when I said that's unacceptable, I need to pay rent and bills, they said they could unfreeze my debit card and I could do a "one-time withdraw". Not exactly a solution since there is a cap on the amount you can withdraw from the ATM. Also when the account is frozen you cannot access your account online to even balance your checkbook! Needless to say I called and told them just cancel my account and send me my funds, they won't even do that!!
I've had this bank for years now, back when it was the original Summitt account before it was the Spend & Save account. It is my only account and debit card and where my direct deposit goes so when they shut my debit card off for a transaction I reported as fraud it's a big deal. When I disputed the transaction it let me know the card would be frozen, but that I could easily turn the card back on by calling in. Well I called and was on hold waiting to talk to somebody for over 2 hours today (3/22/2021) because I DESPERATELY needed to access my money, and the call went on so long that it went after their business hours. For a bank that has no branches and the only way to get to them is to call in, they need more people in their call center since they don't have the overhead of actual branches. If they seriously have that many people calling in that you can wait over 2 hours to finally just get disconnected because it went on after business hours then something is wrong with their structure. So when it told me I would easily be able to turn my debit card on with a call to access my money if needed that turned out to not be true in practice at all. I also emailed them over an hour before the end of their support hours while I had been on hold for about 40 minutes trying to hit them from 2 angles to see if I could possibly get an answer and get help and not be stranded without a single cent, but no luck there either. They SERIOUSLY need to change some things. I'm not sure if the call center employees just let the calls sit on hold until closing time so they could go home early (that would be crazy with an almost 2.5 hour wait time - my problem could have been resolved in less than 10 minutes if I was able to talk to someone) but if it's the case that they just simply have so many customers that there are that many people calling at a given time, then they need to hire more representatives who can help customers. As I said earlier they do not have the overhead of a normal bank due to not having locations, so they owe it to us to have an appropriate number of phone reps employed that you can call and speak to someone without spending hours and hours on hold. Also I would make the employees they do have in the call center answer every call that came in before the end of support hours before they can go home. Just simply hanging up after 2.5 hours on hold because it's time to go home is absurd. That gives incentive to employees to just ignore calls that come in towards the later hours in the day and they just won't have to deal with them, because at 9:30 (eastern time) they just hung up on me and left me out to dry. This has caused me such a big problem tonight I have no choice but to look for another bank at this point, I really wanted to stay with Aspiration and liked what they were doing, and truth be told was considering upgrading my account to their Aspiration Plus account, but the serious inconvenience this has caused tonight made me realize that their company is only good in theory, in practice it's just not well run and is not set up for success, not just of the customer, but at this rate the success of the company as well.
I've decided to end my relationship with Aspiration because it isn't working well anymore. When I transfer money from bank to bank or if I ask my mortgage or credit card company to get a payment from Aspiration, sometimes it fails. This last time, my mortgage company said there were no funds available in my Aspiration account even though there were and charge me $20. I had a failed payment with a credit card company about two months ago. This is an essential function for an online bank. I've had transfers choke for days and days. I have reached out to Aspiration before, but their customer service isn't as available or helpful as an online bank like Ally. As far as online banks, there are much better. This seems like barely a bank, maybe a college project that just is barely being held together with a few people, bubblegum, and tape.
This bank (not even a real bank mind you) has really screwed me over. Because of their mess up they have frozen my account and REFUSING to give me access to my money. When I contacted the BBB and the FDIC the company decided to randomly "close" my account and every time I call they hang up me. It's been well over a month and I still can't have my hard earned money. Biggest crock of S*** bank there is. The ceo should be ashamed of themselves.
I attempted to have a new debit card sent to my home and it wanted to send one to a MN address from 2016. I tried to update the address that was dormant since 2016 and the app would not allow it, therefore Aspiration KNOWINGLY sent a debit card to an incorrect address. I still have never received a debit card from Aspiration in 5 years. I just called customer service and now I'm being asked to send in proof of address documents which I refuse to do, as the only reason they are "required" is because the debit card was returned. The debit card was returned because Aspiration intentionally sent it to a known incorrect address. I submitted a request to close my account effective immediately. I will NEVER be a customer for Aspiration. Do not waste your time! I have requested THREE debit cards and they continue to either not send them or send to the wrong address intentionally.
I'VE HAD SEVERAL SITUATIONS WHERE I HAVE FILED A DISPUTE AND THEY BLOCKED MY CARD. NEVER NOTIFIED ME OF MY CARD BEING SHUT DOWN. THIS TIME THEY SHUT DOWN MY ENTIRE ACCOUNT OVER 2 WEEKS AGO AND ALLOWED ME TO HAVE ACCESS TO MY MONEY ONCE. THEY DON'T GIVE ME AN EXACT DATE WHEN THEY WILL COMPLETE THEIR SO CALLED INVESTIGATION AND BECAUSE NO GOVERNMENT AGENCY GOVERNS OVER THEM THEY THINK THEY CAN GETAWAY WITH HOLDING PEOPLE MONEY HOSTAGE
PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF AND DON'T EVEN THINK OF OPENING ANY TYPE OF ACCOUNT WITH THEM. THEY ARE COMPLETELY WORTHLESS
This is probably one of the most unreasonable and unprofessional banks I have banked with. On 12/13/2020 I lost my debit card which was a Sunday (There is no one to speak to, the office is closed) later that night my debit card was used, the card was used three times clearing out my account. Now mind you this money (It is Covid and I am an essential worker) is my bills and rent money. I have to wait until first thing in the morning to call Customer Service and file my card as lost and stolen. I then precede to file a police report and call the merchants where my card had been used. They explained to me that it was up to the bank to investigate and help clear up any theft on my account.
I never heard from Aspiration Support, so I started an email thread with them. Unfortunately they took there time. I than called the merchants that the card was used for and they stated that Aspiration Support never called them to discuss the videos that they had of the culprits. They refused to acknowledge my police report, and just decided that I have at one time used a merchant machine that was similar to those the theft occurred on, that I must be lying. Yes they basically called me a liar. Also Aspiration Support does not have number, everything must be done through email. Unfortunately you can not get passed a Customer Service manager to speak to someone that is higher up on the totem pole. And they block customer phone numbers, and block you from social media. Obviously they do not want you to learn their dirty little secret of avoiding their customers in need.
To top it off, I never received my debit card until 01/12/2020 so imagine my money that was from my direct deposit was not available, I could not get groceries, gas or necessities for weeks. Not very bank like. I then tried to get there attention and some help through online media, they blocked me. I mean it all seams so ludicrous and very bizarre for a bank to act so unprofessional. And for it only to have one number. They do not care about their customers, which is completely obvious by online reviews. I do recommend that if you have had similar or other problems to contact The Federal Reserve Bank Of San Francisco’s Complaint Unit at
(415) 974-2403 or email them [email protected] . This is not a real bank and they should be helping and not denying customers the insured money on their accounts.
They do not track the debit card they send in the mail, and mine never arrived. I’d been using the digital debit card to access my money (which doesn’t work at RFID ATMs, even though they tell you it does). So I call to ask them to send another one. The rep DOESNT TELL ME that they’re going to freeze my card until they verify my mailing address with a photo of my drivers license. I had just dropped my car off in the shop and was trying to get a rental when I discovered my card didn’t work. I had to borrow over $600 from friends and take ubers to work for most of a WEEK until I finally was able to bully a supervisor into contacting the supposedly-uncontactable document review team to release the freeze. New card eventually arrived in the mail, although it took a week longer than they said it would
Now, almost two months later, my card declines. They respond to my email (since their phones are only open business hours) saying that they received the returned card in the mail and need me to verify my mailing address again.
This behavior would be bad from a brick and mortar bank, but it’s completely unacceptable from an institution without brick and mortar locations. The only way I can access my money is to transfer to the linked account at my other bank and wait a week for it to clear. I’m furious.
Aspiration is horrible! I finally got my unemployment after waiting for months and since I despise Bank of America I sent money ($5000 to be exact) to my Aspiration account. As soon as I do they flag my account and send me an email asking for all the required documents to verify it’s me. So I sent all of them promptly while a little pissed because I have 4 months of back rent to pay and they already run me wrong when I first signed up for an account and took well over a few months just to verify me! Then I’m told that my Chase account document was accepted but my “9754” is blurry(it’s a screenshot, not really possible to have a blurry screenshot. Plus the “9754” account is the Chase account statement they said was accepted ??) so I sent it again. Then a few days later after I complain to the BBB about this whole thing they happen to tell me they are closing my account and will send a check to my address. This is the most ridiculous and shady bank I have ever seen. Like honestly, what the heck are they thinking!?
I deposited $1,000 and spent all of it during the first 60 days. I called more than once to make sure that all of the transactions qualified. After waiting 90 days I called again because I did not recieve it. At that point they said two did not.
DO NOT SIGNUP>>>THIS IS A SCAM COMANY
Beware!!! Beware!!! Beware!!!
Aspiration Financial has got to be the worst and most crooked company that has put together some paperwork they call a terms of service that thinks will keep them above the law. If I have anything to do with it they will shut down. I have contacted numerous and multiple governmental agencies, regulators, law enforcement offices, in multiple counties, cities, states and numerous federal divisions, I have probably completed 25 complaint forms, and am on my way in three different states to file police reports, after I send emails to all of the executive officers, managers and supervisors that I have the names of as I will be listing them in the police report. I have also acquired numerous statements and complaints from multiple victims I have sent emails to a few of their creditors that they have been slow to pay and I am cross referencing each and every packet that I am submitting to each of these entities and along with my police report and my criminal complaints and then will attempt to get as many debtors together as possible and force them into bankruptcy. BECAUSE-
Approximately two years ago I opened and account with Aspiration, not a new account today by any terms. I have had average balances, and have had a lot of activity, did have an overdraft a couple of occasions but I soon after made the negative balance into a positive one and that has been months since that has transpired. There has been an unemployment payment coming into my spend account but on On 23rd of November there had been a $ 2.00 dollar balance in my account for about three or four days, In my save account there was $ 0.50 in it and it had that balance for a couple to few months.
I had on or about November 15th-20th, received a new debit card that stated that I had been such a good and valued customer, they were upgrading my account, with a higher fee and spending more for trees to be planted.
I was expecting a direct deposit Item to come into my account as I was given the opportunity to have my insurance settlement from a legitimate, well respected and long established Insurance company, but before I told them to send it to me via direct deposit, I wanted to contact Aspiration and make sure there would not be any issues and the exact way to do this. The young lady not only shared this information to me verbally but also via email.
On the 24th of November, funds in the multiple of thousands of dollars was sent via direct deposit to my save account that Aspiration was managing and maintaining, I then transferred $800.00 to my spend account from my save account, and Aspiration Financial put a freeze on my account.
The funds that get forwarded each week into my account from employment services was blocked. And then to further cause damage and insult, they take money from my insurance settlement and they send it to the Department of Employment Services, calling it a Reversal Item. The Department of Employment Services did not ask them for these funds nor did I give anyone the authority or permission to take this money. \
I contacted Aspiration and they could give me no reason except security concerns. I then submitted proof of the origination of the funds and other documentation and then after a couple of more calls told them and notified them that not only were their services terminated but the accounts were to be closed as not only because of their blatant lie for reasoning, but also it states in their licensing regulation that an account holder can designate a bank they use to deposit account holders funds in as ineligible to hold or maintain and they at that time are required to remove said funds, so I stated and notified them that I designated any and all banks or financial institution(s) they conduct business with, do any deposits or withdrawals from, or may even think about depositing my money into as ineligible. I also put them on notice that no more activities were to be taken from or deducted from my funds and that they were to forward/transfer my money immediately.
They stated they would notify support of my concerns. The following day they send me an email stating that due to suspicious activity, that they were closing my account as I did not fit within the Aspiration Terms for a customer and after the completion of any remaining acivities my money would be sent to me.
I have since been told that Aspiration does not deal with real money and that accounts have no right to demand anything (Have this in a recording).
I contacted the Department of Employment services talking to a customer services supervisor, and someone in the fraud department and they specifically stated that They did not make such a request, nor were there any type of issues with my account to have a reversal. I tried to contact Aspiration Customer Service Number and told them I had the Fraud Department from Employment Services verifying that they were a lie and that funds were not in their possession from this supposed reversal sent to them. Needless to say, the call was terminated and I was sent an email stating that I had abused using the customer support number and that I was banned from calling them any further.
I was also told that I would be contacted only if there was a status change in my account and that they would only answer emails that concerned any new status on their end.
I have requested for a list of current transactions to be sent to me and they sent me from two months ago and October but did not send me Novembers. So for the past week I have been butting my trained/schooled investigator skills to good use and I have been digging up everything I can about these people.
They have some serious issues in regards to relieving people of their money. There are hundreds of people out there they have done this to. Government payments which are exempt from being held or frozen or seized upon if legitimate, insurance settlements, government grant money, loans for mortgages and to build homes, money for medical expenses and food, money to take care of children and provide food, and they are holding it indefinitely as they have stated being help until all activities are completed.
If you have been relieved of funds by Aspiration Financial or any of their partnering companies, if they owe you money, violated your right, maybe discriminated against you, Please I ask you get into contact with me we can work together to not only get our money back, or right many wrongs, but hopefully have the executive board and all others responsible for these actions and taken to both criminal and civil proceedings and shut down their enterprise and prevent them fro doing this to anyone else.
\BEWARE DO NOT USE ASPIRATION FINANCIAL
Joe Robertson
They locked my account on Oct. 13th, and have been holding my money ever since. Customer service knows nothing and tells me the same thing every time I call and write them. I can't believe this. It is extremely cruel to do to someone during hard times like this now.
This "bank" is the worst ever. They had locked me out of my accounts for a month with explanations being wildly different depending who I spoke to. So never an actual reason. While I was locked out, they emptied my savings account and once the month was over, I received an email stating my accounts would be closed. Fine, please let me go. Well, its been a MONTH since they told me of the closure and they still have not closed the accounts and are just keeping all my money. They keep telling me I can not have any information nor a time line for when they will be sending a check that contains the only money I have, because I stupidly entrusted this "bank" with the majority or my funds. SO due to the current GLOBAL PANDEMIC we are all in the midst of, I've run out of money because they have kept the rest of mine for the past two months. So for a company that in named ASPIRATION, a hope or ambition of achieving something positive. I have come to find that the true meaning being that of the medical procedure that removes something from an area of the body. They have removed the ability for me to provide myself with a roof over my head, food in my mouth and well on their way to removing the air in my lungs.
Their motto is: "Do Well. Do Good."
But they don't do right when it comes to paying promised promotions. They claim they wait up to 4 months after the qualifying activity before they will pay a promised bonus! (It has been over 2 months without payment for me so far, so I inquired and they wrote that it could be up to 2 more months before they would pay).
What good faith excuse could there be for such long delay? Other financial organizations pay promptly (Chase pays within about 2 days).
Do you want to try to deposit valid checks and then make them completely invalid? Do you want to support a company that makes things more financially impossible for single patents during a pandemic?Then Aspiration is for you!
Like a lot of people during the pandemic, I am unemployed. Like a lot of people in my state, I got over 30 unemployment checks at once. I opened an account with aspiration specifically because they say you can deposit an unlimited number of checks, which a lot of banks don’t do for new customers. But they specifically advertise that. I deposited checks slowly in small batches over several days to make sure they all went through since I had to write “for mobile deposit only to Aspiration” on the back. They all went through. As a new customer, I knew it would be 5 business days before I could access them. Totally understandable.
