FAQs
Got a Cogni question?
We’ve got the answer.
Still need help?
For any other questions, send us a message in the app, email us at
member-services@getcogni.com, or call us at +1 833 264 6447.
We’re here for you.
Got a Cogni question?
We’ve got the answer.
Cogni is a people-driven digital banking app. Our top priority is giving you secure and easy access to your money with no hidden fees. Cogni offers a mobile banking platform that includes a Visa prepaid debit card issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. We believe that your money should always be your money, and pride ourselves in providing an alternative to high fee accounts typically offered by traditional banks. You will find no account minimums or overdrafts and will have access to one of the largest surcharge free ATM networks (*At over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs worldwide. Your deposited money is FDIC insured up to $250,000 per depositor and the Cogni Visa debit card can be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. The service is available through a mobile banking application found on the App Store and installed on Apple mobile phones (iPhone 7 or newer, iOS 12.0 or later).Learn more about us on our website).
Anyone and everyone! (Well, with some caveats). To apply for a Cogni account, you must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. resident, and have a valid Social Security number. Once your application has been approved, your Cogni Visa debit cards can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, worldwide.
Your money should always be your money. We do not charge fees to apply or open an account. We also don’t charge any monthly fees or minimum balance fees. We make it easy to move money in and out of your account without fees. We also give you access to a network of 55,000+ surcharge free ATMs across the world. For a list of the few fees that may be charged, please refer to the Appendix of the Cardholder Agreement.
No. As a member of Cogni, you will not be charged any minimum balance fees. We believe you should have control over your money, so we don’t penalize you for fluctuations in your balance.
Each time you use your Cogni Visa debit card, our card processors charge the merchant an interchange fee for the service of accepting debit cards. You are never charged for this fee. We get a portion of this interchange, which we use to provide our Members with fee-free service.
The Cogni account is a personal digital banking account. You are sent a physical Cogni Visa debit card and provided access to digital Cogni Visa debit cards within your Cogni app. Your funds are FDIC-insured through our partner bank (Community Federal Savings Bank). Cogni accounts support interbank transfers through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, including direct deposit, and many other ways of getting money in and out of your account. We currently do not offer joint accounts nor business accounts. However, both are being considered for our future roadmap, so stay tuned!
Applying for a Cogni account is quick and easy. The application takes 3–5 minutes. In order to apply, you’ll need to provide the following info:
No...we do not check your credit history when you apply for a Cogni account, so applying will not affect your credit score.
The information you provide in the application is automatically cross-referenced against several industry-standard data sources. However, those data sources do not always provide successful matches, thus we need to review the application manually in order to get you approved for an account. The duration of the manual review process is dependent on the amount of time it takes for you to get the requested information uploaded to assist with the review. Please be aware that after the requested information is received, it may take several business days for our New Accounts Team to fully review and verify this information, depending on the complexity of the individual situation.
There are several ways of loading money to your Cogni account.
There are several ways of loading money to your Cogni account.
You can move money between your account at another bank and Cogni for free. Simply visit the Move Money screen in the app and tap the Bank Transfer button. After choosing to Add funds:
An extended hold is typically placed on initial bank transfers from an external account, or if previous bank transfer returns have occurred. The hold is placed to ensure extra time is available for your funds to settle.
Yes! In order to set up direct deposit to have your employer send your paycheck directly into your Cogni account, you'll need to give your employer some information. The necessary information can be found via the Account Info button at the top of the Move Money screen
Cogni is currently building out a 2-day early access to Direct Deposits, so please stay tuned for this feature.
You can deposit cash through Visa ReadyLink, nationwide. Visa ReadyLink locations include but are not limited to: Walmart, Walgreens, 7-Eleven, MoneyGram locations, etc. Once you have an account and your physical debit card has been received and activated, visit a Visa ReadyLink location. Provide the store clerk with cash, and they will add the cash value to your Cogni Visa debit card. This is free via Cogni, but a small retailer fee will apply upon deposit (varies from $2.00 to $6.00, fee varies by retailer. These fees, set by the retailers, are subject to change without notice). The funds should be available in your Cogni account within 30 minutes(often within a minute or two).
