T-Mobile is launching a digital checking account service, T-Mobile Money, which promises no fees and extra perks for the carrier’s wireless customers.
For now, T-Mobile Money is a pilot program that’s only rolling out on a limited basis. T-Mobile has dabbled in personal finance before. In 2014 the carrier launched Mobile Money by T-Mobile, which featured a mobile account and a re-loadable Visa prepaid card. The Mobile Money service was shut down in mid-2016.
The latest venture is powered by BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank and is FDIC insured. Users get a T-Mobile Mastercard debit card and can and deposit paper checks from a smartphone app.
The service boasts no monthly fees, overdraft fees or transfer fees, as well as no fees for late payments or ATM transactions at 55,000 global in-network ATMs.
Non-T-Mobile wireless customers can also sign up for an account and earn a 1 percent Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on all balances. However, the carrier’s wireless customers who deposit at least $200 per month get an extra perk of 4 percent APY on account balances up to $3,000.
There’s also a “Got Your Back” perk for postpaid wireless customers that provides $50 in overdraft protection, as long as the amount is paid back within 30 days.
Users can sign up via the website or through the T-Mobile Money app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play store. The T-Mobile Money card can be added to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.
[Editor’s note: This story was updated to add information that T-Mobile Money is a pilot program and only rolling out on a limited basis.]
