Overall, it was a decent experience, he says.

It didnt become an issue until I became a real estate agent.

Although he was making money, it wasnt in the form of a regularly scheduled direct deposit.

man holding smartphone in hands

Marco_Piunti/Getty Images

His bank didnt like that, so it started slapping him with a $12 monthly fee.

Its not like its a bunch of money, but it adds up, Johnson says.

It was like, Why am I paying you guys to hold my money?

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A Banking App Thats Got Your Back

In October 2018, Johnson downloaded an app calledEmpower.

He was drawn to its bill negotiation feature.

Im like, Thats amazing, he says.

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But he was so excited to tap into it that he tweeted at Empower asking to skip the line.

Those were the magic words.

He gained access to the new mobile-only bank and set up his free checking and savings accounts.

Within a few days, he received his pretty new orange debit card in the mail.

Did you know?

That cash-back debit card and high-yield savings account are part of Empowers new mobile banking accounts.

That means you could access your checkingandsavings in one spot.

Plus, each account comes with money-making perks.

When you join Empower banking, youll get:

Your account is FDIC-insured for up to $250,000.

Its also totally free with no minimum balance.

Once youdownload the app, youll be able to sign up for Empower banking in less than five minutes.

Either way, youll be able to use the apps other features, including a spending tracker.

you’re able to even customize categories.

From there, you will monitor your spending within each category.

you’re free to even set limits.

For example, set a limit of $25 a week for lunches out.

The app also tracks your income.

From there, itll tally what youve got left over for savings.

Its a simple calculation, but it helps you establish a budget.

Bill Negotiation and Subscription Cancellations

Empowers bill negotiation feature was why Johnson initially downloaded the app.

He wanted to negotiate his monthly bills and see any sneaky subscriptions lingering on his accounts.

After he connected his accounts,Empowerregistered his recurring monthly transactions.

Its easy to lose sight of this, especially when you have multiple credit cards to balance.

What Does It Cost to Use Empower?

Empower is totally free to download and use.

Is Empower Worth a Download?

Johnson says hed recommend Empower to others.

In fact, he is already recommending it to his friends, who are into saving money whenever possible.

Who doesnt want 1% cash back?

Who doesnt want 2% on savings?

For him, the money-management features are just icing on the banking cake.

Carson Kohler ([email protected]) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

It sounds appealing right?

Check it out here!