Direct Express Cards are a great way to manage your federal benefits. You can get your benefits loaded directly onto the card instead of having to cash a check each month.
You can use your Direct Express card to send money to Cash App. However, because it’s a prepaid debit card, you probably won’t be able to do vice versa. Cash App supports all major credit and debit cards and even most prepaid cards, such as Direct Express.
To use your Direct Express Card on Cash App, start by clicking on your Cash App profile in the upper right corner and scroll down until you see a button titled “Linked Banks”. Click on it, then click “Add Debit Card”.
After clicking on “Add Debit Card”, Cash App will ask you to enter your Direct Express Card’s number, security code, and expiration date into the app.
Cash App may run a trial deposit to confirm that they’ve connected their service to the right account.
The trial deposit should look like one or two deposits of anything less than a dollar, or even less than 50 cents. These deposits will come from Cash App itself, and after they’ve made a couple deposits, they will make a withdrawal for the same dollar amount as the deposits.
Once the trial deposits have been confirmed, you can use your Direct Express Card on Cash App to fund your Cash App balance.
In case your attempts to link the Direct Express card to Cash App keep failing, check out possible reasons.
If you continue to experience issues with linking your Direct Express card to your Cash App, you may withdraw cash from your Direct Express card and put it on your Cash App Card.
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How to Use Direct Express Card on Cash App (In Detail)
You can add your Direct Express Card to Cash App like any other debit card. It functions the same way too, for the most part.
The only real difference between using a Direct Express Card on Cash App and any other Mastercard debit card is that you can’t move money from Cash App to the Direct Express card, only the other way around.
Adding it is the same process though. I’ll break down how to add and use your Direct Express Card on Cash App into some easy-to-follow steps:
1. Download and Log Into Cash App
You can add your Direct Express Card directly to Cash App.
Download the app from your app store and create an account.
If you already have an account, for this step, simply log in.
2. Click Your Profile
In the upper right corner of Cash App is a button that will take you to your profile.
If you have a profile picture, you’ll see it here. If not, you’ll see a silhouette instead.
3. Scroll Down and Click “Linked Banks”
The “Linked Banks” button on Cash App will allow you to see which banks and debit cards you have currently linked to the fintech platform.
You can also add new banks and debit cards as well. Click “Linked Banks” to add your Direct Express card to Cash App.
4. Click “Link Debit Card”
Click “Link Debit Card” to add your Direct Express Card information to Cash App.
Cash App will then ask you to enter your Direct Express Card’s information to their system.
If you already have a debit card, Cash App will ask you to replace it.
They will ask for your Direct Express Card number, expiration date, three digit CVV or security code, and your ZIP code attached to the card.
Once you have input this information you can click “Link Card” and Cash App will begin the process of linking your debit card.
5. Add Cash
Once your Direct Express Card has been added to Cash App you can go ahead and add cash from your Direct Express Card to your fintech balance.
While Cash App doesn’t charge you for adding cash, they do have limits for doing so.
If you have a fully verified Cash App account, Cash App limits you to adding up to $4,000 of cash per week.
You can send up to $4,000 per week with a fully verified account, and you can receive an unlimited amount.
Once the Direct Express Card is fully added to Cash App you can use it to add funds to your Cash App balance whenever you want.
So long as you have access to the Cash App itself, or the website, you can go ahead and move funds from your Direct Express Card to your online fintech account.
If you’re getting more than one deposit onto your Direct Express Card, you should consider moving your direct deposit over to Cash App entirely.
You won’t have to add cash manually every two weeks, your deposit will go to Cash App for you.
Possible Reasons Why Adding Direct Express Card to Cash App May Failing
There could be several reasons why you’re unable to link your Direct Express card to Cash App. Here are some possible explanations:
Incorrect Information
Double-check the information you’re entering while attempting to link your Direct Express card.
Ensure you’ve entered the correct card number, expiration date, CVV, and billing address.
Any incorrect information can prevent the successful linking of the card.
Temporary Technical Issues
There may be temporary technical issues on either the Cash App or Direct Express side that are preventing the linking process.
