Dave reviews: complaints & concerns

• Surprise fees: Reviews slam sudden 5 % “service” charges, double fees when advances are split, and $3–$5 monthly memberships that keep hitting even after people cancel.
• Overdraft hits: Dave often yanks repayment at 12:01 a.m. or days before paychecks land, pushing accounts negative and triggering bank NSF fees.
• Vanishing limits: Loyal users say borrowing power tumbles from $500-$600 to $25 (or zero) overnight, with no clear reason after perfect payback histories.
• Frozen funds: Transfers linger for up to a week and “Goals” savings can get locked for a month, leaving people unable to access their own cash.
• Poor support: Help chats route to bots, live agents drop conversations, demand extra ID, then refuse refunds or real answers.
• Buggy app: Constant login errors, forced update loops, bank disconnects and crashes prevent users from joining, paying or pulling money when it’s needed most.

We scanned roughly 70 recent reviews tagged “Scam” for Dave. Well over half outright call the app fraud, pointing to surprise withdrawals and a $3 membership fee they say they never okayed.

Biggest complaints: the fee kicks in even when sign-up stalls, advances get split so users pay multiple express charges, and the app still pulls money after accounts are closed or pay dates suddenly shift, triggering overdrafts. Some also say Dave ignores ACH revocation requests and debits any positive balance the moment it hits.

A smaller but loud group flags possible data leaks, with Malwarebytes or credit bureaus warning their info landed on the dark web. Overall, users warn of aggressive collections, hidden costs and privacy worries—so if you try Dave, keep a close eye on your bank activity and data settings.

We spotted 40-plus overdraft complaints, mostly about Dave grabbing its repayment right at 12:00-12:01 a.m. before paychecks post, leaving users with bank fees that run from $30 per hit to well over $100 in a day.

A big chunk of reviews say the app guesses the wrong payday, fires off multiple partial debits, or drains every dollar it sees—one person said $800 vanished—so other bills bounce.

Others say support told them to just take another advance, ignored requests to move the due date, or replied with canned messages while accounts stayed negative; if your deposit shows up later in the day, those early pulls are the overdraft hazard to watch.

In November 2024 the Federal Trade Commission sued Dave Inc., saying the ExtraCash advance misled users by rarely delivering the advertised “up to $500,” hiding a $3–$25 express-funding fee, masking a 15 % charge as an “optional” tip supposedly feeding a child, and failing to clearly disclose the $1 monthly membership fee. The Department of Justice followed up in December 2024, adding claims for civil penalties and personally naming founder/CEO Jason Wilk over the same undisclosed fees and tip solicitations. The case is ongoing.