The last 8 I sent in seemed to go through totally fine, but the next day, I got a message saying those checks were rejected. I haven’t paid my mortgage in months, so I wanted access to that $5000. I called to ask why. Again, these are state checks and 100% are not bouncing.
They don’t know, why don’t I try cashing it at the issuing bank.
There isn’t an issuing bank because, again, government checks.
You can take them somewhere else and just initial next to the “for mobile deposit only” saying that I wasn’t serious about that.
Thing is, these are government checks that obviously will go through, so no other institution believes me and assumes that I am trying to cash them twice.
I tried calling the state unemployment office to get them reissued. They won’t do that unless I can tell them why because apparently aspiration never even tried to process them.
I am not able to resubmit them, which I do understand, but why were they rejected in the first place?
Aspiration says they have no idea why because apparently their check processing department is some sort of omnipotent entity that answers to no other part of the bank and nobody is able to find out anything. They refuse to help despite many many hysterical calls.
So now I have almost $5,000 of useless checks that I guess I am holding onto for 6 months when they expire.
This is literally the worst banking experience I have ever had. Wells Fargo made like 8 accounts in my name without my knowledge, but that is infinitely preferable to a bank that prevents an unemployed mother from accessing her money during a pandemic.
Since 2019 this bank has steadily gone down. They have numerous stipulations on check deposits & even when you do it all right it still takes them multiple days to credit your account even though you see they have approved the deposit but then they take debits causing you to bounce checks that should not bounce because they have approved the deposit yet not updated your account. There's "better" banks whose monthly fees are cheaper than the bounced check charges of institutions that Aspiration refuses to pay out to even when Aspiration has your money to cover it.
AVOID- I iniated several bank transfers to Aspiration because the limit the amount per transaction. Two of the 6 transactions were rejected by the sending bank for security reasons. Aspiration then placed a temporary block on my account. They requested identification (understandable) & financial bank statements to prove my identity. I submitted the documents via their upload portal. It has been 5 days since & I am still being denied access to my funds. Their response is they reviewed items in the order they are received. There is no way to expedite this. The customer service reps cannot unlock my account, nor transfer me to someone with authority to do so. This is totally ridiculous, especially during these times. I cannot
believe Aspiration Bank has block me from my money & tell me I must wait until they get around to reviewing the documentation. No time frame, just wait. I can't even view/log into my account.
AVOID!!!!!!!!!
HORRID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE DO NOT USE THEM!!!!!!!
I have ACH'ed from Chase to Aspiration trying to save some money on wiring fees.
(International Chase wire = $40, Aspiration = $15)
It took me 3 days as I had to split my $12,000 to 3 days (their ACH daily limit is 5k)
plus processing.. a week has passed...
After calling in, and filling out the wiring form, a day later I was informed that I was denied wiring because I don't have enough history with Aspiration.
Naturally, there is nothing I can do so I scheduled to ACH my funds back to Chase, but when on the date of ACH the account looked weird as it shows the ACH and then shows it was ACHed right back.. so I called in to make sure of things...
and guess what? the agent told me that I have canceled the ACH myself.. which is not true, so I asked him to look into it.. sure enough he found out that the Chase account that I linked to was a business account and Aspiration is for personal only banking only.. which I totally understand, so I proceeded to link and add my Chase personal account to ACH that way.. but guess what?! I was denied to ACH to that account as well, with no reasons given. Then the agent procced to instruct me to initiate the ACH from Chase side instead (adding an external account to Chase require small deposit and verification which takes 3 to 5 business days)... so I did that.. while waiting for verification from Chase, I tried to link Sofi account trying to see if I can send to sofi instead (faster, as now it is already end of second week)
I was denied wire due to insufficient history with Aspiration
I was denied to send money back to the original chase account
I was denied to send money to my personal chase account
I was denied to link sofi account
I can't even use their support ticket system as it seems I have been locked from all functions
All I wanted was to use their wiring service and save some money, but instead, Aspiration has caused me 2 weeks of time and headaches already.. who knows how long this will end up taking. At this point, I don't even know how I am going to get my money back or when I will be able to... now I am even scared that they will just hold my money indefinitely..
AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
problems opening a digital card on an android phone. although can open a digital card on an iPhone. want to know if you have such a problem. support could not answer me why such a problem and dont want to ask them more
Aspiration is nothing but a bunch of fraudulent liars that make false promises and do whatever they want with their customers' accounts then close their account when they complain. It took 3 weeks to get my card then when I did they locked my account after I told them 12 times not to and they promised they wouldn't because THEY sent it to the wrong address and an address I never gave them. They also ignored my request to close my account and send the funds back to the bank I used to fund the account after promising they would.Now since I complained on them they have closed my account and are sending my funds via check instead of my bank as they promised.
I am a high income individual and decided to bank with Aspiration as they offered 2% interest with no deposit cap when I opened this account years ago. Things went well for 1.5-2 years but then disaster started to develop:
1. Their collaboration with Radius Bank was canceled and the account was transferred to a small community bank in the Pacific NW and is now called Spend&Save. Various glitches in their system left me unable to withdraw money from an ATM on a weekend in Las Vegas.
2. Customer Service was virtually unreachable at the time of their transition from Radius Bank. This is fixed now and one gets to talk to a rep within a few sec to min.
3. Their interest rate dropped 3 times over the last 6 months which is outrageous. In fact, the latest change leaves you with no or virtually no interest at all on the Standard Account. Now they stomped their new account Aspiration Plus out of the ground which gives you half of the historical interest at now 1% BUT only if you pay $3.99 per month account fees AND only up to $10,000 balances. Even if you had $10,000 in your account all year long, deducting the account fee, your effective APY therefore would only be about 0.5% (up to 10k). Previously, they would pay 2% on unlimited balances with no account fees whatsoever. If this not the definition of a bait and switch scheme, I don’t know what is. Aspiration, shame on you!!
4. On their now standard product they have what’s called the pay what is fair fee where you can choose your own monthly account fee contribution, entirely voluntarily. 4 months ago, they started deducting $2 from my account every month even though I never consented to a pay what is fair fee and multiple demands to turn off that fee withdrawal have been futile. They continue to withdraw it every month and I have to contact them to get a refund.
5. They would advertise with free unlimited ATM use with reimbursement of any ATM fees when I opened this account. Similarly to their constant reduction now virtual annihilation of interest rates, they switched up their ATM policy multiple times over the past few months culminating in the fact that now you can only use it at Allpoint ATMs. Sorry Aspiration, but this is ridiculous. I am not going to Walgreens or Target every time I want to withdraw cash.
6. Lastly, they don’t make the impression of a trustable business partner. Their bait and switch scheme has been outrageous and I would not trust them them with my money going forward. My gut feel tells me they will go bankrupt over the next year or so. In that case, good luck with waiting to get your FDIC insured money back quickly. I am withdrawing all my funds right now and going back to Charles Schwab. All the best to those Aspiration employees that will be suffering due to complete mismanagement.
I thought this was an innovative bank committed to environmental causes with customers as their first priority. Not so. They rape you in every way possible. They dropped interest rates on the standard savings account THREE times in less than one year that I have been a customer. I understand times are changing, but none of my various other banking institutions have responded similarly. I have moved the entirety of my money out of their savings account. Unfortunately, due to other fine print policies, I have decided to move the money in my checking to a different account as well. Today, I have decided to get a move on that process when I noticed the bank has started withdrawing small amounts (>$1.00) for "1 tree planted." I get that its a good cause, but I did not even receive notification that this would be happening nor can I find anything online about why these charges are happening. I cannot wait to close this account.
Wow! I had a few accounts with aspiration: Summit Checking, Redwood IRA, and Flagship IRA. Everything started off good about 4 years ago when I got these accounts started. However, things changed within just the last year. They apparently switched their partnership with Radius bank and since then all hell has broken loose. Their product lines changed without my knowledge and because of this it was hard to transfer any money out of my accounts. The Summit Checking account was changed to Spend/Save and because of this Routing/Account numbers changed without my knowledge. I recently set up direct deposit without knowing my routing/account numbers had changed and now I'll have to wait on this money. Their customer service reps are friendly when you can actually get them on the phone! If you are considering this bank, I would suggest looking elsewhere because I believe they are too new and haven't worked all the kinks out which, isn't something you should have to worry about when dealing with YOUR money $$$. Also, to add after doing more research into my account, I found that an email was sent back in January of 2019 stating that I needed to respond to this email to keep my account summit account open with Aspiration. Otherwise, I would still be with Radius bank with that account. Without my knowledge or approval, Aspiration closed my account with Radius and used my funds in the summit account to put into a spend and save account. Due to my lack of knowledge concerning this, I used my routing and account numbers off of my Radius checkbook to do direct deposit for the Covid19 stimulus check. Long story short, those numbers are no longer active due to the unapproved change and now I will have to wait for my check by mail or I may never get the stimulus check!!!! Didn't Wells Fargo get sued for opening unapproved accounts?!!! Thanks a lot Aspiration, because of your lack of transparency and opening/closing an account without my approval I'm screwed out of the $1200 stimulus check during this pandemic!!!
TLDR: Aspiration was once awesome, now it is frustrating, ever-changing, buggy, and charges for their worse service.
I've been with Aspiration for almost five years and I think it's time for me to close my account. For a while Aspiration was simple, had a pay-what-you-want system, and offered a high APY. I opened a Flaship Fund, which was one of their IRA options. It was great!
Then things started to change. First, they changed their website, which introduced a lot of bugs. When I started seriously using it I discovered the time between transferring the money out from an external account to it being available in Aspiration was several days. Last month one of my recurring deposits just randomly didn't run, and I ended up missing my car payment because of it. When I called customer service they were very honest- basically they found it alarming and said they had no idea what caused the problem.
A couple years ago they changed their website. Every transaction showed up for a long while as ASP Withdrawal and you couldn't tell what you actually were spending your money on. It took them half a year to fix this.
They decided to stop offering the Flagship Fund IRA. They sent me two emails warning me, both of which went straight to junk. One day I logged on and found my IRA account had vanished.
All these missteps- coupled with a difficult user experience, odd transfer limits that require you to break up deposits over several days if you want to move more than $1000, and a recent "upgrade" where you have to pay $46 a year to get 1% APY is leading me to change.
PS- the selling feature of Aspiration where they score how environmentally friendly your spending is? It doesn't work unless you shop at the most common big-box stores.
Unnecessary arbitrary daily limits that cannot be raised, totally complex wire process, no checks of any kind, basically they hold your money hostage and extend no banking benefits.
Would NOT recommend.
The worst Customer Service I've ever experienced. If you email them about a simple question, they don't get back to you in a timely manner. I've tried calling Customer Support, they put me on hold, and hang up on me.
Need money right away? Too bad. Even after they approve a money order or check, they won't answer when the funds will be in your bank. This is an extremely slow and lazy bank. You just lost a customer, Aspiration! :)
Really wanted to believe in Aspiration; signed up before the Radius split, and well before the changeover (over a year) I registered a change of address. After the split, I requested checks; none arrived after several weeks. I talked to a rep who confirmed all my info, and they promised to send new checks. Again, nothing. Months later, my old landlord contacted me about a piece of mail: yup, the checks had been delivered to my old address. If a bank can’t get an address right, and can’t find the problem with the customer on the phone, you’ve got problems. I stopped using them immediately.
I set up an account and completed the advertised requirements for a $100 bonus. After a few months of direct depositing part of my pay check, I realized I never got my bonus. I emailed a representative about it, and he told me I didn't qualify, despite the fact that I met the requirements at the time. I like their concept, but this bank doesn't seem trustworthy, so I definitely won't continue using them anymore.
Hands down this is the most inept financial institution I ever dealt with. And they are refusing to close my account, in spite of me mailing them a signed letter and my debit card cut up with scissors. They are desperate for customers. I will keep my money at my local credit union. Credit unions don't invest in fossil fuels, are member-owned (not seed-funded by billionaires (like "Perspiration" is), and credit unions mostly have staff with at least modicum of competence. This bank does excel at brainless staff sending form letters.
I deposited $10 by ACH as initial deposit to minimize risk while trying them out. It's been over two weeks and I have yet to receive my debit card. The ACH deposit took over one week to clear. Putting any real money in here would be a real problem.
Credit Unions rarely invest in fossil fuels, are member-owned, and are a better option.
Working with Aspiration has been the worst banking experience of my life. I reported a fraudulent charge on my account & was told it was procedure they cancel my debit card. I agreed & was advised I would receive my new card within 10 days. I received an email stating that since I had updated my address mmwithin the last month they would not send me a new card until I could verify my new address by sending them a copy of a utility bill that included my updated address. The problem is that at this point in time I I do not have this type of document. This happened right before Christmas. Fast forward to january 9th- everytime I try to use my husbands card it declines. I call the bank to be informed that they cancelled his card as well. They claimed they sent an email the night before but it was not received. At this point we have been locked out of our account completely since January 9. This bank has refused to help in anyway. We still have not received a replacement debit card. When I asked for assistance getting funds out of the account & the agent told me it was impossible. Actually, I could have moved the money via domestic wire transfer for $0.82. They refused to provide me an online debit card because I have been with them too long. I then set up a digital wallet which I was able to use twice before Aspiration locked my account. I set up 3 different mobile wallets & every transaction has declined. I have received an eviction notice. My children are starving. My bills are not paid. I have spoken to their customer service numerous times & they refuse to offer any solution. Changing to this bank was the worst decision I ever made
I have been putting money in a savings account here and when I went to withdraw it it was short. They withdrew money to pay their fees. My brick and mortar bank doesn't charge me fees.
Aspiration has been such a great bank for me. The customer service is so accessible, the communication has been really clear, and the app is so easy to use. It’s also nice finally making money on what is essentially a checking account, all while supporting a bank that’s pledged not to put money into big oil companies. I would highly recommend this bank to anyone looking for a better banking experience.
As well as liking the products offered, I've always received prompt and efficient help whenever I've had questions or other issues.
Keep up the good work ????
Loren Jones Kansas City Missouri
Amazing experience, customer service is superb! They answer calls right here in the USA, and they are super friendly! You can understand them clearly, they understand you clearly and truly assist you and appreciate you as you do them. I feel at home here! Thank you!
This is by far the best bank I've ever dealt with. I always receive prompt responses to any questions I have and they take the time to reach out just to make sure things are ok. Anything looks suspicious I am contacted. I appreciate them going the extra mile. I recommend them highly. Hopefully soon they will have a way to accept cash deposits.
They helped me when I didn’t get my referral program money and were very polite and quick with their response time.
By far the best bank i have joined.
Customer service is great. Some great people with great attitude and are willing to help. Please keep it up that way..
What bank gives you rewards when you use your debit card..?? Aspiration does..
ATM fees, they refund you back. I will continue to use and recommend Aspiration.. thank you very much. God bless.
I have been with Aspiration for a while now and I had money taken out of my account without my permission. Aspiration froze the account and I was concerned because I have direct deposits going into this account. They were amazing and offered a one-time withdrawal from the atm before they froze the card completely and then expedited my new card all within 5 days. Kudos Aspiration keep doing a great service to your customers.
I noticed a mystery charge of $30 to my account and simply wrote to see what could be done about it.. I never gave permission to do anything about it. Since my query, my account has been frozen and I've been unable to collect two separate work-pay direct deposits, causing my life to spiral due to being unable to pay bills. Seems a good-intentioned policy has paved the way to my hell.. and support STILL doesn't know when my issue may be resolved. I can't even count on the $30 being refunded at this point I guess, which would still barely be a consolation to being unable to access my funds. I am told by support that check-investigation varies in length and still have no idea when my account will be unfrozen, and was told I was unable to make a second account. Zero relief to my situation was provided by Aspiration, just chintzy "the-way-it-goes" type replies and no resolutions, leaving me at the mercy of an unqualified bank that seems shouldn't be in the biz.
