It is estimated that about 40 million Americans do not have a bank account. The reasons for this vary. For many, they are unable to qualify for a bank account because of past bounced checks. Bounce too many checks, and you’ll find yourself in the Chexsystems, which many banks use to evaluate potential new banking customers. For others it’s simply a distrust of the banking system or frustration with limited hours or the hoops one has to jump through to get service.
Best Prepaid Cards
KAIKU® Visa® Prepaid Card |
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 Editor’s Choice |
Serve from American Express |
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Totally Free |
Green Dot Prepaid Visa
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Whatever the reason, the unbanked often turned to expensive check cashing stores to cash their weekly paychecks. Time Magazine wrote about this phenomenon, which costs consumers $10 billion a year in fees charged by check cashing stores, payday loan providers, and others. It’s not at all uncommon for consumers to spend 3% or more to get a paycheck cashed.
In addition to high cost, check cashing stores present several other problems to consumers. First, there is the question of security. Taking your paycheck to a check cashing store and walking out with hundreds of dollars in cash is like wearing a bulls eye on your back. Second, there is simply the question of inconvenience. The weekly trip to a check cashing store takes time and gas.
For those that can’t get a checking account or simply don’t want one, there is a no cost, convenient, and safe alternative to check cashing stores–a free prepaid credit card with no fees or low fees.
List of Free Prepaid Cards
The key to finding the right prepaid credit card is to find one that charges no fees or very small fees. All prepaid cards charge various fees, but some of them waive some or all of the fees if you sign up for direct deposit. So here are the top free prepaid cards and low fee prepaid cards to consider.
Prepaid Visa® Classic RushCard
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Kaiku Prepaid Card
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MAGIC Prepaid Mastercard®
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READYdebit
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Ace Visa Prepaid Debit Card
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Vision Premier® Visa® Prepaid Card – Simple & Fair
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American Express® Serve
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How a Prepaid Card Works
A prepaid credit card works very similar to a bank debit or ATM card. You can add money to the prepaid card and use it anywhere Visa or MasterCard debit cards are accepted. Money can be added to most prepaid cards in one of several ways:
- Direct Deposit: Most prepaid cards allow you to have your paycheck, government check, or benefits check deposited directly onto the card. As described below, the direct deposit feature is extremely convenient and allows you to obtain a prepaid card for free or for a small monthly fee.
- Cash Networks: Cash can be added to most prepaid cards through one of several cash networks, including Green Dot, MoneyGram, Western Union, or Visa Money Link. These cash networks are located at many nearby stores, such as CVS, Walmart, Kroger, and UPS.
- Money Share: Prepaid cards also permit you to transfer funds from one card account to another. This is a convenient way to transfer money to friends and family, and is why many college students carry prepaid cards.
Prepaid cards are part of either the Visa or MasterCard debit card network. As a result, prepaid cards can be used anywhere that Visa debit or MasterCard debit cards are accepted (which is just about everywhere). You can also use prepaid cards at ATM machines to withdraw cash.
Benefits of a Free Prepaid Credit Card
Prepaid credit cards offer several benefits beyond a simple ATM card. Perhaps the key benefit is direct deposit of paychecks, government checks, and benefit checks. There are several prepaid cards that will waive all fees if you have your paycheck direct deposited to the card. With direct deposit, your paycheck will be added to your card on payday. You don’t have to go to the trouble and expense of driving to a check cashing store to cash your paycheck. And the money is available immediately. If you receive a government or benefits check, you can also have it deposited directly onto prepaid cards for no fee.
There is one other important benefit to these cards–online bill pay. The top prepaid cards can be used to pay bills online. Just like a bank account, you can have funds transferred from a prepaid credit card to pay car loans, the mortgage, utilities, or just about any other monthly expense. Because of this, a no fee prepaid credit card is about as close to a bank account as you can get, without getting a bank account.
Here are some other benefits of no fee prepaid cards:
- Guaranteed Approval: Unlike a bank or traditional credit card, prepaid cards won’t check Chexsystems or your FICO credit score before approving your application. Approval is guaranteed.
- No Credit Check: Because prepaid cards do not extend credit, there is no credit check run when you apply.
