How does EarnIn Card work?

What is EarnIn Card?

EarnIn Card is a partially-secured Visa contactless charge card that lets you seamlessly access your pay in real time.

While Cash Out is subject to a $150 daily transfer limit, EarnIn Card spending is not to a similar limit. Rather, you can spend up to $1,500 per day on your card, or take a cash advance of up to $300 from any ATM that accepts Visa (third-party ATM fees may apply), subject to your available balance. 

See our Cardholder Agreement and Security Agreement for The EarnIn Card.

What does “partially-secured” mean?

A partially-secured charge card combines features of both secured and unsecured credit cards. With most secured credit cards, you’re required to provide a deposit that matches your credit line. For example, a $500 deposit typically gives you a $500 credit limit.

The EarnIn Card works differently. It’s a partially-secured charge card because your Credit Limit is based on two components:

• Secured funds — money you’ve deposited into your Secured Account; and
• Real-time Earnings — a portion of the income you’ve already earned but haven’t yet been paid (up to $1,500 per pay period, subject to limits).

Your Credit Limit is the sum of these two parts, up to a maximum of $10,000, subject to other factors. 

Unlike your secured funds, Real-Time Earnings are not held as a deposit. Instead, they represent your earned income and are used to extend your credit in advance of your payday. That’s what makes the card partially secured: only part of your limit is backed by your own deposited funds — the rest is based on your earned income.

How does EarnIn Card work?

When your paycheck is deposited into your Deposit Account, we first deduct any previously spent earnings, including tips and transfer fees. The remaining funds are then:

• Deposited into your Secured Account (if your EarnIn Card is activated),
• Or transferred to your linked bank account (if your EarnIn Card hasn’t been activated yet or if you are using Paycheck Router to move all or part of your paycheck to your linked bank account).

The “Available” number that you see in the app is the total amount you can spend on the Card. The Available balance is made up of the available funds in your Secured Account (“Cash”) plus the available real-time earnings you have earned in your current pay period, up to $1,500 per pay period. As you spend on your EarnIn Card, we reserve any available Cash to cover the amount of the transaction. You will see your Available balance decrease on the homescreen, and the reserved funds are set aside for repayment to the card balance. Once you have spent the Cash in your Secured Account, you’ll start spending your available earnings. 

This means that as an EarnIn Card customer you can access your funds in the following ways: 

• Transfer funds to your linked bank:
  • Transfer your Cash balance to your linked bank
  • If you have no Cash balance remaining, you can still use Cash Out to transfer up to $150 per day in earnings to your linked bank, subject to your available balance,
• Withdraw up to $300 per day from an ATM, subject to your Available balance (third-party ATM fees may apply)
• Or use your physical card to make purchases up to $1,500 per day, subject to your Available balance.

• Your statement balance must be paid back in full by the due date. For more information on repayments see, Using your EarnIn Card (Repayments and Purchases)

What is a qualifying direct deposit?

A qualifying direct deposit is a recurring deposit into your bank account from a reliable income source. Paychecks from your employer or payroll provider are most often used as qualifying direct deposits.

Bank transfers, mobile check deposits, Pension payments, Social Security benefits or peer-to-peer payments (like Venmo or PayPal), or one-time payments such as tax refunds do not count as qualifying direct deposits.

What is the minimum direct deposit required to qualify for EarnIn Card?

EarnIn Card requires minimum qualifying direct deposits of at least $1000 per month (or $500 every 2 weeks, or $250 every week, depending on your pay period.)

Beyond the minimum qualifying direct deposit, can I put more money on my EarnIn Card?

Yes! Beyond the minimum qualifying direct deposit, you can also put more money on your EarnIn Card.

Is there any interest on purchases associated with EarnIn Card?

No, there’s no interest on purchases with EarnIn Card. 

Are there any card fees?

The monthly access fee for EarnIn Card is based on your payment method: either autopay (recommended) or manual pay. 

When you use an ATM, there’s a $2.99 ATM fee per transaction, and additional fees may be charged by the ATM provider.

For full details, please check out FAQ - Card Fees.

Do I qualify for EarnIn Card?

The EarnIn Card is made for anyone who receives a recurring paycheck! 

To get started, you just need to meet a few simple requirements: be at least 18 years old, and live in the U.S. full-time. 

Because EarnIn Card works based on your earnings instead of your credit score, you’ll need to set up an EarnIn Account and a Deposit Account to receive your qualifying direct deposits of at least $1000 per month (or $500 every 2 weeks, or $250 every week). To keep your EarnIn Card active, just make sure you’re receiving that same minimum qualifying direct deposit of least $1000 each month (or $500/biweekly, or $250/week) into that same account.

Please do note, the EarnIn Card is currently not supported within the following states: Connecticut, Washington DC, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, and Vermont.

How do I sign up for EarnIn Card? 

You can join the waitlist for EarnIn Card by clicking here. Once you’re off the waitlist, you’ll be invited to sign up for EarnIn Card.

If you're already a community member and meet all the EarnIn Card qualifications, you’ll see the invite to sign up for the EarnIn Card directly in your app without needing to join the waitlist.

If you’re an existing Early Pay community member, you’ll be invited to sign up for EarnIn Card once you’ve signed up for Cash Out and we get your first qualifying direct deposit (meeting the threshold amount) – no waitlist needed.

From there, just agree to the EarnIn Card terms and conditions. Turn on autopay to receive a discount on your Monthly Access Fee and enjoy effortless on-time payments.

When will I receive my EarnIn Card?

Your EarnIn Card will be shipped as soon as you complete the signup process.

Your card should arrive 7-10 business days after shipping. If there’s a delay, please contact support. Keep in mind, the name field on your card is limited to 21 characters. If your full name is longer than 21 characters, we may use initials for your first and middle name on your card.

Can I add my EarnIn Card to a Digital Wallet?

Yes! Once you’ve received your EarnIn Card and activated it, you can add it your Digital Wallet.

Find the plus sign (+) in Apple Pay and Google Pay to add EarnIn Card to your digital wallet. Visit their help center for step-by-step instructions. 

• Apple Pay - How to add a debit or credit card on your iPhone
• Google Wallet - Add a debit or credit card

Once added, the billing address stored in your digital wallet must match your EarnIn Card billing address. Follow the steps below to confirm:

Apple Pay

1. Select EarnIn card
2. Click on the menu (three dots)
3. Scroll toward the bottom of the screen to find: Billing Address. Confirm the address matches your EarnIn Card billing address.

Google Wallet

1. Find your EarnIn card
2. Click Edit to update your billing address information. The billing address in your Google Pay must match the billing address of your EarnIn Card.
3. Click Update

How do I activate my EarnIn Card?

You can activate your card in two easy steps!

1. In the app's home screen, tap Activate
2. Enter the last 4-digits of your card number and you're ready to spend

What is the Cardholder Agreement and Security Agreement for The EarnIn Card ?

The Cardholder Agreement and Security Agreement for The EarnIn Card include the terms and conditions for your receipt and use of your EarnIn Card. 

You will need to review and agree to the Cardholder Agreement and Security Agreement for The EarnIn Card before signing up for the EarnIn Card.

Once you have opened your EarnIn Card, you can find the Terms and Conditions in the app:

• From your homescreen, tap Settings (icon with three horizontal lines in bottom navigation bar) 

In the Card Settings menu screen, scroll down and select Legal