Wealthfront Cash Review: Online Cash Management Account

Wealthfront Cash has a high annual percentage yield, a high amount of FDIC insurance and great ATM access.

May 4, 2023

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Cash management accounts, or cash accounts, are typically a sort of hybrid checking and savings account and are usually offered by nonbank financial service providers, such as Wealthfront, rather than banks. Wealthfront, like most cash management account providers, sweeps customers’ cash balances into third-party banks that provide FDIC insurance on deposits. The lack of fees on the cash account offered by Wealthfront, a top robo-advisor, make it a worthy cash account to consider.

Best for: Wealthfront brokerage customers who are looking for a free companion cash account that earns some interest.

» Want to see how Wealthfront Cash compares? See NerdWallet's list of the best cash management accounts

Where Wealthfront Cash shines	Where Wealthfront Cash falls short
Offers a 5.00% annual percentage yield. No fees. Fee-free cash withdrawals from more than 19,000 ATMs. Two-day early direct deposit for paychecks. Automated saving and investing tools.	No cash deposits. No branches. Few customer service options.

» Learn more: What is a cash management account?

Checking and savings features

4.5/5.0

Upsides

Offers a high APY. At 5.00%, Wealthfront’s interest rate is higher than the national average for savings accounts, which is currently just 0.45%.

Offers a bonus. Wealthfront also offers a bonus of $30 for opening your first Wealthfront account and meeting minimum deposit requirements. See below for more details.

No fees. Wealthfront doesn’t charge maintenance, withdrawal or other fees on this account.

Early direct deposit. Customers can have their paycheck directly deposited into their Wealthfront Cash Account and access the money up to two days earlier than their regular payday.

FDIC coverage up to $8 million through affiliated partner banks. The FDIC typically insures up to $250,000, per depositor, per institution. Wealthfront sweeps customers' funds into multiple partner banks to ensure coverage of up to $8 million (and up to $16 million for joint accounts).

Debit card allows purchases and cash withdrawals. Customers can use an optional debit card that allows them to make purchases and withdraw cash from more than 19,000 ATMs for free.

Bill pay and peer-to-peer app compatibility. Customers can enroll in bill pay with their account as well as link it to peer-to-peer money transfer apps such as Venmo, Cash App and PayPal.

Free “send a check” feature. If you’ve met the basic requirements of holding $2,500 across your Wealthfront balances for the past two months and have had at least $250 in direct deposits, Wealthfront can send a check payment on your behalf for free.

Automated saving and investing tools. Wealthfront allows its users to set a maximum account balance on their Wealthfront Cash Account or other checking account and automatically move additional cash into other accounts, such as a Wealthfront Individual or Joint Investment Account, an IRA or a 529 college savings plan.

Quick investing through the account. The Wealthfront Cash Account allows customers to quickly transfer money into their Wealthfront investment accounts, which feature a globally diversified portfolio of low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

See more information about Wealthfront's bonus

From Wealthfront:

The $30 Cash Bonus promotion (the “Promotion”) is available to prospective first-time Wealthfront clients only (persons who are eligible to open a Wealthfront account and have never opened or held one before). To earn a $30 cash bonus (the “Bonus”), you must click on the “Get Started” button on the Promotion landing page to begin the account application process, you must successfully open and fund a new Wealthfront Cash Account (the “Account”) as your first Wealthfront account, and your initial deposit into the Account at opening must be at least $500. Your Account must be opened while the Promotion is ongoing and the Promotion landing page is still available, and within 30 days after clicking the “Get Started” button. If you meet these criteria and all other eligibility requirements, Wealthfront Brokerage will deposit the Bonus into your Account 30 days after Account opening.
Wealthfront Brokerage reserves the right to modify or terminate the Promotion at any time without notice. Wealthfront Brokerage has no obligation to open an Account for any particular person and may accept or decline an application in its sole discretion. All eligibility, qualification, and account opening decisions will be made by Wealthfront Brokerage in its sole discretion. Without limiting the foregoing, Wealthfront Brokerage shall have sole discretion to disqualify any person from receiving a Bonus for any reason, including (but not limited to) if Wealthfront Brokerage determines, in its sole discretion, that fraudulent activity or a violation of the terms of the Promotion may have occurred. In the event Wealthfront Brokerage disqualifies a previously paid Bonus, Wealthfront Brokerage reserves the right to recapture the full amount of the Bonus. All taxes and any fees are the sole responsibility of the recipient. See additional terms.

Downsides

No cash deposits. Even though cash withdrawals are available, cash deposits are not.

Other things to consider

No overdraft program. Wealthfront rejects any transaction that can’t be covered by the funds in your account. While that means no overdraft fees, it also means you'll have to keep track of your account balance so you don’t come up short during a transfer.

» MORE: Read NerdWallet's review of Wealthfront's investment services

Customer experience

4.5/5.0

Upsides

NerdWallet rating

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at Wealthfront

Solid website and high app ratings. The Wealthfront website is well-designed, and it’s easy to find information about different account offerings as well as FAQs and general information about the company. Both Apple and Android users give the Wealthfront app high ratings.

Downsides

No branches. Wealthfront Cash is an online-only service.

Limited support. Wealthfront has extended weekday hours for phone support — 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday — but it doesn’t offer live phone support on weekends. There is no online chat support.