- No Bounced Checks: Because the prepaid card acts as a debit card, there is no risk of overdrawing your account. With no bounced checks, there is no risk of paying a bounced check fee.
- No Over Limit Fees: Credit cards charge a hefty fee when cardholders exceed their credit limit. With prepaid cards, you can only spend what you’ve added to the card, so there is no risk of exceeding a card limit.
- Free Direct Deposit: For the prepaid cards listed below, they all offer free direct deposit of paychecks, government checks, and other benefits checks. In fact, by using direct deposit, you can get the prepaid card for no fees at all.
- No Interest Charges: Since you’re not borrowing money on a prepaid card, you never pay interest. Prepaid cards keep you from spending more than you have.
- No Fees or Low Fees: For the cards listed below, they either charge no fees if you use direct deposit, or their fees are very low (and a lot lower than using check cashing stores).
- Online Bill Pay: This is a big advantage of prepaid cards. You can use your account to transfer payments to creditors or even other cardholders. It makes paying bills easy and safe, and reduces the risk you’ll miss a payment by mistake.
We will add additional free and low cost prepaid cards as they become available. And if you know of other prepaid card offers that you think should be added to the list, please leave a comment.
About Rob Berger
Is using a PrePaid Credit Card a way to build a credit history for someone who doesn’t have one?
yes it is a great way to build or rebuild your credit. Although the card is a prepay, the account still shows up in the credit breaurs as a credit card they do not differ. but theres a catch it needs to have atleast $25.00 on the card at all times for this to work.
I”m a card holder for the visa one. I have a bank account but had bad credit so i hire a lawyer to help and thats the addvice he gave me. now that i do have it i love it because of fraud and stuff I no longer use my bank card to make online purchases i use the prepay that way if they do get my info they can not run up a bill i just lose what i have on that card which isnt much i only like to keep under 200.00 on there at any given time so im not totally srewed.
Right up until they cancel the card(Visa One) like they did mine, without notice, when I called I was told “the card was linked with other accounts that were not yours” or something similarly cryptic. Seeing as how I had to give out the social to get a named card, I inquired as to what happened and if my info was safe or not…”I have no other details sir”. That was that, nothing I can do about it, I get to sit and wonder what shoe will drop next….be very careful with these things, as I do not think they hold the same security levels as normal cards, and the banks that issue them could not give a darn less about you in the long run. Thank god I hadn’t loaded it in awhile and only lost about 15 dollars to this scam.
Maybe with some prepaid cards they do ,but check first. You do not build credit with MANGO prepaid card ! I was going to sign up for it as it was the only one I found, I could use now and not wait a week or so to use,but it’s web site said it does NOT build credit with it. They did say they were working on that. So check back,but as of Jan.03/11 it does not. click on my link and look at # 15 (Will the Mango Card build my credit?) Hope this helps someone.
For some reason the link I put in the Blue box takes you to mangos main page. Click on ( help) at the top of the page then go down to # 15 (Will the Mango Card build my credit?) Again I hope this info helps some one before they sign up thinking this will build credit. Some cards do, Some cards don,t!
ooh yeah you also have to do billpay with atleast one of your bills the card i got was a AccountNow Visa but there are several just Google prepay credit cards one site i went to had visa mastercard and a really cool teen dicovery card that im getting for my son to put his allowance on that way its safe and it has parental controls and they get discounts at some popular teen stores when they shop with it
Val, thanks for the comments and tips! By the way, the teen discover card is called Current by Discover, and it does have a lot of great features that allow parents to monitor and control their teen’s spending. And if you are looking for other prepaid cards, no need to Google it–just check out our list of prepaid cards.
I have a Rushcard and it is a very easy and cost efficient card…There is a one time 19.95 charge to activate your card.From then on no monthly fees are taken off your card or anything and you don’t have to have a balance for your card to remain active. You can get money off your card from the ATM and deposit checks. For more information go to http://www.RushCard.com! THANKS and have a BLESSED DAY!
Can I use prepaid card in any other countries where the currency is other than dollar ?
Narayan, I believe you can depending on the card. Keep in mind that just like credit cards, there is an extra fee when making purchases in foreign currency. AccountNow, for example, changes a 2.95% currency conversion fee when making purchase in a foreign country.
