[Updated on June 2, 2016. Readers reported not receiving interest for dubious reasons. I don’t recommend this card anymore. I’m closing my account.]
Today we are going to look at something off the beaten path in our pursuit to double the bond yield. If you follow my footpath, you will find a hidden gem.
I didn’t find it myself. I learned from Bogleheads investment forum participant boglestan.
Mango Prepaid Card is one of many prepaid cards marketed primarily to the unbanked and underbanked population. For more on prepaid cards, please read the previous post Who Use Prepaid Debit Cards. As a competitive edge, the Mango prepaid card offers a linked savings account that pays 6% APY.
Think of the savings account as a lake and the prepaid card as the path leading to it. The only way to get money into or out of the savings account would be through the prepaid card. The money on the card and the money in the savings account are separate, and they are both FDIC insured. So no worries there.
You first transfer money by ACH onto the card. After the money appears on the card, you transfer the money to the savings account. The money then stays in the savings account, pretty much walled off from the card. If there’s no money on the card, using the card to buy stuff will get a decline even though you have money in the savings account.
6% APY is applied to the first $5,000 in the savings account (0.1% for the portion above $5,000). You will need to have $500/month direct deposit to the card in order to keep the 6% rate. No problem, just schedule a monthly recurring ACH transfer from your bank account.
There is a $3 monthly fee. The 6% APY you earn on your $5,000 in the savings account makes up for it several times over.
After all said and done, taking into account the initial $5,000 plus a $500 per month deposit and the $3 monthly fee, you end up getting a 5.2% yield. That’s $260/year with the Mango card compared to $50/year if you leave your $5,000 and the $500/month in a regular “high yield” savings account that pays 1%.
Promo Rate Ending Soon?
Is 6% APY a short-lived promo that will end soon? Of course every bank reserves the right to change the rate at any time. Even the rate on a “high yield” savings account isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be the same next month. But I’m willing to bet Mango’s rate will stay high for a long time.
The more people are skeptical about it, the more likely the 6% rate will stay. The fact that the typical unbanked and underbanked customers don’t have $5,000 in their savings accounts makes the total cost for the 6% APY savings account not that high.
Exit Strategy
What if the 6% does end? No big deal. You close the account. They will send you a check.
Action Steps
Follow these exact steps for the maximum benefit:
1. Open an account online at mangomoney.com. The very simple form takes only two minutes. There is no credit check.
2. Click on Direct Deposit when you are done opening the account. You will be given a bank routing number 114994196 and an account number. Your Mango account starts with a negative balance for the first monthly fee.
3. Link the Mango account as an external bank account on your bank’s web site.
Be careful with banks that confirm the link by random deposits but pull the random deposits back. Because Mango doesn’t allow pulling back when the account is negative, this may cause problems with confirming the link. It’s best to use a bank that doesn’t pull back the random deposits.
Some readers reported their banks don’t recognize the routing number 114994196 for Sunrise Banks, which is the bank where your money will be held. It’s not clear why; that routing number is correct and valid. You just have to use a bank that recognizes it. These institutions are known to recognize it:
- Alliant Credit Union
- Ally
- Chase (bring the balance to positive first)
- Capital One 360
- CIT Bank
- Discover Bank
- E*Trade
- Fidelity Investments
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- Sallie Mae Bank
- TIAA Direct
- Vanguard
These banks have been reported as not recognizing the routing number:
- Bank of America
- Citibank
- PNC Bank
- Wells Fargo
Please report your successes or problems with linking the routing number to your bank account so I can add them to the applicable list.
4. Transfer $5,010 from your bank to the Mango account. Also schedule a recurring monthly transfer of $500 starting in next month.
5. Open the saving account. When the $5,010 arrives, click on Savings to open a savings account. Transfer $5,000 from the card to the savings account.
6. Run it on autopilot after the initial setup. Every month $500 arrives on the card. It keeps your savings account at 6% and it pays the $3 monthly fee.
If it bothers you that the $500/month and the interest you earned in the savings account above $5,000 is earning barely nothing, you can transfer the interest to the card and spend it or withdraw it by ACH pull.
This opportunity is available only to individual savers. It’s safe (FDIC insured). After a one-time setup, you just sit back and collect the higher interest. If you are married you can get one card for each person. That will make it equivalent to $10k earning the 5.2% rate.
[Photo credit: Flickr user Roger Lynn.]
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slug | sunkcostsareirrelevant.com says
Nice find! I wish there was a way to make the transfers automatic/mindlesss.
Mikeh71 says
The Mango customer rep stated that this account is %6 only with a valid direct deposit is from an employer or federal benefits not from individual banking accounts, how are people pulling this off?
Mikeh71 says
The Pay Pal prepaid master debit card also has a savings account with an interest rate of 5% up to $5000 and .5% for up to $15000. and does not require direct deposit. But with a $4.95 monthly fee.
Matt says
@Mikeh71
Regardless what customer service says, the Mango high yield savings is triggered with bank ACH, too.
Jason says
Discover Bank claims that the routing number from Mango is invalid. That’s either suspicious or just plain annoying.
Merrell says
Your right Jason. I tried paying my bill with discover and it kept saying roughting # not valid. I have many credit cards amex, capital one ,Bank of omaha, home depo, syncrony Bank. Never once had problem with any except discover. Sorry discover .. want ever use your card again. Amex is my go to card anyway.
Harry says
Transfer-in from your bank to the card is automatic. If you don’t even want to log in once a month to move the $50 from the card to the savings account, you can also spend it down. Schedule a fixed dollar payment with say your cell phone provider and have them charge the prepaid card $50 every month. You lose $0.50 – $1.00 from credit card rewards you would otherwise earn. Not a big deal if you want to make it fully automatic/mindless.
Harry says
Jason – You will have to use a different bank then. It worked with my credit union.
Steve says
Sorry, but I have to ask: Why do you have to transfer the $50 from the card to the savings account as soon as it hits?
Grant says
link isnt working for me (on chrome)
serbeer says
Same here:
Not Found, Error 404
The page you are looking for no longer exists.
For people with, say, $50K in savings, great interest on $5K is something not to pass on. For those with more, I am not sure it is worth all the management hassles of handling additional account with unusual transfer conditions.
Though it sure makes a great blog article so don’t blame you for going through with it.
Harry says
Steve – Short answer is you will save money if you do so. You can also spend the $50 down as I mentioned in comment #3 but you lose a small amount from credit card rewards. If you do nothing, you will pay yet a little more.
Grant – Thank you. I fixed the link.
serbeer – I used to think that way too. I ignored many seemingly small edges, until I realized that in a low interest rate world, these small things add up quickly, to the point where it can double the bond yield even on a $1 million portfolio. That’s why I started the BY2 series. It took me maybe 15 minutes to set up, and then 1 minute per month to do the transfer. Overestimating the hassle is detrimental to one’s wealth.
Steve says
FiveCentNickel explained it in his regurigation of this article: if you have a balance on the card on as of the 1st of the month, you’ll be hit with a $5 monthly fee for that month. Complicated indeed.
It really, literally takes you only 1 minute to get a reminder, read it, log into a web site, and make a transfer? I’d put it at 5 minutes at a minimum – still not a lot, but 400% more than your estimate.
Harry says
It’s not the 1st of the month. It’s the date you opened the account. If I must use a stopwatch I would say 1 minute is plenty. Reminder comes automatically. The subject says it all. I type a URL, log in, click on a few places, then it’s done. Seriously if you don’t want to do the transfer every month, just let someone automatically charge $50 to your card every month. Then you will spend zero minute.
Gregg says
The website says that you need to sign up for direct deposit to get the 6% rate. Is that something new? Also, it doesn’t say that the $5/month fee is waived if your card doesn’t have a balance.
Harry says
The $50/month transfer from the bank account to the card is the direct deposit that qualifies the savings account for 6%. It doesn’t say they take only from what’s left on the card but that’s what’s happening in reality. Everything in the action steps is there for a reason. I waited until I tested everything out before I posted this article.
Chad says
“Although I only opened one account, you are not limited to just one per person.”
Does that mean I can open 4 accounts (maybe more) for $5k each for a total of $20k earning 6% ($1,200) per year? Or, do they limit the 6% rate to your first account?
Thanks, keep up the good work.
Harry says
Chad – I removed that sentence from the article. Because I promised to post from personal experience, I shouldn’t say anything I haven’t tried myself. If you are interested in having multiple accounts per person, please explore on your own but please keep the results to yourself. Some maximizers opening 10, 20, 50 accounts will eventually ruin it for everybody.
Chad says
Feel free to remove my comment.
Harry says
boglestan reported the $5/month fee is now charged regardless. Those who think logging in once a month to move the money is too much trouble should be happy now. No more email reminders. Zero minute per month spent on managing it. Just leave the monthly deposits on the card and withdraw them once a year. I updated the post.
serbeer says
Yes, and he also reported that “it’s now effectively 4.8% interest, if you have a $5000 balance”
Still not bad at all in today’s environment.
Alex says
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this, but I’m rather new to the world of personal finance so maybe I’m missing a glaring problem here:
Wouldn’t this account be a fantastic place to store most (if not all) of your Emergency Fund?
Harry says
Alex – Yes it would be. The only thing you may be missing is that most readers of this blog have more than $5,000 for their Emergency Fund. It makes sense to do the full $5,000.
Andy says
I have done step 1, but stuck in step 2. It has a “direct deposit” form. On the form, it gives a R/T number of 1149-9419-6. Is that the routing number? I tried using that routing number to transfer money to the account, but my bank’s website says it’s not a valid routing number.
Harry says
Yes that’s the correct routing number. Did you do it without the dashes?
Andy says
Yes, I did it without the dashes (actually my bank’s form only allows 9 digits for the routing number anyways). It seems like Jason from comment #2 has the same problem with Discover Bank (I use Wells Fargo). Let me try to look into this a bit to see if I can find the reason.
Harry says
Andy – You can see it’s a valid routing number here: http://www.fededirectory.frb.org/search_ACH.cfm
Andy says
I checked with the Mango customer service. They explained that “Wells Fargo has decided not to work with our company due to their own security measures”.
Jason says
The first time that I attempted to verify my Mango account as an external account at another bank, it failed and I believe it was because the bank was unable to withdraw the trial deposits because the initial account balance was negative. It might be advisable to first ensure there is a positive balance in the account using another deposit mechanism such as Paypal, which worked for me. After a second attempt I now have the account successfully linked.
Chucks says
Looks like they’ve changed it to require $500 a month in direct deposit to waive the $5 fee. It’s nice but just too much of a hassle when you realize the effective interest rate is a good bit lower. So either I park $5000 in there and deal with the fees cutting the interest down to 4.8% and interest that really doesn’t compound. Or I put in $5000 or so, have $500 go in a month from direct deposit and then spend $500 a month using the card.. I can’t think of any recurring credit card charge I could establish for $500 exactly, so I’d have the burden of logging in to make sure my spending was in the ballpark. Even if I did, I’d be giving up the opportunity costs of a 2% rewards card. Plus you really can’t get at the money directly without another $10 fee. In the end, I’d be getting around $20 a month back more or less guaranteed, which is nothing to sneeze at, but just not worth it when compared to the opportunity costs of other investments. It’s certainly a better alternative to any other savings account for people with between $2000-4000 to save.
Harry says
I moved your comments from another post to this one, where it belongs. Just pay the $5 fee. It’s not a big deal. I don’t know where the $2,000-4000 comes from. Where else can you get 4%+ guaranteed? If you are married, each can have $5,000 in separate accounts for a total of $10,000.
Maxly says
I just opened my Mango account. I’m curious about #26’s comment as I haven’t used Mango yet and don’t quite ‘get’ a couple things.
Harry, can you tell me.. if I keep $5,000 in the Mango savings account for the good interest rate. Can’t I simply transfer via ACH $500 every month and then transfer over $500 as ACH “direct deposit” to avoid the $5 fee and also keep the good interest?
I’m confused how comment #26 makes it sound like it would be impossible to get money out of the account without paying a $10 fee. I mean, why would I need to put money on the card anyways. From what I understand, a $500+ “ACH” direct deposit into the savings account should avoid the $5 monthly fee.
Thanks and hope to get your reply.
Maxly says
*Can’t I simply transfer OUT via ACH $500 every month
Harry says
You don’t have direct access to the savings account. Must go through the card. See diagram in the post.
Maxly says
Then how do you avoid it from going over the $5,000 limit if you can’t transfer out? I thought on the web site it says “six (or five?) withdraws out” allowed per month? What is that in reference to?
Harry says
You don’t avoid it. I already addressed it in the article. 6 transfers refer to transfers out to the card.
Maxly says
So if I have $5,000 in the savings account. After interest gets added to the account it’ll obviously go over the $5,000 limit. So then the only option I have is to transfer anything over $5,000 to the card to avoid the interest rate going from 6% to 2%?
Harry says
No. The $50/month ACH deposit to the card gives you 6% on the $5,000. Balance over $5,000 earns 0.1% but your $5000 still earns 6%. Follow the steps in the article.
Maxly says
Thanks for the reply. Forgot to mention.. love the site.
Is it $500 or $50 ACH transfer (“direct deposit”) per month to get 6%?
Harry says
$50.
hsv_climber says
What about taxes vs fees?
Yield on this account is definitely taxable, but can the card fees be deducted?
Harry says
No but they are not going to make a big difference. If you gross up the $5 fee to $7.50, or even $10, it’s still a good yield.
Tom says
Any idea why routing number is not recognized by my bank and how to use the PayPal option to load the card/ account. Thanks for detailed steps for the process but now stuck on routing number, my both banks do not recognize that R/T. Please help. Thank you,
theo says
“We are unable to process your request at this time. Some of the identification information you provided could not be validated”… wtf?
Finally called them and it went through with the same info… go figure 🙂
Tom says
I have called both sides and no one could help. Bank says we cannot verify their RT and Mango says try other options.
Harry says
Tom – No idea why some banks don’t like that routing number without dashes. Outdated database maybe? It’s valid. My credit union has no problem with it. Maybe we should start a list for which banks recognize it and which ones don’t.
