I can only speak for myself but I have NEVER had any issues with HigherOne. Even when it comes to transferring money because you have to agree to that $25 dollar charge but mind you I've always completed mines online. I've been irresponsible and lost maybe two cards and my replacements were sent with no problems and in s great time frame. I could only say that to the person who said it went to the wrong address the address that it generally sent to is the address you put on your schools records if you want it sent else where you have to give a heads up notice because the request are processed fast. I do agree with the high rates but that's the business. I've always received my deposits and transfers on time with no issues. But this is only my experience I have been using HigherOne for now going on 4 years. read more

They hired a bunch of incompetent. They wouldn't reset my password because they said my social security number that they have on file is not accurate and everything else is right. But I did received my refund through them in 2012-2013... Giving options of login into my account or air mail a copy of my document. It's ridiculous how suddenly my social become inaccurate, especially it's being transfer from my school over. It's a hassle to have to go through higher one. Especially, when you spell out your name with a "p" as in Paul but 3 out of four representative would repeat and input "T" as in Tom. read more

The worst company I have ever dealt with. In my life! I have had a total of 3 cards sent to my same address with only one arriving. That very same card was stolen out of the mail (granted higher one wasn't at fault). A initial account was opened and all the money was taken out/spent. I filed claims and with Higher One and went through identity theft procedures to get clearance into my account. Higher one denied my claims, stating that I gave permission to a friend or family member, to use the card. All because of their incompetent "customer service agent(s)" I will never receive the $1,900 that was supposed to be for school. They screwed up and answered the wrong question. I hope this business gets sued. And the idiots that work here get fired. Seriously my dog understands and listens better than these idiots do. read more

HIGHER ONE aka WEX BANK. If I could give this business 0 stars, I would. My school uses this company to disburse financial aid. You are shuffled towards using their account thinking it will be easier and quicker to access your money, but that is not the case. You either have to sign up for a paid account (monthly fee), or you can basically not withdraw your money without approx. a 6 dollar fee. The customer services is difficult to get to talk to someone and both times I called, I got a person with an accent I could barely understand. If I were you, I'd SKIP this account and have the money put into your own bank account, or ask your school to send you a check. This company is a scam to sift your financial aid money away from you. Be WISE, and go with your own account even if it takes longer to get your $. read more

Higher One is no help. My online account was hacked and my financial aid money has been transferred to a completely different individual! This happened in April and I have sent multiple letters and have yet to hear anything back from them! There is someone out there using my money and Higher One is ignoring my issue. Customer service is also no help because they cannot verify anything that connects me to my account! Of course thats why I called to say my info was changed and I needed something to be done asap but they couldn't do anything because my real info didn't match the new info this hacker had changed!! read more

For whatever reason, colleges love using this bank for issuing refunds. My advice to students - RUN AWAY! I'd rather it take a week to get a check from my college for my refund than wait on Higher One to process my "same day deposit." Whenever I try to contact them, they give me the same BS answer about how they process it as soon as they get it, use the FAQ's on their site, etc. Customer Service is appalling. And the FEES for this bank??? Oh my gosh. I've NEVER banked with someone with so many stupid fees. This is my last semester as an undergrad and I'm closing the account as soon as the funds (eventually) get deposited. read more

HORRIBLE customer service!! This company rips people off! I'm a sickened by the fact colleges use this wack-o company!!! They will give you the run around when you request a paper check. I loathe this horrible company. I hope they go out of business read more

Update: So I recently received my check in the mail as part of a class action lawsuit against Higher One for overcharging student fees. It's nice to be vindicated. There may still be time to get in on the class action lawsuit if you haven't already - just Google it. read more

This is the worst scamming bank i have ever used. I got forced into making an account with Penn College and was never told that they charge 50 cents every time you use your card. i counted up the fees and over the two years i have had the account, it has charged (scammed) me over 400 in "fees" I wish there was a way to shut them down and stop them from scamming more unsuspecting students. read more