Update: All prepaid credit cards have fees of some kind. If you are looking for prepaid credit cards with no fees, the best options are those cards that have fees you can avoid. For example, many cards like those listed here waive activation fees if you use direct deposit. For signature transactions (as compared to PIN transactions), you can often avoid fees, too. ATM usage almost always entails fees, at least after the first couple each month. The key to finding no fee or low fee prepaid cards is to know how you’ll use the card and factor that into your prepaid card selection.
1. Can the prepaid credit cards offered by you be used for purchasing online globally?!
2. I am an Indian citizen and reside here in India, so is your prepaid credit cards offer applicable for me or not?!
3. When I am clicking the apply option, the web page is not opening.
4. How can I deposit money into my prepaid credit card and what are the methods of deposit?!
B M S Murthy, thanks for your questions. You raise several good ones:
1. First, these cards are not offered by the Dough Roller. The links will take you to the official sites of each of these prepaid cards. That said, prepaid cards generally can be used internationally, although they charge a foreign currency fee much like credit cards. But you’ll need to double-check the terms of each card to make sure. For example, the AccountNow Prepaid Visa can be used intentionally, but it charges a 2.95% currency fee.
2. I assume that India has its own prepaid cards that would be more cost effective, but I’m just not familiar with what’s available there. To get a U.S. based card to be used in India all the time would be expensive because of the foreign currency fee.
3. Thanks for letting me know. I just tried both buttons and they worked fine for me. Not sure what the issue is, but you can use these links: Vision Premier and SilverCard.
4. There are several ways to load money onto a prepaid card. The most convenient and cost effective is direct deposit of a paycheck or government benefits check. In fact, AccountNow is currently offering a $25 bonus for those that use direct deposit. Not sure how long that offer will last, but it’s available as of today. You can also send a check to the prepaid card, use a bank transfer, transfer money via a credit card and so one. The thing to watch for are fees. Some of these methods are free, others will cost you a small fee. That’s why it’s so important to check the terms and conditions of any card before applying.
The response you got was inaccurate: none of the cards listed by DR are issued by banks with a license to operate in India. They can only be issued in the US (and sometimes Canada). Of course you can then take those cards to India and use them from there, but they won’t be issued and shipped to you in India.
You need to look for cards issued by banks with a Visa or MasterCard license in India.
Nice job breaking down all of the fees and other important things to note about prepaid cards.
My name is Hamza I am 8th Class Studies
Here’s my take on Prepaid Debit Cards (payroll cards) based on my own experience:
I used to work at a large national restaurant chain and our card was pretty bad. But, from what I hear, it was typical because most cards either have a monthly fee or pretty limited as to the free items. I have worked at Starbucks for about 7 months now and they allow us to have a card called the Money Manager Card. The choice was pretty simple because there are no monthly fees, I can use it on their network (allpoint atms) free at all times, never any fees to buy things (signing or using my PIN and getting cash back if I want…all without a fee or surcharge), no overdraft. Let’s just say I haven’t paid a fee in the entire time I’ve had the card. It’s pretty simple to use it at no charge and I really don’t have to tip-toe around any limited free items like most other cards I have seen have.
Oh, and don’t lose most payroll cards! If you do, it’ll cost you $$ even to get the replacement sent by the post office. My new card give free replacements when delivered by the post office all of the time. Or, if I want, I can get it delivered by Fedex for $10. Pretty reasonable as I sent something by Fedex a month ago and paid $14!
My point is, if an employer is set on offering its employees a Paycard, it should do both the company and its employees and offer a Paycard that truly costs $0 to use. When I say $0, I mean $0. Not just $0 if you jump through certain hoops, etc.
I should state that Walmart has something that is similar sounding to Money Manager Card. I think it is the Money Card or something like that. That card is definitely not the same.
I did a quick Google search on Money Card when investigating the Starbucks offering and mistakenly clicked on a link to a Money Card “problem” page where people complained about it. Then, I realized that “Money Card” is not “Money Manager Card”.
Thought I would let you know so you don’t make the same mistake and get yourself a card that will end up costing you $$$$.
Hello,
Just wondering from the list all pre paid credit cards have monthly fees with the exception of the Ace & Ready? Is that correct? If an illegal purchase is made on the pre paid card that is connected to a personal bank account for sending funds does a the bank account suffer as well? Thanks.
