MAJORITY: Mobile banking

Review by eFreeware

The most distinctive thing about MAJORITY is that you can open a US bank account with a passport or another government-issued ID instead of a Social Security number.

Axiom Bank, N.A. provides FDIC insurance for the account, and opening it requires no minimum deposit. A Visa debit card comes with the account, and the developer lists cashback and no foreign transaction fees among its features. If you have ever priced a transfer home from a traditional bank, those two details are the ones worth weighing first.

This is an app for internationals rather than for a general US banking audience. The app is built for people who send money to family abroad, top up phones back home or want a US card without an SSN.

Sending money to family abroad

Transfers are the core of the app. MAJORITY supports sending money to more than 30 countries, with Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Nigeria, the Philippines and India named in the developer's list. The exchange rates are described as competitive, which is the kind of claim every remittance service makes and one only your own comparison can settle.

What I like about the structure here is the choice of delivery method. Not every corridor will suit every method, but having all three in one app is more useful than being locked into a single route.

The app also covers mobile top-ups and data bundles, including for Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela, so you can recharge a relative's phone without leaving the same account you use for transfers. International calling to more than 20 countries, among them Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Canada, is included as well, and the developer notes that calls do not require an internet connection.

Building credit without a US credit file

The second job MAJORITY takes on is credit history. The MAJORITY Visa Secured Credit Card is issued by WebBank, and the developer says you can apply without an SSN and without an existing credit history. That combination is rare enough to be the reason many people would consider the app in the first place.

The card works as a secured product, and a Credit Boost mechanism lets the credit line rise over time when payments are on time, with the increase capped at a small percentage of the monthly on-time payment and subject to conditions in the card agreement. The major credit bureaus receive reports on how the card is used, so paying on time can help build a file. There is no guarantee of a specific effect on your score, and late payments or problems elsewhere can work against you.

In other words, the no-SSN path is real, but it is not automatic. I would treat the credit card as a longer-term reason to stay with the app rather than an instant benefit.

Getting paid, depositing checks and everyday account use

Day-to-day banking runs through the account and debit card. Direct deposit can arrive up to two days early, though the developer is explicit that this depends on when your employer submits the payment file, and that funds are generally made available on the day the file is received. Treat the early access as a timing advantage, not a guarantee.

You can deposit checks inside the app, but access to that feature is decided by MAJORITY and its partners using risk-based criteria. It is worth knowing before you count on it as your main way to get money in. The debit card carries no foreign transaction fees, which matters if you travel or shop with overseas merchants, and support is offered in both English and Spanish.

What you need before you start

Setup is deliberately light on paperwork. A passport or government-issued ID is enough to open the account, with no SSN required and no minimum deposit. That is the whole of the stated requirement, and it is the reason the app exists for the audience it targets.

The other thing to plan for is cost. MAJORITY is free to download and free to try for 30 days; after that, keeping the benefits costs $6.99 a month. The subscription is a separate cost from any fees attached to the banking and transfer services.

The app has been on Google Play since April 2019 and shows more than a million installs with a 4.8 average from roughly 23,700 ratings. The most recent update is described simply as bug fixes and improvements, which tells you the app is being maintained without signaling any new feature to get excited about.

Who this suits

The clearest fit is someone who has moved to the United States and needs a local account and card without a Social Security number, while still supporting family in another country. For that person, having the account, the transfer routes, the top-ups and the calling in one place removes a lot of friction, and the Spanish-language support is a meaningful detail rather than a footnote.

It also suits people who want to start a US credit file from nothing. The secured card, the reporting to the major bureaus and the Credit Boost mechanic are aimed at exactly that situation. Anyone who already has an established credit history and a domestic bank they are happy with has less to gain from switching, since the standout features solve problems they do not have.

The $6.99 monthly fee is the deciding factor for anyone on the fence. If you send money home regularly, the combination of transfers, top-ups and calling may well justify it; if you would only use the account occasionally, the value is thinner. That calculation is personal, and the 30-day trial is the sensible way to make it.

The case for MAJORITY

MAJORITY is a focused product rather than a general-purpose banking app, and that focus is its strength. Very few apps bundle those particular jobs together.

The caveats are worth holding alongside that. The 30-day trial turns into a $6.99 monthly subscription, check deposit access is decided case by case, early direct deposit depends on your payer, and the credit card requires meeting income and expense criteria. None of those are unusual for the category, but they are the details that decide whether the app pays off for you.

For internationals who want a US account without an SSN and a practical way to support family back home, this is a well-matched choice with a clear monthly cost and a free month to judge it. For everyone else, the features that make it distinctive simply are not the ones they need.

What's new in version 5.17.0

General bug fixes and improvements.