This wasn't my first squabble with the bank, I have had two other drawn-out problems with them, with little tech support feedback. Yes it's great to get ATM fees reimbursed, but they take forever to send replacement cards and figure out problems other banks resolves in a day or a few days.
UPDATE: Yes, the thirty dollars I'd mentioned being under investigation was in fact stolen by Aspiration. They had claimed I ever requested their investigation be closed and I never did so! What I had done, and I was very clear, was ask if it'd be alright to pursue their investigation later down the line, because I didn't want my account frozen! They insisted they HAD to freeze my account and investigate, ...soooo what difference would me 'requesting' to stop an investigation really make? Which, I never did anyway; I simply inquired about what would happen if so! It seems this company is too busied clicking away and doing their work robotically.. to really understand basic nuances of communication. My account was closed because of a security leak.. but why?! Why wasn't I offered a new account? Why wasn't my account secured and given back to me?! They sent a check for my balance at the time my acct. was frozen, closed the account, and since then haven't once replied to my emails about the thirty dollars someone stole from me, or my refund! I feel completely swept under the rug and am seriously thinking about legal counsel based on principle alone.
I have an idea it's lil' ol' ladies leaving generic good reviews on this bank, and other people who feel too badly to leave negative reviews after Aspiration inevitably craps on them, but seriously... each email I sent took 4-10 days to get replies, they beat around the bush and play stupid, and now it looks like they blatantly allow customers to be stolen from. AVOID.
Aspiration is a sorry excuse for a bank!! For one I've been waiting 2 weeks for my replacement debit card, only to find out it was sent back to the company. I'm going to have fo do a wire transfer when my deposits hit. You have no early direct deposits. I can go on and on.......... I wouldn't recommend Aspiration to my worst enemy!!!
This company has same gateway processor as Chime, some company based in utah, who had huge outages last week, and possibly hacked, I am taking my money out of here fast, you all must consider taking it out too, we all work hard for it.
Have been a customer for 4 years, now closing my accounts. They use bait and switch tactics, changing account types, interest rates, and minimum deposit amounts needed to get interest rates without proper notice. They also do not transfer funds within the 4 days specified in their regulations. Stay away from them, I suspect they are on the verge of bankruptcy.
Update Nov-21 - I was right - https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/21/dicaprio-backed-digital-bank-aspiration-has-run-into-funding-issue.html
Been with this company for almost two years all interactions were positive experiences no issues no concerns recommend this company A+++++
Opened my account about a year ago. Thought it was a good way to save money with an online account. I was getting interest and great customer service. Now I no longer get interest unless I deposit over $1000 a month. Plus I got married in September and I have been trying since September 24th to get my name changed. I have sent them numerous items, Marriage Certificate, Drivers License (With My New Name), SS Card, etc., and I still can not get my name changed. I keep getting messages that things are expired (NOT), or we are still evaluating. Really? It has been over 2 weeks now and still nothing has changed and still no answers. The most difficult company I have had to deal with in getting my name changed. Time to start looking at a online savings THAT ACTUALLY PAYS interest and actually HAS A CUSTOMER SERVICE department willing to work with you.
I began the journey a couple years ago after being sent a link. I joined, waited and was alerted that Aspiration was up and running. I was living in another part of VA at the time and when alerted that all was well and ready to go, realized that the banking information I had set to handle the transfer for the opening deposit was outdated. I reached out to Aspiration to inform them of the NEW banking information and was told that I had to wait until the transaction cycle went through for the old account in order to add the new account information where I could start again. When the cycle was complete, I added the new account and deleted the old banking profile (or so I thought). The second transfer from my new bank was successful for $40 and I thought all was well. I then receive a notice that the debit card was returned because of my address change and that I needed to answer some security questions (which I did). I was then informed that all checked out and a new debit card would be sent to my NEW address. Fast forward three days and I receive a message indicating that I needed to submit ADDITIONAL security information (recent bank statement and color identification) to Aspiration through a secured link. I provided said information and was asked for banking information from my OLD, CLOSED account and a color copy of my Government-issued identification. I wrote back to inform them that I no longer had access to the old account, but I had sent them information from my new account (with redacted transaction information) and that the Commonwealth of Virginia does NOT create color identification or licenses. So, I resubmitted the information only to be told that the banking information was received and accepted, but they still needed a color copy of my photo ID. I informed them AGAIN that I have no option but to give THEM what VIRGINIA gives to residence...a black and white version of my drivers license. So, I resubmitted that information again. Three days later, I receive a notice saying that a SCANNED PDF COPY of my license was NOT acceptable. (WHAT??? How else am I supposed to give you a copy of my license). So, I sent a .JPG copy of my license and was told AGAIN that SCANNED PDF COPY of my license was NOT acceptable. This time, I took a picture from my phone and submitted it. Five days later after following up with "Vincent," I received a message stating that I did meet the terms and conditions of the account, that my account had been closed, and that all funds from transactions ON the account would be sent to me check form within five business days of account closure. I IMMEDIATELY wrote and requested that after all the hell they put me through to send them information they did NOT need only to be met with that as a response was unprofessional, at best, and that I would be looking for the return of the same $40 in the same manner from which they took it. The response from "VINCENT" was the same canned response above that he sent me about the process for account closure. A few days later, I received a check for $.17 and I AM HOT! WHERE IS MY $40.00???? THE ONLY transaction made was the $40.00 from my bank account to THEIR bank and since I was not provided a debit card, there WERE NO ADDITIONAL CHARGES OR TRANSACTIONS! I had JUST gone to my HR department to establish direct deposit to this bank for THOUSANDS of dollars and GOD KNOWS I'm glad I didn't!! THAT could have been disastrous! DO NOT BANK WITH THESE PEOPLE!
I've written a review before when I had an issue, but that issue was resolved after 4 days of constant arguing with the company. Since then, Aspiration rolled out their joint accounts and my wife and I linked the accounts for that. I've had nothing but problems ever since.
1. I stopped getting any interest, Aspiration has manually applied interest for 3 months, but it's annoying
2. I could no longer view my account information in settings, this has been an issue for over 4 months
3. My dashboard began showing duplicate accounts with no activity, randomly fluctuating balances, and made the process of managing my funds extremely difficult
4. I'm unable to make transfers with an amount greater than $500 per day. This is extremely frustrating because I use separate accounts for bills every month, and would need to make multiple transfers on multiple days just to get the proper funding into the account.
I've contacted Aspiration at least half a dozen times on this, but here we are almost half a year later and the problem is not fixed. I've lost all confidence and have moved to Ally bank, where my joint account was simple, I earn unconditional interest at substantially higher rates than Aspiration, and I can use Zelle. I urge others to do the same.
I click on a link to open an account, that offered a $100 bonus!
I do all I am supposed to do, then I am told that promotion was for something else, not for when I opened the account.
But that is the exact link I used to open the account!
I hate being lied to by a bank, how can you trust them after that?
Zero to minus is deserved for customer service. I called on a Friday and by end of business Monday had not heard back. I had to call many times, email and still no resolution on an error in my name .. needed to change to my legal name on all my ID federal & state ID that I provided to them showing correct spelling. Then they wanted to see more docs like divorce decree etc that had nothing to do with spelling error!!! As a result I had to close my account. Over something that should have taken 2 seconds to correct. Each time I was put on hold and shuffled around. Customer service should come 1st, customers should not have to spend hours on the phone, no manager to escalate to either! Worst experience .. sticking to bank with actual branch and manager to help! Avoid this company.
Although, they claim to be saving the world, they have ZERO integrity themselves. A year after I opened my account, I was shuffled off to another bank, Radius. Fast forward, 2 years later, Aspiration Bank begged me to come back... offering all kinds of great incentives, including 2% interest. I was already getting over 2% interest at Radius and offered 2.2% interest to stay but went ahead and transferred everything back to Aspiration. Two weeks later, they lowered their interest rate to 1% and blamed it on the FEDS. Mind you, Radius is still offering 2% and plans to keep it there. I have lost all faith in Aspiration Bank and will immediately be closing my account.
I did a small bank to bank transfer from. Aspiration to another bank. I did notice a lot of people complaining that their large transfers were messed up. I did a 25.00 transfer to test this and it was completed in a couple days. This is a great service. Thank you.
Wanted to get a voided check to complete my direct deposit form. Called them got it in less than 5 min! ??
I’ve been using Aspiration (checking, Savings, and Investment) for about 2 years and I’m very happy with their service. Being a green bank in this world is not easy, but their customer service team has helped me whenever I needed help. I really appreciate that. I’ve travelled in many countries carrying their checking account master card, and I’ve been able to withdraw money from ATM without any issues. Who gives cash back on checking account? I recommend Aspiration banking to anyone who is looking for a bank that they can trust 100%. No joke!
Aspiration is great in theory but lacks in execution. I was a member for 3 years and had my interest rate policy change 3 times. They also let charges go through after the account was closed. To pay that balance off, I had to mail a check to them 3 times. This is because they sent it back twice despite following their explicit instructions.
I would advise you do not trust this bank. Look elsewhere.
I wanted to leave a comment about Aspiration Bank. I have Never had an issue with them for any reason. Everytime I have had to contact them for any reason they have been more than helpful. I am alerted with any changes they have had. I have received the upmost respect from ALL customer service and they rapidly fix anything I have asked them to do.
I've been an Aspiration customer for a number of years now and I can say that I've always received a prompt response to any requests or questions I've had, and a thorough resolution for any problems that I've encountered. Any representative of the company I've found to be courteous and to offer to be of help in the future, should I need something. The mobile and web apps are first-class. I would like to see in the mobile app for iOS more of the functionality the web app provides.
I'm a customer of Aspiration for about one year, recently on Sept 9th I requested transfer to an external checking account, by some glitch in their system transfer was posted twice on my Aspiration account but only one transfer reach my external checking account. I received an email about the double transfer and they did transfer reversal. But as I said one of the transfers reach my external account 2nd is missing. I called Aspiration numerous times about it, I emailed them a statement from an external account and 15 days later they still making investigation, my money is missing. "Normal" bank will be crediting money to account a long time ago. I don't trust this bank anymore, obvious thing take forever. I'm extremely disappointed in how they handle my case.
I liked Aspiration for their mission, no fees, and initially high interest savings account. However, now they have lowered their savings rate from 2% to 1%. Their processing times are awful compared to even local banks often taking 3-5 business days or more to process transfers or changes which is not good for automatic payments. I wanted to love Aspiration, but I will be moving my money elsewhere for better savings rates and a better customer experience.
They have just lowered their rate to 1 percent and are refusing to pay the 100 dollar promo they were offerin a few months ago. Beware they do not honor their own solicited promos.
I've been a customer with Aspiration for about two years and have really wanted to like them for their politics specifically. However, I've lost trust to have them hold my money. Recently (September 2019), I requested a transfer to an external checking account, and they performed that transfer twice. A week later, they reached into that external checking account and reversed one of those transfers. They claim that they sent me an email about this, and maybe they did, but I never received it (and it's not in my spam or my trash). The transfer reversal is held up by their "standard ACH clearing period" of five days. So they are holding my money that I never asked them to move in the first place. I'm fortunate that this will not cause problems for me, but at a different time in my life it could been have b a significant hard ship.
I could also say that mistakes happen, except this exact same thing happened in December of 2018. So I think the mistake here is that I continued to trust them with my money, and I can't do that any more.
I love Aspiration. I have always received excellent care and customer service. Sometimes it takes a day for a response but they are always helpful and resolved any issues. They have excellent rewards. I love that I get cash back for some purchases and that I can receive credits for fees for ATM withdrawals. They are amazing and easy to use. I have never had any problems with them and I highly recommend them to everyone!
Made an account just to warn others about this bank. The interest rate and no ATM fees seem attractive, but not worth it. = $100 was removed in error from my account and I filed a dispute. They have not been able to give me any update, confirm any action has been taken, or provide any time frame for resolution over the last several weeks. Chase would have issued a credit while the dispute was in process. Really frustrating to have that amount of money gone in error and little hope of recovery. The only response from their customer service is "we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything" - so no confirmation that anything has been done and no estimated timeframe. Scary to think of not getting this money back, but that is what I'm expecting at this point. I'm cancelling before an even bigger mistake is made.
Aspiration's checking and savings products are hands down two of the finest in ALL of brick and mortar and Internet-based banking. You save money. You earn solid interest. You can invest in quality, highly profitable companies and avoid unconscionable companies. A great app. Excellent, attentive customer service. I'm very proud to be associated with a banking organization as high quality, decent, and innovative as Aspiration.
Aspiration may be a green bank, but in terms of how they treat their members, they get an F.
They JUST ran a 4 month long campaign incentivizing members to get their friends and family to sign up, only to CHANGE THEIR POLICY on interest rate requirements AS SOON AS THE CAMPAIGN ENDED. This means all of us who promoted Aspiration to our circle MADE A FALSE PROMISE about what this bank provides.
Aspiration used to pay 2% interest as long as you made at least $1 in deposits per month. Without so much as an email, they decided last month that only their wealthy members will continue to receive this privilege.
I noticed a few days ago that I didn't receive my interest deposit at the beginning of the month like I usually do and inquired about it. THAT'S HOW I LEARNED ABOUT THEIR NEW POLICY. I bet a ton of people haven't noticed yet and will soon....
Now they only pay 2% interest to those who deposit a minimum of $1,000 per month, or give 1.5% API to people who maintain a balance over 10K!
THIS IS HOW THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR STAY POOR. Aspiration has poverty funds you can donate to, but for their own members, they've made it so only those who already have money get to make more money on their savings.
I rode the wave when Aspiration left Radius Bank and a bunch of people including myself didn't have access to their money temporarily. I had faith they'd get it together. But now, you've lost me Aspiration. I'm moving to another high interest bank who isn't going to constantly change the goal post. I'd love to be part of a green bank, but not at 0% interest.
Oh and by the way, once you leave Aspiration, their policy is YOU CAN NEVER COME BACK. What kind financial institution does that?
This is an A+ company! I was sold the moment I read about it. I love that I can track my impact. :) Aspiration donates a portion of its proceeds to various causes.... best of all THEY ARE COMPLETELY fee free. I ALSO love the cash back for swipes ??
Very courteous and professional. This happened while I was evacuated for a hurricane and they expedited my new debit card to me.
Once you understand that cash can easily be turned into a money order and be deposited as a check would be, you will come to understand that Aspiration has you covered. Their mission of transparency and global responsibility is a breathe of fresh air in a time polluted with greed and corruption. Customer service is prompt, polite and effective, both by phone and email. The app is well thought out and easy to use. 2% interest on a savings account is nearly unheard of but there you go, and did I mention you can withdraw from any ATM anywhere and your fees will be reimbursed? Oh, and there are NO FEES to bank there. Plus, if that wasn’t enough already, they have shown through many efforts how they are thinking consciously for our future as a planet and acting with transparency toward goals that will make a difference. Bravo Aspiration!
I've got to say, being that I was IN customer service and with the way I've been treated over the last 2 weeks over the opening the account spiff of $100.... BS! These people are ridiculous and if I was to guess by the way of the conversation had with IDK HOW MANY reps on the ONE subject, cant be over 30 and dont have any real life experience let alone in being a representative to a company... I DO NOT RECOMMEND this bank for many reasons, this complaint, one of them.
