Score Breakdown by Category
How Cash App's published Terms rate across the methodology's evaluation categories, weighted by real-world impact on a user with money or bitcoin in the app. Automated assessment, as of June 28, 2026.
Why this score: the Terms give Cash App broad contractual discretion over funds and the account. The virtual-currency section lets the company suspend, refuse, freeze, decline, delay, redirect, or reverse any transaction request for any reason, even after currency has been credited (Section IX), and the closure language lets it hold funds during an investigation, make funds available to cash out in its discretion, and require you to link a new bank account (Services Upon Closure of Account). Users often experience this as a restriction, closure, or held balance.
This is a description of what the published terms permit, not a finding that Cash App acted unlawfully in any case.
Why this score: the Terms route disputes to binding individual arbitration before a single arbitrator administered by National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM), with a class-action waiver, a jury waiver, and a bellwether procedure for coordinated mass filings (Arbitration section). A small-claims carve-out and a 30-day arbitration opt-out exist. The individual-only structure can cut both ways for a single consumer with a clean, definite claim.
Why this score: the Effect of Termination clause says the company will not be liable to you or any third party for compensation, reimbursement, or damages for any termination or suspension of the Services, or for deletion of your information or account data. The practical nuance for a held balance is that the balance itself is a definite amount the company is holding in custody for you, which is different from a consequential loss.
Why this score: Cash App publishes its Terms of Service and a defined 90-day post-deactivation transfer window for virtual currency, which is more specific than some processors. The opacity is on the discretion side: the suspend, freeze, and decline powers are tied to broad triggers ("for any reason," "if we believe"), and the specific risk criteria are not published.
Why this score: covered in detail on the companion Cash App Privacy Notice review. The Privacy Notice (Effective June 8, 2026) lists a biometric and facial-scan data category and commerce-media and personalized-advertising language effective on or after February 9, 2026. The Effect of Termination clause also lets the company delete your information and account data on termination.
Why this score: on closure the company says it will settle pending transactions and return remaining funds, but it may hold funds during an investigation, makes the cash-out available in its discretion, and may require you to link a new bank account (Services Upon Closure of Account). Virtual currency is transferable for 90 days after deactivation. The balance remains an amount the company holds for you; the question is timing and conditions.
The Bottom Line