Halocard vs Chime

Halocard is a US-issued Visa credit card for customers in the US and 120+ countries. Outside the US? You don't need an SSN, a US address or a US bank account. Chime is open to US citizens and legal residents aged 18 or over, with a Social Security number, a US mobile number and a US residential address; it doesn't accept P.O. boxes or commercial addresses. Neither runs a credit check to open an account. Chime says you can hold one checking account. See supported countries

Halocard works like a debit card: you spend the balance you load, with no credit line and no credit check. Chime's main card is a Visa debit card on its checking account, and Chime says it is not a prepaid card. Its second card, the Chime Card, is a secured Visa credit card: the money you move into a secured deposit account is what you can spend, and Chime reports your payment history to Experian, TransUnion and Equifax each month, which is the point of the card. Halocard never reports to credit bureaus, so it neither helps nor hurts a credit score. Check merchant acceptance

Chime gives each card account one virtual card: a virtual debit card with your checking account, and a second if you also hold the Chime Card. It works online, for recurring payments and in a phone wallet, and you can replace its number once every 24 hours. Every merchant you pay holds the same number, though, and Chime says it issues one debit card per checking account and no secondary cards. Halocard is built the other way round: 3 to 60 cards depending on your plan, one for each merchant, so a problem at one merchant never touches the others. Compare Halocard plans

Halocard keeps one balance you top up by debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, stablecoins, or crypto. Chime is built around your paycheck: direct deposit can arrive up to two days early, depending on the payer, and you can also add money by ACH from another bank, by instant transfer from a debit card, by mobile check deposit, or in cash, free at Walgreens and Duane Reade and for a fee the retailer sets elsewhere, typically $3 to $5. The ways to add money that Chime lists don't include a credit card, a phone wallet, stablecoins or crypto. See how to deposit

Halocard includes a US bank account with its own account and routing numbers, so you can receive salary, transfers from friends and family, and any other payment you'd send to a US checking account. ACH transfers arrive in 1 to 3 business days and domestic wires the same day, straight into your Halocard balance and ready to spend. Chime is a checking account before it is a card: you get account and routing numbers, direct deposit up to two days early, and deposits insured up to $250,000 through its partner bank, where the conditions for pass-through insurance are met. It supports ACH transfers in and out, and doesn't confirm incoming or outgoing wires. Send and receive USD payments

Chime's controls stop at the account. You can freeze the virtual card and the physical card separately and replace the virtual number once every 24 hours, but spending limits are set by Chime and shown in the app, the card carries your legal name, and a purchase can be declined when the billing address doesn't match your account. Chime's help centre says freezing a card doesn't stop recurring payments: to stop one you contact Chime at least three business days before it is due, and Chime adds that a stop payment doesn't guarantee every future charge will stop. With Halocard you set daily, weekly or monthly limits on each card, lock or cancel any card instantly, and choose the billing address and cardholder name on each card, and a merchant can't charge a locked card until you unlock it. See card spending limits

Both work in person. Every Halocard can go in Apple Pay and Google Pay for tap to pay, including at ATMs that accept phone wallets, and you can add a physical card, free with any annual plan or $100 on a monthly plan. Chime is the stronger everyday card here: its physical debit card is free, its virtual card goes into Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, and you can take out cash without a fee at 47,000+ ATMs in its network. Outside the network, and abroad, Chime charges $2.50 a withdrawal on top of the ATM operator's own fee, and you need the physical card for ATMs and for cash back at a till. Set up Apple Pay and Google Pay

Chime pays cashback on its secured credit card, the Chime Card, to members who receive qualifying direct deposits: 2% with Chime Plus status and 5% with Chime Prime, which takes $3,000 or more in direct deposits within 34 days. It applies to one spending category you choose, on up to $1,500 of purchases a month. Without those deposits the card earns none, and the debit card earns only merchant offers through Chime Deals. Halocard pays no cashback on purchases. What it pays is a referral commission: $5 to $25 a month for every friend you refer, for up to 12 months, and Essential is free with 3 referrals. See how referrals work

Halocard charges nothing on US-dollar purchases and 1.5% + $0.30 on others. Chime charges no fee on purchases and no foreign transaction fee, which makes it the cheaper card to spend with in another currency. Its fees sit around cash and speed: $2.50 at an ATM outside its network or abroad, plus the operator's fee, and 1.75% of the amount to move money out instantly. Neither charges overdraft fees or interest: Halocard spends only the balance you load, and Chime's optional SpotMe covers overdrafts from $20 up to $200 for members with qualifying direct deposits. See all Halocard fees

Chime has no monthly fee, no minimum balance and no paid plans: Chime Plus and Chime Prime are statuses you reach by receiving direct deposits, not subscriptions. Halocard plans are $12, $15 and $75 a month, and what they buy is the thing Chime doesn't offer: 3 to 60 virtual cards, each with its own limit and billing address. Essential is free with 3 referrals, and each friend you refer pays you $5 or more a month. Compare Halocard plans

Halocard answers by chat, email, and phone on every plan. Chime's help centre lists a phone line and in-app chat, both open 24 hours a day, every day. It lists no support email. Visit the help centre

Chime is a public company with a record since 2012, and it names the banks behind its accounts and cards. Its 3.5/5 from 13,858 Trustpilot reviews is weighed down by denied disputes over unauthorized charges and support that is hard to reach. Halocard names its company, card issuer, account bank and founder. About Halocard