I asked a non-urgent question via email on Sunday. It was answered in a helpful way by 9 am Monday.
We have had issues with customer service agents taking their time and we're about to close our account. It was taking equal to two days to get money through wire, but our recent transaction took a matter of hours, thanks to two wonderful agents. We explained our situation and they were on it! They definitely earned one more chance. Hopefully, instant bank to bank transfers and Zelle association will be their next projects!
Aspiration has exceeded my expectations. They are exactly what they promise. The customer service has become an amazing experience. They are personable and helpful! Response times are well within 24 hours by email. Sometimes only a few hours! And on the phone A++
I changed to Aspiration because I wanted to support a sustainable bank that does social and environmental good. Aspiration is fairly new compared to other banks offered, so there are some things that need improvement but I know with time Aspiration will be just as quick and flexible as the other banks. I really wish that Aspiration connects with Zelle soon, because instant real-time transfers to friends is very useful. Or even just quicker transfers between trusted bank accounts linked to our Aspiration account would be a useful upgrade. Overall, I love Aspiration and their stocks (Redwood Fund) have been profitable!
I can't recommend Aspiration enough. I heard about it on TYT the YouTube channel and I'm very excited about making such a high interest rate on my savings and not paying any ATM fees. Look into Aspiration and TYT.
I used to love Aspiration, but their policies changed in August 2019. August 2019 Aspiration now offers NO interest on savings unless $1000 is deposited EVERY month then 2%. Only 1.5% if balance over $10,000. Still has unique charity program.
I’ve been with Aspiration for about six months. And I can’t believe I did not change banks to this one earlier.
I was sincerely surprised and shocked at the bad reviews on this site for Aspiration — the bank described in those reviews is not the one I am happy to be working with.
Everything is easy, understandable, and most importantly hassle-free.
On the occasions I’ve needed to reach out to customer service they have been quick to respond and extremely proactive in getting my issues resolved.
No fees and an easy to manage app, easily accessible savings and checking account are all that I really want from a bank — and Aspiration certainly delivers.
Highly recommended.
I absolutely would not recommend Aspiration Bank they refuse to send me a debit card because I changed my address a month after I opened the account. They said it’s a red flag. I asked to speak to the manager the man said he’s the only manager. Previously I asked for a manager call back and a young lady left me a message saying she’s the manager so my trust was completely gone. Without a debit card I had to weekly transfer my direct deposit to my cash app which the transfers made on Friday didn’t come in until Tuesday each week. Cash app was able to send me a debit card and they weren’t. It’s two months and I’m trying to get the issue resolved by going on their Instagram page and they deleted all me comments and still no help. I sent a dm to the CEO (1 hour) and no response yet. I’ve never seen anything like this. The funniest thing is I was in banking in my whole 20’s and never seen any bank I’ve worked with play with people like this.
I’ve been banking with Aspiration for close to a year now, and I love them. I do my best to be mindful of the companies & organizations I support financially, and I’m grateful to support a bank with a conscience.
I also love the 2% APY, ATM fee reimbursements, and personable, responsive customer service. Above all, I applaud their commitment to transparency, fairness and ethics. While bank transfers initiated through Aspiration have been slow recently, I just initiate them from the other bank, which solves that problem.
I’ll continue to remain a loyal customer, so long as they remain loyal to their ethics.
So I sent $130 from my account via Zelle to one of my other accounts, the money never arrived but was deducted from my account, I waited a week in case it was just held up, finally I contacted Zelle they saw the transaction but said it never went through due to an error from The aspiration end, so I contacted Aspiration and their attitude was so unprofessional, they said it looked like it went through and they had no way to look into this matter, I spoke to a so called supervisor and after much arguing I asked “if it was your money would you give up” and she said “yes”, it’s now 3 months later and there is still no sign of my $130 and they blow me off everytime I ask, stay away from this so called bank, the fact that when you ring you always seem to get the same person is a red flag in itself, I will be putting in a complaint to the authorities and also to visa and MasterCard and anybody else I can, you’ve been warned stay away.
I love Aspiration and they keep working to streamline their accounts over time. Having an online account that i did not readily access with my daily money helped me create my first ever savings in my life! Since I've opened it I've been able to share the down payment on my home with my partner, we bought a pop-up camper (used but still ours), and I still have some left for an emergency fund. None of that would've happened with my traditional bank and looking at my money daily. Once Aspiration switched over to the new Spend & Save accounts the transfers from your traditional bank take 4-5 days, so that is about the only downfall to me. But I mostly use the account for savings so it's not the biggest deal because I'm not looking to spend that money right away. And just today they notified that you will only receive the 2.00% Interest if you're depositing $1000+ monthly into the account, or have $10K+ in there. Great for people using this as their daily spend accounts! There are no ATM fees, if you're ever charged one they will credit you. But they did just cap that to 5 transactions a month, because some were taking advantage of that. Customer service responds to you in literally minutes so if there were ever a problem, I am confident they'd take care of it right away. I do love this bank! I am bummed I won't be earning my interest as I was, but maybe that will push me to begin using this account as my main spender.
Awesome bank and continues to get better. Thanks for working on the issues that are brought to your attention. Excellent, prompt customer service, please keep up the good work and continue improving. Thank you.
Originally I signed up with Aspiration because of their high interest-rate on the savings account. After 5 annoying years with my credit union I decided to start using the Aspiration spend account as well. Aspiration’s mobile app is very convenient, their customer service is very quick to reply and solve any issues or answer any questions. This is much more than I can say for my local credit union! I’m very happy to have made this change a few months ago.
I was very concerned about customer service about a transaction in my spend account. Images of waiting hours for a response came up because in the past that’s what used to take place. Also, customer service follow up was almost non existent. This time the response seemed to have improve dramatically. Also, the agent seemed intend to help me out. She saw me as a client, not a nuisance. This experience has put on hold my plan to pull out of Aspiration altogether.
I have been with Aspiration since the summer of 2017 and have been impressed with their hard work and dedication towards the consumer. Their checking account gives me information on what I spend instantly and provides me with an up-to-date available balance information. The account is also one that offers money back on purchases - something that is a rarity in the debit card world. No foreign fees are great for travelling abroad. No ATM fees have already saved me a lot of money. Their savings account gives me a savings rate that is one of the highest in the nation as of this writing. Transferring funds between the Aspiration checking and saving accounts is fast and uncomplicated. Their mutual fund investment account makes it easy for me to invest in companies with green/sustainable practices.
I am happy that we finally have a financial institution like this that helps consumers and is not so profit driven. I am happy to support them and so should you. You have to be part of the change you want to see in the word. Keep up the good work Aspiration!
I have been a customer of Aspiration for well over a year. I really like and awesome prompt answers. Great Bank and Great Staff. Keep up the good work guys and gals! I like their customer service staff, I like the refunded ATM fees, I like the interest rate. I like the really fast authorization when I make a credit card purchase. What could be better in a bank. Friendly staff answering the phone. Well versed in all aspects of the bank. Keep up the great work guys and gals!
Recently, contacted Aspiration over two different occasions and both times got connected quickly and the staff person (most recently Jon - sorry don't remember the prior one) was patient and professional ... and resolved my query.
One of the BEST, if not THE best, bank customer service!
Kudos!
Had aspiration since May, great bank no issues so far , customer service outstanding and fast available. Gonna soon get my direct deposit to aspiration! And also they gave a great investing program too
I had an issue getting my do good $ and within 24 hours my problem was solved. I got prompt and professional service. This is the best customer service from a bank ever!
I was more than satisfied with the level of customer service provided me by Rocky. He was pleasant and professional and, though he ultimately was unable to remedy my issue, he put forth a great deal of effort to get to the bottom of the situation. It turned out to be an IT problem and it was frustrating because it caused me a good deal of difficulty in another account of mine. I was very definitely pleased however with the help Rocky was willing and able to provide me.
I can’t say enough their workers their concept it’s so unique I have high hopes
So far an incredible experience w/ Aspiration and their customer service dept. With respect to some of the more negative reviews I’ve read, I felt compelled to add: I’ve been a customer with a few relatively newer, online-only banks, and worked for a large bank myself. While sometimes there can be process hiccups here and there, the product offering and mission is, IMO, worth partnering with them on their growth journey. These aren’t giant mega-banks (though I hope they get there), so while I sympathize with people who’ve had a rough edge case experience, I don’t expect them to have perfected every detail - just the major stuff like customer service, ability to access funds, and a quality mobile and desktop web app, which is fair to expect from anyone and even moreso a company with less tech debt in their IT org (though also fewer software engineers to go around).
I’m excited about the mission and extremely competitive savings returns Aspiration offers. That’s why I became a customer, and assuming those things don’t change, I expect to remain one for a long time.
I can think of only two ways you might enhance your service. 1) Make bank transfers faster. 2) My own personal banker? :) I'm so pleased you've provided an option to 'The Big Three'. Heavy sigh.
The thorough support, timely communication, and kind follow-ùp that the customer service agent provided while attending to my issue was excellent and greatly appreciated. The agent's help and personal attention during the process was a shining example and positive testimony to the clear difference a company like Aspiration is over the traditional brick-and-mortar banking service. Our quick and easy email communications sure beat automated telephone call systems, being on hold for hours, and constantly getting transferred while having to re-explain the issue all over again like I've had to endure with other companies. I am very thankful that I made the switch to Aspiration!
I have had an Aspiration Spend and Save Account and I’ve really been pleasantly surprised how well it works; Customer Service has responded within a few minutes whenever I’ve emailed a question and that simply is cool. highly recommend.
Updated: I had signed up with a incentive to receive a $100 bonus if I setup Automatic Deposit each month; I did that and asked Customer Support when I would see the $100 bonus, exchanged emails, and happy to say, Aspiration came through in flying colors! I would highly recommend this type of Account for Retired persons like me.
When I first signed up with Aspirations they only offered a investment account and customer service was a bit weird but with a promise to deinvest in fossil fuels and invest in ethnically diverse and green energy I was willing to deal with it. Since then I now have a checking and saving account that I love. Being able to access my money at any atm is incredible, getting serious interest rate returns is also cool. They have also increased their customer service quality. I want all the people I love to be connected with Aspiration banking
Advertises that customers get Cash Back Rewards for shopping at businesses with a higher Aspiration Impact Measurement (AIM) score. But you have to give a company money first before you can find out how good/bad a merchant is (posted transaction in app and online reveals score but it's not available elsewhere).
Rewards are not explained in the Disclosures as required by the FTC, but instead are buried in their FAQ's where they explain they have the right to change them without notice. Using the Internet Archive, I see now that on 05/12/2019 they were offering 1% Cash Back for businesses with a HIGH AIM and 0.5% for all others. Ten days later on 05/22/19, they changed that to 0.5% for business with the HIGHEST AIM and 0.25% for all others and for the first time revealed the list of (only 23) businesses with extra rewards:
Adobe Systems CVS Page Plus Cellular
Aetna DirecTV Skype
Allstate eBay Sprint
Apple Esurance Target
AT&T Google Verizon
Boost Mobile Jet.com Walmart
Boots MetLife Xbox
Cricket Wireless Microsoft
My concerns were repeatedly being dismissed by a representative "Nicole W" who at first said she too wanted more clarity on the rewards and then said if I don't understand their legal Terms I should seek legal counsel. She claimed that my request for transparency would require engineers that they couldn't justify for a "one-off" request. However, it doesn't take an engineer to put the score next to the above list or with the list of the THOUSANDS of businesses they advertise they have scores for (website shows Amazon, Netflix, Tesla, Nike, Urban Outfitters, Hyatt, Whole Foods, YouTube, Starbucks) so you have to first do harm by supporting a bad company and then learn from your mistake. Furthermore, "highest AIM" seems subjective as CVS has a 93/100 People Score and 91/100 Planet Score, but Walgreen's has scores of 88/100 and 91/100 and does not earn extra rewards. They've got AIM scores on THOUSANDS of businesses but only 23 are the "highest"(?!!) Assuming their use of "thousands" only means 2000, Aspiration is not rewarding you for shopping at 98.85% of known businesses; 3000 businesses equates to only 0.77% eligible for incentive... (For past 15 years, Global 100 reviews 3.7 million data points to rank 7500 companies and only 1 of their top 100 is in Aspiration's 23: MetLife at #53) "Rewards" for shopping at any known business, except the 23, are same as for businesses Aspiration doesn't know. Again, no where can you find the score until you've already spent money and no where can you see why the score was given or what is considered the "highest AIM" (as required by the FTC). Chief Compliance Officer, Christopher Mates, was contacted about concerns regarding Rewards transparency and provided copy of FTC's Disclosure requirements (read receipt received) and response from Aspiration's rep was that consumer transparency is a feature not a requirement.
Both app and website report purchases with Transaction Date (not Posting Date) so when using third-party financial apps or software, it makes it difficult to reconcile transactions which will have a tip added later. For example if you use You Need A Budget (YNAB) and purchase a $5 cup of coffee every day from Starbucks but tip different amounts, the original authorized amount immediately is imported as $5 on Transaction Date but is sometimes duplicated with the final amount Posted with tip. Original authorized transaction amount imports as "cleared" only to later be changed or duplicated with final amount with tip.
Transactions cannot be exported or downloaded (which would ordinarily show you both the Transaction and Posting Dates) until a statement is generated and then, despite their WebConnect with YNAB and Quickbooks Online (set up by Aspiration NOT by YNAB or QBO), are only available as a PDF. No option for a Quickbooks Desktop file either. Support request for fix during a 1.5hour call 10 days ago provided not even an acknowledgement email.
As an accountant, after reading all the complaints regarding service issues, after personally receiving condescending responses for legitimate concerns, earning $1 for every $400 spent (until they change/lower reward again without notice), doesn't seem worth doing business with Aspiration. You're better off downloading the full Global 100 list and supporting those businesses with a different card that has higher/clearer rewards like "Discover It" which gives 1-2% back on any purchase.
I spoke with Morgan at aspiration today about adding my husband to the account. She was very efficient and told me she would send me an email with the step by step instructions. This saved both of us time and I was very grateful.
I got my Aspiration card back in 2015, and used it with enthusiasm in the States and abroad, where I volunteered until late 2018. The service back then was incomparable - I could get money from my other American bank account to Aspiration, where my ATM fees would be refunded, and Aspiration was therefore a hugely useful resource that I rightly boasted about when asked by other Americans about great products for use abroad.
That was then, this is now. I now live and work abroad, and have had nothing but infuriating experiences and spent probably 20-25 hours on the phone in the last month navigating them before Aspiration closed my account.
Upon my return to Ukraine, I found I couldn't use my card. Aspiration Customer Support recommended I try in a few places - ATMs, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. - to troubleshoot, before another Customer Service Rep ultimately told me that the card can't be used abroad due to OFAC regulations against Ukraine (meaning Russian-occupied Crimea, which for whatever reason means the card is useless across the whole country). When I asked how I managed to use the card in Ukraine from 2016-2018, I was told it was a "fortunate fluke that no one noticed". How can a technical system, operating at the electronic level (i.e. at the Ukrainian ATM) not notice two year's worth of transactions?
Okay, disappointing, but the 2.00% APR in the Save account still had utility, so why not keep Aspiration around? I then sent money to my wife via wire transfer from my Aspiration account. I had to go through four Customer Service Reps before I received the right form and instructions on how to fill it out correctly (the form is not intuitive if there is an intermediary bank involved, and their Operations Team, who approves/rejects all transfers, is unreachable by phone).