Recognize: Alliant Credit Union, Chase (must bring balance to positive first), ING Person2Person
Don’t recognize: Wells Fargo, Discover Bank, Ally, Bank of America, Popmoney, ING DIRECT (ACH)
Tom says
Also it doesn’t like CapitalOne
Tom says
So Harry could you suggest me some other better option to load cash to my prepaid card. Thank you.
theo says
Yeah that could be a problem.. You need to find a financial institution that you use that can link to the Mango account. BTW the Mango routing number links to INTER NATIONAL BANK.
I may be able to load cash through my fidelity cash management account as it does not have a trial deposit verification system. It will take 7-10 days to find out though 🙂
Looking at the list above, my Chase trial deposit verification will probably fail… I am also trying Vanguard though they also use trial deposits…
What about sending a check with the initial contribution or at least a small sum to move the balance into positive territory?
Harry says
Tom – I put the banks that recognize the routing number and those that don’t into the article body. Hopefully other readers will help expand the lists. I would suggest trying a brokerage or mutual fund company such as Fidelity or Vanguard. Maybe they are less picky.
Hans says
1) TIAA Direct works fine for ACH.
2) A way to avoid the $5/ month fee is to direct deposit $500/month and then use Amazon payments (funded by the mango card) to pay this + monthly interest to your spouse/significant other. It can then be deposited to a bank account. I’ve done this previously to hit sign up spending targets on credit cards. Nice way to get the money back (with no fees) and not take away other usual credit card rewards. (Although technically, I guess you could be using a 2% rewards card w/ amazon payments every month)
Juliana says
Why not just make $500 deposit per month to avoid the $5 fee.. and keep doing that until you reach the $5,000 limit.
Possible?
Also, having said that already.. I made my first $500 deposit to Mango Money in December but the $5 card service fee hasn’t been returned yet. What’s up with that? Does it take extra time for them to return the $5 service fee? I thought the service fee is waived with a $500 deposit.
Harry? Any advice on this?
Harry says
Juliana – Because with $5,000 in the savings account from the get-go, you get about $25 interest every month ($24.88 posted to my account at the end of December). That’s much more than the $5 fee. If you only have $500 in the first month, you get only $2.50 interest ($22.50 opportunity cost). Next month when you only have $1,000, you get $5 interest (another $20 opportunity cost). Next month, … you get the picture. Don’t get so hung up on the $5 fee. Pay it; it’s worth it. I didn’t get the $5 fee for the first month returned to me. I’m OK with it.
Justin says
If my bank does not allow me to set direct deposit then I get 2% pay.
Is there a way to get around this with PayPal and get 6% apy?
Justin says
Also note that 6% apy applies only to direct deposit and not any other transfer(ACH) is what I understand, as stated on their website, so how come transferring from bank qualifies for 6%
Harry says
Justin – I read on another forum PayPal didn’t work. The account added as a bank account to PayPal was removed because PayPal doesn’t allow it. Use a different bank, ideally one that’s already confirmed working, for example CIT Bank.
Justin says
Harry, Thanks for your reply. I am thinking to open Chase account, do you know if that would affect my credit score?
Harry says
Sorry, no idea. I opened several bank accounts in 2012, especially in Q4. My score didn’t appear to be affected much. I guess it depends on what score you have now.
theo says
In my experience Paypal, Vanguard and Fidelity CAN be linked to Mango.
OTOH Chase gave an error presumably due to negative balance and Cap1 doesn’t recognize the routing number, both already reported above.
Harry says
Thank you theo. I added Fidelity and Vanguard to the “good” list.
Charlie says
Navy Federal Credit Union accepts the routing number and can be linked to the Mango account. NFCU doesn’t use small deposits to verify the account, so there is no problem with the negative balance. It’s only possible to ACH $2,500 out of a NFCU checking account per day, so it takes a few days to fill up the Mango account. Also, unless you have access to a NFCU branch, you have to wait for a verification letter to come in the mail with a confirmation code to link the external account.
Is there any reason you suggested to start the monthly transfer 40 days after opening the Mango account?
Kim says
Navy Federal is giving me the error of “We were unable to add the external account XXXX” It seems to recognize the routing #, but not my account #. I just signed up yesterday, so I will try again later.
Harry says
Charlie – Thank you for the info about Navy Fed. The 40 days is not that important. Because you need an ACH deposit every month to keep the 6% rate, the initial $5,000 load will satisfy that requirement for the first month. Then the monthly transfers starting in 40 days will satisfy it for the following months. If you start it sooner, you just have extra $50 on the card. No big deal.
Trevor says
I loaded $50 using Capital One 360’s P2P (previously ING). It was listed by Mango as “EFT Load – CapitalOne….. ”
Does this mean they are not considering it as direct deposit?
Harry says
Trevor – That’s fine. My direct deposits also show up that way.
Trevor says
Thanks Harry. I’ll post an update on how it goes, since it looks like 6 months have passed in the discussion above.
DTC says
How do you deal with wire transfers fees from your bank account to Mango? I use BofA. What do you suggest?
Trevor says
Wire transfer fees? The loading method should be ACH.
ACH is free and it is the method which employers pay you.
I doubt Mango would actually accept a wire.
Harry says
It’s not a wire transfer but Bank of America still charges $3 for a transfer to an outside bank when most other banks don’t charge. Use a different bank or send a portion of your paycheck over. Most employers can direct deposit to multiple bank accounts.
DTC says
I thought I could just transfer from my bank instead of asking for my employer to deposit into multiple accounts. If it’s the only way, I’ll see if I can do this.
Thanks!
Washerdreyer says
I’m getting the same “We are unable to process your request at this time. Some of the identification information you provided could not be validated,” that Theo reported above. CSRs say they are unable to help or explain anything, that they can’t access the enrollment side if things for security reasons. Anyone have any advice?
J says
Thank you for writing this guide. I am in the process of setting up an account at Mango now.
The only possible inconvenience I see is that Mango, like ING Direct, does not offer a way to define a beneficiary in case something happens to the account holder. I’m relatively young and don’t expect anything untoward to happen to me while I hold this account, but I thought I should mention it for those who have not yet taken the plunge.
Trevor says
If you’re so concerned about something that unlikely, just leave a note somewhere with your login and card details so your family could find it..
Cher says
Sallie Mae banking accepts First Bank & Trust. It also does not withdraw the random deposits.
It’s also possibly worth mentioning that Mango prepaid can be used to pay certain bills. I don’t ACH out to my bank acct directly, but I have been using that excess $500 + interest to pay a credit card bill from the credit card website every month.
Shak says
“If you are married you can get one card for each person. That will make it equivalent to $15k earning the 3.9% rate.”
$5k for each will be $10k for a couple right? Or did I miss something?
Harry says
From the article: “After all said and done, taking into account the initial $5,000 plus the $500 per month deposit to waive the $5 monthly fee, you end up getting a 3.9% yield on an average balance of $7,800.” You have $5,000 earning 6% plus $500/month earning 0.1%. Assuming you withdraw once a year down to $5,000, the blended rate is 3.9% on $7,800 for the full year. $7,800 times two is $15k.
Shak says
Thanks for the clarification!
Cher says
But why would you only pull out once a year? There are so many other banks out there with better rates that you can just ACH out once a month or use to pay a credit card bill, etc.
Harry says
@Cher – Pulling out once a month versus once a year makes very little difference. At 1% interest rate, it’s about $30 a year before tax. Not worth pushing it in my opinion.
olya says
Do monthly transfers from a PayPal account count as direct deposit?
Harry says
Sorry, I don’t know.
Trevor says
As an update, my local bank which uses Popmoney integration for bank-to-bank transfers now recognizes the routing number and successfully transfers funds to my Mango account. So any bank that uses Popmoney, including large institutions like PNC and Ally, should now work.
Cher says
This is great info! I’m going to US Bank or Ally to see. It would nice if I could just reroute money instead of having to do monthly DD from my job.
Cher says
Neither Ally nor US Bank PopMoney recognized the routing number yet. Maybe in the future it will trickle up to them.
Kevin says
does the prepaid debit card get a routing and account number? Can I schedule a reoccurring payment against that account? Why would one not just place 5k in the savings account, direct deposit your mortgage in the prepaid debit account to satisfy the monthly DD requirement, and then have your bank pull the mortgage from there each month?
Trevor says
Yes it does get an account and routing number. Moving money from the 6% savings account to the debit portion of the card would not satisfy the direct deposit requirement, it needs to come from another bank or an actual employer. The savings account is internal and does not have it’s own account number, it can only be accessed by first putting money in to the debit portion of the card and then transferring it instantly.
john says
Did anyone receive a 1099 from Mango or Union Prepaid. It is tax time and I just realized that they have not mailed me the form. Tried looking online but could not find a place to download the forms
Harry says
I received it in January. Mango and Union Plus were combined on one 1099-INT under the name of Rev Worldwide. See if you have one from Rev Worldwide. Otherwise call customer service.
john says
Thank you Harry. I just checked and I do have it 🙂 Using a different name and also combining both on 1 form was confusing.
Jerry says
Apparently, Bank of America doesn’t work with that routing number either. Doesn’t surprise me, Accenture built and maintains their IT infrastructure for BOA.
One thing, their App isn’t available in the US Itunes store. I think they’re able to offer this interest, because they’re off shoring the money, and avoiding paying US taxes on any profits they received from deposited funds. This way they can repatriot money by paying part of their profits back in the form of interest earned, albeit a higher interest. Pretty smart if that’s their business model 🙂
Trevor says
I’ve had their app before from the US app store (iPhone). I did uninstall it because I didn’t use it actively and I see you are correct that it is not on the app store right now. It might have been pulled for an update. They are a legitimate Texas company though, I got a 1099-INT statement from their parent company named Rev Worldwide, Inc. or something.
Trevor says
Their business model is probably making the $5 fee that the majority of their users pay each month, but whatever their business model is doesn’t really matter to me since it’s FDIC insured. I’m glad you commented though, because I will look in to whether that FDIC insurance covers the 6% savings account now.
Matt says
Rev is changing the terms for Mango (no idea about Union Plus). Monthly fee will be $3/month and will not be waived for depositing $500 or more. No more account closure fee. A few other changes that don’t affect me (ATM fees). No big deal. Still a nice account to have. Account holders should receive a mailing soon.
Trevor says
Thanks for sharing, i’ll keep an eye on it.
Harry Sit says
Got the letters today. No change to Union Plus. Still $2/month, waived with $500 direct deposit. I will keep the Mango account and drop the deposit from $500/month to $50/month. I’m not sure if $50/month is still necessary to keep the 6% APY on $5,000 in savings but $50 is small enough not worth worrying about. I will edit the main article shortly.
Mr. Cactus says
I spoke with Mango on June 9th, 2014 (Today) and with regard to meeting direct deposit requirements for the purpose of receiving the 6% APY on the savings account (versus requirements for receiving a bonus for starting direct deposit), there is no minimum direct deposit amount.
Joe says
I just signed up for a Mango account based on an article that coincidentally just ran in the WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-best-places-to-stash-your-cash-1402093504). According to my Mango dashboard, in order to get the 6% rate through direct deposit, you need to use “Mango’s Direct Deposit Service”. When I go to the Direct Deposit tab, it seems that the only way to set up this Direct Deposit Service is to fill out Mango’s Direct Deposit form and have an employer or benefits agency pay into the Mango account. So now I feel stuck because I’m self-employed and don’t have either an employer or a benefits check. My wife is employed, so maybe she could have her direct deposit satisfy this, but for a variety of reasons would really rather not ask her to change her direct deposit at least until I see this account works as advertised. Can someone confirm whether a regular transfer from another bank account does in fact satisfy the “direct deposit” requirement for purposes of getting Mango’s 6% rate?
Also, it would be great to see a full summary of how the new terms will work.
Matt says
@Joe – not sure how much more confirmation you need. There’s a list of banks that are confirmed to work right in the blog post. The new terms aren’t really a big deal. Initiate an ACH transfer into the account once a month to activate the direct deposit bonus, Mango will withdraw $3 once per month. Simple.
Trevor says
Yes, Joe. I set an automatic transfer from my local bank which is powered by Popmoney. It displays as “EFT Load” and I get the 6% interest. I didn’t get the $20 bonus though and customer service said that only applies to actual employers/benefits deposits.
Joe says
OK, now I get it. Thanks Matt and Trevor.
Cher says
Just wanted to comment that Sallie Mae was never added to the list of banks that allow ACH to Mango. I mentioned it months ago but it must have gotten lost in the comments. While many may not use it, it’s still an option if someone does have an acct there like me for the uPromise 10% bonus.
Harry Sit says
Thank you Cher. I added it to the list.
Kevin Miles says
I saw the WSJ article in June and now have accounts with both Mango and NetSpend.
I called Mango and they confirmed that a deposit monthly to the card from my Paypal acct. will suffice to keep the 6% on the Savings acct.
Any words of wisdom on NetSpend? Appears that I’ll get 5% on $5k, with similar monthly deposit from PayPal.
Harry Sit says
If you are going to use PayPal to deposit to the account, you can get the PayPal Prepaid card powered by NetSpend. $5 monthly fee with no recurring direct deposit requirement. The NetSpend Premier card requires $500/month direct deposit.
Joe says
I tried NetSpend Premier Card deal but had a bad experience. After a few days, NetSpend closed my savings account and transferred the balance to the prepaid card account. When I called to ask what happened, they said the reason was that I had supposedly opted out of their electronic communication consent. But the only opt-out I had ever done was the non-affiliate marketing services, which I told them. They said they couldn’t do anything to reopen the savings account immediately. The savings account couldn’t be reopened for three months. I’ll try this PayPal version of the NetSpend system, though, and hope the experience is better.
hydguy says
I applied for a new NetSpend card thru a referral a couple of weeks ago and got a $20 referral bonus. If you need a referral go to http://www.refaround.com/netspend which is where I found my referrer. My main purpose is to use the NetSpend Savings account tied to the prepaid card not the prepaid card itself.
