Chase Liquid Review
The Chase Liquid prepaid card has some big bank features to manage your money for a reasonable cost. If you have easy access to Chase branches, it might be your first choice. Here are the details.
Chase Liquid At-a-Glance
Pros
- Free ATM withdrawals
- Free cash loads at Chase branches and ATMs
- Bill Pay
Cons
- Chase branches aren't in all states
- Non-waivable monthly fee
With bank prepaid cards, there are benefits to being big. Like many bank-issued cards, the Chase Liquid card provides free access to ATMs and free cash loads at branches. But with Chase, that translates to over 5,100 branches and 16,000 ATMs. Still, while one of the largest U.S. banks, it still doesn’t have branches in nearly half the states.
As a Chase product, the Liquid card shares some features that Chase checking account customers enjoy. Features such as bill pay and Chase QuickPay.
With bill pay, Chase lets you pay about anyone, including vendors that still require checks. Chase QuickPay with Zelle allows person-to-person transfers–whether or not they have a Chase account.
Chase Liquid not what you are looking for? Check out other options in our Best Prepaid Debit Cards list.
The Liquid card has straightforward fees. Its monthly fee of $4.95 isn’t the cheapest, but it’s a little lower than the average prepaid card. And the savings on cash load and ATM withdrawal fees make it a competitive choice to most prepaid cards.
Here are the details.
Chase Liquid Features
While the Chase Liquid card is somewhat minimal on features, the ones it offers are powerful.
- Mobile Banking. With the mobile app for iPhone or Android devices, you can deposit checks, pay bills, or transfer money to another individual using Zelle.
- Bill Pay. The Liquid card comes with access to Chase’s bill pay service–the same bill pay provided to checking account customers. You can pay just about anyone, including those that require paper checks. Chase will send them for you.
- Free ATM Transactions. Chase Liquid can be used at Chase ATMs for free for withdrawals or to check balances. While less than the MoneyPass network, Chase is close with 15,000 ATM locations.
Chase lacks some features that you may find with some other cards, like budgeting, savings features, or alternative ways to load cash if you’re not close to a Chase branch or ATM.
Fees
Although the Chase Liquid card has a monthly fee of $4.95, it can be waived for existing Chase customers. If you have a Chase checking account that you link to your Liquid card, there’s no monthly fee, which is what puts it on our list of free prepaid debit cards. Even if you don’t qualify to waive the fee, the monthly fee may be the only fee you’ll need to pay with the Chase prepaid card. There are no ATM fees at Chase ATMs and cash loads at Chase branches are free. And There are no transaction fees with the card, and you can get it online for free.
The card charges $2.50 for ATM withdrawals or balance checks at non-Chase ATMs.
There is one fee to note. Chase Liquid charges $12 if you deposit a check that’s returned. Like the Liquid card’s check deposits, many other prepaid cards offer free check deposits. The difference is that most prepaid cards won’t reject a check once it’s made available for spending on the card. That means there’s never a returned check charge. But it’s slow. It takes 10 days. With Chase, a check may be available by the next business day. But there’s the risk that Chase will reject it later (typically for insufficient funds) and charge you a big fee.
The Bottom Line
The Chase Liquid card has simple fees and great bill pay. The number of Chase branches and ATMs make cash loads and cash withdrawals convenient and cheap if you’re in an area where Chase has a big presence.
However, if Chase branches or ATMs aren’t convenient to you or if you’re looking for more features, you might check out one of the other options on our Best Prepaid Debit Cards list.
Best For: Those in areas with a large Chase footprint
Not So Good For: Those looking for savings and budgeting features from their prepaid card; those not near Chase branches and ATMs