You can find a location to deposit cash into your account in the Cogni app.
We do not currently support deposits at ATMs. Additionally, we do not currently support wires, mobile check deposits, or deposits by mail. However, all of these are being considered for our future roadmap, so stay tuned!
There are several ways of sending money from your Cogni account.
You can move money between Cogni and your account to an external bank for free. To send money from Cogni to your external account, simply visit the Move Money screen within the app and tap the Bank Transfer button. After choosing to Withdraw funds:
We offer the ability to send physical paper checks. We’ll print it out and mail it for you — Visit Check Payment on the Move Money screen. We don’t support the ability to order a book of paper checks at this time. However, this is being considered for our future roadmap.
No, sorry! We don’t currently support bill pay or scheduling future-dated or recurring payments at this time. However, these features are being considered for our future roadmap, so stay tuned!
Yes. Cogni’s primary and digital card can be added into the Apple Pay wallet and used for Apple Pay purchases. The card or account can also be linked and used within Venmo and Paypal. Cogni is also compatible with Cash App, but the account and routing information must be used for this, as Cash App does not allow the linking of the Cogni card. Google Pay and Samsung Pay compatibility is on our roadmap. If you don't see a certain feature on here, send us a Feature Request through the App or through our website and we'll see if we can get it integrated!
Pending means a transaction to withdraw money from your account has been submitted but isn’t complete. A pending card transaction is effectively holding this balance as unavailable either until the merchant settles the transaction or the hold expires. Pending card transactions will become “posted transactions” when the settlement communication is received from the merchant. An exact timeframe cannot be provided, although this often happens within 2-3 business days. However, please be aware that we have seen this take up to 10 business days in some cases. The varying duration is due to how merchants finalize their card transactions in batches. This is normally done once a day, but some merchants batch their transactions less frequently, resulting in the transactions staying pending longer. The varying duration is due to how merchants finalize their card transactions in batches. This is normally done once a day, but some merchants batch their transactions less frequently, resulting in the transactions staying pending longer. Usually, the pending card transaction will disappear when the settlement is processed, but occasionally, it will linger. This happens when the merchant creates a new transaction when they run the batch, rather than finalizing the existing original authorization. The pending charge will expire and disappear automatically, usually after a week or so.
Cogni cannot cancel a pending card transaction, but the merchant might have that capability. If the merchant cancels the charge while it’s still showing as pending, they’ll remove it from their list of transactions to finalize. They don’t usually have a way to remove the pending hold, but it should expire automatically after a few days.
Please follow-up with the merchant to best understand when a refund may have been initiated and how long it may take to be communicated to Cogni. Once your refund has been received, it will be demonstrated on your account.
There are several reasons why a card transaction (purchase or ATM withdrawal) can be declined, too many to list here. Here are a few common reason this happens:
Please ensure that the second transaction is not a refund/return being assessed to the account. If it has a positive reflection on your balance, it could be a return of funds. It is also possible that an online purchase was itemized into smaller individual charges due to the way the shipping centers operate (for example, Target.com is known to do this). Try looking at the surrounding transactions to see if they total up to the full order amount.
Fraudulent and unrecognized transactions should be reported within the App. We recommend that you begin by freezing the card used to perform the transaction
If you have recently submitted a dispute, the quickest method of checking the status is to contact our Member Services Team at (833) 264–6447 or member-services@getcogni.com . Please be aware that in most cases, Provisional Credit can take up to 10 business days if the dispute was submitted outside of 30-days from initial account funding or 20 business days if the dispute was submitted within 30-days from initial account funding.
