# FedNow

13 Hacker News commenters recommended FedNow and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Instant bank-to-bank payments for a few cents per transaction, up to $10M each, running around the clock. Caveat: critics say adoption is still limited, mostly to big merchants.

## Why people recommend it

- Very low per-transaction cost (9 comments): "You can move up to $10M in value in the US on FedNow instant payment rails for a few pennies, instantly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46557836)) "These don't require external middle men (like credit card companies) and are therefore almost free." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46063868)) "With FedNow, you can move money, up to $10M at a time, for less than a nickel." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45894224))
- Real-time transfers, running 24/7 (3 comments): "FedNow went live in 2024. In 2025 it already completed processing of $864 billion in transactions in real time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49344912)) "FedNow charges $0.045 per transaction and runs 24/7 and payments are instant" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49996178)) "Instant payments for a few cents per transaction, up to $10M per transfer." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49074558))
- High transfer limit up to $10M (4 comments): "You can move up to $10M in value in the US on FedNow instant payment rails for a few pennies, instantly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46557836)) "With FedNow, you can move money, up to $10M at a time, for less than a nickel." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45894224)) "Instant payments for a few cents per transaction, up to $10M per transfer." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49074558))

## What people warn about

- Limited availability, mostly big merchants (3 comments): "I'm hoping that FedNow becomes more widely available but my suspicion is that only the big merchants" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45894535)) "Fed Now is a good start but it really is not enough." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47257181)) "still not widely deployed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47240849))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Pix](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pix.md): 65 recommend
- [UPI (Unified Payments Interface)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/upi.md): 58 recommend
- [GNU Taler](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gnu-taler.md): 37 recommend
- [x402](https://hackerapproved.com/p/x402.md): 35 recommend
- [Visa card](https://hackerapproved.com/p/visa.md): 34 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.frbservices.org/financial-services/fednow-service/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "FedNow", https://hackerapproved.com/p/fednow/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).