Doug, if you load $500 a month or more on the card, the Mango Money card has no monthly fees. And it’s only $5 a month if you load less than $5. Of all the cards listed, I think it’s the best deal. As to your second question, I think I need more info. Unlike a bank debit card, a prepaid debit/credit card is not associated with a bank account. That’s one of the reasons that people in the ChexSystems who can’t open a checking account can still qualify for a prepaid card. There are limits to liability on bank debit cards for fraudulent transactions, much like a credit card, but I’m not sure if that’s your question or not.
I signed up for a prepaid credit card because i needed to take a business trip to Russia. I have heard so many horror stories of people becoming victims of identity theft after using a credit card in a foreign country. In the end i went with the rushcard. They were the cheapest.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT IS THE LIMIT TO HAVE DEPOSIT ON ANY CARD
Vidal, the limit varies from card to card. The most common limits I’ve seen are either $2,500 or $10,000.
I am interested in getting this type of card so I can safely shop online, but some sites require you to enter the three digit number that’s on the back of the card. Does anyone know if the Mango card (or any other prepaid card) has these three digit numbers on the back?
Yes the Mango card does.. they even give you a free virtual card and it gives you a card number exp date and cvc code and its completely different from the card they send in the mail yet its linked to the same account.
I think we should all use a prepaid debit card and deal these banks a blow by not allowing them to charge us these enormous fees when you make an error not matter how long you have banked with them without errors. I just got charged $140 by Bank of America whom I have banked with for 25 years because I got the snow-ball effect. Yes I know I should keep good records. I did make an addition error in my account, but $140 fees for debit card transactions of $3.14, $8.47, $48.00 and $ 7.50. I got an alert the next day telling me my balance was low and in danger of incurring fees. The next day! I ran to the bank and deposited money. And even those transactions are still “pending” the bank charged me $140. in fees! I am sick of banks. ( I use to be a bank manager in the days when banks cared and you could deal with them on a personal level).
I concur! I love prepaid debit card.
I concur!
I have been doing some searching for a good prepaid card, so far I have checked with Walmart, Rush Card, NetSpend, account now and others so far I am not sure what one is the Best
just need toknow the best one and i’m on benefitsfrom dssso you see what is i’m just after a cards thats for social money benefits and for online shopping and paying for paying thing like rent and stuff thx
I WHANT A PREPAID CARD WITH THE TITLE OF (GT AUTO TECH)
To whom it may concern: I am interested in purchasing a pre-credit card to pay monthly dues at 24hourfitness. I do not want the company to have my regular banking information; too many complaints of clubs taking money out of client’s accounts after terminating membership. Is this a good option?; will the bank of the card charge everytime the company takes out my dues? This is pretty much the only transaction I will be using the card for. Thank-you
Barbara, because you’d only be making that one purchase a month, it will be difficult to find a prepaid credit card with absolutely no fees. The best option is probably the Mango Money card, which would charge a $5 monthly fee if you load less than $500 a month.
What about the UPSide Debit card? It charges no monthly fee if you load $400 or more. $1.99 otherwise. It is cheaper than the Mango Money card. I am unsure which one is better according to other fees they may have. And how they treat their customers.
Nichelle, the UPSide debit card is a good choice as well. I’ve personally used the Mango MasterCard, and love it. But if you load less than $400 a month, UPSide does offer a really low monthly fee. You can get more details on the UPSide card by clicking here.
I disagree. Why pay $5 monthly fee for 1 transaction a month. Go for AccountNow Regular Visa (not Gold as it charges $9.95 per month). You will be charged $1 for that 1 single transaction from 24 HR Fitness per month, hence $12 annually not $60.
Ms. Marriott,
The Social Security Administration offers a card for benefits with no fees. It is called the Direct Visa. Call your local SSA office or 1-800-772-1213 and ask for it. I am sure the agents would be happy to help you with enrolling into this card program. It works just like any other Visa prepaid card and is covered
Thank u very much this is just what i was looking 4 i have been looking 4 a card fo me an my wife an this is perfict. i am dissabled an we like 2 watch redbox movies but its kinda hard 2 do that when u dont have a card so thank u
Im curious… I am retired, and I already have direct deposit. Ive read and reread many articles pertaining to the PrePaid cards, yet, I havent read anything saying a retirement check can be directly deposited.