My wife's bank then informs us that a foreign financial institution (Aspiration) has not included any of the requisite information on the transfer in order to process it on the receiving end. Multiple reps at Aspiration insist this is not their fault, so I pursue an inquiry from the receiving side, meaning my wire transfer that was supposed to take two days will now take up to a month.
Two weeks later, I receive an email from Aspiration security team saying my account is locked. While on the phone with Reps trying to figure out why, I receive an email saying my account is locked again. Then, another, saying it is closed.
I lose almost an entire day of my honeymoon waiting on hold for an answer as to why my account has been closed. Customer Service Reps have no idea. A Security representative says in an email that someone (myself) tried to use my card in a suspicious country (Ukraine), even though I verbally confirmed my long-term travel to Ukraine with a Customer Service rep before leaving the States. When I said that an Aspiration rep encouraged me to try the card in various places, and that I can provide any information needed about the ATMs and restaurants I tried, the Security rep functionally told me to kick rocks.
At Aspiration's recommendation, I then call all of the banks involved in the wire transfer process to confirm that the information necessary to process the wire transfer has/has not reached my wife's bank. All 3 of them point the finger at Aspiration. When I tell them this, one Aspiration Customer Service Rep (Sarah, bless her) actually goes and does the work that 15 of her colleagues could not, and my wife finally gets the wire transfer, about 35 days later than anticipated. Wire transfer - done.
A note: the Customer Service Team can not interact with any other teams (Security, Operations, etc.), and has no authority whatsoever in the majority of problems such as this. You can't get Ops on the phone, or Security, or a Team Lead, so your entire experience hinges on the knowledge of whatever Rep you connect to on the line. Most were helpful and friendly, some were inadequate, and only one rep solved all the accumulated nonsense left over by other Reps in one fell swoop. Props to her.
Even Sarah, though, could not help me appeal my account closure. I had no say in the matter either, and even if it were reopened, I wouldn't use it at this point. If the high point of their service was a "fortunate fluke", and it's impossible to talk to the people who actually make decisions (Operations, Security, etc.) directly, it's not worth it to play the lottery with Customer Service Reps to solve even minor problems.
This card was once truly great for US citizens abroad, and still has a lot of perks for lots of people with more "typical" banking needs. But for those of us working abroad, it's not worth the plastic it's printed on.
Although I was disappointed at the news I got, it was not due to the agents response to me. He was very fast at replying and honest with me. I appreciate running across someone who does their job in a timely manner.
The only issue I have with this bank is the there dispute process. I haven't received an update for my atm withdrawal in almost a month.
I am a return customer, invited to reopen my account. Email response from customer service has been quick, though some of the information supplied was incorrect; this has now been rectified and all seems ok.
I have banked with many banks in the past. I decided to try Aspiration when they first came onto the scene. I have not been disappointed yet. I have never had a bank that reimbursed all of my atm fees or that did cash back rewards. And their customer service is always quick and efficient..I usually communicate through emails. Even with the transition they did not miss a beat. Thanks Aspiration!!!!!
I contacted customer support via email and received exceptionally thorough responses in just a few minutes. Blown away by their speed and responsiveness. 5 star experience.
Can't imagine better service. My own personal rep?
How might Chase ever compete?
Used to have capital one but switch to these cats and I'm very satisfied
My husband and I heard about Aspiration through TYT. We have had an account with them for about a year and a half. We love putting our money in a bank that invests responsibly. It’s really convenient to be able to use any ATM without being charged. They have GREAT customer service - very knowledgeable and eager to help.
I use this account as an emergency fund with a nice rate of return. All I need is a debit card and a way to transfer money from my main account. It works very well for the purpose it serves, plus you can set the fees at $0 a month if you want. Recently they made joint accounts available. Mobile app is very user friendly. Customer service has always been fast and helpful in my experience.
Transfers take a couple days, customer service phones don't work on the weekends. I'm still giving them 5 stars overall because they donate the money they make.
The app works and I am seeing the money from direct deposit in my account but I still haven't received my aspiration debit card after 3 weeks. Hopefully it arrives next week
Update: the card arrived but one of the cards they originally mailed wasn't delivered and was returned. I also want to compliment aspiration on another thing: they're app and website have stayed functional since I started using it and both discover and m&t bank's app and website have had service interruptions where I couldn't login or do anything in my account
Currently, the transaction list is very misleading. I nearly had an overdraft because of a hold on a deposited check that appeared to be credited to my account. I even thought I was missing money after running the given numbers through a spreadsheet. Happily, customer service sent me a detailed report that should be made available to all customers. Everything was there and it put my mind at ease.
When I first opened my account, I could not make payments from the mobile app (they are weirdly impossible to do from the web interface). Customer service was responsive, but not helpful. It was resolved after I left a poor review of their app in the Google Play store. The developers replied to my review and fixed the issue in the next version of their app.
Lastly, transfers to my connected bank were being rejected without any reason given why. The email notifying me about the rejection seemed to indicate that the connected bank was responsible. Customer service at the connected bank disagreed. At first, Customer service at Aspiration told me that it could be mismatched personal info, but it turned out that I was just attempting to do a transfer that was higher than my daily limit. Simple! They could have said that in the email or validate the amounts in the user interface and don't allow me to make the request in the first place!
I hope I don't get the, "We are so sorry this has been such a bad experience for you. We are definitely working on streamlining our processes so these things don't continue to be such an intensive ordeal." reply. It seems canned. ;P
This Bank has excellent Customer Service and they were able to handle my problems with ease. Great experience
I've seen the bad reviews, but I opened an account anyway because I value Aspiration's mission. There was some delay in starting my account. They seem not to have any sort of confirmation when you send your government documents for identity verification. Nevertheless, I spoke with representatives over email, and now I am up and running. I will amend my review if I run into any problems.
I have used Aspiration for a while and I am generally very happy with their services. I think they are a fantastic online bank. I still have another bank that I keep accounts in because it is helpful to have the option to go to a teller to deposit money, but I use online banks to hold the money because they give much better interest. I also have an investment account with aspiration that I am very happy with. I recently noticed that one of my automatic investments was missing from the list of transactions so I sent an email. The response I got by email was incorrect and when I replied to that message, I never received a reply. So I called a week later. They were able to resolve everything quickly and easily over the phone (the transaction had gone through but didn't appear on my mobile app for some reason so she sent a screenshot of their records to show me). If you are having issues, then you should just give them a call. Their customer service is great by phone.
I am a new customer, and I ran into a problem setting some stuff up with my account. So I contacted Aspiration via their website. Within minutes, I received a response from an actual human being, not an autoresponder. That's better than my brick-and-mortar bank ever did for me!
I have only been with aspiration a month i do like i can transfer between my bank and aspiration and if you use your card then you can get cash back too. ill keep on using this thanks
I had enquired whether I could get immediate notice of two small deposits in my account with Aspiration and was assured I could. I had an emergency situation with my son who is overseas. My problem was solved another way, but imagine my impression to receive an email saying that they were concerned when the two small deposits never arrived. Now THAT's class service in my book. Thanks Aspiration.
I will qualify my review by saying that I do not use Aspiration as my primary bank. I originally set up the account as a way to save and invest, separate from my main checking account at my credit union. As such, I don't use the account much, I don't use the debit card, and I don't pay bills from the account.
Direct deposit is set up as well as monthly withdrawals from my Aspiration Save account to each of their investment options. As of yet, after nearly 2 years, I haven't run into any problems. Customer service may leave a little bit to be desired, but I have never had problems resolving issues in a timely manor. So far so good.
I am now doing business overseas and will be receiving wire transfers, ask Aspiration and my local bank the same question. Aspiration answered in less than 1 hour, my local bank....still waiting.
I opened an IRA and an investment account back in April of 2018. I have never had any problems. I recently added the Spend and Save accounts (checking and savings). I had an issue with adding my husband to the account and emailed customer service. They got back to me in minutes! Fastest response time that I’ve ever had with ANY company. They informed me that they are unable to provide joint accounts at this time but are looking to add the option soon (kinda lame). I plan on only adding small amounts of $ for now. I would really like to see this company grow! I would definitely be interested in switching my mortgage over to a bank with a conscience.
I am not sure if my other review was posted but they are nice over the phone and have good parts about it like how they don't do business with ghuns and tobacco or oil. Hey, it's free for me, so, why not make a little extra?
Better than Chime, Simple, and many others I tried. One star off of Rating and Customer Service as the transfers take long and they out you on hold. But the rep was nice, you are supporting a good cause and earning nice interest that no other bank seems to offer.
I was recently hacked. It was the most violating experience Iv ever experienced. It started with a phone call . They claimed to be calling from Apple . I am not dumb, but they mentioned my daughter. Listed the interactive games she plays etc . After hours on the phone I realized I was being punked. I check my two accounts and one was completely empty.
I called Aspiration’s custamer service and what an angel!!!!
I hung up the phone with some sense 0f calm. A completely different experience than I recieved at my other banking institution.
Because my account was online , it was considered prepayed and apparently far beneath them. I was given zero support. They actual claimed that since I allowed the hacker into my computet to “ protect my daughters lap top”. That it may not even be considered theft.
So when you compare Aspiration Bank to the online banking services available at this time, as far as I’m concerned , while they may not be 5 stars yet , they are darn close in my book !
Maybe I was just unlucky but I had the worst rep everrrr and all I was trying to do was get my debit card sent out because I never received it. 8 emails later still no confirmation of a debit card on its way. She was unimaginably horrible. We went back and forth for countless hours. Surprisingly enough I called the 800 number and got thru and resolved in about 45 seconds. Her name was Gail Bucholz. she was unhelpful and inefficient and clearly doesn’t understand her job and in my honest opinion should be coached or immediately terminated before she diminishes the quality of the company as a whole.
They fail to respond to an email request, and then on a phone call initiated by me, their "Customer Service" tells me they will resend an email that they claim was sent on a prior occasion. This email also fails to materialize. If this is their idea of handling anyone's financial information, good luck to their current customers.
The companies going through changes. It was understaffed and didnt realize the success of their product and the needs of the customers overwhelmed this new start up company. They are so good. Many companies are coping them. They fixed this by hiring new employees. It takes time to hire, get all secured verification done. Overall people reacted to raging and being unhappy as a result of not knowing how aspiration accounts work and not having a pretty understanding that if its a start up company migrations are hard on everyone and the companies growing. Before I started working for them I saw negative reviews but could tell through reviews that it didnt reflect what aspirations about. I decided to work for aspiration. I choose to be a customer. I can tell before becoming a customer or an employee. They care about their customers. Its just new, there was a migration, and it had so many emails. (Fantasy Ex: 1 person 30 000 emails) Not factual but it makes sense. I've tried so many banks and best advice always have another financial institution to go to, always have two. I've tried multiple fiancial institutions and dislike many over 8+ but I can tell aspiration does care and advocates for the customers and now even working at aspiration I can completely tell everybody here wants to do their best for all aspiration customers. It just takes patience but theyre getting everything together for perfection. Everyones so friendly and its amazing for environment - planet that the companies conscious of how they impact our environment and theres no fees. Everyone wants the bank to be established but an adult has to be a baby first to become an adult. You cant skip steps in business growth and adding developmental additions over time. I worked at a startup and my friends and I start off as 3 people in a room. You never can anticipate your product going viral, like no expected dated for so many people to love it. So many people love aspiration and its amazing how fast its growing. A few angry people do not determine the incredible amount of success the company is achieving. Customer Service is #1 at this company. If you can accept its continuous growth and its huge success in hiring more employees to reach every customer, overall its just a great company. Theres so much to be achieved in the futurefor this company, I reccomend it.
I opened an account, set up direct deposits and started using Aspiration. I closed an account with my credit union and received an official (bank) check. I attempted to deposit the check into my Aspiration account. The app instructed me to mail it to their partner bank. After I mailed it at the post office I received an email stating that they could not accept the check. Why did they instruct me to mail it and then change their minds? Customer support could not answer why. After many attempts to get a reason why a bank check will not be accepted I got nowhere. It took 4 days to get my check back. I am now going to open an account with a real bank. I found Aspiration to be useless.
Similar to the last few reviews, avoid this bank at all costs. They broke off from Radius Bank in March and it has gone downhill ever since. No transaction detail, a big lag between transactions so you are not truly getting what you bank balance is at any time, terrible customer service. Do not use this bank. I switched over to Ally Bank and it is excellent so far. Highly recommend.
Made an account just to report my experience. Used to be great. Now for over 3 months my account just says "ACH Withdrawal" and "ACH Deposit" for every transaction. They've refused to fix it or roll back their terrible code. To get my transaction descriptions, I have to call them, like a chump, and ask them to read them to me.
Aspiration was my primary account since 2016 and I used to love them. Now I hope they go away. They're a terrible company and you should avoid them. Go use Radius Bank, they're way better than Aspiration ever was.
Aspiration allegedly separated from Radius, but I think it was because they needed a new name to avoid all the Radius bad reviews.
You can put lipstick on a pig ... but it is still a pig.
I have a credit score over 800 - in other words, perfect credit. I submitted my driver's license and social security card.
Three weeks later they rejected the account and of course, refuse to say why.
When I signed up, i clicked the button to pay nothing per month because I wasn't willing to pay anything until I experimented with their service. That is part of their selling gimmick.
Yet, my account was rejected. Was it because I said I wasn't going to pay them? If so, that is advertising fraud, but I am not sure who to report to.
Just like Radius -- only worse. Read the reviews. After reading nothing but bad reviews, I am glad to have been part of the rejected community.
I waited in line for an opportunity to become an Aspiration customer back in 2016 as a backup checking account/possible primary. I received my account in early 2017 and after firing Wells Fargo later that year I began using Aspiration as my primary checking account. I f**king LOVED it - UNTIL late 2018.
They went from offering a really nice product into becoming a complete dumpster fire that I have to waste my time creating accounts on sites like these in an attempt to save others from the headache.
It was the most astonishingly rapid descent in quality that I've ever seen in any product in any industry ever.
I opened account out of goodwill and a desire to earn more interest than my Credit Union accounts. While I could just let my money sit for about year with no issues (though I never got the good interest rates), the recent separation from Radius Bank has caused headache after headache. They have no support in customer service, poor tech support, and blame their customers for their own shortcomings. I feel hoodwinked from my idealistic self that opened the account, but am glad I moved my money to a safer place and learned great gratitude for my local credit union.
After having numerous bad experiences with the banking systems I decided to branch out to Aspiration. I formed a Spend & Save account with them, in approximately March 28, 2019. They seemed to have a lot of similar core values that I value. Currently, I’m still receiving the same run around about why my account’s locked, why they deactivated my debit card, and why my personal information has been used to withdraw from my linked account. Seemingly, someone in their bank used my identification information to withdraw $1000 from my linked account creating these NSF. Currently, no one can provide answers but rather the professional looking emails that hold no results, one phone number which has become the customer complaint hot line, incorporating links to read about their benefits but never provided any, agent customer service surveys, and the same scripted phone disputes. Aspiration continues to blame me for NSF they created after sensitive identification documents were utilized. However, this couldn’t have been done by me being that I’m locked out of my account and have been since April 2, 2019. One of the many benefits of Aspiration presented leaned to, $1000 identity theft reimbursement, $600 cell phone reimbursement, scheduled bill payments via mobile app, photo snap direct deposit, fossil fuel free investments, free world-wide atm usage, and other environmental benefits.
Aspiration displays no company transparency, business ethic, or reliability, but rather unethical business practices. I never received a financial welcome kit from Aspiration, stating account numbers, company policy etc. I'm confused at why the support or customer service department of reference exists and why there’s no way to contact the “operations teams” they continuously refer to. Many reviews provide the similar characteristics this financial entity continues to display, which is a reflection of my experience as well.
