Brex Business Account
Startup / mid-market treasury + multi-user spend platform; $0 banking fees; no cash/ATM
Primis Business Checking
$0 monthly + $1 open; pick 1% debit cash-back or 1.75% checking APY, plus 4.00% business savings — online nationwide, cash only in VA/MD footprint
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Brex Business Account | Primis Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | $0 banking. Software: Essentials $0/user; Premium $12/user; Enterprise custom. | $0 unconditional on all three digital products |
| Fee waiver | N/A — banking already $0; software is plan-priced | N/A — already $0; no balance or activity waiver needed |
| Transaction fees | No published per-item or excess-item fees. Effectively unlimited electronic items at $0. | No per-item fees on digital line. Marketing 'unlimited transactions'; operational channel caps on ACH/wires/ATM apply (see limits). |
| Overdraft/NSF | Overdrafts not permitted. Dollar fee amounts not disclosed. Negative 30+ days → closure per Column DDA. | $0 NSF; $0 overdraft item; $0 return deposited item. Not an invitation to overdraw; bank may return items. OD protection not disclosed as priced product. |
| ATM fees | Not offered — no ATM network. No cash withdrawal from account or Brex cards. | Primis ATM $0. Any U.S. ATM — no Primis fee; foreign operator surcharge rebated (~15th of month; account must remain open). Daily ATM cash-out cap $550. |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming/outgoing domestic and international wires $0 Brex-issued. ACH domestic and international $0. Intermediary/recipient fees possible. Customer reimburses intermediary costs per Column DDA. | Incoming domestic wire $0 (+ originating-bank fee refund + $10 if requested within 30 days with docs). Outgoing domestic $5. Incoming intl $0. Outgoing intl $35 (FX markup not disclosed). App ACH in/out $0 but volume capped. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Brex Business Account | Primis Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — uninvested Checking cash earns no yield | Unlimited: 0% APY (1% debit cash-back reward). Pro: 1.75% APY on all balances, no tiers, no earnings limit. |
| Savings APY | Business Savings: 4.00% APY on all balances; no account maximum on marketing. Separate account from checking. | |
| FDIC coverage | Checking: $250,000 at Column N.A. per ownership category (all sub-accounts share cap) | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Primis Bank. Primis + 316 Financial + Panacea aggregate. |
Features & Access
| Metric | Brex Business Account | Primis Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | None. No branches, ATMs, or cash rails. | 24 full-service VA/MD branches (YE2025). Any U.S. ATM for withdrawal — surcharge rebate on checking. Cash deposit at ATM implied Primis machines in VA/MD only. |
| Mobile app | Google Play 4.6 (~2.16k–2.18k reviews). iOS U.S. rating should be re-checked live. | Primis Digital Banking iOS ~4.6 (289 ratings); Android ~4.9 (~232 reviews). Legacy Classic Business Android ~3.0 (~29) — treat as deprecated. |
| Virtual cards | Included — charge card product with spend limits and policies (Premium: multiple customizable policies) | Not disclosed |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $1.00 |
| Eligibility | U.S.-organized C-corp, S-corp, LLC, LLP only. Not sole props, consumers, unincorporated partnerships, or foreign-registered entities. Nonprofits case-by-case. | Sole props and small business marketed. Entity list not fully published. Beneficial ownership information required. |
Pros & Cons
Brex Business Account
Pros
- $0 opening, maintenance, ACH, check, and wire fees (Brex-issued)
- Three-bucket design: Column DDA + up to $6M Vault sweep + DGVXX Treasury (3.71% as of 09/01/26)
- 512 sub-checking accounts with distinct account/routing numbers
- Same-day outbound ACH at $0; 3:15 p.m. ET cutoff documented
- Tight coupling to expense, bill-pay, virtual charge cards, and API
Cons
- No cash, no ATM, no branches
- Checking and Vault earn 0%; Treasury yield is MMF/SIPC, not FDIC checking APY
- Eligibility excludes sole props and foreign entities; scale screen plus abrupt closure history
- Checking FDIC only $250k across all sub-accounts; $6M is sweep-only with caveats
- Card FX up to 3%; Premium software $12/user; wire FX markup not published
Primis Business Checking
Pros
- Unconditional $0 monthly, $0 NSF/OD, $0 item fees on digital line (12/1/2025 schedule)
- $1 opening; Pro 1.75% APY and Business Savings 4.00% APY with no balance tiers (stamp 7/1/2025; observed 9/1/2026)
- Incoming wires $0 plus originating-fee refund + $10 program
- Nationwide ATM surcharge rebate; automatic extra FDIC up to $2M on Business Savings
- V1BE free cash courier in Mid-Atlantic; real Virginia-chartered FDIC bank (Cert. 57968)
Cons
- Marketing 'no fees' conflicts with $5 domestic / $35 international outgoing wires and ancillary fees
- App ACH capped at $18,000/day and $100,000/month undercuts 'unlimited' claim
- Cash deposit regional only — VA/MD branches and V1BE, no national retail rail
- Integrations and multi-user controls thin vs specialist business banks; export-only QBO
- Digital products unavailable in PR/territories; reviews cite denials, freezes, hold friction
Verdict
Brex Business Account
Brex business account is a three-bucket cash-management stack at Column N.A. (FDIC #58224, routing 121145349). Checking 0% APY with $250k FDIC shared across 512 sub-accounts. Vault sweeps to program banks for up to $6M FDIC (0% yield). Treasury in DGVXX via Brex Treasury LLC — up to 3.71% 7-day yield as of 09/01/26, not FDIC. Banking fees $0 on ACH/wires/checks. No cash/ATM/branches. Corp/LLC/LLP only; scale underwriting. Premium $12/user. Capital One acquired Brex Apr 2026. Closure risk is operational concern — keep backup bank. $1,000 card promo through Sep 30, 2026.
Primis Business Checking
Primis Bank (FDIC Cert. 57968) offers a digital trio: Unlimited (1% debit cash-back), Pro (1.75% APY), Business Savings (4.00% APY), each $1 to open and $0 monthly. Fee schedule (12/1/2025) prices outgoing wires at $5/$35 despite 'no fees' marketing. Channel limits bind before item fees: app ACH $18k/day and $100k/month. Savings auto-sweeps for up to $2M FDIC. Bill pay, positive pay, and cash-flow analytics included; not a full treasury stack. Strong yield-focused pick for modest-volume digital SMBs.