Money card companies can advertise "up to 4 days early" but it's very misleading. Here are the steps of an ACH transfer:
1. Bank A pre-notifies Bank B of an incoming deposit.
2. Bank B verifies the account number and name, and replies to Bank A "ok to proceed."
3. Bank A actually sends the notification of transfer of funds.
4. Bank B verifies receipt.
5. Transaction "settles" through the ACH clearing house, which is the final verification that Bank A had sufficient funds, that Bank B received them, and everything is settled and finished.
The whole process usually takes 2 business days, not counting weekends.
Some banks might allow you to access your funds after step 1, but other banks might not allow you to access the funds until after step 4 or step 5. So the money card company can let you access your funds at step 1, (even though they have not actually received the money yet) and claim they give you your money "up to" 4 days early (counting weekends).
But the money card can never give you access to a tax refund until the IRS completes at least step 1.
Start by checking "where's my refund".