I first deposited $500 thru ACH push from my Capital One 360 (P2P) and I was automatically upgraded to NetSpend premier. I’m currently on the Pay As You Go plan which means no monthly fees. But you pay for individual purchases. You can only open the Savings account after you reach the Premier status (by loading $500 into the prepaid card a/c in a single month, which I did). There is a however an account maintenance/inactivity fee (see below) if you don’t use your prepaid card much. To avoid this, I plan to order something online every 90 days using my NetSpend card e.g., an Amazon GC which will trigger a purchase transaction and account remains open/no inactivity fees; but will pay a dollar for this purchase every quarter (which I think is a good deal for the 5% APY rate on Savings compared to the fixed monthly fee of Mango or Union Plus).
Account Maintenance Fee
==========================
$5.95 per month (fee applies if Card Account has not had any activity, that is, no purchases; no cash withdrawals; no load transactions; or no balance inquiry fee for 90 days). This fee is not applicable to residents of Connecticut and New Jersey.
https://www.netspend.com/how_it_works/what_it_costs.shtml
PL says
Hydguy,
I looked at the fee comparison chart, and it seems like the pay-as-you-go is different from the Premier, which has a $5.00 mo fee. But you mention that you are both. It also appears you can only get the savings account as a premier customer. So are you saying you opened the savings once you were upgraded to premier, and then downgraded to the pay as you go? Sorry, I got confused as to how you were avoiding the $5.00 mo fee.
Jon says
I tried entering the routing number in PNC Bank to initiate an external account transfer, and it said the routing number was not recognized. I don’t have a Mango account but I just wanted to test the capability. I have a Vanguard account so in theory I could pass money through Vanguard to Mango. Now its just a matter of finding out how to get access to my savings easily (i.e. transfer from savings to my card, then somehow pull a large sum off the card into my bank account).
Jon says
I was able to add the bank through Vanguard, but after one transaction from Vanguard to Mango, Vanguard deleted the bank from my account without warning or any reason. I will call Vanguard to see why. Mango complained when I tried to transfer money from my Paypal account because the Paypal account was under my business name. They temporarily locked out my account and I called to reactivate it and they basically told me not to use that Paypal because it did not match the name on my Mango account.
My actual bank, PNC, does not recognize the routing number.
So – I am finding it increasingly difficult to actually push money into the account. Its getting frustrating. I might have to open a bank account which is recognized just to push money in. I setup direct deposit so hopefully that actually works.
ms says
i am told by the company interest is ONLY PAID ON 12/31. so what happens if they terminate you before that date?
also whatever their security check is – if you fail enrollment, they have no way to ‘figure out’ what went wrong… their answer is “try back 6 months”. would love to find a solution but their customer service is clueless
Matt says
Not in my experience. Interest has been paid on the last day of each month every month I’ve had the account (~18 now).
I’m thankful I’ve never had to deal with their customer service.
Rachel says
I had the issue with not being able to enroll and called customer service and read off the error code to them that I was getting when submitting my application. They told me that it meant my application wasn’t accepted and they could not tell me why (not that they didn’t know why just that they couldn’t tell me) and I should try again in 6 months. They weren’t helpful at all. I tried again 5 minutes later using my physical address instead of my P.O. box mailing address and it went through fine… I’m assuming you may have the same problem if you recently moved or are for whatever reason using an address that is not currently listed as your physical address with whatever credit bureau or background check system they are running your info through.
ms says
customer service in an English speaking Asian country. they read and don’t deviate from their scripts – and if you ask them a question that gets them off their ‘script’ they starting replying by things in their script that has no bearing on your question.
asking for manager doesn’t get you any where except someone who doesn’t read script but answers with the same non-answer.
a typical conversation goes like this:
me: well you are telling me try to re-enroll after 6 months. if you don’t check credit to verify the enrollment input, what makes you think in 6 months time the information will verify correctly?
mango: yes try back in 6 months and the system will reset it self.
me: so the enrollment is checking some pre-defined parameters, if so what are they?
mango: we don’t do any checks but try back in 6 months and the system will allow you to re-enroll
me: ok, I tried to enroll 6 months ago, and im still getting the same problem now because 6 months ago you told me to try back in 6 months. so what can you do for me this time around?
mango: please try back in 6 months.
me: [bangs head]
definition of insanity is to try the same thing over and over again expecting different outcome.
Harry Sit says
I’m sorry you got caught by a false positive. ID check systems are designed as a black box. It’s not supposed to give a potential perpetrator clues how to beat it. That’s why customer service don’t have anything to say except trying again in six months.
seashells says
The call center is most probably in Phillipines and not India. Its pathetic to say the least, the call center folks are pretty dumb in my experience and most of what they say doesnt make any sense.
lisa says
I primarily use PNC bank and wanted to link my bank with a mango money account. After multiple tries it still does not work? Any advice? I do not want to use a different bank account.
Harry Sit says
Just search for PNC on this page (Ctrl+F in Windows).
John says
Harry,
Do we now only need to transfer $5/month to maintain the 6% rate? I remember it was higher (like $50/month) but maybe you discovered it works with lower threshold and updated this page since I last read it?
I assume that you dont need to maintain any minimum amount on the card?
Also to withdraw the excess money (due to monthly deposits)from the card do you just use it like a regular debit card online or POS with no fees or is their Billpay better if anyone has tried it?
Thank you,
Harry Sit says
The monthly fee used to be waived with a $500/month deposit. After it’s no longer waived, you can drop the deposit to $5/month or maybe just $3 to pay the monthly fee. I keep a small amount on the card. If you have too much, you can pull it back by ACH or just spend it down at stores like using any other card.
malav says
asked them about direct deposit, and they said only government and employer based Direct deposit works for getting 6% APY. This article says, automatic bank account transfer also works (P2p from capital one etc..). Not sure what should i do?
thanks
Matt says
That’s what they say, but in reality ACH pushes trigger the 6% savings rate, too.
malav says
thanks..
malav says
can anybody verify if they have setup direct deposit from capital one account via person to person payment or any other way?
thanks
John says
P2P from capital one and i’m getting the 6%
itcoop says
I have Capital One 360. Both P2P and linking to Mango as an external account works. The link is better because I can schedule the ach transfer. The P2P requires manual verification every time.
Harry Sit says
Thank you for the info itcoop. Moving Capital One 360 to the ‘good’ list.
Malav says
Thanks John…P2p – when you transfer to your own account – you have to confirm everytime that money is received and send it to mango account? or its just first time and after that, its all automatic (for monthly scheduled payments)
Trevor says
I used to use P2P for this and you have to confirm the receiving account’s info every month.
malav says
Thanks Trevor.. it looks like, i can schedule p2p payment upto a year and after that, i have to schedule it again.. also, everymonth i have to check email to accept p2p scheduled payment..
there must be a better way to do this..
Matt says
You mean besides using a bank or credit union that works via ACH?
malav says
I am just saying, payment via p2p look like a constant attention – every month you have to confirm email and accept payment + once a year schedule a payment for the whole year for DD,
there should be a better way…
Harry Sit says
Then don’t use it. Use one of the other banks listed under Action Step #3.
itcoop says
Great tip. Thanks for the info. Only change I made was depositing $2,505 twice via ACH during account setup. I got the $20 bonus.
Rick says
How long after your two deposits did they credit you the $20 bonus?
itcoop says
It took 9 weeks after the second transfer for my credit to appear.
John says
What do you mean by $20 bonus? Is there a bonus or are you talking about the interest that is credited every month on the 5K?
itcoop says
http://www.ratecatcher.com/bank-deals/mango-money-20-signup-bonus/
– split your seed capital into two payments.
Franklin Sanchez says
2015-01-05 –
Happy New Year!
My experience with Capital One 360. Something trigger an alert and they will no longer allow me to link the Mango account as ACH transfers. They say their system doesn’t allow to transfer to a card.
Harry Sit says
Thank you. I moved Capital One 360 from the ‘good’ list to the ‘bad’ list.
John says
Strange. I linked my Mango with ING in Dec and it went fine (automated)
Franklin Sanx says
John,
I had it set up as an external account, and after transferring $3,000 they called me and told me I couldn’t have a “card” linked as an external account. The P2P works just fine, but the automatic transfer will not work, according to them.
I will have my employer set up the automated direct deposits.
However, I am wondering if it will it be better to have this emergency money on Fidelity or Vanguard with index bonds and minimal exposure to stocks, let’s say a 90% bonds / 10% stocks, or even 100% bonds. The vanguard VBMFX yields 6.36% with minimum fee of 0.20%. Yes, nobody knows the market and I can’t predict the market will be “up” when needed.
itcoop says
Very strange,
My transfer is still working just fine using Capital One 360. I have it setup as a transfer to the bank account numbers as defined in the Mango Money direct deposit instructions.
Franklin Sanchez says
UPDATE on Capital One – – It works : After two rounds of having them delete my Mango Card link claiming there were glitches with the system, I persevered and now it works fine. I had a similar issue with my Chase account, and they froze my account. I had to go to a branch to have it unlocked and they added notes.
Anyway, Chase and Capital One work fine, but you may have some headaches.
Harry Sit says
Thank you for the update. Moving Capital One 360 back to the ‘good’ list.
theo says
Tried to open an account for wife (on 1/6) and received “An unexpected error has occurred. Sorry for the trouble. If this problem persists, please contact customer service Reference code: SXXXXX”
Wife called and was told “We are resetting our system. Accounts cannot be opened during this period. Process takes about 6 months ?!?”
WTF??? Misunderstanding or is that for real?
Tucknology says
So far I had no problems using Capital One 360 to transfer in $5k and setup a recurring $75 ACH push on a bi-weekly basis. Will report back if I have any problems. Seems Capital One 360 is YMMV based on other comments above…
Willneedpatience says
I set up my Mango Prepaid account with Community America Credit Union successfully with the instructions provided above. Please note: CACU sent two test deposits yet did not appear to try to pull them back. I finalized the activation process at CACU and made a transfer to bring my Mango account balance to a positive amount. I have completed my first direct deposit of seed money and the second seems to be proceeding as planned.
Unfortunately, while setting up my spouse’s account, CACU did try to pull the test deposits back. First Bank & Trust declined the transaction and may have blocked my CACU account. We are in the process of finding a remedy through CACU and are waiting for First Bank & Trust to unblock the account if applicable.
By the way, the comments about calling First Bank & Trust are completely accurate. I managed to get to a supervisor. Her answers were also straight from a flip book although her book had more three syllable words. No one spoke enough English to fully understand the nature of my question. They simply latched on to a few recognizable key words and read the stock response from there. Very frustrating!
The good news is I have at least one account that seems to be on track in this process.
Mr. Sit, thank you so much for sharing this information and for all of your efforts to keep it accurate and current.
Willneedpatience says
Update on Community America Credit Union:
My account setup is complete and earning 6%.
I was able to transfer $5 from my Mango account to my husband’s account. This gave it a positive balance so the verification process would complete. It worked!
I hope this helps. Thanks again for this article!
Sara says
I’ve recently found that discover bank now recognizes the routing number. Hopefully this is of use to someone else too 🙂 Thanks for the great article!
Harry Sit says
Thank you Sara. I moved Discover Bank to the ‘good’ list.
TJ says
i seem to have issues signing up for Mango.:
About Your Mango Enrollment
We are unable to process your request for a Mango Card at this time. Some of the identification information you provided could not be validated.
You may want to check the information you entered and try again. Thank you.
Keep in mind some common errors:
Did you use a nickname? We need you to provide your full legal first and last name.
Did you enter your social security number correctly?
Did you enter your date of birth correctly?
hydguy says
“…………You will need to have direct deposit to the card in order to keep the 6% rate. No problem, just schedule a monthly recurring ACH transfer from your bank account……..”
How did you arrive at the conclusion that the recurring ACH transfer is what is paying you the 6% rate? Have you tried no doing any transfer at all and then they gave you the 2% rate (rate they offer without the d.d.) for that month?
In UnionPlus, I’m getting the 5% interest on the savings with NO monthly incoming transfer or d.d., so I concluded they don’t really require the d.d. or any ACH-in for that matter although the terms say otherwise.
I’m guessing the its the same thing with Mango, but I already have a paycheck d.d. to Mango so I don’t want to disable it to prove my theory.
Harry Sit says
That’s what they say but I never tried without. I ACH $500/month to Union Plus to have the $2/month fee waived. I do $5/month to Mango to cover the $3/month fee.
Dan says
Just wanted to add that Advantis Credit Union that is based in Portland, OR works.
Darin says
Is a $5/month ACH transfer sufficient to trigger the 6% interest or do I need $50/month? The article mentions $5, but $50 is mentioned in the comments.
Harry Sit says
$5/month is sufficient.
John says
Harry, if $5/month is sufficient to get 6% at Mango; is $5 also sufficient for Union or do you need more?
Harry Sit says
I imagine so but I never tried. I’m doing $500 to have the $2 monthly fee waived.
Eric says
Do all of the banks listed (ie TIAA Direct, Discover Bank, Sallie Mae, etc.) qualify for the 6% rate? If not, which ones have people confirmed actually work for the bonus? Am I correct that the $3 fee is charged to the prepaid card rather than the savings account? What happens if you have no balance on the card when the fee is charged? Is this account considered checking or savings for transfer purposes?
Harry Sit says
They all work. Correct, $3 fee is charged to the card side. Don’t know what happens if you don’t have enough balance. I imagine your balance goes negative, just like at the beginning. It’s considered checking.
Eric says
Thanks for your responses. Doesn’t it make sense to only open the account with around $4800? That way you can transfer $50 twice more to get the $20 bonus and still earn 6% compound interest for a few months. You wrote that you can withdraw the money. Do you mean by literally withdrawing at an ATM or by doing an ACH transfer? Does the direct deposit have to hit once per calendar month or statement month?
Harry Sit says
I didn’t bother chasing the one-time $20. I heard they don’t pay the $20 on ACH transfers. If you’d like to try, go for it. You can do ACH withdrawal against money on the card. The statement month is the calendar month. Interest is paid on the last day of the month.