The ONLY reason I gave a 1 star rating is because that is as LOW as you can go! Do whatever you can to avoid doing business with this 'company'. They are only laundering your money into their bank accounts! SCAM! I have had a HO card for 7 years! They FAILED to send a replacement card for one that had expired. They say they will notify you in advance of an expiring card and send you an email letting you know a new one in on its way so you can be ready for it. THAT NEVER HAPPENED! They say, 5-7 BUSINESS days to get a replacement. Well, now I am on BUSINESS day 9, NO CARD! CS says they will investigate and then send 'another?' replacement card in 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS. RIGHT! This company should NOT be allowed to do get away with handling your GOVERNMENT LOAN MONEY the way they do! I want in on ANY Class Action Law suit there is! read more

...i remember a scene in the movie pulp fiction where the wolf says 'nobody does a fcuking thing til i do something' and then he points to jules and asks 'what did i say?' jules responds back 'don't do siht unless'... (the wolf) 'unless what?' (jules) 'unless you do it first'... so when higher one charged my credit card without my authorization that is one time too many... not that hard to follow simple instructions especially when no one said siht to you to do so... to conclude here are some good words to live by... the wolf is talking to vincent and jules about disposing the tainted vehicle and keeping pace with the wolf who is in the lead vehicle he tells vincent 'if i get my car any different than i gave it monster joe is gonna be disposing two bodies' :-/... read more

Terrible customer service and Higher One is a fishy business. Why do I have to wait to get a card in the mail (that I don't even intend to use!), pay a fee to activate the card and THEN transfer my refund from Higher One to my personal bank account. On top of that, I requested a replacement card on the 8th of March and I was told that the card would take 5-7 business days to get delivered. The due date for the "refund preference selection kit" was the 15th of March (5 business days in) and today is the 17th (7 business days/deadline) and NOTHING HAS CAME IN THE MAIL! read more

Giving a one is generous. I had to use this bank all through college in order to get my refunds. Every time I had to call customer service, I was easily on the phone for 20-30 minutes. Every service rep I talked to seemed like they were barely paying attention. One time, the rep asked for information that seemed off for what I was calling for, so I asked why they needed the information. They just simply restated the question every time I asked. Finally, when I said I needed to know why or I was going to ask for a supervisor, they said it was for verification purposes. Didn't understand why that took 5 times of asking. Also, their service charged me an over draft fee (which they caused) and I had to put $20 back into the account because of their problem. Overall, this bank is completely terrible and I was thrilled to cancel the account. read more

I have been using Higher One since 2012 as I am a part time college student. I have never had any real issues other than the same grievances mentioned here; high fees, horrible customer service, etc. Nothing worth writing home about. This disbursement cycle, I noticed the option of having funds sent directly to my bank account once Higher One received it and thought 'perfect!'. After speaking to my friend she urged me to change this refund preference due to HO being shady. I did so immediately. My refund appeared in my higher one account and I began using the funds to prepay bills as I do every semester. A few days later I started receiving returned payment email notifications. I immediately go to HO website to see that my account has been closed. I, of course, call them and am told they have sent the funds to my bank as in requested on X date. I state that if you look at my preference it clearly indicates I changed my preference and it was accepted. The rep disagrees with me although I was staring at the choice in black and white. He tells me the funds were transfered and I needed to call my bank. I did so immediately. This went on for several hours when my bank rep asked me to call HO on 3 way. HO refused to give my rep any information even though I was on the line and kept repeating they had my permission to do so. The information my bank needed to verify was the account and routing number the funds were sent. I even stated the numbers at one point and the HO rep admitted she nor anyone at her facility had access to any information other than the last 4 digits of my account. At that point I asked to speak to a manager and she told me she was a manager. I asked to speak to someone higher and she said that was not possible. She apologized for the inconvenience informed me that they would not be reimbursing me for any of the returned fees I incurred as it was not their fault, and my bank needed to figure it out. Bottom line-they received $4K and can't figure out where it went but oh well its not their problem If you must bank with them, please do NOT select to have them transfer the funds directly to your bank. I ensured I entered my information properly before (I copy and pasted from my bank) I submitted and this still happened. Update: After approximately 2 months, I randomly received a check from Higher One in the mail. Of course all of the fees I had incurred due to the error they made and refuse to take responsibility for were taken from my FAFSA refund. read more