Based upon disclosure information I'm confused at what kind of business Aspiration is running? The application of opportunity cost and interest rates on held money apply. Tort law, legal services and law suits; seem like the best form of solution for unprofessional business practices. I would recommend larger scaled banks such as; Bank of America, US Bank, Chase, Wells Fargo, or Citi. However, Money Lion is one of the best mobile banking/investment platforms; they’re reliable, transparent, and their financial alignment is by far the best. Money Lion holds features such as; plus memberships that give customers advantages of how to become more financial conscious and promote financial sustainability. Bottom line; don’t go to Aspiration if you aspire to sustain and grow personally and professionally.
How do they get away with calling themselves a bank? I’ve experienced problem after problem ever since the ridiculous changeover of accounts backed by Master Card. Not only have my bank transfers taken longer than requested, now I can’t even use their new debt/visa card they issued to access my money to pay for dinner or groceries. It’s either declined or unauthorized. I called and there is still no customer service beyond 9-5, even after the last set of problems when they promised to staff up due to the overload of the account changeovers. Todays recording referred me to call the 833-635-6295 in case I need to reset my pin. Why would a company add a message to reset your pin unless there have been problems? I reset the pin twice and tried to use it a few times. It’s still declined at any atm or point of purchase. I thought I’d give them another chance since the last set of problems with the account changeover, having made multiple requests that went into a black hole, the unresponsive or overwhelmed customer service with rounds of wasteful time with canned message emails - I didn’t think it was possible to have such a scary and irresponsible experience with a bank today. As far as I can tell, this failed experiment of a bank has breached their commitment with me. I do not trust them and they are severely disabled in customer support, conduct the strangest account management without explanation and are misrepresenting themselves as a bank. I’m concerned there will be blocks and delays for me to transfer my money out!
I heard a few good things about aspiration and wanted to try them out because I'm looking for an online bank with no ATM fees since I travel frequently. I applied a couple of months ago, and they repeatedly asked me for additional documentation, with no explanation. Their interface for uploading personal documents is pretty sketchy, very unprofessional looking and it doesn't confirm when a document has been uploaded or received. It also takes them a very, very long time to reply to any enquiries . After back and forth for almost two months, I received an email this week that I was denied for an account, but that they can't give me any reason why for quote unquote customer privacy protection reasons. I am a credit and financial counselor by trade. I monitor my credit regularly through several different companies, pull my own credit reports through our system at work, and also regularly get my reports from annual credit report. I have never missed a payment on any bill or credit account in my life, I have no negative items on my credit report, no negative items in my banking history, have passed multiple background checks for financial jobs, and have no criminal record. My FICO and Vantage scores are in the 700s. I've had a bank account since I was eight. There's absolutely no possible reason that I can think of that I would have been denied for this account, and they can't even tell me why they denied me. Reading the reviews on this site though, it sounds like I really dodged a bullet, given that so many people are saying that they have lost access to their money. The whole thing is super sketchy and I'm pretty skeeved out that I gave him my personal information. Very strange and weird. Oh, and they said that there is no option to reapply, which is about the strangest thing I've ever heard from a financial institution. Even people with past Histories on ChexSystems can generally go back to open a bank account after certain amount of time. These are definitely not standard practices for financial institutions. Typically, if you're denied for a bank account or credit card the company tells you what the reason is. I find the whole thing very odd. Definitely have no interest in doing business with this company in the future.
Today the issue is I can't transfer from Save to Spend. No customer service on the weekend, and no reason for my transfers to be rejected. No email requesting documents or anything like that. I just can't access my funds and it really stinks because this money was really needed today. Came to this bank with much hope, but continue to have nothing but bad experiences.
I have the exact same problem as others. Account blocked for over 6 days now after requested documents were uploaded and I never even received a standard reply for uploading.....
I have called and e-mailed numerous times and the last time I just wanted to close account and get balance sent to me by check. No can do....
Perhaps filing a complaint with the Federal Reserve consumer services?
Sounds like they have taken the money and run.... Hopefully they haven't ripped off mega bucks from Leonardio diCaprio....
Like many other reviews here, my account was locked when attempting to transfer money from my Aspiration account to a new checking account (around $1500).
The transfer was rejected, my account became locked out, and shortly after, I received an email alerting me of documents to upload (linked account statements, drivers ID). I uploaded the documents immediately.
It has been almost a week since the documents have been uploaded, and besides a standard reply for uploading the documents, crickets. I have called customer service multiple times, only to hear that I have to wait for Operations to conduct their investigation.
I'm getting closer and closer to the point that after this 'investigation' is complete, I will be closing my account. It is not right for mine, or anyone's, money to be frozen for this long. I'm extremely disappointed, and very unsatisfied.
Please remedy this problem, Aspiration. Please.
It’s been 35 days and still have not heard from aspiration about when my account will be unfrozen. I’m not sure if this is the right channel to file a complaint but it’s worth a shot... I filed a complaint to the feds through:
https://forms.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/secure/complaint/formComplaint?sc_lang=en
Original review: Like a lot of other people are complaining, my account was randomly locked. I tried signing in today and it kept saying password incorrect. I changed my password, still couldn’t login. An hour later, I received and email that my account was locked and to send in drivers license and linked account bank statements but gave no reason why. I called customer service and she said it was a different department handling it and she couldn’t tell me why it happened and that I have to send in the information through a link. (I mean, isn’t it common to NOT respond to an email asking for private information??) Anyways, I responded to the email asking why this is happening, my primary bank was hacked a week ago, so I needed to know if something more was going on. No response. Called customer service again asking why this happened, they finally said it’s because I linked a new checking account to the aspiration account (again due to my primary account being hacked). Well, the huge problem is that it’s a new account so I don’t have any statements, so looks like I’m SOL and hopefully can stop my paycheck from being deposited Friday to a frozen account. They also said it takes up to 5 business days to unfreeze after the information is provided. I’m just going to close this account because this is a joke. My PNC account was hacked last week and they had everything resolved within 24 hours.. as it should considering this is your cash.
Aside from this issue, the app is incomparable to the large banks. There’s a lag in showing transactions and takes a few days for money transfers. There’s always balance display issues. It’s the biggest pain to get Apple Pay to work.. sometimes takes 3-4 phone calls.
It’s also a pain anytime you need customer service. I needed bank statements for this account but since they started their new spending/savings accounts, my old statements were no longer available. I emailed them requesting the statements (sometimes it’s hard to even locate a phone number for them) and simply never got a response back.
I’ll be closing this account if I can ever get it unfrozen and never looking back.
The positives of the account were reimbursed ATM fees, higher interest rate and no overdraft fees.
We have $1800 we have put into Aspiration to use while in Ireland and have locked our account on Mar28. No reason given but needed copy of my license and last statements any accounts linked to Aspiration. Sent all that on Mar 29 got reference ticket that's it. Sent multiples emails and called nobody can help. We are at mercy of account verification which we were told is understaffed and overwhelmed with volume of work. It's now been 8 days still no word......DO NOT OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH ASPIRATION
I've had support requests in for about a month now, several different ones. Submitted a complain to the BBB, still no response from the company. Now, the website is down and I can't even access my account.
This is making me worried this bank is going into serious liquidity troubles. It would make sense... no fee banking, above market dividend rates, ATM reimbursements, too good to be true. Financial troubles are sure to catch up.
Anyone know where to go to claim our deposit insurance from the FDIC??
My Aspiration account is in an operations hold status as of this afternoon. I just finished transferring $5000 from my former primary checking account and everything was going smoothly with Aspiration until today. Suddenly, this afternoon, my debit card stopped working and I was locked out of their website. I called their support line and after verifying my identity was told that the operations team will reply via email in 1 to 2 business days, maybe longer. I was told after asking for someone else to speak to that there is no phone number for me to call them. So, my new primary bank account that pays all of my bills, mostly via autopay, is now locked out. Thank god my mortgage payment cleared and I can redirect my direct deposit back to my old bank today.
It’s now been 6 days since $450 has been debited from my account .. “in error”. No one was ever able to explain why this happened, or how to keep it from happening ever again. So I’m going to assume that this is just how Aspiration operates. On top of that, no one was able to tell me when I could expect my money back or if I would even, for sure, be refunded. This situation has left me with far too many unanswered questions, and no way to pay my rent or even explain why I can’t pay my rent. Because.. saying “my bank took my money” doesn’t exactly sound realistic but GO FIGURE. And when I thought it couldn’t get any worse.. then came dealing with the sham they call “customer support”. I have not heard ANYTHING from aspiration besides these stupid “rate your interaction” emails. Aspiration has made it abundantly clear, to me, that they do not care about their customers or the fact that those customers are putting their livelihoods in the hands of Aspiration. The very least they could have done was given me some sort of update or even a time frame for this VERY serious issue to be resolved. But no. Nothing. They filed their little dispute and kept it moving like it was any other day for them. Meanwhile my entire life is in limbo because I’m out $450 at no fault of my own. Needless to say, I am done. Which really is a shame as I’ve been with the bank since 2016 and have NEVER had a single issue. But this is far too big a transgression.. handled far too poorly.. for me to even consider continuing to do business with Aspiration.
This bank was a refreshing change from the god-awful main banks. My thoughts have changed.
During their transfer away from Radius Bank, every time I logged into the site it told me that my new card was on the way. That it was mailed Feb 2nd and should arrive no later than Feb 22nd and to call if I haven't received it by then.
I didn't.
I called early March, they said they see that it was sent but they'll send me a new one.
Cool.
2 weeks later still no card.
Meanwhile every day that I log into my Aspiration account it keeps tell me transfer my funds to my new account numbers as soon as my account arrive by March 28th to remain an Aspiration member, which I want to do.
I call March 18th. The woman says I should wait until at least March 25th since it hadn't been 10 business days since the card 'went out'. I ask, "Hey, should I manually transfer my funds to the new account number as that is an option here?"
"No. Just wait for your card and it will do it automatically."
"Okay. Well what happens if I don't receive my card by the 25th?"
"Call us again and we'll expedite it to you"
"Okay thanks"
25th rolls around - after 48 minutes on hold I have to give up and use the "call me back" option. I receive no call.
March 29th (today) I call again, get through pretty quickly and explain to the woman what I've explained here. Her response is that I was NEVER issued a card. In fact, they don't send cards unless I have already transferred my funds (which the website explicitly told me not to do). So, everyone else was either dumb or lying or both. She tells me to transfer my funds now. I go online and try (with her on the line). There is no longer an option for me to transfer funds. Her supervisor says that's no longer an option and I'm now a permanent member of Radius Bank, who I have no relation with nor an account with. She seems contrite and offers to send me to a specialist that might be able to help. I start warming to this girl. I agree.
She transfers me to a generic radius call center.
Fuck Aspiration Bank.
First, $5,000 was drawn from my linked account without authorization or notice. Second, the funds were withdrawn from my credit union account 3/25/19 yet have not posted to Aspiration by today, 3/28/19.
All financial entities with whom I work post funds within 24 hours of withdrawal from a linked account (Patelco, TD Ameritrade). If this is a surprise to you, I suggest you shop around.
They claim to be unable to reverse the unauthorized withdrawal. I need to wait an unacceptable number of days for the funds to reach the account before I'm able to reverse the transaction. NEVER again. Just opened a CD with PurePoint Financial and could not be more satisfied with their customer service.
I put up with Aspiration's barebones mobile app and worse website interface until they changed all of my account numbers, bounced my checks and refused my ACH auto-payments. They did that even though there was plenty of money to cover those checks and payments in my account!
If you use Aspiration understand that you will be paying NSF fees to those you write perfectly good checks to and your credit rating will suffer greatly -- even though you have more than enough in your checking account to cover everything. Also they didn't send me an email or text to warn me this was happening
I have been having issues with their accounts and there is no customer support to answer my questions. I have sent an email to customer service hoping they would respond and I have waited a month and no one has responded at all. I have been constantly calling their phone but no one answers. They literally had me on hold for 3 hours and when the clock struck 5:00PM they hung up on me saying they were closed and to try calling back during normal business hours. This pissed me off the most because I called at 2Pm and they were the ones that didn't answer. The funny thing is, the moment I started complaining to the BBB and trying to close my account is when they start responding to all my support questions. Their social media team loves to start arguments and saying how big banks are terrible when in reality they are exactly like big banks. But big banks actually have an adequate customer support team. If you check their Twitter accounts, they're always saying how they "tripled" their support so they went from 1 person to 3 people. On Facebook, they blocked me after I requested urgently that I needed support. What a pathetic excuse for a bank. Avoid opening any account with them.
I was happy checking with them for a little while. Then they decided to make all of their customers migrate to a different account. I'm so glad I didn't fall for that and have to update all of my payments. But after I switched to the bank that used to host Aspiration, which allowed me to keep rhe same account number, Aspiration never stopped emailing me that I need to "upgrade" soon to stay with Aspiration. So I unsubscribed them from my email. Now they've been robo-calling me and leaving spam voicemails. First they say, "upgrade by March 5 to stay with Aspiration" so I think, ok maybe they'll finally leave me alone after that. Nope. Now I get the same calls, every day, but it says the deadline is March 15. As if I would ever trust a bank that doesn't even know I left them months ago. I tried calling customer service to be left alone but that didn't even get me on hold, just a dead-end message that says to try back later. Really people need to be mkre realistic and not brainwashed about this fake it till you make it kind of ambition for new startups. If you're product isn't ready for market, DON'T SELL IT. Stay away from this bank, they need to die off.
This has got to be the worst experience I've had with banks, and I have banked with WellsFargo and Chase. I have a checking and investment account with these guys for 2+ years now.
On multiple counts, my funds were locked up due to "system issues" or "migration issues" (neither of which had anything to do with me, but caused my checking and mutual funds accounts to lock up. I could not access my money for days, which brings to me their customer service...
Their agents over the phone is nice, if you can get a hold of them (which is basically never). I have called, emailed, filed support tickets online, and even tweeted and they seem to call fall into some backhole. The justification the agent gave over the phone was that something is wrong with their phone routing (seriously? It's 2019, you can't get a grip on your telecommunications for a bank without physical branches? Insane.)
Greenwashing: the main holdings in their mutual funds are awful companies and I am unsure how they qualify as sustainable or responsible. Perhaps that's just my ignorance, but please do your research before purchasing. For example, how is Johnson & Johnson and Wallgreens considered sustainable? Not only do I feel like they are scamming do-gooders, they also charge an arm and leg with their fees (not the voluntary fees, but the hidden fees). If you read the prospectus, you'll see loads of them, including marketing fees and misc fees. I had my funds for over two years with them and it barely broke even. Conclusion: NOT GREEN and NOT PROFITABLE.
I created an account on Depositaccounts just to warn you all about how crappy this bank is. Do not do business with them!
Aspiration is by far the worst bank I've ever used. I was lured in by the ATM fee reimbursement and decent interest rates, like most people are. After traveling to Taiwan, I both set a travel notice in the mobile app and I called them to ensure that its active. The first time I used the card at an ATM, everything was fine. Awesome! The second time, my card was declined. Odd.
I tried again, declined. I then checked the mobile app and everything appeared to be in good standing, so I tried another ATM and again, declined. ONLY AFTER contacting them did they reveal they canceled my card for undisclosed reasons. Okay, fine. No more Aspiration, i'll just transfer my funds to my other bank and eat the fees.
