All new users will only have access to Personal accounts - Shared accounts remain available only for users who opened them in the past.
If you’re a new user, this guide will help you understand how to use your Personal account effectively. If you’re an existing user with access to both, this will help you decide when each makes sense:
Personal Account
Overview
A Personal account is a USD deposit instruction that provides a unique routing and account number specifically assigned to you, it accepts wire transfers and ACH deposits. Unlike Shared accounts, Personal accounts do not require a Deposit Message (Reference), and the beneficiary of the account is yourself.
Key Features
No Deposit Message Needed
Micropayment Verification Supported: ideal for users whose banks require it to add new recipients.
Limitations
For non-US residents Virtual Accounts are fully permitted to receive the following transactions.
First-party payments where you are sending USD from your bank, fintech app, or brokerage account
Third-party payment where a registered business sends USD from its bank account
Third-party payment from a family member’s bank account, where you share a surname
Third-party Person-to-Person payment for an amount less than $2,000
For US residents the following types of transactions are fully permitted to be received by Virtual Accounts.
First-party payments where you are sending USD from your bank, fintech app, or brokerage account
Payroll payments from businesses
When to Use a Personal Account
Use your Personal account for simple, direct, and verified transfers — especially when working with banks or apps that require microdeposit verification or don’t support deposit messages. This is the go-to account for most people.
Shared Account
Overview
A Shared account is a USD deposit instruction that accepts fiat funds through ACH push, sending these funds as USDC to your Decaf Wallet.
This account type uses a centralized system where all transfers go to one central account before being allocated to the individual account the payment was intended for, this is why it is so important to always include the Deposit Message (Reference) in the transfer.
Key Feature
Versatility: They can receive first and third-party payments from anyone.
Limitations
Deposit Message (Reference) is required in every transfer.
Platforms like Wise that use intermediary banks, don’t properly support sending Deposit Messages.
Shared accounts do not support microdeposit verifications, Personal accounts do.
When to Use a Shared Account
Shared accounts were previously issued to users and may still work for those with early access.
Conclusion
🔐 Personal accounts are now the standard on Decaf — built for better compatibility, verification, and ease of use.
🛠️ Shared accounts remain supported for older users, but they come with more requirements and limitations.