Can it be?
Retired, if by retirement check you mean social security, yes they can be direct deposited to a prepaid card. And setting up the direct deposit works the same as it does for a bank. You need your account number and routing number, both of which your prepaid card issuer can give you. Note that your account number for direct deposit will not be the same number that appears on your prepaid card. You can get more information directly from the social security administration.
Hi DR,
Nice article and good to know that we have so many options available to come away from the stupid banks..
I have a Q here. If we use a prepaid debit card will it affect my credit history in any way?
Thanks!!!
~urskrishna
No. Because you aren’t borrowing money with a prepaid credit card, it has no affect on your credit report or FICO credit score.
Pre-Paid…. Credit cards. Some vendors won’t accept debit cards. One of the leading Car Rental companies will only rent cars with a valid Credit Card.
Do you know if any of these ‘Pre-Paid” appear as Credit Cards?
No, even though these cards can be used as credit cards for “normal” purchases (e.g., at the grocery store), these cards will NOT appear as credit cards for rental car companies. I think ALL rental car companies allow a debit card for payment AFTER your use, i.e., when you return the car, but only a few allow use of a debit card for the initial RESERVATION.
Enterprise, for example, WILL allow a debit card for reservation of a rental car (I think they put a hold on the debit card for 120% of the total contract cost). We used them a few weeks ago (and we have no credit cards).
I want to make a few online purchases over the next several months in the 80 buc range at a time, if even that much, I had been hearing alot about visa, whats a good reloadable visa card? there seems to be so many, I’m thinking about starting off with a 100.00 dollar one.
Bob, any of the cards listed on this page are good options. At $100, however, you will end up paying some fees for the card.
I’ve been checking out the options on this list and I would have to say I like Mango the best but I’m a lil confused by this “APY” (Annual Percentage Yield) of 5.10%??? Could someone explain this to me?
Dee, the 5.1% APY is the interest you’ll earn if you open a savings account that Mango offers. It is linked to the Mango card, so you can transfer money between the card and the savings account. You don’t have to open the savings account, of course, but the interest rate is about the best you’ll find anywhere. To open a savings account, you do need to be set up for direct deposit.
i need to visa or master cards free and send the card to yemen sanaa please
i need to visa or master card free and send the card to yemen sanna
How do I know which ATMs accept the pre paid debit cards? And, is the withdrawal per day limited to $200 like a bank limits your debit card?
Thanks for any info.
Shar, most prepaid cards should be accepted at just about any ATM. Some cards, like Green Dot, don’t charge a fee if you use an ATM within the Green Dot network. Green Dot is on the Money Pass network. As for limits, you’ll need to check with the prepaid card company, as these limits can vary. Using Green Dot again as an example, its daily ATM withdrawal limit is $400.
If you get a greendot card they use US Bank and you don’t get charged for getting money off the card. I’m not sure but I think they do charge like 0.95 cents to check the balance. You can go to the website and get a balance there or sign up for a daily or weekly balance alert. I have the Mastercard and soon will be getting the Visa one for my rent and utilities. I love them and won’t go back to a bank or credit union….
The good thing about Prepaid Card, be it Master or VISA, is that, you only spend what you have loaded, completely helping you to avoid those tempting debt related with Credit Card.
Unfortunately, for people outside the US, the cards highlighted in the article can not be applied for. Alternatively, for international people, getting free credit card will warrant joining rograms that offer cards as reward or those that pay with VISA and Master Card. Bear in mind that these programs offer the cards for free.
With out a doubt Mango card is hand down far to none the best pre-paid card out there. there is a saving account you can get up with, them ,as well as its free no fee’s debit card. No Monthly fee if you load more than $500 bucks a month. Most people load that much in two weeks. I had nexis for about 2 weeks and already am out 23 dollars of my own money. They got to many fee’s, Its like they charge a 1 dollar for every breath you take. Garbage. Definitely the worst i ever had.
Did anyone ever hear of AOL. They were free for along time and then one day they turned on the 9.95 fee and overnight the company made 10 million dollars.
