Can I make a Discover card balance transfer to my checking account?

To do a balance transfer with Discover, fill in the balance transfer portion of the application for a new Discover card or select “Balance Transfer” from the “Manage” menu on the Discover website for an existing account. You can also make a request over the phone 48 hours after approval, at 1 (800) 347-5508. Discover balance transfer requests require the account number for the balance as well as the amount to transfer. Discover usually takes 4 days to process balance transfers. But if you were just approved for a new account, you have to wait 14 days before your request can be processed.… read full answer

That’s how the process works in a nutshell. For your convenience, we’ll break it down step by step below. These steps hold true whether you’re applying for a new card or requesting a transfer to an existing account.

How to Do a Balance Transfer with Discover

1. Log in to your Discover account and click “Balance Transfers” or begin filling out a Discover credit card application.
2. Provide the account number to transfer the balance from.
3. Request to transfer a specific dollar amount of the balance.
4. Get approved to transfer a certain amount, up to the amount requested.
5. See Discover pay the existing creditor for the approved amount.
6. Repay Discover for the transferred amount, plus any applicable balance transfer fee.

Discover accepts balance transfers from credit cards, auto loans, and medical debt. After transferring a balance to a Discover credit card, try to pay it off within the card’s low introductory balance transfer APR period, if there is one. Any balance remaining when the card’s regular APR takes effect will quickly become much more expensive.

You can transfer money from your credit card to a bank account with a cash advance, a convenience check, apps such as Venmo, or money transfer services such as Western Union and MoneyGram. But it is expensive to transfer money from a credit card to a bank account because credit cards are designed to be used for purchases – not as cash loans.… read full answer

If you use a credit card for a cash loan, you’ll normally pay between 3% and 5% as a cash advance fee, plus a high APR on the advance amount that kicks in immediately. Some credit cards provide exceptions to the norm of cash advance fees, however. For example, if you have a USAA credit card, it will allow you to transfer a cash advance directly to a USAA checking or savings account with no cash advance fee. But that doesn’t save you from the cash advance APR. Plus, credit cards that allow this are not common.

That said, if you need an emergency loan from your credit card account directly to your bank account, there are a handful of methods you could try. Some involve the help of other people, so enlist a friend you trust with your money – in some cases, they’ll literally be holding it for you.

How to Transfer Money From a Credit Card to a Bank Account

1. Cash Advances

   You can use your card at an ATM to perform a cash advance. Once you’ve obtained your cash, deposit it into your bank account. Many banks allow deposits through ATMs. You may also be able to make your deposit at a branch. It’s not a good idea to take out a cash advance unless other options are not available, due to their lack of a grace period, extra fees, and high cash advance APRs.

2. Convenience Checks

   Sometimes, credit card companies will give you convenience checks. In these cases, you can write a check to yourself, but make sure you are aware of the fees and interest rate the credit card company is going to assess on the amount of that check.

3. Money-Transfer Services

   You can use services like Western Union and MoneyGram, which allow you to transfer funds with a credit card online or from any of their locations. They let you identify the recipient with a phone number or email address. However, transactions made through money-transfer services like these can show up as cash advances on your credit card statement, no matter whom you send the money to. That means they come with any fee and interest rate your credit card charges for regular cash advances.

4. Venmo

   You could pay a friend or family member with a credit card through Venmo, and they could then transfer the money to you, or to a bank account. Or, you could make an outside credit card purchase on their behalf, then have them reimburse you through the app. If you choose to send money directly through Venmo using a credit card, you’ll pay a fee of 3%. But if you’re using a Visa or Mastercard, be aware that your card issuer may see this as a cash advance, and could charge you accordingly. Bank transfers typically take one business day. There’s a weekly rolling limit of $4,999.99 for sending funds through Venmo once you verify your identity.

5. PayPal

   They will require the email address for the recipient, and you must choose “Paying for an item or service” to send money from a credit card. Once the recipient receives the money, it usually takes just one business day to transfer it to their bank account. The recipient incurs a fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 for accepting a credit card payment. However, be aware that sending money to yourself from a credit card is against PayPal terms of service, so always send money to a friend if you use this method.

6. Amazon Pay

   If you have a friend who is an Amazon merchant, you could use Amazon Pay to send them money from your credit card. They could then return the money or make a purchase on your behalf. Amazon Pay accounts can be linked to bank accounts, credit cards, and debit cards. Simply ask the recipient for their Amazon merchant name, then make sure you label your payment as "goods and services." Otherwise, your credit card company will charge you for a cash advance. Amazon charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per web/mobile transaction.

7. Square’s Cash App

   After you download the app, link your credit card to the app account. With the phone number of the recipient, you can make a payment by simply tapping the "Pay" button. Using a credit card to send money would incur a 3% fee, which is added to the payment total.

We recommend using these platforms only with people you know and trust. It’s also important to note that credit card transactions made from person to person through mobile-payment and money-transfer services may be considered cash advances by the card issuer. That would make the process of transferring money from a credit card to a bank account more expensive.

No, you cannot do a balance transfer to a checking account from your credit card. A credit card balance is a debt that you owe. A checking account balance is an asset that you own. And a credit card balance transfer is when you use a credit card to pay off an existing debt, from another credit card or loan, in order to get a reduced interest rate. There is such a thing as a … read full answerbalance transfer check, but those are given out by credit card companies to perform balance transfers. They can’t be deposited into checking accounts. Typically, you can’t transfer money from a credit card to a checking account without doing a cash advance.

Tapping into your credit line to get cash and transferring the funds into a checking account is considered a cash advance. One example of this is writing a credit card convenience check to yourself and depositing it in your checking account.

If you make a cash advance, the transaction will incur a high fee (along with any ATM fees). Cash advances also accrue interest at a high rate – usually higher than the card’s regular APR – and have no grace period, so interest starts accruing right away. For more information, you can check out WalletHub’s guides on balance transfers and cash advances.