Eric says
I just signed up. Harry, you were right it was very quick. Does the next $3 charge happen on 3/1 and every month thereafter? Do you know if anyone ha been successful getting the $20 for doing 2 $50 ACH transfers within the first 90 days? There’s really nothing to lose by trying it but I’d prefer to know if there’s a chance.
Harry Sit says
It appears they are charging the monthly fee on the date the account was opened. If you opened today you will get charged again on 3/10. I don’t know if anyone got the $20 with bank ACH transfers. I don’t think there’s a chance but you may get lucky.
Albert says
I just signed up for this and I’m doing a monthly deposit of $25 from my discover savings because it seems that is the minimum amount for a recurring transfer. What I would like to know is can I transfer $15 back into my discover savings? I would rather have this extra money in my discover savings. I just want to make sure I am not missing anything. Thanks
Harry Sit says
You can, but I won’t bother. Realistically how much interest are you going to miss on $15 a month? You are talking about less than $1 for one full year.
Albert Chamakala says
That’s true. Thanks for the write up, super easy to follow!
Jack says
I was loading and unloading $500/month to avoid the fees, but it appears that Mango started charging me $3 per month starting around September of 2014. The deposits and withdrawals have been happening (deposits have been posting before the fee hits), but the fee has not been waived. It worked for a full year, but it appears that it no longer works. Thoughts?
Also, if anyone is interested in setting up more than one account, here are the other cards that I have:
Union Plus Prepaid (as the article mentions)
Ace Elite (
myControlcard
You can google them to find their respective websites.
Jack says
Loading and unloading 500/month continues to waive the $2 fee at Union Plus.
Harry Sit says
Mango sent a letter to everyone about the change last year. They lowered the fee from $5 to $3 but it was also no longer waived with a $500 direct deposit. I changed the direct deposit amount to $5/month.
hydguy says
AceElite’s T&C’s points to NetSpend (so basically similar fee structure):
https://www.aceelitecard.com/account/terms/2013_ACE_Meta_Visa_CHA.pdf
So this must also be issued/operated by NetSpend like Paypal Prepaid.
Can you have all 3: NetSpend, Paypal & Ace Elite?
Tiffany says
I started a Mango account recently and linked it to my chase account and transferred some to the account and set up a recurring transfer, but the transaction is showing up as a transfer not ACH. Would that still work to get the 6% APY? If not how do you send ACH transactions with Chase without signing up for the ACH payment method for business accounts?
Thanks
Harry Sit says
That should work. Just wait until the end of the month to see how much interest you earn in the savings account.
hydguy says
Just remember to move money from Mango Prepaid a/c to Mango Savings (takes less than a minute to do it) to earn the 6% interest.
Tiffany says
Yep I’ve already transferred from the card to savings account. I’m also trying to get the $20 credit by setting up two transfers instead of one. I’ll keep you posted if it works. Thanks guys for your help!
hydguy says
I’m not too sure if you get the $20 direct deposit bonus if you do ACH transfers vs. payroll d.d. You can try.
I did payroll d.d. and got the bonus automatically. The $20 bonus should cover some of the 1st year fees.
Adam says
I was able to connect and fund with Ally, even with the account balance negative.
Harry Sit says
Yay! One more moved to the ‘good’ list.
thomph2000 says
Adam, were you able to withdraw funds from your Mango prepaid to your Ally account? Was your Ally account a checking or savings account?
hydguy says
Anyone got a ‘revised’ 1099 for 2014 from Mango / UnionPlus? I got them but I already filed my taxes.
They moved the interest from Box 3 (incorrect) to Box 1 (correct). I thought it makes no difference, but TaxAct says I owe the state some extra $$’s.
But they forgot to check the box “CORRECTED” in the 1099. Not sure if IRS received two copies of the 1099 or just one.
Harry Sit says
We all received. I knew it should’ve been in box 1 and I just entered it as box 1 in the tax software. Amount in box 3 is not subject to state income tax. That’s why TaxACT says you owe the state some more.
hydguy says
OK. Now I know it makes a difference 🙂
I was going to move that to Box 1 after talking to Mango CS then forgot about it and filed my taxes.
They were going to get back to me on the revised 1099 (if they were going to issue a new one) but I forgot to follow up.
hydguy says
I was able to do a few withdrawals after linking Mango to my Bank of America account, it shows up as:
EFT Withdrawal – ONLINE [email protected] OF AMERICA
Eric says
Does anyone know if TD Bank works for the direct deposit? If so, does TD typically withdraw the trial deposits ? I just checked my account and it appears like I earned 6% just by doing the math. Is there a monthly statement they send so I can confirm this?
Harry Sit says
There is a line right above the transaction history. It says the rate you earned in this period.
Throwaway says
Anyone have a contact for Mango that doesn’t end with a customer service rep in a South East Asian country?
I opened the account to take advantage of the savings account and never received the card. After a couple direct deposits I had nearly a $1000 in the account and no access to the money. I called and complained, cancelled my membership and after received the card in the mail but no refund check. After waiting a the full month I called back and learned that the refund check had been sent back because the address was “incorrect”. After contacting customer service the address they had on file was correct, which was pretty clear previously since they sent me the actual card.
Now I am stuck in a loop of having to wait 2-4 weeks for a refund check and no one at Mango can do anything but “escalate” things. Where the rep is escalating things? I have no idea, they won’t give me a number I can contact.
The company behind Mango is Rev Worldwide which is also nearly impossible to contact. Multiple numbers that come up via Google lead to a phone system that doesn’t allow you to speak to a human without an extension. Even pressing 0 for an operator just disconnects the call. Sending emails to Mango is fruitless because they will not discuss issues over email. I haven’t received a reply from Rev Worldwide via email and the underwriting bank behind Mango doesn’t have a say in the situation.
Anyone have any advice?
Eric says
Has anyone tried using Serve to get the $20 bonus for making 2 $50 direct deposits? If so, was it successful?
cetavion says
what if i make 3 direct deposits which is total of $ 60, do i get 20 dollar direct deposit sign up bonus?
fr33b13 says
I keep getting the following error when trying to create a savings account “There was an error trying to create your savings account.”
I followed all the directions in the post.
Do I need to activate the actual card that they send in the mail first? I’m not at home so I didn’t get the card yet.
Laura says
Hi! I signed up for Mango this week. It was quick and easy. My bank (Synchrony) worked fine with it. The only hiccup I had was that my payroll office asked if it was a checking or savings account. I couldn’t find that information on their web site or on the direct deposit form they provide. I finally found the information in a comment here that it’s considered a checking account for direct deposit purposes.
Joe says
I was able to set up a Mango account and fund with FNBO Direct (online savings account). Will try to report back if the ACH from the account ($10 minimum from FNBO to Mango) activates the 6%. This should work great with my excess emergency fund. Thanks!
Donna says
I opened a Mango prepaid account without a problem. It started with a negative $3 balance for the first cycle’s fees. I transferred funds from Discover Bank savings account twice, each time $25 to trigger the $20 bonus for direct deposit. I had read on other blogs that it didn’t need to be from an employer and that any transfer would trigger the bonus. It appeared as EFT load on Mango. After a week or two of the funds sitting there, I decided to call Mango to ensure that this deposit qualified for the bonus and then the subsequent 6% savings rate. They asked if Discover was my employer and I said no. The rep said it has to be from your paycheck but he would double check and call me back. I never received a call back. Going off of what I was told and that it did not qualify for the bonus (which is the same criteria to qualify for the 6%), I did not want to put anymore money into the account so I initiated a transfer out of the prepaid account through Discover. I was worried that Mango wouldn’t allow the funds to leave the account but the transfer back to my bank was seamless. It is pretty easy to get money out of Mango with Discover.
Natasha says
Hi Harry. So let’s say I want to withdraw a portion of the money (say $800) from this card. I understand I will need to transfer it from Mango savings into my Mango prepaid card first, correct? Once the money appears on the prepaid card, can I do an ACH pull from my external account (say Chase)? I just want to avoid withdrawing at the ATM machine (there is a limit to $600 per day and ATM fees involved – bad idea). I am curious if you can withdraw money by doing an ACH pull for a larger amount, like all $5,000. What do you know about that? You have mentioned in your article, “After a year, if it bothers you that the interest you earned in the savings account above $5,000 is earning barely nothing, you can transfer the excess to the card and spend it or withdraw it by ACH pull.” I don’t know if by an “ACH pull” you mean an actual pull initiated from my external bank’s website for any amount?
Harry Sit says
An ACH pull is just that. You initiate an ACH transfer from an external account against the Mango account.
Amit says
Can we withdraw money by loading the redcard of target, since this card is just like a debit card per my understanding.. Would there be any charges for the same?
Harry Sit says
Why make it harder than necessary? See comments above yours.
John says
Amit, Harry
I used Serve (which is same platform as Target Redbird) to withdraw the excess on the card from both Mango and Union. So this method also works if you want to go that route
jb82 says
Couple more to add to the list of successful banks.
Schwab bank worked perfectly.
Consumers credit union (myconsumers.org) worked but has a pull back on the two deposits. This failed but they just charged my checking account for the amounts instead (and left the trial deposits in the mango account) and everything was set up fine.
jb82 says
I did have issues with fidelity. They wouldn’t let me set up the mango account for ETF online but it went through fine when I mailed in the paperwork. They required a statement but I didn’t have one from Mango. So I printed one out online and I also sent in the direct deposit form from my mango account and fidelity accepted it all.
Julia says
I can confirm that Chase and E*Trade worked on both Mango card and ACE Elite card. They deposited small amounts and I was able to establish a connection. Please note, ACE Elite card must be activated first before you receive the small deposits otherwise they will kick back. Mango card worked great with Chase. Mango card has not arrived yet. I called them. They told me I needed to deposit $20 before they can mail out a card, otherwise the card will take 2-4 weeks to arrive.
Amit says
Julia- Chase for me have not yet added my Mango account in the external account list.. its been 2 weeks now.. How much time did it take for you? do we need to go to the chase bank to add the mango account explicitly?
Julia says
Amit, initially Chase labeled my Mango card as “Under Review” when I tried to add it as external account. I emailed them and told them that Mango is a valid bank. I also called them. After that, everything was approved within 1 week. Hope this helps.
Amit says
Thank you Julia, I went to the chase bank office yesterday and i see the account active today! 🙂
Eric says
Has anyone tried to load Serve in Walmart with the Mango debit card? If so, did it go through smoothly? I just want to have a backup for when they ask for ID.
Matt says
Yes, I’ve done it. Works fine, but the money comes from the prepaid account, not savings.
Eric says
Matt,
I just realized that I don’t know what my pin is. Do you remember if you chose it yourself or was it sent to you in a mailing?
Matt says
You can reset your PIN online without needing to know your current PIN. Prepaid Account > Manage Cards
Eric says
Thanks.
RIPPED OFF says
On 5/31/15 My account somehow was compromised and Mango allowed over $1200 in fraudulent purchases of gift certificates to process at a local mall by someone using a cloned card. $300 Aldos $300 Victoria Secret $200 $Sunglasses Hut $200 Hollister $200 Express (ALL WITHIN 24hrs and with NO RED FLAG!!?? REALLY MANGO?) After filing a dispute with Mangos dispute dept M.Powerlink and waiting for an entire week with no funds, I recieved an email today that they’ve concluded that the charges were valid, would not be returning my $1200 and that I would need to contact each vendor where the purchases were made and resolve the issues myself.(WHAT BANK DOES THIS)??? My direct deposit also went into my account today also and before my new card they supposedly issued me made it to my mailbox THEY CLOSE MY ACCOUNT ON PAYDAY WITH AN ADDITIONAL $800 IN IT!!!! THATS $2000 IN 1 WEEK!!!Stay away from this Card if you dont want to lose your hard earned $$$!! I learned the hard way, DO NOT TRUST PREPAID CARD COMPANIES! SUPPOSEDLY THIS IS ONE IF THE BEST BUT LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO ME ( A LOYAL CUSTOMER FOR 3YRS)!! I’ve contacted my Lawyer and have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and BBB. SHAME ON YOU ROY SOSA and BERTRAND SOSA! I worked for my money and will not give up until my $2000 is returned to me!!
MN says
Pre-paid card fraud? Why was your $ not in your savings account and $10 in your prepaid?
Or were they able to transfer between the accounts?
RIPPED OFF says
After a long EXHAUSTING battle, I finally received a call from Mango, and they’ve decided to overturn their decision and have refunded all of my money. I have now closed that account and am moving forward with my life. Thank you BBB, FTC.!!!
qtrr says
I called today and looks like Mango is closed (either no longer accepting new applicants or closing up shop). Too bad. Not sure what caused this.
Eric says
That is a HUGE difference. What did they say exactly?
Amit says
Please can you elaborate a bit? i did see on the website.. no link for new sign ups… but not aware of them closing shop??
Julia says
Is this an assumption? Sometimes it is hard to get ahold of them (depending on the time of the day) when you call, because their main office is located in Philippines. But it doesn’t mean that they are closed. They have been in business for a long time. No reason for them to be closing.
Willneedpatience says
So, after I recovered from my momentary panic, thank you qtrr, logic prevailed and I checked my account. All appears to be just fine with my account and my husband’s account.
I called Mango customer service and spoke to someone who verified she was located in the Philippines. She confirmed that, “For the time being Mango is not accepting any new customers and it is business as usual for existing customers.” She said she did not have any information as to why they are no longer accepting new customers. I told her that this information tends to make customers a bit paranoid. She did not respond.
I asked if our accounts are still FDIC insured to $250,000, she said, “yes”. She said she would email me the full FDIC statement. In the mean time, if anyone can find it on the Mango website, please let me know so I can print a copy.
She added that they are affiliated with the Union Plus Prepaid card and it is still accepting new customers.
I’m not sure how to proceed with this information other than with due diligence and caution.
Joe says
Mention of FDIC is at the bottom of the page via https://www.mangomoney.com/what-is-mango
BEWARE says
Terrible customer support and difficult to get money out of the account unless you have PayPal. Emailing using the tool after logging in gets no response, and when calling them they claim they don’t acknowledge any communication sent over their own email tool so they can keep your monthly subscription fees. BEWARE
NoRoboGuy says
At the bottom of the page when logging on, it looks pretty straight-forward:
“You have agreed to accept all account disclosures electronically. To stop receiving disclosures electronically and close your account, phone us at 1-888-232-3319 or write us at PO Box 2067, Austin, TX 78767. We will close your account and return any remaining funds as set forth in the Cardholder Agreement.”