They will turn the fees on when they get to a certain point and then they will make millions by the time people can get their direct deposits moved somewhere else and the fees will be high.
It’s a great plan so enjoy free while you can it will not last!!
I have been searching & researching for a good debit card. I have Rush card ($1 per transaction fee is too much – stopped using it)
I even tried something called Smarty Pig. It is a savings account that is supposed to help you save and when you reach your goal (or before) you move the $$$ to their Smarty Pig debit card, gift cards or back to orig bank acct.
I saved for a few months and thought I’d test out the debit card. While cashing out, I got a notice that the debit card is NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. Huh?? I was so pissed. All over the website it talks about the debit card… then it’s not available???? I researched and read all the fine print. They don’t tell you it’s not available until you are in the middle of cashing out. Some sort of bank change over or something they’re doing. They said it MAY be available sometime in Nov (umm this occurred in Nov… so…). They dumped all my $$ back into my orig. bank acct., since I didn’t want my savings put into a GIFT CARD!
( And if you go to their site it still pimps the debit card even though it’s not available.
So even when you’re careful and do all your research there can be snags.
looking for a prepaid card/debit card for my son in college. he is in Florida, & I’m on the other side of the US. I want a card I can buy here and send to him. I want to be able to put $$ on it here from my bank acct. to his debit card bi-weekly. ($25.00) at first, then I will send him the card. Then bi-weekly I will deposit approx. $50.00 -$200.00. I am on a fixed income so it’s unknown of the monetary amount. But, I am spending $20-30 a month on wiring or doing the money gram,. so my question is: I’m looking for a card I can send to my son (student), that i can reload from my bank acct. He can’t have a bank acct, , we tried thAT, and he is geting financial assistance, grants, scholarship money, so I do not want any SSN ##’s given out. ANY IDEAS?
THANXS,
mom
Joy, my first suggestion would be the Upside Visa prepaid card. You can load the card from your bank account for free. Each month you load $500 or more, the monthly fee is just $0.99. And in those months you load less than $500, the monthly fee is only $2.99. There is no activation fee and no credit check to get the card. Good luck!
Dear Mom,
You should try obopay.com, they have a great card you can load instantly via a bank card or credit card or with a bank account. When using a bank acct it will take 2-3 days for money to appear on his card. Paypal also offer the same thing, but you must apen a paypal acct and wait 2 month to get a debit card, obopay does not make you wait, but they do charge a 1 time fee of 10.00 to get a card.
Max, the problem with obopay is that they charge you a fee every time you use the card.
can you tell me about the capital one prepaid mastercard it seems like a great card with virtually no fees but which is better, the mango card or this one?
Is ther a limit as to how much you can load onto a prepaid visa card. Can you load as much as $10,000 dollars or more?
Load limit varies on every card. Avoid wiring or transfering over $9,999 as it rings the bell at the government offices.
Are there any cards i can use to activate my paypal and then just leave them sitting there without paying monthly fees
curious, Mango mentioned above is probably the lowest fee card available. Keep in mind that depending on how you use the card, there could be fees.
Got a question about the Mango debit card: are there any fees associated with online and in store purchases? I mean if I go into the Walmart and make a purchase with my prepaid debit (Mango) will I be charged a fee for usage? I know that with Account now, I would get charged a fee of 50 cents for each transaction in store and online. Actually, I was charged a fee of at least 50 cents each time I used the card no mater where I used it. Please someone, provide response as soon as possible. Thanks.
Babette, the Mango card does not have fees when you use it to shop, whether online or in the store.
So my girlfriend and I had our tax return deposited on my bank freedom card. I tried to take all of our money off to get a car and my card was deactivated. When I called to find out what the problem was, I was told that my card was cancelled, because of too many transactions. Also… They told me because my card was canceled I lost all of my money and that they would not be mailing it out. This is a big scam, they took almost $5,000 from me and my girlfriend. So I can’t get my money when I need it? This is some fake suff, don’t go for it.
TT38, if the IRS in fact deposited a refund on a Bank Freedom card, as you’ve described, the money is available. If you are unable to access the funds through your Bank Freedom card, contact the IRS.
Does anyone know if unemployment benefits for New York State can be directly deposited to a Mango card?