Hard as f**k to log in. Even if you know your password, they STILL would NOT log you in. This is one of HARDEST accounts I have ever tried to log in read more

Many colleges across the nation are FORCING THEIR STUDENTS INTO SIGNING UP FOR A CREDIT CARD THAT THEY NEITHER WANT NOR NEED. Upon enrollment the schools automatically send credit cards to all of their students; some schools even make these credit cards into a mandatory student ID. Higher One has terrible interest rates and terms of use; Higher One has VERY SHADY business practices. I'm ashamed (but not surprised) that schools across the nation have hopped into bed with credit card companies. Higher One targets college students. Young and naïve students are ripe for the picking, willing and eager to accept a credit card that will in all likelihood indenture them forever as debt slaves. I'm sure this review will soon be censored and removed from public view..... BUT REMEMBER "NOTHING STRENGTHS AUTHORITY SO MUCH AS SILENCE," Leonardo da Vinci. read more

I've had such a terrible experience with higher one that I recommend any student to use direct deposit if possible. Their company false advertises and is no help through their help line or chat. It's advertised that you can get your money same/next day if you chose to receive your student refund on their card but if you choose direct deposit it's 5-9 days. Here I am, 5 days later after selecting their card, and I have yet to receive my refund and was told I wouldn't for another couple of days. Their identity verification process is lengthy and they are inconsiderate of students needs to receive their money so they can buy their textbooks before school. I have nothing but negative things to say about this company that is supposed to be a partner to students and giving them their money. I wouldn't even give them one star but that's not an option. read more

This company SUCKS!!!I still haven't gotten my financial aid and they have had all my documentation for over 72 business hours. You have to verify your identity by sending them your id and ssn, then when you upload it they say they can't see if for 48 hours! Their customer service reps read from a script and can't look into anything. There is no phone support for people who don't live on the east coast. Colleges need to handle their own financial aid and hire more people, don't out source to this sorry company read more

I've finally decided to return to school after a twenty-one year hiatus. Arguably, few in this present economy have tens of thousands of dollars in disposable income for which to pay down on college; and so I applied for Financial Aid, and was awarded. Flashback to the week after application/acceptance, and the day I got the 'Green: HigherOne Envelope' in the mail. At first, I was confused as to the purpose of the HigherOne Debit Card. I found it kitschy, and yet I remained curious about it. Was it intended to be a way for me to access my Fin. Aid through a school related account? I didn't realize, at that time, that it was a completely separate entity from my school. I held on to the card months before bothering to have it activated; namely because my disbursal date was approaching, and I wanted to be prepared. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when my itchy research fingers began dancing across my keyboard to learn more about the who's, what's, where's, and why's of HigherOne as a monetary portal for MY Financial Aid Money. Let me tell you that I am extremely glad I did. My research went as follows: 1. I visited Glassdoor to learn what HigherOne Employees were saying about the company. I learned that, by the end of the year, HigherOne will be Outsourcing their Customer Service Department, and firing 334 American Customer Service Agents. There were some employees that openly questioned the character of the company, and even accused HigherOne Executives of Greed and Skimming by way of stealing from, we, the students. I would recommend to anyone reading this; go to Glassdoor.com, and research this company before settling for the use of your HigherOne Debit Card. Be proactive! It's YOUR money! 2. I visited a website called 'Pissed Consumer', and within the confines of this HigherOne Review file I found droves, and droves of disgruntled students (spanning from 2010-2014) who were being charged sneaky fees, money was being stolen from them at HigherOne ATM's found on Campus; sometimes to the tune of $400. There was, allegedly, a nasty hidden fee called a 'Lack of Use' fee that does not appear on HigherOne's Schedule of Fees. If you do not use your card, at least once, in a thirty day period you will be tagged with a $19 Lack of Use Charge. There are more hidden fees, but by far the "Lack of Use" charge is the most devious of them all. Within the article, to which students were commenting, It was suggested that HigherOne admitted to collecting $66 Million in fees alone, in a 12 month period. It was further suggested that $1 million of this was earmarked as 'Bonuses' for all HigherOne employees. We know that their Customer Service Department has at least 334 employees, and an unnamed number of Execs. Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that HigherOne has a combined total of 400 employees. That would be a payout of $2,500 per employee that year. All of this to 'Celebrate' their predatory Fee policy. Disgusting. 3. After reading all the various student complaints submitted over a four year period, I realized one common theme; these people were pissed, they felt violated, they felt taken, and they felt helpless. Many of them had suggested a lawsuit in need of being filed. In loo of this outcry, I decided to run to Google once more, and find out if any such lawsuit was ever filed. Not surprisingly, I found one. It started out as multiple lawsuits spanning 5 States, and appealed to a Federal Court for satisfaction. Based upon the number of lawsuits, and how many students were being effected by this company, the Federal Court turned all their separate lawsuits in to one large suit. Based upon the evidence provided, and the amount of students involved in the lawsuit, the Court took the matter very seriously. Eventually, a settlement of $15 Million was reached, and HigherOne was ordered to change it's practices from the date they lost the case. Based upon what I have seen, and the things present Employees are saying about HigherOne, I would assume they thumbed their nose at the judge, and submitted their will to greed once more. This leads to the next Class Action Lawsuit Filed by Shareholders who face financial ruin because of heavy fines passed onto the company for illegal business practices. Please follow these links: http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Higher-One-Reviews-E261433.htm https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/11/06/higher-one-agrees-15-million-settlement-resolve-charges-over-fees http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20140528/class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-higher-one-of-new-haven In closing, WHY is this unethical, twisted company given full reign over our Financial Aid funds? It's unconscionable, and I would beseech every college in America to Turn away from the use of HigherOne, and find a safer way, and a less stressful way for Students to Access their Financial Aid Money. read more

