Without funds, Cash App is pretty useless since it’s a payment app for sending and receiving payments. Of course, you’ll need to be able to add money to your Cash App account to enjoy any of the conveniences of using the app as your primary payment app.
However, there’s a reality that most Cash App users discover pretty early: adding money to Cash App costs money. While there are some options you can use incurring no costs, if you intend to add paper money on Cash App by visiting a store like 7-Eleven or Walgreens, you’ll have to pay.
Since paying makes you look uncool, I’ll show you some cool ways to add money to your Cash App without having to pay a dime. If you’re open to chip options, I’ll also show you some stores that will load your Cash Card at a discounted fee in the US.
Where Can I Add Money to My Cash App for Free?
Contrary to what you may think, it’s quite possible to add money to your Cash App account for free. There’s one official way and one unofficial way to do it, and the one you’ll choose should depend on the status of your account at the moment.
For the available options, it’s possible to add money to your Cash App account for free by funding it using your bank account. Alternatively, you can pay your friend with a functioning Cash App account to transfer to you and receive the equivalent in cash.
Since there’s more to both of those options than I just explained, here are each of the options in more detail.
- Use a cash reload card:
You can purchase a cash reload card and use it to add money to your Cash App account for free. You can find these cards at participating retailers, such as Walmart, CVS, and 7-Eleven.
- Use direct deposit:
If you receive your paycheck or other regular payments through direct deposit, you can set up your Cash App account to receive those payments for free.
- Receive money from other Cash App users:
If someone else is using the Cash App and they want to send you money, they can do so for free. All you need to do is provide them with your Cash App details, and they can send the money directly to your account.
- Paying a friend
You can add money to your Cash App account by paying a friend to help you fund your account from the funds in their Cash App account. The process is simple, straightforward, instant, and doesn’t require either of you to pay anything to use.
However, to increase the possibility of your said friend agreeing to the deal, you may have to woo them with a little sum of money. For a dollar or two, any of your friends can agree to fund your account in exchange for cash, especially if they need cash themselves to begin with.
However, since this article is all about helping you add money to your Cash App account without having to pay anyone, I won’t say I’m sanctioning the part where you had to pay a friend. If that’s what’s necessary to get them to do your bidding, how much is a few dollars?
You don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary to add money to your Cash App by paying your friend. All you need to do is to give them the cash and also give them your $Cashtag or email address if they don’t have it already. All you have to do after that is to wait for them to make the transfer.
- Funding Cash App using your bank account
Why worry about adding money to your Cash App account by paying a friend when the official way to fund a Cash App account is already free. If you have a bank account linked to your Cash App account already, you shouldn’t have to worry about paying a friend to help you with the process.
However, you should know that using this option requires you to link a bank account to your Cash App account. Also, there’s no way to link a bank account to your Cash App account without verifying your account. In short, there’s an official requirement to verify your account before you can access this option.
Also, it’s crucial to note that there’s a part where you have to add a bank account when verifying your Cash App. You should know that the bank account you added at that point is the only one you can use to add money to your Cash App for free.
Once you have the correct bank account connected, you can head over to the Banking tab from your Cash App home screen. From there, select the Add Cash option and you’ll be required to enter exactly how much you want to add to your balance.
You can use the provided keypad to enter the amount you intend to fund your Cash App account with. After entering that and pressing the Add button, Cash App will request your PIN or any other form of authentication that you use with the account. When you authenticate the transaction, the deposit should be complete in no time.
Where Can I Add Money to My Cash App Cheaply?
This article has talked about the ways to add money to your Cash App account for free, but the options are unfortunately limited. If you’re willing to spend a few bucks to get the same service, you can walk into most of the stores that load mobile payment wallets to add money to your Cash App.
Stores like Walgreens, Dollar General, and 7-Eleven all offer Cash App loading services for very cheap, often ranging between $1 and $5. You can contact the customer service for each store to ask about the prices before walking in for the service.
If you’ve decided to use any of the stores that offer the service for cheap, you’ll need to verify that your Cash App has the Paper Money option. After confirming that you have the feature, you’ll also need to learn how to generate the barcode for adding money to Cash App. You should be able to get help at the stores that offer the service when you show up, anyway.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for stores that let you add money to your Cash App wallet for free, they don’t exist. Every store that offers Cash App loading will do so at a price, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t options to add money to your Cash App account without paying.
For one, you can pay your friend in cash, asking them to return the money to you in Cash App funds. Alternatively, you can use the feature that lets you add money to Cash App from your linked bank account; the app doesn’t charge you a dime for that.
Suzan was born in 1969 in Los Angeles and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She attended UCLA, graduating in 1992 with a BA in Social Welfare.
From 1999 to 2004, Weiss was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School of Arts and Social Sciences and an adjunct professor of creative writing at The New School’s Eugene Lang College. She has also taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, New York University, and Columbia University.
She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.