Not sure why you would see a problem with this process.
Pylos says
Just posted my experience over on FW: I just spoke to Debbie at Mango on the phone. She explained that yes, Mango will in fact be closing operations at some point in the future. She did not have an exact date of when Mango would close, but assured me that when it does all customers will be refunded the full amount of their accounts via check. The option of requesting a check for the full amount of the account early is available and will arrive in 2-4 weeks. She said that for the time being, as they don’t have a closing date, the 5.1% APY savings will still pay until an official announcement has been made.
I personally setup an ACH pull to move my funds out of the account today.
Eric says
Do you mean Union Plus as you said 5.1%? Did she give any hint how long it would stay open?
Julia says
I closed my account with Mango and ACH-ed money account. I didn’t want any delays with an ability to withdraw money when they finally announce that they are closing down their operations. I did talk to Mango customer service and they did confirm that they will be closing down, but didn’t provide the exact date. Hope this info helps.
Joe says
I too verified they will be “phasing out operations” but there was no specific date given. I am assuming this will take at least several months since there are regulatory issues concerning notifying customers. While they guaranteed our money was safe, they did not specify whether they would just close the accounts and send customers a check or the accounts would be sold to another bank and rebranded. I would imagine they are in the process of shopping our accounts around to the highest bidder, but I cannot see the takeover bank honoring the 6% interest terms. There must be more people that they counted on walking the $5K footpath described above and they are losing money even with $3/mo fee. Perhaps they were counting on revenue from debit card transactions vendor fees but congress put a cap on that which is killing the small bank’s bottom line.
Matt says
The wind-down date for the Union Plus prepaid, which is also run by Rev and it appears holds funds in the same bank, is September 16. Current account holders were notified via email about a week ago. The email indicates account holders will be sent a check by the end of September.
I expect a similar email from Mango in the not-too-distant future.
Joe says
Matt, I found this actual letter which concurs with your post: http://www.doctorofcredit.com/all-union-plus-5-10-apy-cards-will-be-closed-by-september-16th/
But it does say the customers will be contacted with “the new provider of this program” prior to closure.
Anyone been contacted by the “new provider” and know the details?
Harry Sit says
I didn’t even get that email from Union Plus. I’m planning to just hang tight. They will probably have to send a letter in the mail as well.
Matt says
Check your spam folder, Harry. My Union Plus email did not make it to my inbox automatically.
Mr. PTM says
Hi Harry,
Looks like Mango is switching the issuing bank from First Bank & Trust to Sunrise Banks (and moving from MC to Visa), but new sign-ups appear to be live again.
Glad to hear this is back – I’ve been wanting to open a second account. Perhaps this is what’s happening with the Union Plus card too.
Best,
Mr. PTM
Eric says
How did you find this out? I do see on the site they are allowing new signups. Do you know what the limit is per person?
Mr. PTM says
I went to the website, logged in, and saw the following message: http://postimg.org/image/fo23b5t1l/
Regarding account limits, I don’t know for sure. Harry’s suggested more than one can be opened in the past. My guess is that it’s limited to 1 per Tax ID or SSN, so I’m looking to sign up my girlfriend for an account, perhaps my parents, but YMMV and this could make for a more complicated tax situation.
theo says
WTH, I can’t login into Mango… Granted, I last logged in more than a month ago but now website has a different look and it won’t take my old credentials… Anyone else with this problem?
Mr. PTM says
Just logged in earlier today, no problem. I was shown the following after logging in though, prompting me to switch to their new Visa card: http://postimg.org/image/fo23b5t1l/
theo says
The old login address that ends with /login gives “Not Found” and now the main site get redirected to an address that ends with /chp which has a VISA logo on the right and at the bottom it says “This Card is issued by Sunrise Banks”. I think the original MC login page is down, hopefully temporarily 🙂
Eric says
Mr. PTM, I just called them and you are correct. I was told that it is limited to 1 account per SSN.
Mr. PTM says
Harry,
FWIW, you can add USAA to the safe list for ACH, although the list may change all over again as Mango moves to Sunrise Banks.
Best,
Mr. PTM
Julia says
I was instantly approved for the new Mango Visa® Prepaid Card, issued by Sunrise Banks, N.A. I will receive my new card within 7-10 days. The old Mango Card will no longer work. I called Mango and they said that going forward they will operate under Sunrise Banks, which I think was a good decision made by their CEO. Sunrise Banks is a very solid and stable Bank. I was worried there for a second when Mango announced that they would cease their operations. Now I can tell that we have nothing to worry about.
John says
The new fee is $5 instead of $3. Is it worth it?
Julia says
John, I think it is worth it. Really depends how much you put into the savings. If you put $5,000, then you will receive $240 for the entire year ($300 based on 6% – $60 fees for 12 months = $240 from interest). $240 from $5000 is roughly 4.8% APY. Now this is definitely not 6.00% APY, but still is pretty good compared to 1APY or 2APY that other reward banks give. Plus, you don’t have to do any 10 or 12 purchases per month with Mango like you do with other banks.
Eric says
Don’t you have to pay taxes on the entire $300? That makes it a smaller return although still decent.
Julia says
Well, you’ll have to pay taxes with any bank. So would you rather pay taxes with the bank that pays you 6% or 2% ? I’d go with the higher one, because you can still pocket about 4% after the fees and taxes.
Eric says
My point is that you are paying taxes on $60 that you aren’t actually earning so your 4.8% value was inaccurate. I’m guessing that most of your other banks don’t charge fees so you don’t have that issue. Taking that into account you are still making approximately 4.4% on your money which is pretty good. I don’t know any “normal” banks that pay 2%. Which ones are you referring to?
Julia says
Yes, you make a valid point. 4.4% is still pretty good. I guess the banks I was referring to are the reward banks where you have to make 10 or 15 purchases per month, like Lake Michigan Credit Union, Mutual First Federal, Valor Credit Union, CapEd Credit Union (just to name a few). They all pay between 2% to 3% but you have to make 10 purchases and 1 ACH credit/debit every month.
Jan says
I must be missing something, but all these comments and issues for just an opportunity to earn $240 +/- before taxes, so maybe around $175 when all is said and done?
No offense, most new money is good money, just doing the risk/reward/benefits/effort analysis thing.
Julia says
Jan, it’s $300 before taxes/fees or $240 after (or about 4.4%). Try to find a bank that pays you 4.4% on your cash. We like Mango here, because your money just sits there and you don’t have to do much to earn that.
Joe says
My disclosure says the new card is still $3 fee. Anyone else?
It also says $500/mo direct deposit is required for 6%. I know I can transfer it out but it is quite an increase from before.
Andy says
Ok, so I opened the account with Mango. Here are my questions:
1. Monthly fee is $3 on the website. So when I receive the card and activate it, is it going to negative balance with -3 for the monthly fee?
2. To get 6% interest, look like you are required to have direct deposit of minimum $500 a month. Does the direct deposit have to come from the employer? Can I just use Paypal to deposit so I can keep the 6% interest? or bank transfer?
3. How does withdraw money process work? Can it simply transfer from Mango to Paypal or my bank without hassle or any fees?
4. How the compound interests work? Let’s say I put $5000 in the Mango saving account now, next month the interests that adding to my balance will be more than $5000, right? So does it make me lose the 6% interests?
Harry Sit says
Nobody knows how it works under the new providers Praxell and Sunrise Bank. You will have to try it out and let us know. The amount up to $5,000 will still earn 6%. The small amount above $5,000 will earn 0.1%.
Eric says
Does anyone know when the new $500 “direct deposit” requirement begins exactly? I just transferred $5 a couple of days ago. Do I need to transfer another $500 soon or am I covered for August?
Harry Sit says
I would wait until the new card is received and activated and you see the money when you log in to the Visa side as opposed to the MasterCard side. Then you do your $500 direct deposit. If it turns out it isn’t strictly necessary, it’s not a big deal.
Justin says
Does anyone want to send me a referral code, so we can both get the extra cash?
Eric says
I just spoke to them and they don’t currently have a referral program.
Matt says
Ugh, apparently you can’t ACH pull from the card anymore, so there’s no good way to get money off the card unless you want to spend with the card. This combined with the requirement for a $500 direct deposit has killed the deal for me. Details/source: http://freequentflyerbook.com/blog/2015/8/24/personal-finance-digression-putting-mango-in-time-out
Of course, now that I’ve already converted and can’t ACH pull from the card anymore, it’s going to be a pain to get my $5,000 back, especially since I’m not a Bluebird/Serve kind of person. One commenter said customer service told them it would take over a month to get their money back to them after closing their account.
Edward says
Looks like the eft of $5/month doesn’t activate 6% on visa… Was fun while it lasted
Joe says
I was ok with the $500 deposit but not ok if they will not allow me to do an ACH pull. I went ahead and ACH pulled my $5000 out before the Aug 31st deadline for the old card just so as not to have trouble later. I can always put it back, but if the ACH pulls are not allowed with the new card then “fogetaboutit”
MATT, are you 100% sure the new Visa account does not allow ACH pulls?
Another Matt says
I’m not the same Matt, but I confirm it is not currently possible to ACH-pull from the Visa prepaid account. I have faith this may change, however, once the Sunrise transition is fully complete. The reason for my optimism is that, right now, I can’t even ACH-push money to the routing number provided with the Visa card. When I push money, I still use the old Mastercard routing number. When the money shows up, the transaction description is “MangoTransition”. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and, for now, simply paying a CC bill with the $500 on my Mango Visa card.
Harry Sit says
I agree. Just wait until the transition is over.
Eric says
Another Matt,
How are you going to pay your credit card bill with your debit card? Which card allows this? BTW, Mango told me that the Visa does allow ACH withdrawals just like the old card. The problem is probably due to the transition like you speculated. Also, if you want to distinguish yourself from others just add an avatar/picture like I did.
Another Matt says
Paying credit card bills with debit cards can be done at just about any store that offers bill payment services. There is a small fee, usually <$1, which is cheaper than withdrawing via ATM.
Edward says
Waiting 30 mins so far on phone. Trying to close account.
Julia says
Hey guys, some people have reported that if you connect your Mango card with Chase, both push and pulls will work. I am testing the pull with my Chase account now. Give me 3 days and I’ll announce the results. People have mentioned that you need to delete the old routing number and add the new routing number. Only then the pulls will work.
thomph2000 says
What is the new routing #? I have a routing # of 114-994-196 but nothing seems to work. Its frustrating because the direct deposits work with the old routing # and account # but when you try to pull, it does not work…
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks!
Harry Sit says
114994196 works. Maximum $2,500 per day for ACH pull.
Justin says
I just called to cancel my account last night, and the guy I talked to said that you indeed CANNOT ACH pull to an external account as of now. He said they’re currently working on it though
MTN says
No ACH pulls currently work – doesn’t matter if its through Chase (I tried two weeks ago).
I have 3 accounts and did this in August with the new VISA cards (that were xfr from MC):
1 – did $500 ACH push DD from Chase
2 – xfr’d $500 from 1 (Mango card to card), tried to ACH pull $500 from Chase – denied
3 – nothing, no ACH in/out, etc
OUTCOME: ALL 3 accounts received their 6% interest for August. Make sure you open the “statement” link in your savings section/tab, and you should see a couple deposits. Seems they did a partial month (8/1-8/10) from the MC, then the remaining pro-rated for the VISA savings accounts.
Sky is not falling (yet). Likely still in a transitionary period, but I’m willing to wait and see, then pull my money out once they stop paying me 6% — i.e. they do not allow for $500 ACH push/pull to qualify for that 6%.
Why pull out prematurely? 😉
John says
You can load Serve using a Debit card upto $1,000 a month. Has anyone tried to load Serve using Mango as Debit card?
That could be an option to pull the $500 out. I’m currently on vacation and will not be back to try this for another 2 weeks but was curious
Another Matt says
Not recommended. The first couple of loads will work, then you’ll be locked-out. Calling in to unlock, you will be told you are not allowed to use a prepaid debit card for online loads. Loading your Serve card at Walmart (or any other location that accepts debit cards for Serve loads) with your Mango card is fine, though.
John says
I’ve not used debit cards to load Serve before (only Credit cards) but I’m curious why they will block after the first few loads go through? How would they know this is a prepaid card and not a regular debit card?
Larger question is what are the options
1) Do $500 deposit and wait for ACH Pull to be permitted.
2) Do nothing for now till ACH Pull is permitted. Lose $3 monthly fee
3) Call Mango and shut down account
Any other options I missed and what is everyone picking?
Harry Sit says
They see prepaid cards as higher risk for money laundering because anyone can buy a prepaid card. They can tell whether a card is a prepaid card by the first six digits of the card number (called the BIN). Here’s a BIN database:
https://www.bindb.com/bin-database.html
I’m choosing option 1. Some reports say ACH pull is already working.
Keith says
I have accounts with both Mango and Union+ but have lost all confidence in them. My direct deposit to Union+ for this month failed to post, even though nothing changed. I also can’t transfer money from savings to prepaid, which I think is the only way to get my money out of the account. I sent 2 direct deposits to Mango via both the old and new routing numbers, but only the old number posted. Of course, I had increased the amount to $500 to get the 6%, and this is a real direct deposit from my paycheck, a large government organization. I don’t relish dealing with either Mango or my employer’s customer service.
Mango has provided confusing and conflicting information about which ACH number to use for direct deposits. The sheet that came with my new Visa card said to use 091017138, but their website says to use the old number, 114994196. So I called their Customer Service last month, and the rep I spoke to said to use the new number for Sunrise Bank if I change anything. Since I increased my deposit to $500 per month, I started a direct deposit with the new ACH number. Today I got an email from Mango that says to use the old ACH number!