The people who created this "business" should be thrown in jail for fraud. This company skims and scams money from broke college students and tells them it's for their own good. I was attending school when this was first forced upon us and luckily I graduated before I could rack up fees for running the card as debit, rather than credit. read more

Probably the worst customer service experience I have ever experienced. I rate them a zero, the guy I talked to was total dick. He stated he couldn't help me out because I couldn't give him the phone number I used on my application even though I had already given him all of my other information. They suck, never use them! read more

So, after almost a MONTH and 1/2 of back and forth phone calls/emails between HigherOne and my student loan company my MISSING left-over residual student loan money has been found. Although, it still remains a mystery as to who screwed up. I won't get into the details--because there are many--but what was supposed to be a simple transaction and closure of my HigherOne account (per me graduating) turned into a logistic nightmare. Luckily I didn't have to get a lawyer involved because it almost got to that point. So my words of wisdom to you whether you are going back to school; your child is beginning college; or whatever the circumstance may be: MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE POLICIES AND TERMS OF ALL THE FINANCIAL PARTIES INVOLVED IN YOUR FINANCIAL AID BUSINESS. Take detailed notes EVERY time you are on the phone and always get the name of the customer service rep you are speaking with. I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted and I don't wish this situation on ANYONE. Being and feeling frustrated, helpless, and taken advantage of (with your own money) is not what one is supposed to experience...especially after achieving a major accomplishment like completing graduate school. I hope this helps you and/or your loved one. read more

This institution is a complete scam. They charge fee for everything and yes they do post their fee policies on their website but really... for everything... a debit transaction has $.50. I will probably get a "review fee" for giving them a bad review. If my college didn't require me to have an account with them in order to receive financial aid, I would have never opened this account and I cannot wait until I am finished with school so that I can finally close this worthless waste of money and time account. I have even tried contacting them through their website with issues but I can't seem to find information on how to contact them directly. (Probably because they know they will just get boatloads of hate mail) All I have to say is that Higher One should be ashamed of themselves robbing college students of money they NEED to buy food and books and supplies for school and pay for their classes: "Last year, it took in $66 million on merchant swipe fees, ATM fees, overdraft fees and student "convenience fees," the company says. It did so well last year, the company handed out $1 million in bonuses to employees. In June, it raised $38 million in a public stock offering on Wall Street." I gave you one star because it was required for a rating but you aren't even worthy of that, Higher One. http://defendyourdollars.org/posts/98-college_students__warnings_about_the_higher_one_card read more