Now all of my bank transfers are being rejected and without notification of any kind. I contact them and all they say is to try again, which I did, and it didn't work. I am now, as of writing this, stranded in a foreign country with no access to my funds and this bank literally couldnt care any less.
To boot, they refuse to ship you a new card anywhere outside of the US. So to review, they cancel your card for no reason, won't allow bank tranfers (to US banks), and then refuse to issue you a new card if you're traveling. Awesome. 0/10 do not recommend, oh, and don't fall for their moral high horse marketing either, it's all BS.
Terrible customer service
Do yourself a favor and take your money somewhere else.
I signed up in order to earn 1% APY on my checking account, and have ATM fees refunded. Shortly after, they converted their account to give 2% on the savings account only - not useful to me at all (I already have a better savings account). Oh well, no big deal, I'll just move my money back to my previous bank account...
Or so I thought. Every time I try to withdraw money into the same account I withdrew money from, they give an error (later in the day) telling me my bank won't accept the deposit. How strange, I can get deposits from everywhere else just fine...
So I tried to call Aspiration, and couldn't get through after 90 minutes of waiting. I emailed and wrote feedback. No response a week later.
So I called Schwab, who answered immediately. They told me there is no record of a rejected transaction at all. I was advised that if I can't get in touch with Aspiration, then I can file a fraud claim.
I tried to call Aspiration again today, and couldn't get through. Not only this, but due to this complication, my rent check has bounced.
I am going to file a fraud claim. I don't actually think that they are knowingly doing something nefarious, but it seems to be my only course of action with them.
They are so incredibly incompetent. I hope NerdWallet will update their review soon so more people don't fall into this trap.
I saw the commercial on TV and decided to join.
The process was fairly simple and I did like the debit card they offered. However, they fell below my expectations on so many levels.
It’s almost impossible to reach a person and I had to leave a voicemail and have somebody call me back, no one calls back when voice mails are left.
In their defense, I was put on hold and was offered a call back instead of waiting in queue, and I did receive a call back then.
But if you need someone right then and there, this is not your bank.
Another major issue is direct deposit.
My direct deposit would go in by noon of the day of my paycheck. While everyone else gets their paycheck the night before, mine was by 12 PM the day of which was very inconvenient.
Again, there’s no one in any way to reach and see what the holdup is. I gave them a few weeks and two direct deposit later, I decided to go to my old bank. Not for me.
They really need to rev up on their customer service before launching a major business like a bank where people need answers instantly, since they are dealing with our money.
I think I'm done with Millennial banks. This bank's rewards started out better than Chime -- but did not have early direct deposit. It did have a website which made it better than Empower.
However, over the last several months, they have slowly pulled back on their perks and have not replaced it with enhanced customer services... I guess perks isn't environmentally friendly???
I was never using it so just called them yesterday and closed my accounts. At least they had a number and live human I could call -- so again, way above Aspiration and Chime. I am a little worried -- I do have 1 cent left in one of my accounts and they said they won't close until the balance of all accounts is zero -- but there is no way to transfer a penny out and I doubt they are going to send me a check (that would definitely not be environmentally friendly.)
If you do sign up with them and you DO decide to close -- their closing form indicated it is permanent... you can't even reapply for membership later on ... you are dead to them! I think I'm ok with that.
Saw this company on an instagram ad. Decided to give it a try.. signed up, gave all of my personal info including SSN. They claimed they needed more info and would get back to me within 5 days. I uploaded the ID info they requested. They then continued with automated emails asking for the same info I already provided. Based on all our communications it is clear this company does NOT have it together. Not even close. They couldn't figure out why I was still getting requests, then they said my state wasn't on their approved list and I would be approved in a few days. 2 weeks go by and nothing, yet I'm still getting emails asking for info I already provided, and multiple replies from customer service to the same questions. I didn't take long to see they are just sloppy af and totally incompetent. Do not use them, complete waste of time.
My experience with Aspiration has been very frustrating. The customer service has been incompetent. Paying a fee at another banking institution to have competent customer service has become more appealing to me.
As far as Aspiration goes, You get what you pay for.
This institution is a complete failure on so many levels. They don't just struggle to offer service, they will take your money and hold it until they please and there is nothing you can do about it. They have ZERO customer support at this time. There is no phone support, email support or chat options. You are on your own to figure out how to function with out your paycheck. None of what I am typing here is a exaggeration, please do your homework, look on their Facebook page and read other sites with reviews BEFORE you step into this nightmare. They have cheated so many people. There are far safer ways to make charitable contributions, this is a SCAM that wears the face of a socially responsible organization. If I could have given this joke zero stars I would have.
I am an Aspiration account holder. I have been trying for multiple days to call them to speak to someone in person about an issue with my account. Whenever I call, estimated hold times are 2 hours! There is an option to request a callback instead of waiting. Everytime i get a callback it is hours later and is a robot voice informing me that my callback request has been unsuccessful and lists multiple reasons why this might be the case.
What a joke! This is the worst customer service! Amateur tele spam calls have better customer service phone lines than you! Seriously, you need to add more phone service ! 2+ hours hold time! You think this is acceptable?!
I would give 0 out of 5 stars but that is not an option, you dont even deserve 1 star!
tl;dr Read the other reviews! Do they have a stupid high rate? Is there any reason to bother with these jokers? This review used to be titled "Okay But You Can Do Better," but now it seems like Aspiration is one big dumpster fire.
I have/had an Aspiration. The reason the status is uncertain is that I have gone through the account closure process but have no written confirmation my account is actually closed.
Look Aspiration, I don't care what's going on behind the scenes WRT transferring banks, that's your problem that your brought on yourself. I demand my account, which has a $0.00 balance btw, closed and done with. I DO NOT want to wake up one day to find I have an account with Radius or whomever that has decided to start charging fees.
Their closure procedure is intentionally difficult. Even UFB, the crap de la crap, was able to have my account closed by simply writing in. Then again, UFB closes accounts even when they've been told not to and loses all your personal information whenever it is convenient (see my review).
First you need to write in to request the closure form. Then you fill it out and upload it to some site they give you. Finally you hear nothing and have no idea if your account is closed even if you write in.
I don't know if you're getting caught in the ad blitz or whatever but you've been warned. Aspire to not get into bed with Aspiration.
I have been a memeber of this bank for a year now and there have been nothing but problems, it takes at least 45 min to 1 1/2 hours to talk to a live person and I’ve have email requests answered a week later when my paycheck wasn’t showing in my account. Terrible customer service and even worse banking.
Definitely not a trustworthy bank and the employees all have a different story. Supposedly mailed debit cards but never received. Just try getting a replacement. Then they don't send you any web access but all request you have to go through the website. But wait gets better, ask to close and still no access and they take 1/2 of what is in the account for a supposed charitable contribution. NICE Ripoff! Having attorney file federal fraud charges against this bank.
I have been banking with Aspiration for over a year now and I have loved their customer service and account offerings. I have the Aspiration Summit account that has a high interest rate. There are no fees associated with the account and you have the option to pay the bank what you think they deserve. The bank also has investment opportunities like, "The Redwood Fund," which allow you to invest as little as $100 in a sustainable investment fund. All ATM fees are reimbursed for using any ATM in the US. The only negative that I can report is that I had to wait a long time to get accepted as a new account holder. There is a waiting list to join the bank. I would highly recommend this bank for anyone looking for a high interest no fee account, but be prepared to wait a little while.
Aspiration is interested in working with altruistic and green companies that make you feel good about banking. Their "planet first" motto for banking makes me feel like I am banking with the bank that cares about the 99 percent. The online products include checking and investing products. They let you know at the end of the month how green your money is. Their online newsletter is chock filled with information that educates in a positive way.
I've been doing business with Aspiration for nearly a year now. Ever since I left my last bank that did me wrong. In any event, this bank is great. They pay a decent interest rate and I actually pay nothing for the account whatsoever. They even reimburse each month for ATM fees charged. So, I can use my card at any ATM for free effectively. They also have some investment accounts that I may look into in the future. The customer service is also top notch. Every time I have needed anything, they were very quick about responding.
Aspiration is THE greatest online bank I have ever used. Their customer service is BEYOND amazing!! Always willing to answers all my questions and very promptly too might I add (I've contacted them in regards to questions about when the joint accounts will start, the paperwork that's needed to get it going, if I could get a second beneficiary on my account etc)! Their interest rate is also the BEST of all the banks I've seen thus far.. they have 1.00%!! That is unheard of! There is a minimum of of $2500 though for the interest to go through and any amount before that the interest will be 0.25% but even that is better than most banks! Their app is superb too! Its so easy to navigate and transfer your funds from one bank to another. I just wish they had a selection of cards you could choose from rather than their basic blue card.
The process to apply for this online bank though took 3 weeks..so it took a bit of waiting and paperwork to get things going but it all went smoothly after that. I've been telling all my friends and family to get this bank because of the amazing customer service and their interest rate! Soon, they are going to implement a joint account system which I am looking forward to because I REALLY need one for my spouse and I. We already have a good amount saved and would like this joint account to go through as it would be a big help for both of us. They also have an IRA investment account you can participate in and my spouse and I are looking forward to investing in that soon! All in all I would rate Aspiration a 10/10!! Definitely recommend this bank to everyone I know~
I have a checking account with Aspriation. They are an online only bank that seems to pass on typical brick and mortar fees to customers in various ways. Although they have a silly option that allows one to choose how much to pay the bank every month. Only a fool would give a bank any money, after all they make money from your money! So I obviously selected to pay zero dollars a month for that. They give a decent rate for interest, but the advertised rate is a bit of a trick. You need to have over 2000 in the checking account to get the over 1 percent advertised. Anything lower than that is like .25 which is still better than most banks but definitely not better than inflation. They refund out of ATM bank fees which is the best part of having an account with them. They are partner with a bank that isn't very good but apparently that is changing soon. I recommend it but will be on the lookout for even bettter alternatives. Some of their advertising is annoying. They claim to be social do gooders and the like.
I have a fair bit of experience with online banking. Trying to open an account at Aspiration because I think what they're trying to do is very good. Unfortunately they're just not ready for prime time. Poor communications + dysfunctional website. Long delay in opening the account and their website glitch still isn't resolved. Never had this problem with other online banks. Too bad, as I'd like to a fan of Aspiration but so far dealing with them has been one bad experience after another.d
I only use the checking account with Aspiration and I'm very pleased with my experience. First, the bank doesn't automatically charge a monthly fee, you decide if you want to pay and how much. I've decided to pay a dollar a month. They don't have a savings account but the checking account does get a high rate, I believe you get 1% and it's added monthly. Most of my money is directly deposited but I've also used the app to remote deposit a check. I've also checked on their website and they do make it possible to use the ATMs of other banks to deposit cash and checks. Money can be taken out of any ATM and if there if a fee, they will refund it to your account, which has saved me several dollars. I've had contact with customer service and they were very friendly and helpful, and respond quickly. They do offer IRAs and money market accounts that invest in environmentally and socially responsible investments and they have shown a very high rate of return.
Don't be fooled by good web design: They're garbage. Got drawn by the high interest rate (1%) for the Summit Checking and the "socially responsible" different-kind-of-bank marketing. Then I made an admin error and they killed me with the worst overdraft fee situation I've ever seen. Daily fees that incurred while they failed to notify me of the issue and then continued even as I was trying to resolve the issue. Continued to assess fees even after I closed the account. This is absolutely the kind of bank that reminds you why we still need the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The only thing that can be said is that their frontline customer-service people are quite polite even while they're telling you there's nothing they can do for you. Along that lines, it would have helped if they didn't try so hard to hide their customer service number - fyi, it's 1-800-683-8529.
Aspiration online banking is literally one of the best financial decisions I've ever made. Receiving 0.25% APY on my "checking" account is absolutely incredible. They do not charge me ATM fees or Overdraft fees. The customer service reps are easily accessible both online or through the phone. I have been with Aspiration for almost a year now and have not had one single problem with the entire company. I am in the process of moving all of my money over to this bank. Simply gaining money each month on my checking account makes this worthy of the best bank available online. One experience where my account went on a brief hold also showed me how good this company can be. I received an email notification and a text message immediately to confirm whether or not I was the one who made this purchase. I confirmed my purchase and they lifted the hold, called the company I made the purchase with, and sent me a confirmation of the final details!
At first I loved them, then things turned quickly sour. My automatic payments I had set up for some of my bills started getting rejected, and not just one of them, but all of them. It was almost as if I didn't have money in my account. The bank did very little to help, I pretty much got a "oh, I'm sorry. Good luck!". Then the second issue was when I needed to withdrawal a large amount of money for a car I was buying, there was literally no way too do it without doing anything ACH transfer, so I did. It took 5 days, the car ended up being sold. When I called the bank initially, they had no idea what to do, the customer services representative literally told me to do a cash advance on my debit card. When I informed her that her bank had a $2,000 cash advaced limit, she told me to just go back each day until I had enough... That would of taken 3 days!! The final straw was when I closed my account. They gave me the run around for weeks! I finally lost my cool on them and they made it happen. This bank is just horrible. Just don't do it.
This bank offers a great overall selection of services for being an online only bank. Their interface is sleek and very easy to work with, and they provide fair fees for their services and good interest rates for putting money in a checking account. They also offer investments where you can pay what you want fees for the fund management. Their customer service as so far been pretty stellar as well. I am satisfied with this bank as they offer a good alternative to brick and mortar banks and offer much better interest rates and options to manage your money. I would suggest this bank to anybody who is good with computers and does not mind not having a place to go in person to bank. So far they have been very trustworthy and I do not worry about my money at all there.
Terrible customer service, no physical branches or speaking to someone face to face. When you deposit a check they will hold it for over a week cashier checks or money orders like my other banks. Annoying liberal junk emails pushing their agenda to all their customers.
My experience with Aspiration Banking institution was very good. I had lots of doubt about it at first, mainly because of the online only factor but over time, i realized it was a great opportunity. The first reason i started using Aspiration was because of their savings accounts, i had saved up a good sum of money and was keeping it in another bank account with a bank that is "brick and mortar" with very little interest. When i heard about Aspirations savings account from a friend and how they had an interest rate that was way better than anything that the banks in my area were offering i jumped at the opportunity. Like i said i was a bit skeptical at first, not having any experience dealing with online banks, but i filled out the application to join and went through the motions, but i only deposited a fraction of my savings in my new savings account, expecting the worst. To my happy surprise nothing went wrong and i accumulated interest and my money was still there, i was honestly shocked and couldn't believe that this worked. Before i went head first i decided to wait another month to see how things were going and if this was a good idea to pursue. The next month came and all my money was still there, and i swiftly closed my savings account at the bank i had been with for years and transferred my savings to my Aspirations account. It was just surreal, i couldn't believe that this online bank was ridiculously better than any bank i could use in my area, at least the savings account. I have not moved my checking account because i am not comfortable being able to deposit money at my convenience, so i cannot speak on the checking accounts, but the savings account that they offer are a great opportunity.
I absolutely love this bank. I was very skeptical at first, as I have never had an online bank account but after researching everything I could, I decided to go ahead with it. The savings with this account vs a normal account is impeccable and who doesn't love a bank who gives back to charity? For every $1.00 spent Aspiration will donate 10% to charities deserving and needing donations. I deal with a lot of charities in my day to day activities so this was a huge bonus for me when I decided to sign up. It's very eco friendly as well. You don't even have to pay a monthly fee. You actually get to CHOOSE what you feel they deserve as a banking institution, even if that's NOTHING, meaning $0.00. I went with the Summit account and in my experience it's just been great, it's my primary "vacation savings" account now. I didn't even have to have a minimum balance. Aspiration has reimbursed all of my ATM fee's the following month, so can't really argue with that either. I am one for really easy navigation, usability and user friendly experiences. Their app is really easy to use and makes me look forward to seeing my balance, as much as you can look forward to that. The only downside is that they have not integrated the ability to have joint accounts, or savings accounts. I was speaking with my husband about setting up a savings account for our son but as we can't have joint accounts, that couldn't happen so we had to open one with our bank, and deal with the fee's of that institution. Really hoping they add this feature soon.