Yes! We've partnered with the Allpoint® ATM network, which makes 55,000 ATMs worldwide totally free for Cogni members. We have an ATM finder in the app that makes it easy to find the nearest Allpoint ATM to you
We've partnered with the Allpoint® ATM network, which makes 55,000 ATMs worldwide totally free for Cogni members. We have an ATM finder in the app that makes it easy to find the nearest Allpoint ATM to you.
Your account number and routing number can be found in the app after you log in. At the top of the Move Money screen, tap the Account Info button.
A full list of Transaction Limits, both dollar amounts and quantities, can be located within the Cogni App. To view them, login to the app, and tap on the More menu icon (located in the upper right). Then tap on the View transaction limits and fees menu option.
Cogni does not currently offer a Savings account, but our features and services will grow as we do. Providing this core banking function is certainly on our roadmap, so stay tuned.
As a protection for you and/or for our partner bank, there may be times where we need to restrict an account to analyze and resolve potentially abnormal activity. After appropriate evidence is provided or the issue is resolved, the restriction will be removed. If your account has been restricted, you should receive an email with information regarding your review status and next steps. Please check your email inbox/junk/spam folders for an email from onboarding@getcogni.com.
We’d be sorry to see you go, but we will be as quick and efficient as possible. To prepare your account for closure, empty it by spending, transferring, or withdrawing your funds. You’ll also want to make sure that all direct deposits and pre-authorize withdrawals are switched over to another account. Please be aware that it can take up to 14 business days to successfully process an account closure request. You will receive an email confirmation when this has been accomplished. Once you’re ready to close your account, please email the Cogni Member Services Team member-services@getcogni.com with a request for account closure from the email address associated with your Cogni account
We believe that our Members should have easy access to their money. To maximize flexibility, every account comes with the following 3 types of cards:
Your Primary card is a tangible plastic debit card that you’ll receive in the mail after your account is approved. This card can be used to withdraw cash at ATMs and make any of your normal in-store and online purchases.A full list of Transaction Limits, both dollar amounts and quantities, can be located within the Cogni App. To view them, login to the app, and tap on the More menu icon (located in the upper right). Then tap on the View transaction limits and fees menu option. Since they are completely unique and separate card numbers, you may add both your Primary and Digital cards to 3rd party digital wallets such as Apple Wallet, Paypal, and Venmo. Although they all draw from the same account balance, this gives you flexibility as to which one you want to use for certain merchants or purposes.
A Single-Use card is a virtual Visa Debit card that’s automatically activated once generated. It is only good for one single purchase. One-and-done! This type of card allows you to make a purchase with total peace of mind. You can use it anywhere that you wouldn’t want your card info to be recorded (think: unreliable online purchases) or where you don’t want recurring charges (think: free trials with automatic subscriptions to follow) After you use a card, it will automatically be cancelled. You may then generate another Single Use card. For each Single-Use card you generate, you have 30 days to use it (or else it will automatically expire)
Your Digital card and Single-Use cards are ready to use in the Cogni app immediately after you’re approved. Your physical Primary card is automatically mailed to your home address and should arrive within 7–10 business days. If it doesn’t show up within two weeks, please contact Member Services at (833) 264-6447 or member-services@getcogni.com Once you get your Primary card, it needs to be activated prior to being used. While you wait for your Primary card, please feel free to utilize your virtual Digital and Single-Use cards. Note: We do not currently offer a way to track the shipment of the physical card, but it is something being considered for our future roadmap.
Your card’s card verification value (CVV) code (a.k.a. “security code”) adds extra security when you’re making purchases without handing over your physical card. It’s a 3-digit code found on the back of your physical card. You can view your CVV code (and other card details) within the Cogni App, simply by tapping the card image. You can of course hide the info by tapping again on the card image.
