Backer User Reviews

What users say

Top reviews

Good but needs improvements

I love the idea and the app is generally easy to use, but I’ve identified a few bugs/areas for improvement that have made the app pretty frustrating to use.

1. I can’t figure out a way to make a one-time contribution. The only option seems to be to adjust my recurring contribution, but I was hoping to dump some extra money into the fund when I find myself with extra money in my checking account.

2. I made my husband a fund manager on my kids’ account, but the app somehow changed my name to his as well. So when our kids receive contributions from each of us, his name shows up as the contributor for both transactions. Not great for record-keeping.

3. My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I’m planning to send friends and family a link to her Backer account, so I was fussing with some settings on the backend. I was trying to preview what it would look like as a prospective backer, but the link to the preview page was broken. Argh.
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529s on easy mode

As a parent looking for an efficient way to save for my child's college education, Backer hits the mark like never before! The app simply blew me away with its user-friendly interface and seamless integration of tax-free savings options.

Planting the seed for my son’s educational future has never been so easy. The app not only helps me track our progress but also provides excellent tips and guidance on choosing the best 529 plan for our family. This makes it tailor-made for first-time savers as well as seasoned investors.

Accessing and monitoring my account is a breeze, with top-notch security measures to ensure our hard-earned money stays safe. And as an added bonus, the app's customer support always goes above and beyond, providing timely answers to any questions that sprout up. They're always eager to help and keep my peace of mind intact.

In conclusion, the Backer App is a fantastic tool for any ambitious parent who wants to nurture the growth of their little sapling's higher education fund. I highly recommend this app to harvest those valuable tax-free savings and give your child the brightest future possible. Don't leaf it to chance – start saving now, and watch your investments grow! 🌱🎓💰
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Great way to save for your daughters education

I was really confused about how to set everything up for my child until I heard about this app. I found it very intuitive to use.

Did Not Invest My Contributions

I have put thousands into my daughter’s 529 via backer yet it’s not actually invested. They charge 5 dollars a month to be a checking account. I’ve also had a hard time with their customer service.

Great service but marginal app

I started a 529 for my daughter via Backer but have been frustrated by bugs or missing components in the iPhone app. For instance, I cannot save any edits I make to my profile and there is no gear symbol to update my daughter’s profile like in the desktop web-based version. In fact, at this time, the “Save” button doesn’t work on any version of the Backer platform. This is an elementary stuff, please fix your user interfaces!
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Response from developer

Thank you for the feedback! We’re glad you appreciate the service and apologize for any rough edges you’ve encountered using the app. We’re working to make it better all the time. Regarding your specific issues, we’ve added the gear icon back to the fund page so you can edit update fund info via the app, and are not aware of any issues on web or mobile relating to saving information. Would you mind giving it another try and if you still have any issues, can you please let us know at support@backer.com?

Trustworthy

I was asked to verify my bank account. However, after giving my banking information there were no “next steps”.

Amazing savings app

What a beautiful app. Love the fresh new look and intuitive interface! It’s made saving for our kid so easy. It let me add my partner to help manage the fund. Best of all we get a link to our kid’s fund so that it’s simple to collect gifts for her birthday. Keep up the great work!

Objection.

I object to the $4.50. The added “tip” to my donation of $50.00

Upgrades needed

The app and savings is great. I just wish it was possible that they a deposit account were I can direct deposit to every week or two weeks. It is like putting my account on auto pilot. Growing the account faster. Because waiting for the one withdrawal a month is lame. Something may happen and you need that money. Also, wish that they could withdraw the money much faster. Like other app withdrawal instant or that night. Faster ACH processing. And connected to plaid to make deposits to the account.
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Surprise - there’s a fee

I wanted to use this to link to my existing NY 529 plans that have no app. Easy setup and link - all good. After linking, it forces you into choosing a monthly fee to continue. They get all your data and then surprise, they want $2 a month.

Page won’t fully load

I cannot contribute because as soon as I get to the financial portion, the page loads only a fraction of the viewable information. Half the screen is cut off vertically in the app. Wish I could upload the image here. Please fix the bug.

Response from developer

Hi there - we're sorry to hear this, but thank you for providing the feedback! You're the first to report the issue, so if you can please email a screenshot to support@collegebacker.com we will take a look immediately and get back to you with a resolution ASAP. In the email, please also let us know which iOS device (type of iPhone or iPad) you're using the access the app. Thank you.

App is to slow and have some glitches

This app i think needs some king of update

Fantastic

So easy to use, great customer service.

Finally a simple 529

I’d been delaying setting up college funds for my niñas for years because I thought it’d be too complicated, so I was excited to hear about CollegeBacker from a friend. Relieved they made it so easy to do this!

Ok with simple transactions

I haven’t had a problem with the initial monthly contributions into my kids accounts. That’s the only thing that has been easy. I have not had a problem-free experience with any gifts we’ve given or received! Gifts are emailed as given, but cancelled with no notice or reason, or the recipient doesn’t receive an email that they were given a gift. Gifts aren’t applied to the correct account. You REALLY have to stay on top of it. Seems like customer service helps, but also stay on top of anything they’ve “resolved” as I’ve found I’ve had to ask about the same issues multiple times and some are still not resolved.
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Response from developer

Hi J Muscia - thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re so sorry you’ve had some issues. I checked with our team and believe we have resolved all of them, but if not please let us know at support@collegebacker.com.

Saving for college is easy

Simple to use app that makes saving for your kid’s college education easy.

New baby, thinking ahead

As our family grows with a new baby on the way, I’ve been starting to think about their future. Heard about college backer through a friend, and it seems to simplify things a lot. Love it.

Easy way to save for college

This app makes it easy to start a college savings fund for a child or future child. It also makes it easy to share a link with friends and family who can donate.

Amazing product in a capitalist world

So excited for CollegeBacker and appreciative of the team for building an incredibly beautiful and positive app. Here’s to education and preventing future generation from their student loans crisis.

Watch out YOU PERSONAL INFORMATION privacy policy!!!

WHAT DOES COLLEGEBACKER DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

I just read Terms of Use Privacy policy before to Sign Up to see what types of customer personal information and to whom they can share my personal information.... Horrible ....

!!! Social Security Number , Tax ID number and transaction history

!!!Account balances and payment history

!!!! Assets and income

- “ For joint marketing with other financial companies“ - ;((( ?!?! ...

and

- “such as to respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus”

“When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice “ - this is exactly wording from Privacy Policy .

CollegeBacker.... Really ???
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Response from developer

Hi Markvsj - like all financial institutions, we need to collect certain information (such as the Social Security numbers for the 529 account owner and beneficiary) in order to provide our services. We are required by law to safeguard all personal information and we take this responsibility very seriously. Our Privacy Notice is based on a Model Privacy Form for financial institutions issued collectively by 8 federal agencies, which has certain required language, including the parts you quoted. You’ll find the same language in the privacy notices issued by other financial institutions. That said, we appreciate that we could more clearly communicate our practices in protecting our customers’ information and we will provide additional clarity on our website, consistent with our legal obligations. In the meantime, you can rest assured that except when expressly authorized by our customers or when required by law, we will not share our customers’ personal information with third parties except the 529 plan provider and other service providers who assist us in providing services to our customers and are legally bound to protect such information. Thank you for your feedback, and if you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to email us at support@collegebacker.com.