One Reviews

One is a fintech company with a goal to help people organize money and simplify their lives. It partners with Coastal Community Bank, an FDIC-insured bank, to offer mobile banking services, including checking and savings accounts, an all-in-one debit and credit card and money management tools. Other features include early access to direct deposits, fee-free bank transfers, remote check deposit and overdraft protection.

One has no monthly, account, overdraft or foreign transaction fees, and you can withdraw money with no fee from any Allpoint ATM. The company doesn’t use customer deposits in loans that support oil, gas or coal exploration or production; firearms manufacturers or sellers; tobacco or palm oil manufacturers or wholesale distributors; or private prisons or businesses that operate private prison facilities. One Finance, Inc. was founded in 2019 and is based in Sacramento, California.

You can apply for a One account on its website or by downloading the app. You may need to submit a picture of your driver’s license or passport for ID verification. You also need your Social Security number. There is no hard credit check.

Once an account is open, you can move money in via external bank transfer, direct deposit, wire transfer or a money transfer service like Venmo or PayPal. After you open your account, you'll receive your One card in seven to 14 business days. You get a $5 bonus when you start.

With One, you store money in “Pockets.” You start with a “Spend Pocket” and a “Save Pocket,” which are like checking and savings accounts. You may eventually have others and even share them with family and friends. You can change which Pocket your card is assigned to and transfer money between pockets. You can also use “Pocket Protector” to make sure charges from specific pockets are declined because of insufficient funds.

One also allows you to:

• Set up direct deposit
• Make a mobile check deposit
• Get cash with no surcharge at any Allpoint ATM
• Send money online or send a paper check
• Earn 1% and 3% annual percentage yield (APY) in Save and Auto-Save Pockets, respectively
• Set up overdraft protection
• Use Credit Builder to increase your credit score
• Access a line of credit and repay money over time (12% to 18% APR)

One offers a combination of standard banking services and other benefits. These include:

• Spend, Save and Auto-Save Pockets, or accounts, with the ability to create additional pockets and share them; Save and Auto-Save Pockets earn interest
• Direct deposit, with the ability to set aside 10% (up to $1,000) for your Auto-Save Pocket and earn 3% APY; you can also access funds up to two days earlier
• One card debit card, with a feature that rounds up transactions to the next dollar and transfers the balance to your Auto-Save Pocket for 3% APY
• Fee-free withdrawals from Allpoint ATMs, fee-free bank transfers and fee-free overdraft protection
• Credit Builder, which functions as a secured credit card to help you raise your credit score (no new card necessary)
• Credit Line, a personal line of credit with a limit up to $10,000 and a 12% to 18% APR
• Fetch Rewards, with one point earned for every $1 spent, redeemable for gift cards and more
• Customer support by phone, live chat and email Monday through Friday

One doesn’t have any of the following:

• Monthly fees
• Account fees
• Overdraft fees
• Nonsufficient funds fees
• Foreign transaction fees
• ATM fees

Keep in mind that even though One doesn’t charge ATM fees, you may incur fees from ATMs that are outside the Allpoint network. When you’re abroad, the merchant or Mastercard may charge conversion or other fees.

On Credit Line, One’s personal line of credit, there is an APR of 12% to 18% after a grace period.

One measures up well against other fintech companies that provide mobile banking services. It charges no regular fees and offers a checking account, savings accounts, credit-building help and a personal line of credit. It has other useful features, like early access to direct deposit funds, overdraft protection, mobile check deposit and free money transfers. The company stands out for its pledge not to lend to companies in the fossil fuel, firearms, tobacco and private prison industries.