Yes! Your Cogni Visa debit card works wherever Visa is accepted and can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs worldwide. We've partnered with the Allpoint® ATM network, which includes over 15,000 ATMs located outside of the United States fee-free for Cogni members. Whether domestic or international, if you use an ATM outside of the Allpoint ATM network, you will be charged a $2.50 fee in addition to any fees the ATM's owner might charge. Unlike other banks, Cogni does not charge foreign transaction fees for international purchases nor international ATM usage. However, there may be currency conversion fees associated with the transaction that Visa charges for the service.
You can freeze your card to prevent unauthorized use. You can also unfreeze it when you are ready to use it again. Login to the Cogni App and follow this path: Go to Cards Primary (or Digital) > Tap on the Freeze/Unfreeze card option and then on the Freeze/Unfreeze button on the pop-up screen.
If you think you lost your card or someone stole your card or information, you should immediately freeze your card in the Cogni app so it cannot be used. Go to Cards > Primary > Tap on Freeze card option and then on Freeze button on pop-up screen. You can then report your primary card as lost or stolen through the Cogni app. We’ll automatically mail you a replacement card with a new card number. Go to Cards > Primary Report lost card (or stolen card) If you feel that your Digital card may have been compromised (or are worried for any other reason), don’t hesitate to give us a call at (833) 264-6447. If you still have your physical card, but it is simply worn out and isn’t capable of being used at point-of-sale terminals anymore, contact the Cogni Member Services Team at (833) 264-6447 to have a new card sent with a new card number. For lost or stolen cards, there is no fee for replacement. For replacement of damaged cards, the first two card replacements are free. Subsequent replacement cards incur a fee for each replacement as stated in the Terms (please refer to the Appendix of the Cardholder Agreement).
When you receive your primary card in the mail, give us a call at (833) 264-6447 to activate your card and set your PIN. Press 1 from the main menu, then follow the prompts until you're presented with instructions to create your 4-digit PIN. You can also use this same process to change your PIN at a later time. Note: You do not need to know your old PIN in order to set a new PIN.
Yes! All funds deposited into Cogni are FDIC-insured through our partner bank, Community Federal Savings Bank. This means your money is federally protected against bank failure. The FDIC insures deposits up to the maximum amount of$250,000 per depositor.
Yes. Your Cogni account is protected with the same bank-level security you expect from any traditional financial institution. All funds deposited into Cogni are FDIC-insured through our partner bank. This means your money is federally protected against bank failure. The FDIC insures deposits up to the maximum amount of $250,000 per depositor. All data is transmitted securely using AES 256-bit encryption over TLS 1.2. Our technology is also subject to periodic audits by independent experts. This isn’t only to ensure that we’re compliant with financial industry standards, but also to maintain a platform that utilizes the best engineering and security practices possible.
You can reset your password from the Log In screen. Tap on the Forgot username or password? option and follow the appropriate prompts for either username recovery or password reset.
The 6-digit code used to reset your password is sent via SMS (txt message) to the mobile phone number on file for your account. First make sure you are utilizing the same mobile phone number on file for this account. When attempting to reset your password, you are asked to enter your Username. This Username is case-sensitive. You may not be receiving the code because you are not entering the Username correctly (or perhaps you forgot the Username). To make sure you are using the correct Username, tap on Forgot username or password? on the Log Inscreen. Enter your email address on the Username screen and tap on Send me e-mail. Then go to your email inbox and copy and paste your username into the Password screen and tap on Send code. If you still do not receive the code via SMS, please call our Member Services Team at (833) 264–6447.
After logging in to the Cogni app, tap the Settings button on the bottom navigation bar to get started. Settings > Authorization > Change password
We believe that just like your money, you should be in control of your identity./br> However, for security reasons, we can’t allow you to change your name within the app. Please send a request for any changes to your name via an email to onboarding@getcogni.com
You can update your contact info in the Cogni app after logging in. Tap on the Profile icon (top-left of screen). You can tap and update your Email, Phone, and/or Address To ensure safety and security of your account, our Cogni team may reach out to you asking for information to support your request.