If NY pays unemployment benefits via direct deposit, than you should be able to have the benefits deposited directly on a Mango card. When you get your card, it comes with specific instructions on how to set up direct deposit, including your unique account number and routing number.
Does any one offer a no fee card that I can pay for with cash(check)
Joe you can add cash to any prepaid card, but not for free. To load cash on a card will cost about $4.95.
Would a prepaid card like this be appropriate for drivers in a trucking business? This would allow them to purchase fuel, get cash advances for tolls, etc. Could it be put in the business name or must it be put in the driver’s name?
is this prepaid credit card is possible to use any country including here in the philipppines?
Right now the best prepaid cards are the BB&T MoneyAccount card which is through BB&T Bank. There is a $5 a month fee if you deposit $1,000 or more per month and a $10 fee otherwise. There is no charge to deposit cash, use their ATMs, bill pay etc – the only thing missing is the possibility of overdraft.
If you have direct deposit the MoneyManager card has a single fee 50 cents for bill pay to anyone so if you want them to send a check to someone its 50 cents. 37,000 completely free ATMs and unlimited ATM transactions. No charge for customer service, no monthly fees, no fees for transactions. For someone without direct deposit there is a $4 fee from Visa Readylink. I’d recommend the BB&T for cash deposits since those are free with them.
Most of the major banks will have accounts just like the BB&T MoneyAccount probably by the summer.
Outside of those the new Western Union Gold card has no monthly or transaction fees plus you get ‘rewards’ for loading cash onto the card.
Hi,
i’m looking for a prepaid card. And throughout my research so far i could not find one, that will allow me to put money on it with a foreign card.
I’m a student here and i have a Russian debit card that is not eccepted on-line, so i’d love to have a US prepaid card to be able to do safe purchases. I have a SSN#, if that matters.
I hope you’ll be able to help!
Thanks,
Kate
Does anyone have the perkstreet account card? Im looking into getting one i was just wondering what you guys have to say about it before i get it..thanks so much.
angie, PerkStreet is an excellent debit card. It’s one of the few with cash back rewards. Keep in mind that with PerkStreet, you can a checking account, so it’s not exactly a prepaid credit card. You can check out our review of PerkStreet by clicking here.
hey i was wondering if anyone knew of a card that doesnt have a monthly maintenence fee.my account now cost 3.95 per load plus 9.95 a month.is there any cheeper cards around?
I was wondering if there was any cheeper monthly fee “lets say 0.99 a mouth and get like a 100 or 200 signup bouus
I”m a Green Dot card holder I was shocked ” when at Rite AID I got charged 4.95 to put more cash on the card, and I’m being charged a 5.95 monthly maintenance fee as well. I need something a little less exploitative then that if anyone has any suggestions please E-Mail them.
Kenneth, all prepaid cards charge you to load cash. The best way to load a prepaid card is via direct deposit, which should be free. As for the monthly maintenance fee, the Mango MasterCard is free if you load at least $500 on the card each month.
That’s not true. The BB&T MoneyAccount has free cash deposits at any BB&T branch.
The end is near for these rip off cards as banks and credit unions enter the prepaid space. The only existing cards that will survive are those that already have no fees and there are only a couple of those – neither of which made this ‘list’.
This list is not indicative of the better prepaid cards available. This list is basically advertising.
What criteria was used in coming up with this ‘list’? Every one of them has fees so the title is deceptive.
Perk Street is not even a prepaid card.
Bob, every prepaid card has some fees, including the BB&T MoneyAccount. The key is to find cards that can be used in such a way as to avoid the fees. The Mango MasterCard is my top pick for that reason.
You are correct that PerkStreet is not a prepaid card. It’s a no fee cash rewards debit card. I’ve included it as an alternative because it’s an excellent product.
DR, thanks for your input. However, in regards to PerkStreet, some or most of the people who resort to this part of the worldwide web have “not-so-desirable credit history” or “run-ins with their banks” to have negative items on their ChexSystem reports. I know you are compelled to advertise to include “PerkStreet as an alternative because it’s an excellent product,” but consumers must be informed beforehand that PerkStreet requires clean ChexSystem report in order to be approved for an account and the account is not a “prepaid debit card” but a regular checking account that offers debit card along with the account just as regular banks would offer their account holders..
wel so far the mango card & the upside R the ones w/ no to much fees
thank’s for the info
Are these prepaid cards safe from government tax levies?