What kind of company screws up information that is transferred to them on paper? The college I attend makes us use this company and automatically sets up an account with them for us. I forgot my password the next fall and could not reset it because apparently the birthdate I was giving them was not the same as they had. I had to fax in a copy of my ID in order to verify and change it. All in all I spent a few hours after work over one week before "fixing" the problem. Once again I need to reset my password and am not able to do so. I think that they did not actually change my birthdate yet because the information I am giving is accurate. Another thing that I don't like about this company is that they are automatically charging a fee for a new feature called expedited bill pay. Sorry, but I am not going to use that so don't charge me! Seems like this is a company with low customer service that mooches from students. read more

Beware that this company preys on students buy signing agreements with colleges to force students to receive financial aid and refunds through a Higher One account. They then make it difficult to withdrawl or transfer money, charge fees for inactivity, and eventually declare accounts abandoned. I lost over $600 to this company. Tip to students: as soon as the college sets one of these accounts up, close it and make sure you receive your balance. read more

So, my refund was set to be posted on the 12th. Here it is the 14th. No money, all they continue to tell me is they have no record of a deposit being sent. My school online account reflects the money being sent. The representatives refer to me as "sir" they don't take time to personalize the call. They don't make an effort to try and help. They don't listen. They talk over you and interrupt you when you speak. Same day deposit my ass. Fuck higher one. When i get my money, I'm closing my account. read more

Worst customer service. They are pleasant enough over the phone, but it seems no one can fix your problem because there is a "process in place". Customer care does not have access to "the process". So all they do is assure you it's processing. My specific issue was the my college released the funds to Higher One on 6/25. When I called Higher One to ask why I did not receive the financial aid on the official disbursement date (7/1), they said they never received it from the college. After hours of back and forth, I was informed by Higher One it was simply being "processed" and I would receive it by July 7th! One week after I am supposed to receive it! No one could solve the issue at hand. I filed an official complaint and now have to simply wait until it's done "processing". read more

I would give this business less than a star if I could. There is little to no way to make easy, low cost deposits or refunds into the account. I have never found a location to deposit or withdraw that would not fee me, even on the ATMs they advertise to be fee-free for their system. They do not cancel transactions that go over the balance (because of unforseen fees of the transaction that they apply, which would be ok but there are $1.00 transaction fees, or something) and trying to set a balance to $0.00 is near impossible. Even when you do need to transfer funds, there's a $25 dollar fee just to transfer the amount of money. NOT recommended for college students, just don't do it. Use something more reliable that isn't going to charge you fees on everything and have little access. read more

Higher One is ridiculous. They didn't accept any documents that I had so I had to re submit it. My social security should be more than enough as to "proof". If you have my social you have access to everything. I don't feel comfortable sending my social to some company that has terrible terrible reviews. One of the Higher One workers hung up on me & was talking over me when I was. HOW RUDE. All I have to say is that Higher One, you will be sued. I guarantee that. higher one is horrible & HIGHLY do not recommend it. read more

Higher One preys on cash-strapped college students. They are a predatory company that has signed up over 700 colleges and universities to take their student's federal financial aid funds, deposit them into a debit card account and then continuously charge the students to withdraw and use their funds. They are being allowed to scalp already cash-strapped students, of their pell grant and federal student loan disbursements and the colleges and universities are turning a blind eye to it! Higher One should be shut down and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If you are a student and this is happening to you, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! read more

I am a new college student, and upon receiving a refund card from Higher One I thought it would make things very fast and convenient for processing my refund. I signed up for their checking account and deposited some money to test them out. The initial deposit took 4 days to post, and I made 5 purchases online. Every transaction was charged a fee. Fee after fee later, I am closing the checking account and requesting a paper check for my refund. It may take a few days longer, but I would rather starve than let this joke of a company handle my banking. read more

I have had an account with higher one a couple of years. I can't think of the last time I called higher one customer service but from what I remember the communication went very smooth. I made a call today and I could tell now the customer service agents are outsourced in the Philippines. They could not understand my questions that most bank representatives could understand. Stop being cheap and hired back the American customer service agents. You get what you pay for. read more