If you change your mobile phone number but still have the same mobile device, you should be able to login and change your phone number within the Cogni App If you change your mobile phone number AND your mobile device, please send a mobile number change request via email to our New Accounts Team (onboarding@getcogni.com) from the email address associated with your Cogni account for processing. To assist with this, some information may be requested for review. Once the evidence is provided and reviewed, you’ll then be allowed to login on the new device.
Once you have properly submitted all of the requested information to assist with your review, please allow some time for our New Accounts Team to review this information. Once the review is complete, you will be notified via email of the determination made. If any additional information is needed from you, we will reach out to you via email and/or phone. If you have any questions regarding an ongoing review, please direct them via onboarding@getcogni.com
Yes! Currently, we’re only supported on Apple mobile phone devices (iPhone 7 or newer) running iOS 12.x or newer. While the app might work on an iPad or iPod device, it has not been developed nor tested on those devices, thus issues that arise on those devices are not supported. Monthly Summary Reports showing account activity are provided as standard PDFs, which can be viewed on Apple devices without any additional software.
The Cogni app is supported on Apple mobile phone devices running iOS 11.x or newer.
Cogni’s primary and digital card can be added into the Apple Pay wallet and used for Apple Pay purchases. The card or account can also be linked and used within Venmo and Paypal. Cogni is also compatible with Square’s Cash App, but the account and routing information must be used for this, as Cash App does not allow the linking of the Cogni card. Google Pay and Samsung Pay compatibility is on our roadmap. If you don't see it on here, send us a Feature Request through the App or through our website and we'll see if we can get it integrated!
An Android offering is of course a part of our roadmap and is currently in the works. Hang tight and to be notified when this is available, please send an email to our Member Services Team at member-services@getcogni.com These links are also available in the Cogni app for easy access
Our Member Services Team offers support via both phone and email. To speak to a Team Representative, call (833) 264-6447. We’re available Monday — Friday, 8 am – 9 pm EST, and Saturday, 9 am – 7 pm EST. Don’t hesitate to leave a voicemail after hours! If you’d prefer to email us, we can be reached at member-services@getcogni.com These links are also available in the Cogni app for easy access.
The Cogni app is supported on Apple mobile phone devices running iOS 11.x or newer.
Cogni’s primary and digital card can be added into the Apple Pay wallet and used for Apple Pay purchases. The card or account can also be linked and used within Venmo and Paypal. Cogni is also compatible with Square’s Cash App, but the account and routing information must be used for this, as Cash App does not allow the linking of the Cogni card. Google Pay and Samsung Pay compatibility is on our roadmap. If you don't see it on here, send us a Feature Request through the App or through our website and we'll see if we can get it integrated!
An Android offering is of course a part of our roadmap and is currently in the works. Hang tight and to be notified when this is available, please send an email to our Member Services Team at member-services@getcogni.com These links are also available in the Cogni app for easy access.
We’re always looking to get Member-requested features developed and delivered! You can send a Feature Request through the Cogni app by going to the More menu (the icon on the top right) and tap on the Submit your feedback menu option. From where, you can suggest a feature.
We’re glad you asked! We have many ways you can share your feedback You can send Feedback through the Cogni app by going to the More menu (the icon on the top-right) and tap on the Give us feedback menu option. From here, you can suggest a feature, report a bug, or share your comments. Please don’t include any sensitive information! Also, feel free to send an email to member-services@getcogni.com , get in touch with us on social media, or call our Member Services Team at (833)-264-6447. We look forward to hearing from you!
For any other questions, send us a message in the app, email us at
member-services@getcogni.com, or call us at +1 833 264 6447.
We’re here for you.
The Cogni Visa® Debit Card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, a member of FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. © 2021, Cogni. All Rights Reserved.
**Cogni+ and 'interest-free cash advances up to $1000' are coming soon and are not current features of the Cogni app—users will be informed when these features are made available.
