Frequently
Asked Questions
Got questions? We have some answers.
Meet Firstcard
The Firstcard Debit Card is a Mastercard® debit card that allows students to earn up to 15% cashback at stores in our rewards network that consists of over 150 global and local vendors. The Firstcard Debit Card is student-focused, free to join, and offers automatic cashback through the mobile app.
You must be 18 years of age or older to sign up for Firstcard.
Firstcard is the first-ever online banking solution built for university students! Our mission is to help college students save so that they can pursue their academic and professional goals without worrying about their finances. Our hope is to reshape the online banking experience for college students.
Firstcard is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Lewis & Clark Bank; Member FDIC
When you open an account through Firstcard, you’ll receive a Mastercard® debit card and a checking account that automatically tracks your spending, savings, and balances entirely through your smartphone.
Unlike other traditional debit cards, the Firstcard Mastercard® Debit Card is specifically curated for college students. Our debit card is free to obtain for students, has no annual fees or maintenance charges, and offers hyper-localized cashback at various stores around the UC Berkeley and Stanford campuses. On top of this, the Firstcard Debit Card offers up to 15% cashback for students who shop in our discount network, compared to other debit cards who’ll traditionally only give from 0 to 3% cashback.
The Firstcard Debit Card can be used anywhere Mastercard® is accepted. To take full advantage of Firstcard’s benefits, you can view which stores offer up to 15% cashback through our debit card by clicking on Student Discounts.
The Firstcard Debit Card is 100% free to join for students! It costs nothing to sign up with us, and you’ll also face no annual fees, overdraft fees, or transaction fees.
The only fees we may charge you could be for card replacement or for inactivity. Please note that we do not have control over fees charged by other institutions you choose to do business with while using your Firstcard debit card or account.
Because we’re committed to charging minimal fees for students, we instead generate revenue from our merchants through marketing and affiliate fees. We’re also able to collect a portion of the interchange fees that are obtained in each processed transaction.
Firstcard is trying to partner with as many merchants as possible, and some of them are already aligned with our mission of helping students save. We’re also making sure to reach out to merchants that are most loved by students!
Firstcard’s always open to new merchant partnerships, whether it be local businesses or online shops. If you’re a merchant interested in partnering with us, feel free to let us know by filling out this interest form.
Yes, cashback may change over time. Please check out our Student Discounts page to see our latest cashback rewards offered!
To invite friends and family to open an account with us, log into the Firstcard app, go to “Home” and select “Refer Friends.” Once they open an account with us, both of you will automatically receive $5 in your accounts!
Firstcard is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Lewis & Clark Bank; Members FDIC. Firstcard is also not a prepaid debit card. We partner with banks to provide a streamlined, technology-driven checking account and a Mastercard® debit card that offers up to 15% cashback at select merchants for students.
Getting Started
To open an account with us, download the Firstcard app from the App Store or Play Store. Once you’ve opened the app, click on the “Get Started” button. From there, you’ll be asked for basic information like your name, phone number, mailing address, and more. After completing this step, you should be notified of your account opening through the email address you provided. If not, please contact us at support@firstcard.app.
Once you receive your Firstcard Debit Card, call the provided phone number to activate your card and you’ll be all set. Let the savings begin!
Unfortunately, Firstcard is unable to provide banking services to customers without a U.S. social security number. However, Firstcard is currently working to implement an alternative identity verification method as soon as possible to cater to international students around the world.
No, you do not need a parent or guardian to open an account with Firstcard. If you need any help with signing up, though, feel free to reach out to us at support@firstcard.app!
After opening an account through our app and requesting your Firstcard Debit Card, you can expect to receive it within 5–7 days. If you don’t receive your card after 7 days, please reach out to us at support@firstcard.app.
To deposit money into your account, log into the Firstcard app, go to “Home” and select “Deposit.”
Currently, Firstcard does not allow the transfer of money to other users through our banking app. However, we’re constantly innovating and developing new and exciting features to improve our products and services. If there’s something you’d like to be added, feel free to let us know at info@firstcard.app!
Firstcard currently does not have an ATM network. Some fees may apply depending on the out-of-network ATM you use. Firstcard does not charge or collect any money from these fees, and we’ll never charge a fee on top of that.
Unfortunately, Firstcard does not offer paper checks due to low demand. However, we’re constantly innovating and developing new and exciting features to improve our products and services. If there’s something you’d like to be added, feel free to let us know at info@firstcard.app!
Safety & Security
The Firstcard Mastercard® Debit Card is issued by Lewis & Clark Bank, an Oregon bank, Member FDIC. The funds in your account are insured up to $250,000 per depositor.
Our priority is protecting you, your money, and your personal information.
All financial institutions are required to verify their account holders’ identity, and many of them use social security numbers as a verification medium. Firstcard is currently working to expand this eligibility outside of social security numbers, to things such as international passports and more.
If you believe there to be an error with one of your transactions, please contact us immediately at support@firstcard.app. You can also freeze your Firstcard Debit Card to stop any further transactions from going through (to freeze your card: log into the Firstcard app, go to “Profile,” and click on “Freeze card”).
No, Firstcard does not check our customers’ credit history.
Account Maintenance
To update your account information, log into the Firstcard app, go to “Profile” and select “Personal details.”
If you’d like to close your account with us, log into the Firstcard app, go to “Profile,” scroll down and select “Close account.” If you have any feedback as to how we could improve our product or service, please reach out to us at info@firstcard.app.
Future Expansion
Yes, Firstcard does have plans to offer other student-catered financial services in the future. In the meanwhile, though, we’re making sure that our current products are as good as possible through periodically incorporating feedback from students like you!