Varo Bank expands fee-free in-store cash add capabilities nationwide

Powered by Green Dot, Varo customers can add cash to their account right in the check-out lane at more than 2,000 Kroger Family of stores across the U.S.

Varo Bank, N.A., the first all-digital, nationally chartered consumer bank in the U.S., recently announced the launch of fee-free digital cash add capabilities for Varo customers across more than 2,000 Kroger Family of store locations.

Powered by Green Dot's embedded finance platform and money processing network, this expansion launched as a four-week pilot program (ending on August 18, 2026) supported by a comprehensive co-marketing campaign reaching both existing and prospective customers.

Through this initiative, Varo customers can:

• Add cash into their accounts fee-free at participating stores
• Utilize Green Dot Network's barcode API scanning capability to generate a unique barcode within the Varo app, which a cashier scans to add the cash to their account
• Save cash by not paying the $4.95 retail service fee.

"Nobody should have to pay a fee just to deposit their own money," said Gavin Michael, chief executive officer at Varo Bank. "Now that Varo customers can add cash fee-free at stores nationwide, they can take care of their banking right in the grocery line. With this new offering, we are making it as simple as possible for our customers to manage their cash where they already shop."

"Adding cash to your bank account should be as simple as buying groceries," said Renata Caine, senior vice president and general manager, embedded finance at Green Dot. "Our money processing technology brings Varo's fee-free digital cash add capabilities straight to checkout lanes nationwide, making everyday money management that much easier."

The pilot builds on Varo's successful fee-free retail cash load network footprint and is designed to deepen consumer engagement. The fee-free cash barcode load feature is available now at customer service and checkout lanes across more than 2,000 participating Kroger Family of stores nationwide.