You can spend money on Cash App in four ways: sending it directly to another person, swiping your Cash App Card at stores, using Cash App Pay at online checkouts, or withdrawing cash from an ATM. Each method pulls from your Cash App balance, and some work even if you never link a bank account. Here’s how each option works and what to know about limits and fees.
Send Money to Another Person
The most common way to spend on Cash App is sending a payment to someone else. Open the app, tap the Payments tab (the “$” icon), and enter the amount you want to send (minimum $1). Tap “Pay,” then type in the recipient’s name, $cashtag, phone number, or email address. You can add a short note describing what the payment is for, choose your funding source, and hit Pay to complete it.
You can also send payments from a desktop browser. Log in at cash.app, click “Pay & Request” on the left side, toggle to “Pay,” and fill in the amount and recipient details. The process mirrors the mobile version.
How much you can send depends on whether your account is verified. Unverified accounts can send and receive up to $1,000 over a rolling 30-day period, with a total lifetime account cap of $1,500. If you verify your identity by providing your full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number, your sending limit jumps to $40,000 over a rolling 30-day period, with no cap on your balance. Verification takes a few minutes and is worth doing if you plan to use the app regularly.
Use the Cash App Card at Stores
The Cash App Card is a free Visa debit card that lets you spend your Cash App balance anywhere Visa is accepted. You can order a physical card through the app, and you’ll also get a virtual card number immediately that works for online purchases. There are no monthly fees and no overdraft fees.
Using the card at a store works exactly like any other debit card. Swipe, tap, or insert it at checkout, and the purchase amount is deducted from your Cash App balance. For online shopping, enter your card number, expiration date, and CVV just like you would with any debit or credit card.
One fee to watch: purchases made with international merchants, whether overseas in person or from a foreign online retailer, carry a 3% foreign transaction fee. A $100 purchase from a merchant based outside the U.S. would cost you $103.
Pay Online With Cash App Pay
Some online merchants offer Cash App Pay as a checkout option, letting you pay directly from your balance without entering card details. This feature is free to use.
On a mobile browser or app, select Cash App Pay at checkout. The app will open with a confirmation prompt, and you complete the purchase back on the merchant’s site. On a desktop, selecting Cash App Pay generates a QR code on your screen. Scan it with your phone’s camera, a QR scanning app, or the built-in scanner in Cash App’s Payments tab. Follow the prompts in the app, and the payment goes through. Some merchants will save your $cashtag so future purchases are even faster.
Withdraw Cash From an ATM
Your Cash App Card works at any ATM if you need physical cash. Cash App charges a $2.50 fee per withdrawal, and most ATMs tack on their own operator fee on top of that, so a single withdrawal can easily cost $4 to $5 in combined fees.
You can eliminate Cash App’s fee by qualifying for Cash App Green, which provides unlimited free withdrawals at in-network ATMs. To qualify, you need to either spend at least $500 per month using your Cash App Card or Cash App Pay, or receive at least $300 per month in direct deposit paychecks. Cash App Green also waives the 3% foreign transaction fee and reimburses cash deposit fees, making it a meaningful upgrade if you use the app heavily. Note that out-of-network ATM fees from the ATM operator itself are not reimbursed, even with Cash App Green.
Choosing a Funding Source
When you make a payment or purchase, Cash App lets you choose where the money comes from. You can spend from your Cash App balance, or pull funds from a linked debit card or bank account. If your balance doesn’t cover the full amount, Cash App can split the charge between your balance and a linked funding source.
If you receive money from friends, refunds, or direct deposits, that money sits in your Cash App balance and is ready to spend immediately through any of the methods above. You don’t need to transfer it to a bank account first.
Account Limits to Keep in Mind
Unverified accounts have a $1,000 balance limit, meaning you can’t hold more than that in the app at any time. Combined with the $1,000 rolling 30-day send/receive limit and $1,500 lifetime cap, an unverified account works for occasional small transactions but will quickly feel restrictive.
Verified accounts remove these restrictions. Your balance is unlimited, and you can send up to $40,000 in a rolling 30-day window. Receiving limits for verified accounts vary and are visible under the “Limits” tab in your account settings. If you plan to use Cash App as a regular spending tool, verifying your identity is essentially a requirement.