I do not recommend either Mango or Union+ at this time. They were great while they lasted, but the transition to the new company has been terrible. I’m taking my money elsewhere and closing my accounts. And OBTW, I was able to do a small ACH pull into my USAA bank account yesterday. Today I’m going to pull out the rest.
Harry Sit says
Keith – You missed the memo on Union Plus. It’s closing down as of Sep. 16. That’s why your deposit failed and I’m guessing why transfers from savings to the card are blocked. Just wait for a check. On the Mango side, once you activate the new Visa card, deposits using the old routing number are going in. ACH out wasn’t working but we all hope it will start working once the transition is over. By your account it already started working. I agree with MTN. Sky isn’t falling yet.
Keith says
Harry, you’re right, I didn’t get the memo about Union+ shutting down. Today I saw the comment about it above, but no email or letter. I’ve even sent messages to them through their online contact form, and although they replied, all they said was to call Customer Service—they didn’t say anything about shutting down. This is a poor way to do business. The sky may not be falling, but as I said, it’s enough for me to lose confidence and take my money out.
Another Matt says
Union Plus CSRs can manually move money from savings to prepaid. ACH pulls appear to still work from the prepaid account.
Keith says
I just talked to my employer’s pay section (DFAS), and for the direct deposit that went to the new ACH number, it was returned to them with the remark “account closed” and instructions to send it to the old ACH number, which they did. It still hasn’t hit my Mango account yet, but I’ll update you if and when it does. At any rate, it appears that those who still want to deposit money with Mango must use their old ACH number, not the new one for Sunrise Bank that came with the Visa card.
Another Matt says
I take back my earlier comment regarding Union Plus. ACH pulls do not work. Alliant CU made the funds available the next day like always, but two days later the transfer was reversed because the account was reported “No Account/Unable to Locate Account”. Guess I’ll wait for my account to be closed on 9/16 and a check to be sent.
Keith says
Well, this is getting more interesting. I expressed mailed a letter to Mango yesterday using the address that came with the Visa card and that’s on their website (PO BOX 315, NY NY 10018). USPS just notified me that the addressee is unknown. I’ll let you know if the letter is actually returned.
Julia says
ACE Elite card with Netspend doesn’t charge any fees, doesn’t require a dir deposit and you can easily pull money out. It pays 5% up to $5,000 with their savings account. I’ve never experienced any issues with them. Mango used to be great, but not anymore.
Willneedpatience says
Here is what I have experienced during this transition:
I activated the Mango/VISA around mid August and the money was moved immediately to the new website and accounts. On 8/31 the $3 fee was deducted and on September 1 $14.43 interest was deposited and then transferred to the savings account. This appears to be interest for a partial month on a $5000 balance and I will call them soon to inquire.
Around August 20th, I tried to pull $500 from the VISA card using the same credit union account I was using to make the DD for the old Mango card. The ACH pull failed with the note the account was frozen/closed. I called Mango/VISA and asked how to fix this. They said that due to the transition only $200 maximum can be ACH pulled per day and they are working on a fix. Over the next three days I tried three pulls of $200 or less using the same institution and they all failed for the same reason, account frozen/closed. I had to delete these accounts from my credit union’s $ transfer system and set them up again. As of yesterday, the test deposits have been pushed/pulled with no issue and it appears my new ACH pull of $200 is on its way to the credit union. All this was done using the old Mango routing #. I’ll update when it lands in my account.
While I was troubleshooting the above issues, I was able to set up the Mango/VISA in my Bluebird account and successfully ACH pull $200 from the Mango/VISA to my Bluebird without issue using the old Mango routing #. They did the usual test deposits and pulls to confirm the account and the $ landed at Bluebird on time.
Note: I did not attempt to use the new VISA routing # because I was advised by Mango/VISA that until further notice I should use the original Mango #.
I’m relieved to learn ACH pulls are allowed and they claim to be working on increasing the daily pull limit. It is a bit unsettling and irritating, but I will be patient and give them a chance to work through the transition. I’ve lived through three mergers in my profession and understand the process is always much more complicated and time consuming than expected.
Harry Sit says
Thank you for the update. Good to see another report that ACH pull is working again. The $14.43 is for the partial month before the transition. The rest of the interest is paid into the savings account, just as before. Click on the Savings tab and then the open statement link.
Willneedpatience says
They do not have an answer for the partial interest payment and the remainder is nowhere to be found.
Harry Sit says
Savings tab, the open statement link, change the time period to Aug. 1 to Aug. 31.
KDuncx says
I was curious about this card, but wasn’t sure about the prepaid part. I filled out the information for it hoping that I could use it at places where only debit card was excepted like ALDI. When I got it in the mail I realized you could only use it at places you could use a credit card. So then that begs the question, I’d be losing out on credit card rewards of up to 3% on the $500 a month I’d have direct deposited there (even if you don’t use it all in one month the only way to get it out is to spend it or put it in savings account which over $5,000 wouldn’t gain interest). If I’m losing out on 1.5% to 3% in credit card rewards on that $500 a month and there is a $3 a month fee then by my calculations I’d be netting only $7.00- $14.50 more than my credit card rewards or 1.68% – 3.48% more in interest on the $5,000. This didn’t seem like enough to make it worth the hassle for me. I understand it can be automated and efficient, but I had concerns about their customer service which also added to deciding whether it was worth it. Anyways I cut up my card before activating but the cardholder agreement said I also had to call them (just being extra careful I didn’t get charged the $3 monthly fee even though I never activated). The main line makes you enter in your card number which I knew was a mistake right away, and I was hoping there was an option to cancel (of course not). Well I entered it because that was the only thing it made you do before preceding. Well right away it says “Thank you for activating your account!” thank goodness it then asked me for my 3 digit verification and I hung up before it could complete the activation. I called back and tried the reporting lost or stolen option and was on hold for over 30 minutes before talking to someone that could barely speak English. They were not very accepting of me trying to cancel and even tried to say I had to activate before canceling.
All in all I do know that the mango card is a good deal, but for me the hassle of sketchy customer service and losing out on credit card rewards wasn’t worth the little bit extra return. My experience with the customer service makes me glad I canceled before activating, but I do have some questions on whether it could have worked for me. The first is that if I use credit cards for rewards on everything except my mortgage and Aldi, how would I ever use that $500 a month that’s direct deposited or just sits in the savings account assuming I’m already over the $5,000 threshold? What other bills/companies are there that don’t take credit cards, but do take prepaid if any?
Eric says
Why would you be missing on credit card rewards? Simply ACH out $497 (leave at least $3 for the monthly fee) using the same bank that you used for the “direct deposit”.
KDuncx says
Because even though I spent 20 minutes reading the cardholder agreement last night, I misread a key point.
“You are not authorized to use the bank routing number and Account Number to make a debit transaction with a paper check, check-by-phone-or other item processed as a check, or if you do not have sufficient funds in your account. These debits with be declined and your payment will not be processed and fees may apply.”
In my skimming of the 12 pages of fine print, I read that and some other wording before it as the bank account and routing number were only for incoming and not outgoing debit transactions and that outgoing debits would not work or be cancelled. Which made sense to me somehow, thinking that was finally how they made their money was you having to spend your prepaid $500 a month or have it sit in savings.
I guess it would have been a great card. I remember the commenters saying they ACH’ed it out, but also that it has changed up a lot lately with the different bank so I got gun shy thinking I’d miss out on credit card rewards while not having easy access to my money without spending it.
Another Matt says
I’ve used both the MC and Visa Mango cards for debit transactions. Not sure what made KDuncx think the cards can only be used as credit.
Adam says
As of this morning, I have successfully pulled $2,500 in a single transfer out of the Visa Mango account using Ally ACH pull and using the same routing/account number that I used when I had the Mastercard version.
NOTE: Mango limits transactions to $2,500 per day. Try more (like I did), and Mango will decline the transfer (and Ally will suspend your ability to transfer to/from that institution).
Julia says
As of this week, I have successfully pulled out $500 from Mango card using my Chase Bank. I’ve used new routing number for Mango Visa: 091017138. It worked! Transactions were coded as follows on mango website:
Sep-09-2015 2053 ACH Unload – JPMorgan Chase (Ext Trnsfr) $500.00
Sep-02-2015 2053 ACH Load / Direct Deposit – JPMorgan Chase (Ext Trnsfr) +$500.00
John says
Julia, I thought you had to use the old routing number? Is the transition now complete that we can use the new routing number to push and pull to Mango?
thomph2000 says
Yes, i am confused about the routing number issue. Which one should we be using for the $ pulls from our Mango prepaid cards to work? The only routing # i have is 114-994-196.
Where did this routing #091017138 come from?
Thanks!
Julia says
Hi John! I wasn’t aware that I had to use the old routing number. I used the new routing number as was indicated in the letter that came with my new Mango Visa plastic card. And it worked! New routing number supported ACH push and pulls (I tried only with $500) through Chase. I am going to try $2,500 next week and will update with results. Hope this info helps.
Justin says
As it turns out, NetSpends offer is actually more lucrative after adding in all of the details.
Mango: $5000 x .06 = $300
$300/12 months = $25
$25 – $3 monthly fee = $22
That’s $22 pocketed per month
NetSpend: $5000 x .05 = $250
$250 + $20 referral bonus = $270
$270/12 months = $22.50
Plus, you also get an extra $20 each time you refer someone
Sign up using my referral code [removed]
and follow the steps in the link provided: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/1432026/
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Teeree says
Thanks Justin;…isn’t Netspend currently limited to 5% on $1000?
Eric says
Teeree,
I didn’t see a way to reply directly to your message. You are correct $1K is maximum for earning the 5% on the Netspend account.
mahesh patel says
For sunrise bank, do we have to do 500 direct deposit everymonth to get 6% interest? or just adding few bucks like $5 or more (with $3 monthly fees) will work to get 6% interest? Please confirm.
Thanks
Harry Sit says
The terms say so. If you want to try with only $5/month and see if it’s actually enforced, please feel free to do so and report back.
Eric says
I receive a text message whenever some activity occurs in my account. Does anyone know where the option to disable this is?
Another Matt says
“Update Info” link near the top.
Eric says
Another Matt, thanks.
autum says
Just got my card a couple weeks ago. How long do you have to wait to speak with someone at Mango. It’s like customer service doesn’t exist. I don’t want to be tying up my line for 30 minutes. Just want to verify that Mango is still in business then maybe I can start some direct deposit.
Keith says
Mango is still in business, but they do things on the cheap. Their 800 number call center is in the Philippines. 30 minutes is probably the minimum wait. If you want to speak to an American, I suggest you call their New York number at (212) 629-6040. Someone answered right away when I called a few weeks ago.
Dan says
I applied for Mango on 7/31. Got the card a week later, but didn’t set up ACH push/pull until 8/26. I tested to see if I was able to ACH push/pull from my bank. I was.
Next, I decided to fully funded my savings w/ $5K by 9/3. I also scheduled $500/month ACH push (to qualify for 6% interests) for the 1st of every month, starting Oct 1.
My question is when will interest be deposited and how often do interest get calculated (daily, weekly, etc?) haven’t gotten any interest to date, but I hope to see something by 10/3 (1 full month after the $ sat in savings account). Should I be seeing something on a daily, monthly, quarterly basis? Thank you.
Harry Sit says
Interest is posted monthly, on the last day of the month, worst case the first business day of the following month.
Cactus says
After calling into Mango Money (Visa) today, I was able to confirm the following:
There is currently is not an option to view transactions for savings (only current balance), but they will be adding such.
The functionality of transferring money from your savings to your card is limited to six times per calendar month. The functionality of transferring money from your card to your savings is currently not functional and results in an error (This is a HUGE issue for me). They will be adding such functionality.
Harry Sit says
The customer service rep you spoke to obviously doesn’t have this card or use their own website. You can view transactions for savings. Click on the savings tab, then the “open statement” link to the right of the green Transfer button. Change the month in the dropdown on the top to see different periods.
The six transfers from savings limit is federal reserve regulation (Reg D). It applies to all savings accounts, not just Mango.
I just did a transfer from card to savings. No error.
Julia says
Cactus, my transfer from card to savings went through as well. I just tried. No errors.
Cactus says
Harry and Julia – Thank you both!!
Julia says
Cactus, I was able to transfer from my card to my savings yesterday just fine. It went through. They are probably doing maintenance right now. Most of the web developers perform maintenance on Saturday night and Sunday night. So try again early next week and it should work.
HYD says
Anyone received their Union Plus balance check after account closure?
I’m waiting for mine.
Another Matt says
Received my Union Plus check today.
HYD says
Thanks Another Matt, I received mine as well last week. The check was dated 10/21/2015 – coincidentally same day as my last comment!
Fred says
I called mango today and the person I talked said that you can’t transfer money from the debit card to an external account, but they are looking at adding that feature. It’s odd that he said that, but people here are claiming they have gotten it to work.
I have a question for the people who have gotten it work. How do you set up the card as an external account? To add an external account, my bank need the type of account (savings, checking, etc), the routing number and the account number. Do you set it up as savings account, savings account number and routing number? Or do you put the debit card number in the account number section?
Julia says
Hi Fred. I am able to pull money out without any problems. Here is how it works.
1) Mango will mail you a letter with your plastic card inside.
2) Look at the bottom of the letter (below all the orange promotional stuff).
3) The bottom of the letter will have Direct Deposit Instructions. Read them carefully.
4) You will see the following routing number: 091017138 and a 16-digit account number.
5) Use that routing number and account number to set up an external connection with your personal bank. You will need need to indicate that Mango is your checking account, NOT your savings account.
6) In a couple of days, you will see your personal bank make 2 small deposits and 1 small debit. Use those to verify your connection between your bank and Mango.
7) Once the connection has been established, you can push and pull money out without any problems.
8) I was able to push in and pull out 5K all at once with JP Morgan Chase and Mango. You just have to make sure you transfer it out from your Mango Savings account (the one that pays you 5%) into your Mango Prepaid Debit Card (aka your Mango checking account) before you initiate the pull at your external bank.
9) This instructions may seem confusing. But when you do it in real life, it’s pretty easy.
Hope this helps!