I've been banking with Aspiration for over a year now and I'm so glad that I opened a checking account with them. Unlike many of the larger banks, Aspiration doesn't charge fees meaning there are no minimum balance requirements, a certain number of debit card transaction required, or direct deposit requirements to get the monthly fees raised. Aspiration leaves it up to the customer to decide if and how much they want to pay (sort of like a voluntary donation). The only downside is that every once in a while I wish there was a physical branch I could go to, but this doesn't happen often. I've also spoken with customer service on several occasions and they gave excellent customer service each and every time. I would definitely recommend this bank to anyone tired of spending monthly fees on accounts at the brick and mortar banks.
I have tried to close my account for two weeks and the bank has "lost" the remaining $1,015.21 that was in my account. I have had multiple calls and chat sessions and I have been told many different stories; unfortunately I have still not seen my money. Try getting through to a live person, and expect to wait a VERY LONG TIME, regardless of day or time that you try. Yesterday I wound up submitting a complaint with the Federal Reserve. I am hopeful that they can help. Oh, I didn't mention that they locked my account, so I have no online access to my information. Absolutely horrible situation. Avoid at all costs >> not worth the extra .1% you may "earn".
UPDATE the following is what I sent to the Federal Reserve: This is a follow up to my previous complaint against Aspiration Bank filed on 2/7/18 at 2:25 pm. I called Aspiration Bank on Friday evening to see if they had a status on my missing funds. I was threatened by them regarding putting my account into collections and that I never returned "the check". I had NO IDEA what they were talking about. Bottom line is when I closed my account with Aspiration Bank, I followed their procedures and scheduled multiple ACH transfers to Wells Fargo. So here is what happened: They evidently sent me a check for $10,015.21 when they closed my account, not realizing there were still some ACH payments scheduled. $9,000 was transferred, leaving a balance owed to me of $1,015.21. They said they will not send me those funds until I return the check they sent to me in error. I explained that I have yet to receive this check for $10,015.21 and that they can just stop payment on it and issue me my funds. The representative told me that they work with Radius Bank and THEY CANNOT STOP PAYMENT ON A CHECK. What??? So I have to wait for this check to come, return it to Radius Bank, who I never even heard of, and then wait for them to cut me another check for the balance owed to me. How can this be possible that they can't just stop payment on the incorrect check and just issue me a new one? And then they threaten me that if I cash the erroneous check, they are taking me to collections. I have NEVER been involved in such a ludicrous situation. As I ended my last complaint: PLEASE HELP.
I’ve never dealt with a bank so complicated. They do not keep up with the amount of money you have and when you overdraft your account they’re supposed to make you aware, but that NEVER happened. They charge you $5 every single day that you are overdrawn. It’s bullshit.
I originally found out about this bank on DepositAccounts.com. The main thing that attracted me to this bank is that there are no monthly service fees, which most other banks charge for checking and/or savings. Signing up was simple and took about five minutes. I did an automatic transfer of $10 from my current bank account in order to set up the online account. The money posted in three days which is also when I received my debit card. I currently use my account as a savings that never gets touched. I have $50 from my direct deposit go into the online account every two weeks. Having an online bank account is more simple than one of the more traditional banks and I believe that they offer better rates as well. Plus, being able to use ANY ATM without having to pay a fee is the best bonus.
I like this bank because they refund all atm fees. This makes it so worth it just to use this bank. I transfer money from other banks to this when I need to use an atm. The atm fees add up. Think about it. What I don't like is that they spam my inbox and screen with their leftist causes. They also give a higher interest rate than most banks. But there is a bit of false advertising. You need a few thousand in your checking to really gain the over 1% they claim. Only a fool would leave that much in a checking account when stocks and bitcoin are better investments. I think I get like .25 percent which is better than most banks. Overall I'd recommend the bank. They offer investment products but they seem to be a bit of a waste. The cards they give are pretty nice looking. It's a mountain. I get good comments about it. I think the concept of aspiration is good, too. I aspire to improve my finances and this helps a little.
I applied for the Aspiration Summit checking account but was declined because they couldn't access my credit profile. I gave them a one time pass so they could access it, but I was still declined. When I asked why, the only response was "We used the pin, contact Equifax for further details". He didn't want to say anything else. I checked with Equifax and it turns out that they didn't use the pin. This is very creepy. If your looking for a secure bank, please look elsewhere because I don't like lies (especially from a financial institution).
The Aspiration Summit Account is one of the best checking options on the market. The account earns interest and doesn't have monthly fees or ATM fees. In addition, Aspiration doesn't charge overdraft fees on debit card purchases, ATM withdrawals or online transfers that would push your balance below zero. Those transactions are simply declined. But Aspiration is an investment firm, so it doesn't have bank branches or offer savings accounts or certificates of deposit. You can use any ATM and Aspiration will reimburse your fees. I love this bank!
I opened up an account at Aspiration for a couple reasons. I wanted a debit card not linked to my bank or savings account, I also liked it didn't have any service charges. All going well.. until I wanted to deposit monies in the account with cash. There was no place I could do that. When I called customer service they were nice but not helpful. They said they would be putting in notes to request a place where I can make deposits, but who knows when that will happen.
I no longer use this service
Aspiration has been a wonderful online bank. They provide a very competitive interest rate of .25% on their checking account, and they have implemented a "pay what you want" system for their banking fees. They also have several investment opportunities available, and focus on only investing into sustainable companies. This makes for great returns, and helps to assure that their funds will be able to continue providing returns far into the future. Their website is extremely user-friendly, and requires very little thought to navigate. Added to the whole package is free ATM usage for any ATM in the United States, making Aspiration one of the best checking accounts available.
Horrible Service! Lied to me numerous times, still holding my account locked together with my money! Demanded documents and 3 way bank call, still holds my money, lied to me again
I loved the idea of using this account but never got around to it because I used Simple Banking and was highly satisfied with my banking with them. I was gonna give Aspiration a try and maybe even do a review on them, but they closed out my account before I could even start using it. They claimed I "never made the first initial deposit (which I did make the initial deposit) and terminated my account for security reasons". I asked them about starting a brand new account and they said it was "impossible". So one start for them 1 star, if there was a 0 star option I would give them that.
Worst bank account ive ever had. Never got my debit card and the eventually took 50% of my money in fees and other nonsense. Closing my account was even more of a hastle.avoid like the plague and stick to your locally owned credit unions.
I was excited to get this account with them. but I had NOTHING but problems with them. I would deposit a check on Thursday and it wouldn't be "available" to me until Monday. The worst is the stupid app said the money was in my account on Saturday but of course all my transactions were declined, so I went to the ATM and nope, my check was not deposited. Trying to get a hold of the "24/7" costumer support is a freaking joke, then of course they say we have online support well what they really mean is you can go read through questions and answers but you don't actually get to talk to anyone about your problem. Every time I have talked with costumer support (which always took me at least an hour!) They were rude and not helpful.
I will be closing out my account with them because I'm sick of trying to get a hold of the costumer support and consistently having problem with them.
BEWARE: Aspiration pulled the bait and switch technique on their interest rate! They no longer actually offer 1% interest on your money if you have a balance over $2500. They only give you 1% interest on money over the $2500; so if you were storing $2600 dollars in the account, they cut your effective interest down by a factor of 4!
Unfortunately, Aspiration has just shown themselves to be like other banks that disingenuously drop interest rates once they gain lots of customers from the publicity. Mathematically you will now NEVER have an effective interest rate of 1% on your account. If you keep $3000 in your account every day, you’ll only have an effective interest rate of 0.37%.
If you keep $4000 in your checking account on a daily basis, you will still only have an effective interest rate of 0.53%
They advertised and sponsored posts in financial blogs etc. throughout the entire last year bragging about their interest rate and pulling people in, only to switch this on us all as soon as their user base increased. I checked many of these sites again and there are now many other options with higher interest checking accounts (without gimmicks) than Aspiration now.
Please join me in asking Aspiration to restore the rate structure they advertised to us so thoroughly over the past year. If they don’t, we have plenty of better options to take our money elsewhere. I had previously been a happy customer, however this switch places Aspiration firmly in the category of institutions that they swore they were different from.
This bank is still in the growth stage (still working on features like electronic check delivery, etc.) and may have just shot themselves in the foot with their user base.
Card declined for $4.00 charge. Have funds available. No one to talk to 24 hours.
Aspiration is a terrific online bank with a unique fee structure. They have a great 1% interest rate on their savings account plus you can choose what fee to pay them (they default it to $3). Their website is very easy to navigate to make deposits and withdrawals. Plus they refund all atm fees on their debit card. Aspiration does run their accounts through Radius Bank so during tax season you will receive your documents from Radius not Aspiration. They also offer IRA investment options and a Redwood Fund that invests in environmentally conscious companies, though I have not put any money in those and can not report on their performance. Overall my experience with them has been extremely positive, I have made more in interest with them in a month than I did over four years with my previous bank.
Absolutely terrible customer service. After 2 years of being a customer, my account was frozen and I could not access my money. After several emails I called the bank for more information as it was going on 2 weeks that I could not access my account. After my 2nd call, I was informed that my account had been closed and a check mailed to me with the balance without prior warning. What kind of customer service is that? My account never fell below 5K the entire time that I banked with them. DREADFUL
Aspiration banks Summit account is pretty good over all. I like the fact that it's so easy to set up and that it is interest bearing. I don't like the fact that you have to pay at least $1 per month to have the account, which is frustrating if you just used most of the money. I use this account as my savings account, even though it's technically a standard checking account. I like the fact that you can have checks and a debit card like you normally do. I still have to have another bank account though because if I need to deposit cash, I can't with an online only bank. Otherwise it's good though.
My experience with Aspiration Bank's online website was almost entirely a positive one. The process of creating a bank account on their website was very fluid and they anticipated my needs at each step of the way and made it as painless as possible to complete each step. Signup up for a bank account is typically a long painful process but I was able to complete the entire thing in under 30 minutes, without having to spend too much time on the phone or waiting for any one particular step. I would definitely recommend Aspiration bank to anyone looking for a new, ethical bank provider to use. Furthermore, their interest rates are some of the highest in the industry and have no fees for their free bank tier.
I signed up with this as they actually give you interest on your checking account, whereas my bank doesn't give anything for checking accounts. I haven't had to speak with the customer service lines yet as far as my account goes. It runs very seamless and smooth. I only spoke with a rep before signing up to have questions answered and they were quite nice. I'm loving my decision so far. As long as I don't run into any issues with customer service if I have an issue I would be quite happy to recommend this bank to anyone who wants a bank who works with you, not just for their benefit. I mean who doesn't want to have money back into their account? I mean the bank borrows your money to make money, you should get more than just fees!
I knew the multiple steps to open a checking account with them. Getting on the list for the invite, waiting for the invite, etc. That wasn't the issue. They have a slowly rising daily limit for a deposit which made transferring my current checking account to this new checking account quite tedious. I also made the mistake of attempting to make two deposits in a daily that added up to their daily limit. They only take one deposit a day! If all that was bad enough over 30 days then I finally got to the point of switching to have my paycheck deposited. My paycheck amount was over their daily amount after 30 days which is ridiculous. Customer Service would reply 3-5 days later. Overall, worst experience ever with a bank in my 38 years of having a checking account.
What a mess this "banking institution" is. I thought it looked like a good option from the big banks but after a week and a half after opening my account, I didn't receive my debit card. Meh. Things get lost in the mail, no big deal. I contacted Aspiration and they verified that my address was correct and they said they would mail another card. 10 days later, still no card. I contacted them again and this time they stated that after their research, it looks like I listed a different address when I opened my account so I must now follow the multi-page set of instructions in an email they sent and send: a Utility Bill (Gas, Water, Electric, Cable, Land Line Phone, dated within 3 months), a Property Tax Bill, Auto Registration, a Bank Statement with address (dated within 3 months), a Student Loan Bill with address (dated within 3 months) or a Mortgage Bill/Statement, then fill out the change of address form. Sign the document in ink, upload it.....and then they'll send me a new card.
Well, how about I send you a screen grab of my account information page showing that my address is not incorrect and INDEED lists my current address? I did that, and promptly closed my account....which by the way also involves a lot of hoops.
No thank you, Aspiration, I'll stick with my big bank, which come to think of it has never really done me wrong anyway. We give big banks a hard time, but at least they have one thing down: how open (and yes close) accounts. To me, if you are banking institution and you can't manage how to properly open an account, then it's just a matter of time before you fail. Can't wait to say, "I saw it coming".
Terrible customer service not for international customers. The fraud alert could only be removed temporarily after talking to many people and three weeks and costing me 100s of dollars as their go to is we will look into it and contact you tomorrow. They then don't fix it then say I am not able access my money for my own safety. I am constantly traveling and luckily have accounts with banks with actual people that understand that or I would be sleeping on the street in China or Paris when my aspiration card is rejected as a fraud safety measure even though I told them I would be there. I emailed the CEO no response. Customer service also were rude and now give me no response.
Getting an Aspiration Summit bank account has been one of the best financial decisions I've ever made! It was so easy to get set up, and I love the fact that it can be free, or you can pay them via a monthly tip that you choose. On top of that it's interest bearing which is amazing for an account like this. Since I travel a lot, having a bank that allows me to use all bank ATM's and that refunds the bank fee is really nice. I am using the bank account for savings because it's interest bearing, but also ordered checks through them as well as the debit card that automatically comes with the account. I very much recommend this bank as hands down the best online bank ever!
I opened an account with aspiration online. I liked the idea of having a bank account away from my immediate everyday life. It was fairly easy. At first I was put on a wait list. I soon passed the wait list by sharing the company on Facebook. The company grabbed me with a 1% interest on your funds in a checking account! Usually you are charged. However once involved they say you. An make a donation every month. You can choose to do so. Well that's not true the minimum is one dollar a month, one cannot slide bar to any less. I did keep the account though. I still liked the idea of having a separate account away from my everyday. I figured I'd put twenty bucks a month in case of emergencies. I signed up and was easy. No check books but they did give a prompt delivery card through mail. They have been very secure. With Everytime I sign in; they send me a text with a unique temporary password. They schedule transfers and live up to it. The website is set up nice. Account summaries and always give options to invest.
I opened an account easily, with a transfer from my old bank account. My new debit card arrived quickly. There are no fees associated with this account, no overdraft or automatic monthly minimum fees. I can use any ATM without being charged, or charges will be reimbursed. I get to choose what my monthly fee will be and 10% of that goes to charity. When I was looking for my statement, the online chat representative was helpful and friendly. I haven't used their other investment products but I have looked into them and look forward to building my finances with the money market accounts, which look to have given a really good return. The checking account I signed up for has a high interest rate, I believe it is 1%, which is about 10 times more than what I was getting before.
I must say that I was a bit wary at first. I heard about them from a friend. The transition from my personal bank was smooth and you helped me along the way, and for that I am very thankful. They have no ATM fees or monthly fee. The interest rate is exceptional for a checking account. Overall, I am very happy with Aspiration and would highly recommend them to those looking for a checking account.