Not surprised by all the negative reviews. I wasted a good 30 minutes going through the Easy Help feature then had to use Google to find a contact number in order to speak with someone since a telephone number is not provided through the site. After being transferred to the second representative I just gave up and decided to contact my universities financial services department for help. To sum it up, THIS COMPANIES A JOKE!!! read more

This company is AWFUL! I am a graduate student at LeTourneau University. I love my school and the only negative experience I ever have comes 3 times per year when my loans are disbursed and placed into this account. I was not provided any other option and was told by the school that I had to open an account with Higher One in order to receive my loans. IT SUCKS. The money is first released into this account which of course is on Eastern time when I am on Pacific Standard time. The funds are often not available until the afternoon when it's too late to have them wired to my account until the next business day. It take about 3-5 business days for the funds to finally be wired to my Chase account (Chase has always been quick with other wires and transfers so I know it's not them). Did I mention for me to send this wire I have to pay $25?!!!!! That's $75 per year this corrupt company is making off of me for doing nothing! Let's be honest, the hassle of having an account I don't need or want in the first place is also an annoyance. I hope that LeTourneau and other universities would cut ties to a company that creates more stress for students than is necessary and practices very questionable business related activity. BAD. BAD. BAD!!!! read more

Literally the worst experience of my life dealing with these people who read from scripts. The website will not let me reset my password and I have called four times, each call an hour long and they want to walk me through the process and are surprised when it doesn't work...after I've told them it doesn't 10,000 times. 'Have you tried entering your current password"?....NO I DON'T HAVE IT, THATS WHY I AM TRYING TO RESET IT. What an extreme waste of time. 1 star is not low enough. read more

These people made the process of getting my financial aid loans so much more cumbersome and tried to sucker me into getting their credit card by putting a hold on my deposit for 2-3 days. When I tried to contact them about this they tried to blame my bank. i called my bank and they said there would be no reason for a 2-3 day delay reaffirming the fact that Higher One is just trying to pressure people into using their accounts. If you work in a financial aid office, PLEASE DON'T USE HIGHER ONE. read more

Disgusting company they do everything possible to NOT help you , My card was used fraudulently at a hotel and the hotel over charged my card almost 400.00 dollars when you call to get any help you get the Phillipines , they tell you NOTHING , you get the run around and told it will take 180 days or 6 months to get your money back ! This company I found out also has been sued for illegal banking practices and lost the case . The were called Higher One , all they have done is change their name practices are still questionable. There is no way to reach anyone in the U.S where their offices are located . I paid to look up their corporate office (203) 776-7776 and no one answers their phones . My lawyer has started another class action lawsuit to expose these fraudulent and disgusting practices of preying on people with bad credit and college students . THIS COMPANY IS A FRAUD AND SCAM BEWARE . ANOTHER CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING!! CROOKED ! read more

absolutely horrible system. do not use higherone. Their system usually takes over 30 minutes to respond back to you. They charge you ridiculous fees and also put holds on your account at the worst possible times. read more

OUT OF 46 PEOPLE EVERYONE BUT 2 PEOPLE GAVE ONE STAR AND A LOT OF THEM WOULD HAVE GIVEN LESS IF THEY COULD. This is the WORST bank ever! I was scammed online purchasing goods and they refuse to refund me the money. They say they are awaiting a merchant response for the last month but if you were a conman would you call a bank back? The "red carpet service" i got was so bad I would hate to see regular customer service. If you are in my position go to the "federal reserve consumer help" and file a complaint. We might not get them shut down but at least people will know not to deal with this bank!This company is a scam. You are better off getting a bank account and having your refund deposited into that. I used my "OneAccount Premier" card to purchase goods online. Two weeks later I still did not get what I purchased and filed a dispute. Now almost a month later it still says "Awaiting merchant response". I keep calling "Higher One" and telling them the merchant is a scam and won't call back. I was defrauded and "Higher One" is waiting for a con man to call back. "Red Carpet Service", What a JOKE!!!! Steer clear of these people at all costs! read more

Update. I looked again online on Higher One for ATM's as suggested by Lauren. Higher One only has 17 ATM's in the WHOLE STATE. The nearest one to me is two hours away. SEVENTEEN in the whole state even though they serve college students statewide who often do NOT live near campus! This company is such a disgrace. Could not possible hate them more. read more