Relay Business Banking vs Bluevine Business Checking

Bluevine Standard pays 1.30% variable APY on up to $250,000 only when monthly eligibility is met; otherwise that month earns 0%. Relay checking does not earn interest. Its separate savings accounts currently show 1.19% APY on Starter, 1.87% on Grow and 3.21% on Scale, with a September 17, 2026 rate date. Bluevine’s paid Plus and Premier rates are 1.75% and 3.00%, respectively. Compare checking with checking and savings with savings.

Relay Starter charges $1 for same-day ACH and $8 for domestic wires. Grow charges $0.50 and $5; Scale has no same-day ACH fee but still charges $5 per domestic wire. Bluevine Standard charges $10 and $15, Plus $8 and $12, and Premier $5 and $7.50. Standard ACH is free on both platforms. A paid plan does not automatically make every payment free.

Relay accepts surcharge-free cash deposits at deposit-enabled Allpoint+ ATMs, up to $1,000 per transaction; its agreement lists a $2,000 daily limit. Bluevine also accepts Allpoint+ deposits, charging $1 plus 0.5% of the amount. Both support Green Dot retail deposits with retailer fees up to $4.95. Check nearby deposit-enabled locations and account limits before treating either as a replacement for a branch.

Relay Starter supports up to 20 checking accounts, or 10 for sole proprietorships; Grow has 20 and Scale 50. Bluevine offers up to 5, 10 or 50 sub-accounts on Standard, Plus or Premier. Bluevine sub-accounts have their own account numbers and support automatic transfers. Both can separate taxes and operating funds; more accounts are useful only if they fit your bookkeeping.

Relay Starter is $0 and Grow $30 monthly. Scale is advertised at a limited-time $90 price against a regular $120 monthly fee. Bluevine Standard is $0, Plus $30 and Premier $95 monthly. Bluevine can waive Plus with a $20,000 average daily balance and $2,000 in debit-card spending per billing period; Premier requires $100,000 and $5,000. Both conditions must be met. These fee-waiver rules differ from Standard interest eligibility.

Both providers support physical and virtual team debit cards, spending controls and accounting workflows. Relay includes invoicing and bill management, with more advanced automation on paid plans. Bluevine offers bill capture, approval workflows and payment scheduling. Compare the approval steps and integrations your team needs; software access does not remove payment-processing or transfer charges.

Both advertise conditional deposit coverage up to $3 million through partner-bank sweep programs: Thread Bank for Relay and Coastal Community Bank for Bluevine. The fintechs are not themselves banks. Deposits held elsewhere at a participating bank can reduce the available insurance in the same ownership category. Opening more sub-accounts does not multiply coverage without limit.

Is Relay Business Banking or Bluevine Business Checking better?

Choose Bluevine when eligible interest on operating checking cash matters and its payment fees fit your usage. Choose Relay when many budgeting accounts, deposit-enabled cash access or frequent outgoing payments matter more. Start with the free plan and calculate the value of any paid upgrade using regular subscription prices, attainable fee waivers and the balance you will keep in the interest-bearing account.

Does Relay or Bluevine charge a monthly fee?

Relay Business Banking: $0 (Starter). Bluevine Business Checking: $0 (Standard).

Which earns more on cash, Relay or Bluevine?

Bluevine. Bluevine Standard pays 1.30% variable APY on up to $250,000 only when monthly eligibility is met; otherwise that month earns 0%. Relay checking does not earn interest. Its separate savings accounts currently show 1.19% APY on Starter, 1.87% on Grow and 3.21% on Scale, with a September 17, 2026 rate date. Bluevine’s paid Plus and Premier rates are 1.75% and 3.00%, respectively. Compare checking with checking and savings with savings.

Which is better for interest on operating cash?

Bluevine. Bluevine Standard pays 1.30% variable APY on up to $250,000 only when monthly eligibility is met; otherwise that month earns 0%. Relay checking does not earn interest. Its separate savings accounts currently show 1.19% APY on Starter, 1.87% on Grow and 3.21% on Scale, with a September 17, 2026 rate date. Bluevine’s paid Plus and Premier rates are 1.75% and 3.00%, respectively. Compare checking with checking and savings with savings.

What must I do to earn Bluevine Standard interest?

Meet one of two requirements in the eligibility period: $500 of eligible Bluevine debit and/or Cashback Mastercard spending, or $2,500 in client payments. Transactions must post and settle in the period. Own-account transfers and cash deposits do not satisfy the client-payment requirement. The binding terms use a 3 AM Eastern cutoff on the last business day, so initiating a payment on the final calendar day may be too late.

How much does the free-plan rate difference matter after wire fees?

At unchanged rates, a $25,000 starting balance held for a full year with interest retained earns about $325 at 1.30% versus $297.50 at 1.19%, before tax and fees. Bluevine requires monthly eligibility; Relay requires the money to be in savings. One outgoing domestic wire each month costs $180 annually on Bluevine Standard versus $96 on Relay Starter. That $84 fee difference exceeds the $27.50 interest difference. This illustration assumes unchanged terms and evaluates fees separately from the earning balance.

Does Relay Grow include free domestic wires?

No. The current agreement lists $5 per domestic wire on both Grow and Scale. Grow’s same-day ACH fee is $0.50, while Scale has no same-day ACH fee. Standard ACH has no fee. Check the transfer type rather than treating a paid subscription as an all-inclusive payment plan.

Can I deposit cash at any Allpoint ATM?

No. Cash deposits require a participating deposit-enabled Allpoint+ machine. Relay’s checked daily limit is $2,000; Bluevine’s cash guide lists $5,500 daily and $7,500 per rolling 30 days for this method, with $1,000 per transaction. Provider and operator limits can apply. At Bluevine, a $500 Allpoint+ deposit costs $3.50; the fee may appear on the account afterward rather than on the ATM screen.

Does a Bluevine paid plan always cost its advertised monthly fee?

No. Plus and Premier have balance-and-debit-spending fee waivers. If you cannot reliably meet both, budget for the recurring fee. Relay Scale’s $90 advertised price is explicitly temporary, so evaluate its regular $120 price as well. Neither a temporary discount nor a conditional waiver guarantees a permanently free upgrade.