HYD says
Julia, are you saying the old routing # 114994196 will not work anymore? I had tried earlier (back in September) to add the new Mango to my personal bank with the new routing # 091017138, but it failed.
Another Matt says
HYD –
If you transitioned from Mango MC to Mango Visa, keep using the old routing number. If I read these comments correctly, Julia had an MC account, closed it in July when the transition was announced, then applied-for and received a new Visa account and her ACH uses the new routing number.
HYD says
Another Matt:
Thanks for clarifying.
Yes, I transitioned from Mango MC to Mango Visa, BUT, the d.d. instructions on the letter accompanying the Mango Visa did mention the new routing #114994196 which has always confused me.
HYD says
I did a routing # lookup for both 114994196 (old) and 091017138 (new) at ABA Routing Number Lookup and both point to:
Sunrise Banks, National Association (Head Office)
200 University Ave West
St. Paul, Minnesota 55103
Julia says
I just talked to Mango and they confirmed to use the new routing number: 091017138 for easy pulls and pushes out and into Mango using your external banks. I’ve used the new routing 091017138 number at JP Morgan Chase, Ally Bank and Discover Bank with success for the past 2 months.
Manuel says
I tried doing $75 monthly recurring ACH deposits and it still pays out the full 6% APY. I may switch to just depositing the monthly fee. You can add GE Capital Bank to the “good” list also. That’s what I’ve used to link my external Mango account since before they switched to VISA.
Jeremy says
For those of you saying you’re getting the “full 6%” are you rounding up from like 5.7%, etc? I’ve noticed my rate, month-after-month, seems to be decreasing. In August, it shows I was at 5.81%, Sept was 5.78%, Oct was 5.76%, etc… do I need to keep my savings balance exactly at $5000 or something?
Harry Sit says
Jeremy – If you have more than $5,000 in the savings account, the money above $5,000 earns 0.1%. Then your blended rate will be lower. As you accumulate more interest in the savings account, your blended rate will drop. You can move the excess to the card if you want to see the full 6%, but I won’t bother if it’s no more than a couple hundred dollars.
Brad says
Everything was fine with this Mango card/savings until I decided to close the account and transfer the funds back to another checking account to get ready for a large purchase. I moved the money from the savings to the card, and when I couldn’t find a way to do an outgoing transfer on the website called customer service. Turns out there are no outgoing bank transfers, and when I asked for a check she said she wasn’t sure how or when they would be able to do that. Now I’m waiting for a call from someone who can help…? Long story short, don’t waste your time with this shitty company. It feels like i’m waiting for a check payout from a sketchy offshore Sportsbook. Outgoing ACH payments are incredibly simple and the fact they don’t provide this to their customers is ridiculous. Please warn people about this in your mango write up so other people don’t fall into this trap.
Harry Sit says
See detailed steps from Julia in her reply to comment #168 on how to pull the money out.
Sue says
They all say you can’t pull money back to your linked opening account, but you can. That is what I found with NetSpend because it was just to dissuade me from doing just that. They would rather have you “spend” it so they earn money on the transaction(s) or leverage you by mailing a check which they also bill for…..in Netspends case it is $5.95. But I tried it and it worked just fine (like others have said) and there was no fee.
Willneedpatience says
I’ve seen comments where people have made DD for less than $500 to trigger the higher interest rate. Does anyone have confirmation of a minimum amount for DD to trigger the high rate post transition fallout? I’d love to move less money back and forth each month.
asd says
Would also like to know the answer to this because I closed the account after the requirement was increased to $500/month.
Manuel says
I always deposit 75 a month and it still triggers the 6% rate.
Harry Sit says
I read they started enforcing the $500/month requirement in January. People who deposited less received 2%.
Another Matt says
I confirm. I received 2% APY with a $100 DD in January.
Anita says
I also confirm that I got just 2%, and that was based on ZERO direct deposit in January. This also confirms my suspicion that the strategy of waiting “40 days” to push the first direct deposit is not correct. Mango appears to operate on a CALENDAR month. It seems you must make a direct deposit in each CALENDAR month. I made my $5010 (initial) “direct deposit” late in December, thus requiring me to make the first $500 dd just 31 or 32 days later in order to have it fall in the MONTH of January… (which I did not do, darn) just an FYI to others.
Willneedpatience says
Thank you all very much! I will continue with the $500 monthly shuffle.
Manuel says
Maybe the direct deposit requirements are different for me because I originally needed to get this card because that was the way I could receive a scholarship award. For years I wasn’t even being charged the monthly fee.
Darin says
Ditto on Mango enforcing the 2%. I’m upping my bank ACH push/pull to $500 next month, and if that doesn’t work I’ll just set up the $500 from my paycheck.
Harry Sit says
Received emails about 1099-INT for the new Mango Visa by Sunrise Banks. If you have more than one account, you get an email and form for each account. They are not duplicates.
The old Mango MasterCard by First Bank and Trust sent one 1099 for all accounts combined under the name Rev Worldwide in previous years.
Anita says
FYI, in case you’re a nervous nellie like I am about email links that ask for info about me… I also received an email yesterday with subject line “1099-INT from Mango Visa® c/o Sunrise Banks NA” saying that my 1099-INT could be access by clicking “in this box”. Ever vigilant about phishing scams, I hovered over the box and saw it went to “mandrillapp.com”. I researched before clicking the box and entering the last 4 digits of my ssn. Seemed legit. Clicking in the box brings you to a website operated by “track1099” which facilitates online distribution of 1099’s. Seemed legit. So I clicked the box, and sure enough, the 1099-INT was there.
Anita says
Concern about advice to wait “40 days” after the initial $5000 load to do the next $500 direct deposit. I notice on my Mango account online, statements accumulate trx’s by calendar month. I received (partial month) 6% interest on Dec31 after a $5010 direct deposit on Dec28. Then I set my calendar to do the next direct deposit in early February, but now I’m wondering if I’ve made an error by NOT doing a direct deposit in January. I’ll know in a couple of days when I see if Mango did or did not give me 6% for January. I’ll post what I learn. (Anyone else face this?)
Sue says
Thanks Anita re:1099 and Harry too. I have one Mango account and would like to open another does anyone know how much time I should wait to open 2nd one? Thanks everyone.
Anita says
Yes, it turns out it was an error on my part to not do the $500 dd in the month of January. It is not an issue of waiting 40 days, but a requirement to push $500 each calendar month. Living and Learning…
Harry Sit says
Anita – Sorry about that. I updated the instruction from “40 days” to “next month.”
Anita says
Hi Harry. No need to be sorry. I so appreciate the service you provide by sharing with us your personal experiences and providing a forum for us to contribute our own experiences. Forums like yours are invaluable. We each must then do our part by adding data points to flesh out the details through our own personal experiences.
cetavion says
anyone has received mango master card+ union plus combined 1099 int?
Amit says
did anyone notice that the %yield is slowing going down on what they are giving.. it was 6% for me in Jan, it got reduced to 5% now.. i do a regular 500$ DD via my chase checking account…
Julia says
Hi Amit. My interest rate was still 6.0% paid in February.
Feb-29-2016 Interest Paid – 6.0% (Annual Percentage Yield Earned) $23.25
However, after going through my transactions, I did notice a decrease every month (only a slight one though).
February – 6.0%
January – 6.02%
December – 6.02%
November – 6.03%
Eric says
The website seems to be down at least the past 2 days. Has anyone been able to login?
Mr. PTM says
It’s working for me this morning (3/14).
Mr. PTM says
Just saw that Mango only paid ~2% for the month of February, despite two direct deposits via ADP totaling $500 that month. Called in and the gist was that the way their system scrapes missed my second DD by a minute (the rep mentioned 6:22am vs 6:21am) and was basically told, “too bad, so sad” even though she mentioned that they’re working on this issue. I persisted that was unacceptable and she was escalating to a “customer specialist” who will call today or tomorrow. I’ll reply back after Mango responds.
Anybody else have this issue?
Mr. PTM2 says
Same issue here, while my DD missed 6:21AM by few more minutes. It is outrageous. Nowhere in the agreement Mango mentions any specific time to satisfy monthly deposit requirement. I was not even able to get a time frame when this issue will be resolved!
Anita says
Gosh, what a bummer of an experience. And I’m confused. You mention 6:21. 6:21 on what DATE? And you say you did TWO dd’s. Are you saying the first dd of $500 wasn’t enough to satisfy the requirement for Febr? I’d sure appreciate some clarification, so I can avoid this possible pothole. Thanks much, Anita
doug says
Does the interest get credit on a monthly basis or quarterly basis ?
if so has anybody gotten interest for june 2016 –TIA
doug says
To Answer my own question , yes it is credited every month and I did get 6.2 % apr
Thanks
glenn says
I called in to see about why I didn’t get my interest in June yet and was told that they only allow one account per customer and that they are closing my other two accounts. I didn’t get any interest for May even though I made $500 DD on each account. They said they will close my other two accounts by the end of the month. They said I will receive no interest for any of the accounts for the month. I received interest for all accounts on 5/1. Not happy about this…
Mr. Cactus says
Glenn, I had the same experience this morning. I was additonally bitten two years ago when I had eight accounts spanning the different brands of the then Rev North America, Inc’s offerings and I found out, only by calling in, that there was now a limit of three accounts total across all of their offerings, per SSN, instead of three per brand.
For today’s call the CSR spoke with an account specialist to clarify the matter. I specifically inquired about retroactivly receiving interest on at least the one account that I would be keeping and I was told yes, by the CSR, but I will be pushing the matter if that ends up not being the case.
First NetSpend reducing their premium APY from 5K to 1K and now this…
MB says
I also didn’t receive interest for June. The only thing that makes sense seems to be what you mention about duplicate accounts. I have 2 as well. They both transitioned over from the old Mango and I have never seen anything the T&C that we can only have 1 account!
Julia says
Glenn, similar situation here. I have a total of 6 cards and none of them paid interest rate for the month of June. I was warned before to only keep 1 card, but even with such warnings, Mango continued to pay interest rate on all 6 cards. But this month, they have decided to teach us all a lesson and not pay any interest rate. I called them and asked to pay interest on at least 1 card (the one I would be keeping open). They have created an escalation case to get that resolved. Will it be resolved? Don’t know.
Not happy with the Netspend, Ace Elite and Paypal cards either reducing their APY from 5K to 1K. All of these awesome cards that were once awesome are suddenly no longer awesome with these kind of changes.
Wilson says
Hardly the proper procedure. Maybe they could close accounts at their discretion, but they can’t just hold the money and choose not to pay interest in violation of the account’s legal terms and conditions.
Matt says
Another user with 3 accounts and 0 interest last month.
I am Chase ACH pulling my $ out of 2 accounts, then calling Mango to ask to close them and give me my valid interest on the one remaining account.
It was too good to last.
Harry Sit says
Mango sent an email saying they “identified a delay” with May interest and it would be posted by June 20. I’m afraid those affected won a temporary battle but will still lose the war when the terms of service are properly amended.
Julia says
New update. Mango has paid interest for the month of June and sent everyone an email saying they “identified a delay” with May interest and it would be posted by June 20th. I can confirm interest has posted to all of my accounts. I imagine this is because someone had complained that Mango cannot freeze savings accounts and not pay people their interest without prior warnings. Every standard Bank in America would normally send a letter to their customer explaining change in interest payment and change in their terms of service. They would say something like this, “Dear consumer, because you are a valued customer, we are writing to give you advance notice of important changes to Mango program. These changes will affect all of your accounts below. We are discontinuing paying interest to any extra cards you may own. You will be eligible to earn interest only with 1 card starting in July, 2016, etc, etc, etc.” Since Mango has failed to notify their customers in this manner, they are obligated by law to continue paying interest until they have amended their terms and conditions to reflect ownership of only 1 card.
Eric says
Are you saying that nowhere in the terms does it limit us to 1 card per person? How many do you have? Did you use different email/phone for each?
Julia says
That is correct, Eric. Mango’s terms do not specifically state that you cannot own more than 1 card, hence why they have been approving people for multiple cards. I have more than 3 cards with them. Institutions like Ace Elite and Netspend limit people to only 2-3 cards. Mango doesn’t have such limitations. So unless Mango adjusts their terms restricting people to 1 card ownership, they cannot legally discontinue paying interest on the rest of the cards. Everything must be documented and clearly outlined. Mango has failed to clearly outline how many cards their consumers can have and up to how many savings accounts they will post interest.
Eric says
Do you happen to have a link to the T&C? I just want to do a print screen before I sign up for another account. How long did you wait between applications? You might be right that they are required to pay out the interest. However, isn’t it their right to close all of your accounts at any time for any reason? I would think having many accounts would make that more likely. I’d rather have 1 account for 10 years than 5 accounts for a couple of months each.
Julia says
Eric, I don’t have a copy of their terms and conditions. I would be careful about opening a second Mango card until they sort out this mess with multiple cards. At least wait until we update you if they will pay interest on all cards at the end of June. If they will, makes sense for you to open a 2nd card. If they won’t, hold on to your 1 card.
Eric says
I thought your previous update was saying that Mango has decided to pay out interest on all of your accounts until they change the T&C. Is that not correct?
Julia says
That’s correct and they paid it 20 days later on June 20th instead of June 1st. But that doesn’t mean they will continue to pay interest on all of my cards. This may be the last time they have paid interest on all cards. When I called them, they said they can do whatever they want and that I should only have 1 account. I feel they need to clearly state that in their policy agreement, but then again, they are the bank and I am just a consumer.
Mr. Cactus says
I have three Mango accounts. I zeroed out two of them near the beginning of June. I was paid the interest for May on all three accounts on June 20th. Today I was paid interest, for the month of June, on all three accounts! (Even though I had zeroed out two of them, I left the Interest payment from the 20th in their savings accounts.)
Harry Sit says
As predicted, the lawyers went working. The terms of service were updated to require a *net* direct deposit of $800/month in order to earn 6% in the savings account. The net is defined as deposits minus ACH withdrawals in a month. The new terms effective September 1, 2016 also set a limit of one card per person.
