Canada
Canada
activeFeaturedBusiness banking
- HQ
- San Francisco
- Fee
- Free core operations
Relay
US business banking with unlimited accounts for operators who like boxes.
Tap a star to jump to reviews
7.4Solid
AlternativesFive questions
At a glance
Is it a bank?
No. Relay is not a bank. Your money sits with Thread Bank / program partners.
If it fails?
FDIC via Thread Bank and partners
Salary?
Not listed. An IBAN or sort code is not automatically a salary account.
Open from abroad?
Residency and KYC are gated. An App Store listing is not proof you can onboard.
Monthly fee
Free core · paid automations
Account number
No IBAN-class local rail on this file.
NeoBankDB Verdict
Licence first · score second
7.4
/10 · Solid
Relay is the P&L-in-accounts business bank. Mercury is the fundraising screenshot.
What it is
Relay Financial is a fintech. Funds sit at partner banks. The trick is unlimited accounts and card controls for operators.
Best for: US operators who want twenty accounts instead of one Mercury skinned as a spreadsheet.
Last checked 2026-08-01. Not advice.
What it does well
- +Multi-account is the product
- +Approvals
- +Cards per vendor
- +Support is human
What to watch
- −Not a bank
- −Not global FX
- −Less pretty than Mercury
Who holds the money
The account
- Platforms
- Web · iOS · Android
- Account types
- Business checking · sub-accounts
- Partner bank
- Thread Bank
- Minimum balance
- $0
- Lowest monthly fee
- $0
- Who can open
- US companies
- Availability
- United States
How money actually moves
- Who holds the cash
- Current account at a partner bank
- How money moves
- ACH / USD
- Built for
- Business
- Settlement
- App-ledger instant; bank rails per corridor
- Freeze risk
- Fintech reviews can pause inbound while they check a transfer
- Card
- Relay lists a physical card and a virtual card on visa, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Confirm the live product in the app — a card is not a current account.
Licence first
Safety
FDIC via Thread Bank and partners
Who holds the money: Thread Bank / program partners
- FDIC (partners)Fintech with partner banks · United States
Fees
- Monthly
- Free core · paid automations
- FX markup
- USD ops
- ATM
- Debit per network
Features
- –IBAN
- ✓Fee-free core
- –Multi-currency
- ✓Apple Pay
- ✓Google Pay
- ✓Virtual card
- ✓Physical card
- –Metal card
- –Crypto
- –Stocks
- ✓Business
- –Kids
- –Halal
- Unlimited checking accounts
- Team cards
- Approvals
- Bookkeeping sync
- Rules
Score
- Safety25%
- 7.4
- Fees20%
- 8.4
- Features15%
- 8.6
- App15%
- 8.4
- Global15%
- 3.6
- Support10%
- 7.4
Change log
Full logNo dated notes yet. When the licence, fees, or status moves, it lands here.
Available in
Straight answers
FAQ
01Is Relay a bank?
No. Relay is filed as Fintech with partner banks. The money sits with Thread Bank / program partners.
02What happens to money in Relay if it fails?
Eligible deposits sit at Thread Bank and named partners under FDIC. Relay itself is not the insured bank.
03What does Relay charge each month?
The monthly fee on this file is Free core · paid automations. Fees change — open the operator's pricing page if it is linked.
Ratings and reviews
No published user reviews yet. The NeoBankDB score still comes from licence, fees, and the product — not from an empty star average.
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