In such cases, it’s best to wait for some time and try again later.
Insufficient Funds
If your Direct Express card has a low or zero balance, Cash App may not allow you to link it.
Cash App requires a minimum balance or a small verification transaction to confirm the account’s validity.
Account Verification
Cash App has security measures to protect users’ accounts and transactions.
If Cash App detects any suspicious activity or potential security risks associated with your Direct Express card, it may prevent the linking process.
If you can’t resolve it with this guide or by yourself, reach out to customer support for both Cash App and Direct Express to get accurate and up-to-date information regarding your situation and any potential issues you may be facing.
How to Get Your Direct Express Card Funds Directly Deposited Onto Cash App
If you’re one of the many people who get their government benefits deposited onto a Direct Express Card every two weeks or every month, you should consider moving your Direct Express direct deposit straight over to Cash App.
Once your Direct Express benefits have been moved over to Cash App, you won’t have to go into the app to manually move your money from the card over. The funds will be deposited onto the app on your behalf automatically.
Cash App offers direct deposit for free and will even give you your paycheck 2 days early for using their service.
To set up direct deposit with Cash App, open the app and head to the banking tab. It’s the first tab of the five on the bottom of the Cash App screen.
Click on “Direct Deposit”. To start using direct deposit or other banking features with Cash App, you’ll have to get their free debit card.
The card, dubbed the Cash Card, is powered by Visa so you can use it just about anywhere. Or you can throw it in a drawer and forget about it, it is free after all.
Once you’ve gotten your Cash App debit card, Cash App will issue you a free account number and give you a routing number to use as well.
Head to the Direct Express website and input your information, letting them know that you want to be receiving your benefits directly to Cash App.
How to Get Money off of Direct Express Card
Direct Express cardholders don’t always know how to get money off of their cards.
Fortunately, they’re not too hard to use and you can get your money off of the cards fairly easily.
I’ll go over a couple different ways to get money off of a Direct Express Card.
Cash Back at a Store
If you’re shopping at your local retailer, you may be able to get cash back during check out.
Most retail stores will let you get cash back when you’re making a transaction, allowing you to do two things at once!
It even saves you a trip from finding and going to an ATM.
To get cash back, simply let the cashier know that you would like to receive some paper money from your transaction.
Most retail stores have cash back limits between $20 and $100, usually only giving out money in denominations of $20 as well. They will then charge the cash back to your account as a continuation of your transaction.
To put it simply, if you’re purchasing $75 worth of items and ask for $20 in cash, you should see a $95 charge in your transaction history.
Transfer to Cash App
One of the easiest ways to get money off of a Direct Express Card is to transfer the funds to Cash App.
From the fintech app, you can transfer the funds to other users, use the Cash App debit card to spend the balance, or you can withdraw it from an ATM.
Transferring money to Cash App is completely free too. Consider connecting your Direct Express Card to Cash App if you’re having trouble getting your funds off of it.
Head to the ATM
Direct Express allows their users to withdraw cash at any ATM with the Mastercard logo.
There may be a small fee of $0.85 charged by Direct Express to make a withdrawal and the ATM itself may have a fee as well.
Keep this in mind before grabbing cash.
Can You Transfer Money from Your Direct Express Card to Another Debit Card?
You can’t transfer money from your Direct Express Card to another debit card.
What you can, however, is transfer your direct deposit from Direct Express to Chime where you can send money to any debit card.
Chime accepts direct deposit and gives their customers their funds two days early, if they’re enrolled in the service. They will also let you overdraft your Chime account up to $200 for having consistent direct deposits with them.
To find your Chime account and routing number for direct deposit, head to the app and click on the settings in the upper left corner. Scroll down until you see a section for your account details where you will find both your routing and account numbers.
Chime has a feature called “Pay Anyone” that allows you to do just that: pay anyone. You can send money to both Chime and non-Chime users alike, all from the Chime app.
To do so, open the Chime app and head to the “Pay Anyone” tab.
You can send money to anyone who has a debit card.
All you need is their phone number or email address, and you can send them a link with the funds. Receivers just need to click the link, enter their debit card information into it, and accept their funds.
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