Julia says
Not surprised. They did say, “If you currently have more than one Mango Savings Account we will close all of your Mango Savings Accounts except for the one which had the highest average daily balance during the month of June, 2016. The balances remaining in any of your closed Mango Savings Accounts will be transferred to your linked Mango Card Account at the time of closure.”
But one card can only hold up to 10K per their other consumer agreement. So if a person had more than 3 savings accounts, will they still transfer 15K into 1 card? They will probably end up mailing the difference that goes over 10K.
Harry Sit says
Each savings account is linked to its own card. After the savings accounts are closed, you still have the cards. Then they leave it up to you to pull the money off the cards.
John says
Thanks, Harry. Looks like I’ll leave $800.00 on the card & (trans in/out $800 per month). But look @ the interest on $800. @0.1=$.80 per year or 7 cents per month
@0.2=$1.60 per year or 13 cents per month
And Even Avg savings Act @1%=$8.00 per year or 67 cents per mo.
Still looks like a good deal for me and it’s all set up. So this mo. Will just ACH transfer in $800 and leave on card. In Sept. Will restart ACH trans in/out $800 in stead of $500. ( additionally when you calculate real interest $800-$500= $300.00 it’s even less than above…..i.e. @ 0.1%=30 cents per year, 0.2%=60 cents per year and 1%=$3.00 per YEAR. Thanks to all.
Harry Sit says
John – Just doing $800 in and $800 out in a month won’t work. That’s a net of zero. You need a net of $800. Clever people suggested doing $800 in, zero out, for six months, and then in the seventh month withdrawing $4,800 minus $21 fees plus interest. Too much hassle for me. I will close my account next month.
Howard T says
Harry, thanks for making us aware of this condition change.
Sounds to me that effective Sept 1 2016, we have to maintain an $800 balance on the card each month to be able to earn the 6% on the savings. If I am understanding this change correctly, that is going to be a real pain to keep an eye on…..
Harry Sit says
Howard – Just keeping $800 on the card won’t work. See reply to John above.
John says
I should have made myself more clear…sorry…I will ACH in $800 this month, August, and just leave it there on the card….then next Month, September will start $800 in and out. That should work right? Since there will always be $800 in there on the card. Thanks for you help.
Harry Sit says
No it won’t work. The requirement is to have $800 net in every month. $1,600 in $800 out will work for only one month. You have to repeat the following month with another $800 in zero out or $1,600 in $800 out.
John says
Do you think next month I should do $1600.00 in and $800.00 out?
John says
So are you saying like I said above, every mo. Do $1600.00 in and $800.00 out each mo. That should work right? And then I will always have $800 left on the card (like the beginning of this conversation) which I guess I could send to savings act for their stipend.
Harry Sit says
People following this post already have the maximum $5,000 in the savings account. Sending another $800 to it every month only earns 0.10%. $4,800 will pile up somewhere in six months earning almost nothing.
John says
Harry,
Do you know how to close the Mango account besides bringing Savings and Card down to $0.00? Do I also call them, write (certified with return receipt) ?return cut up card too? I don’t want to be billed the monthly $3.00 and go into the negative. Thanks
Harry Sit says
Just call them after you empty the accounts. The fee is charged at the end of the month. No charge if your account is already closed by the end of the month.
DBY says
Harry, with Netspend, Mango and UnionPlus gone; what are the options for your “Double the bond yield” couple. With the Bay area RE at at time highs and so is the stock market what are some “bond like” places you are invested?
Harry Sit says
Bond funds did well so far this year. I’m buying the 3% 7-year IRA CD at Andrews Federal Credit Union. Post coming up next week.
Manuel says
You guys are thinking about this too much. Direct deposit your $800 every month then go to any bank in contract with VISA and withdraw them. It’s not an ACH withdrawal/pull. Banks are supposed to be able to do that for debit cards. As long as you meet the minimum threshold of $1 daily balance on the card, your savings should get the 6% APY.
John says
Harry, Do you agree with this? Sounds good if it is true, but I believe it’s just like using the card for an $800 purchase, therefore, in Mango’s example the net purchase would be $0.00. Any other thoughts?
Harry Sit says
John – If you are willing to spend 15 minutes every month on going to the bank, sure, it works under the current terms. They can further tighten the terms by blocking the counter withdrawals, imposing a fee, including such withdrawals in the “net” calculation, or a number of other things. Too much of a cat-and-mouse for me.
Manuel says
John, I believe you’re misunderstanding the new terms. They just don’t want people to direct deposit their money then take it right out through ACH pulls just to get the 6%. Example: You direct deposit $800 on a certain month when your card balance had been $10. You use the card at say Walmart to pay for something that is $801 total. Your card balance now is $9 on the card. Since it was a regular purchase you should get the 6% at the end of the month for whatever is < $5000 on your savings because your net* balance would be 800. However, in the same scenario you pull those $801 through an ACH pull, your net* balance is -1 while your card balance is $9. You would just get 2% APY for your savings.
Mr. Cactus says
Why am I not surprised…. Even though the new terms didn’t go into effect today, for the month of August I made $500 in DD, but only received 2% interest instead of the expected 6%. Time to call in, state my case, attempt to acquire the extra $16, zero out my account, and separate ties from Mango once and for all.
Mr. Cactus says
Update: They claimed that it was a system error (I’ve heard that one before) and that their back office team will credit me the additional interest within two days.
Manuel says
The new terms said effective July 30th. I got 6% after DD $800 for August.
John says
Same “error” only 2%. I called them too and it was corrected within 24 hours. Call them…the call is FREE.
Harry Sit says
Thanks to those who called. Received additional $16.39 in the savings account without calling. Will pull out and then close.
CRW says
I saw that Mango is no longer a recommended account because people aren’t receiving their interest, but I think that may be mostly because of small errors and changes that people aren’t paying attention to. This account is still an ABSOLUTE gem if you work it correctly.
Here are how I got around a few of these concerns:
“It only accepts recurring deposits from employers, not personal accounts. How am I supposed to put money in there unless I have direct deposit from work?”
Super easy solution: Venmo. All the transactions via the Venmo app (owned and operated by PayPal – it’s free and easy af, I highly recommend it) are ACH, and because it’s intended for transfers and not retaining money, Mango thinks it’s my employer!
I’ll just send the money I want to put into the account to a friend, and have them send me the money right back via Venmo. Then, in the app, I can choose to deposit it into my Mango account, or any of my other accounts. This works in either direction.
“Why am I not getting 6% now?? I’m still depositing $500+!!”
Fine print update sometime in 2016 changed the minimum requirement from $500 per month, to $800 per month in order to access 6% APY. You’ll have to do the same thing but with $300 more than usual.
“Major banks are having issues with the Acct/Routing numbers!”
I use Wells Fargo for my primary checking, and have never had issues. Sometimes it will appear as “University National Bank” and sometimes “Sun Rise Banks” but regardless it works. Also, using my above mentioned Venmo trick cuts this corner because your big bank will accept Venmo ACH guaranteed (because it’s PayPal, which is accepted everywhere now.) You could also just transfer into PayPal and then from there to WF/BoA/Chase, etc.
Seriously, don’t discourage vigilant and attentive earners from this bank!! I’ve been making a killing off of it with just a few minutes of effort per month.
Julia says
Completely agree with what CRW said above. Also note, Mango allows only 1 card per social security now. Only 1 card will generate interest. If you have more than 1 card, you should close them because Praxell NY will keep on transferring your money out of the savings account. That’s their way of saying stop having multiple cards; we are only going to pay you interest on 1 card.
Wilson says
You ignore that they reduce interest if you transfer money out?
CRW says
Hasn’t happened to me.
Harry Sit says
Received emails about 1099-INT just like last year (see comment #172). The emails are legit.
Julia says
Same here. Several emails if you’ve had more than 1 Mango card.
John says
Anyone received the 1099? Cant find mine for 2016 🙁
Harry Sit says
It came as a link in an email in January. See above.
Sue says
I would call them (there’s no charge) (855) 687-2036. They can prob tell you amt & there may be a place on site to print but glancing @ site I don’t see it.
Manuel says
Is anyone having issues logging in on the mango site to check your account? It seems some things have changed and the site is not loading the sign in page. I have tried on several computers.
John says
The site has changed, but I was able to login on 2 different iPads, but it did not save my user ID & password like it had before so I had to enter them manually. Not sure if I like new look, but it is doable.
Kevin says
Harry,
I went to send this via your contact form but it keeps getting rejected. This happened to me a couple months ago when trying to send you something then too.
How come you don’t have any articles on the Insight Prepaid cards where you can link a savings account to them at 5% interest for up to $5k for each card? I see articles on others but not Insight. Insight is the best option out there with Mango making their requirements harder and all the others limiting it to $1k. You can apparently get up to 4 cards per SSN with Insight, although, so far, I’ve only been able to get 2 successfully.
Is there some reason you don’t recommend Insight?
Harry Sit says
Not sure what went wrong in the contact form. Sorry about that. After NetSpend lowered the cap and Mango imposed additional requirements, I wasn’t sure how long Insight would keep its terms. If you are prepared for it changing any day and you just ride it while it lasts, it may very well last a long time.
Manuel says
It seems that with the bank switch this month from Sunrise Bank to Metropolitan Bank, cash advances/teller withdrawals are not allowed anymore. I tried to do it at Wells Fargo and Chase where I always did it to withdraw money without it counting towards the “Net” deposits. I then verified with Mango that it is indeed the case. Will be closing my account next week since with GS bank offering 1.5%, it’s not worth it to have the Mango account anymore if I have to do ACH withdrawals(that count towards the “Net” balance) or spend the money with the Mango card. Maybe they found a bank willing to not allow teller withdrawals.
Theo says
I keep at it despite the worsening conditions. I eek about 2.7% interest a year given the monthly $3 fee, my average balance of nearly $7500 in the account and the interest of around $24 a month for around 9-10 months a year (while draining the account 2-3 times a year brings interest to about $8 on those months). I do monthly ACH in of $800 and drain every 5-6 months via ACH (of up to $2500 each) when total value nears 10k.
A new restriction I found this month, is they only allow daily transfers of up to $1700 from card to savings. I couldn’t find it in their T&C. Hopepully I won’t find any other nastier surprises 🙂
Overall it’s about $80-$100 more in interest compared to my ally account
Mike says
The 1,700 limit was always in the Mango Savings Account Customer Agreement, though not sure if it was always enforced.
Out of curiosity did you get the new card? What about an email stating the change of banks at the beginning of the year?
Manuel says
You can withdraw more than 1700 if you do it in separate transactions. That worked for me. I got the new card and the emails (several since they kept changing their minds on the last date we could use or load the old card). I have officially closed my account after withdrawing all my money through an ACH pull.
Theo says
Mike: of course I activated the new card with the new bank, otherwise they would have closed the account last month.
Manuel: The $1700/day limit is internal between card and savings (both @Mango) and I don’t remember it being enforced in the past nor did I find it in T&C when I last looked.
ACH out limit (from Mango to external bank) is $2500/ day. ACH in limit (external bank to Mango) is $5000 IIRC.
Teeree says
Thanks Theo, good info.
I follow a similar approach with my Mango account by making an adjustment in February. I call it a ‘reset’ because I reset the savings balance to $5,000. I also withhold the $800 Net Deposit. The annual yield comes to a little over 4% on an Average Balance of $6,900.
I opened an account at Consumers Credit Union (Illinois) that pays tiered rates from 3% to 5% on balances up to $10,000.
DB says
At 5.85% APR keeping the balance right at $5000 it earns $292.50 in interest per year. I add $400 biweekly and offload it to Serve along with any interest accrued within a few days. $3/mo adds up to $36. $292.50-36=$256.50. $256.50/5000 = 5.13% effective interest rate. Second best I’ve found (behind DCU @ 6% on $1000.)
Nlof says
Got a text message that the entire savings balance was transferred to the card account. I also can’t login to mango’s site.
I have a hunch they may have closed the account. I’m on hold for over an hour now to speak to CSR, maybe many people got hit? Anyone else got this?
Leto.T.G. says
Same here. Had to hang up after an hour on hold unfortunately. I just received an email that says it’s due to the transfer from the old bank to the new bank and to ignore it. More information to follow it says.
Julia says
This is what Mango said in their email this morning.
Good Afternoon,
We are in the process of transitioning the Mango Savings account from the old bank to the new bank. If you receive a text message stating that your balance has transferred to your card this is the reason. We will update you with more information shortly.
Thank you,
Your Mango Support Team
Let.t.g says
Can anyone access their account online yet?
Susan says
Yes I have been able to see mine, although I had to change password. It looks OK, but I am still nervous.
DB says
So it looks like this card is still paying 6% interest on up to $5000 with a $800 Direct Deposit requirement (net of any ACH transfers) and a $3/mo fee.
I’m planning to move $5000 to this account from, savings & set up a $400 bi-weekly direct deposit. That should get me about $17.83/mo in interest net of the $3 fee for an effective interest rate of around 5.4%.
The main hassle I see with this card is getting the money back out without paying fees or using an ACH transfer. Loading a Serve card then transferring back to checking looks like the best free option. Has anyone been able to do this, found a better withdraw method, or found better than 5.4% no-risk interest with less hassle?
Eric says
Buy a MO at Wally for a $1 or less fee each month.
Teeree says
I like Harry’s review & analysis from 2014 (Harry says…FEBRUARY 14, 2014 AT 9:16 AM). I came to a similar conclusion after maintaining an account for 2 years.
I calculated the Actual Annual Percentage Yield (AAPY) to be 4.07%. If the $3 monthly fee is factored into the results, the AAPY is 3.55%. These results compare favorably with other Interest Earning Accounts.
If anyone is interested in seeing the actual results, I’ll be happy to post them.
nlof says
It looks like it’s the end of it for me as they just sent a botched email blast (which exposed clients’ emails, names and their addresses) with the following changes starting 5/1/2020:
One will need to have signature based card transactions totaling at least $1500/month to receive their 6% interest and that only on the first $2500 in the savings account. If one has only $750-1499 monthly card transactions the interest rate in the savings account is 2% and below that it’s 0.1%.
Buh buy and thanks for providing a decent ride!