Dave is a U.S. mobile app for a checking account, a debit card, and a small overdraft advance called ExtraCash. Dave’s legal page, last updated October 9, 2026, says Dave is not a bank.
How Dave sits next to other U.S. app-based accounts is covered in the neobank comparison. ExtraCash is a different mechanic from Chime SpotMe, which is a fee-free overdraft buffer tied to direct deposit.
What the product is structurally
Dave is the technology layer. The October 9, 2026 legal page says banking services are provided by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC, and that the Dave Debit Card and Dave Flex card are issued under a Mastercard license.
A separate ExtraCash fee schedule, last updated April 22, 2025, says the ExtraCash Account is offered by Evolve Bank & Trust, Member FDIC. Dave’s membership help article says banking services are provided by Evolve Bank & Trust or another partner bank. Those pages do not agree on a single bank name. The October 9, 2026 legal page is the later of the two bank statements.
Using ExtraCash requires both an ExtraCash overdraft deposit account and a Dave Checking account. The membership, budgeting tools, and income features are Dave services. The legal page says those app services are not the bank account itself.
How it works in practice
ExtraCash amounts range from $25 to $500. Dave says approval is typically within 5 minutes. Not every member qualifies, and few qualify for $500. The advance is repayable on demand. More than one overdraft may be required to reach a larger amount.
Delivery to Dave Checking by a push to the debit card has no express fee on the April 22, 2025 schedule. An external debit-card transfer costs 1.5% of the amount. An ACH transfer to an external bank account is free on that schedule. Dave’s legal page says express fees on some instant transfers are shown in the app.
Early access to direct deposit depends on when the payer sends the payroll file. Dave says those funds can be available up to 2 business days before the scheduled pay date. If the file arrives on payday, the credit is not early.
Dave Flex is a separate spending-power product on the same legal page. New-account spending power ranges from $400 to $1,000, and few members qualify for the maximum. Dave describes a required monthly participation fee and a 3% installment fee on credit transactions in the purchase period. Dave’s own example: $600 of spending produces an $18 installment fee and four biweekly payments of $154.50, which Dave estimates at a 43% APR if full spending power is used by the midpoint of the statement period.
Fees and pricing mechanics
The Dave Membership is a monthly fee of up to $5. It covers access to ExtraCash, income-opportunity services, and financial-management tools such as budgeting and low-balance alerts. It renews on the start date, or the next business day, until the member cancels in the app’s membership settings. Dave says the bank accounts can stay open after the paid membership ends. The fee cannot be paid early.
The ExtraCash overdraft fee, also called the ExtraCash fee or service fee, is 5% of each electronically transferred overdraft amount, with a $5 minimum. That is the same rule Dave summarizes as the greater of $5 or 5%. The fee is added to the advance and repaid on the settlement date. Dave says a missed ExtraCash settlement does not add interest or a late fee. The 5% fee is still charged up front.
The April 22, 2025 schedule adds a $5 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months with no deposit to, and no withdrawal from, the Dave Account. Dave’s no-hidden-fees page says the app does not charge a minimum-balance fee. ATM withdrawals are fee-free at 40,000+ MoneyPass ATMs. Out-of-network fees may apply. The legal page does not print the out-of-network dollar amount.
A promotional waiver of the first ExtraCash service fee, when offered, is one-time. Membership and optional express fees still apply. Dave says that offer can end as early as 15 days after it is made.
Limits, eligibility, and availability
ExtraCash is not offered to every member. The published range is $25 to $500, and the $500 figure is a ceiling few members reach. The advance has to be repaid on demand. Settlement pulls the advance plus the fee.
Dave Flex spending power is also underwritten. Dave says it can be up to twice the $500 ExtraCash maximum, subject to the bank. The 3% installment fee and monthly participation fee apply even when the first participation fee is waived under a promotion.
The pages reviewed do not publish a savings APY, a teen account, or a nationwide branch network. Cash access is through MoneyPass and other ATMs.
Tradeoffs, risks, or limitations
The membership is a recurring charge of up to $5 even when the member does not take an advance. Canceling it stops the fee at the end of the current cycle. It does not, by itself, close the bank accounts.
A 5% fee on a short-term advance is smaller in dollars than many installment loans and still large relative to the amount and the time outstanding. On a $100 advance the minimum math is $5. On a $500 advance the 5% fee is $25. Dave’s Flex example states a 43% estimated APR for one spending pattern. That figure is Dave’s illustration, not a rate locked for every account.
The partner-bank name is not stable across Dave’s own pages. Coastal Community Bank is named on the October 9, 2026 legal page. Evolve Bank & Trust is named on the April 22, 2025 ExtraCash fee schedule and as one option in the membership help article. FDIC insurance, if it applies, runs through the bank that actually holds the deposit, up to the standard limit, and Dave itself is not that bank.
ExtraCash is repayable on demand. A delayed payroll file removes the early-pay timing. Express delivery to an external debit card adds 1.5% on top of the overdraft fee.