He he! Sorry but I have to say this… “Are Swiss and Bahamas accounts invicible to the US Government?”
DO NOT USE ANY METABANK ISSUED CARD. They do not tolerate payments from accounts that you do not own. Metabank is doing this to fight fraud, which their system has too much of.
My friend paid me $23 from a paypal account for something I sold for him, and that caused my Western Union Gold Card to get closed down with $5,010 in it.
I had to get my friend to call them, and they grilled him with a lot of questions before releasing the money to me in the form of a check refund. I’m now stuck without a card!
Hi,
I want to provide my own prepaid card to my webstore client, where should I go? note I am out US
Cannot these people understand English? You type “Feeless” debit card on Google it takes you to a site with big bold letters “Feeless” debit cards – You go to the first one you see – “Mango” it says “Free” “Feeless” debit card in big bold letters. You go to their TOS page and it says $5 a month service fee. Why do these people not comprehend english?
John, you can use the Mango card for free, if you load $500 or more a month on the card. Otherwise, the monthly fee is $5. That is as “free” as any prepaid card you’ll find.
The Amex debit card is free, meaning no annual fee, not monthly fee, no minimum amount per month, no fees means no fees. The only catch I see is that you need to reload the account from a checking account.
If no fees means no fees, then the AMEX card is not without fees. You can only get money from an ATM once per calendar month. Successive withdrawls earn a $2 fee.
I agree with the use of ATM for withdrawals. Therefore, use once a month and stop. Use another source.
I agree. Except for the fact it’s not only checking you can use to reload Amex Prepaid Card. You can use other sources (e.g., MoneyPak, other prepaid card with routing and account numbers, MoneyGram, etc.).
Amex is probably the BEST in terms of “feeless” prepaid card. Downside is it does not have routing number to do payroll or government direct deposits. It is meant as a tool for spending safely from merchants, online or otherwise.
American Express does have a routing number to do payroll…I just received my card…however, you have to go your account and the information is there (routing, acct number etc)….and as for the $2.00 fee, even your bank will charge a withdrawal fee, especially if you utilize ATM’s other than their own…and there are other means of withdrawal (when making a purchase) other than that AMEX is fee “FREE”…also AMEX offers Roadside Asst…another card you may want to check out is “Vision Prepaid Card”…it offers savings acct w/5.26%, Roadside Asst and 1% cash back on gas purchases…hope this info is helpful
AMEX Prepaid now offers Direct Deposit from payroll and Government Benefits. It is simply THE BEST! You can fund with a bank account linked to the card or you can fund with cash at designated participating vendors. NO FEES…EVER! What’s not to love?
Yeah sure, maybe it is completely “fee-less”, but then you have to deal with the fact that there’s only about 3 stores on this ENTIRE PLANET THAT WE LIVE ON, usually refereed to as PLANET EARTH that actually accepts American Express!!!! hahahahaha
green dot card can reload your card
No, you don’t. You can still buy a load pack to load money onto an Amex prepaid card. You don’t have to put money on the card from your bank account.
The only thing I did see was that I don’t think you can deposit government money onto the card, so I don’t know if they will let you deposit your tax return onto it, does anyone know?
The only down side to the Amex is that it’s hard to find places that take it. other then a few store no body will take Amex. Heck I’ve had to buy other cards to do some shoping online cause the places would not take Amex..
Not true I have a skylight card and I pay nothing for it. No monthly fees, no transaction fees or anything. Best part I also have an online account so I can transfer money and view my statements.
Shante, you can only get the skylight from your employer though.
Hey John the American express card’s only fee is a $2 ATM and the first one of the month is free. I’ve been looking at cards like these for the past 5 hours trying to find the cheapest fees possible. You still have to pay to load cash but, I’d rather give green dot $5 a load instead of $5 for a lcash load and $10 a month plus a dollar everytime you swipe it. Read those fee charts carefully!!!!!!
I completely agree John, I had the same comment – it’s not feeless, you either pay the monthly fee, or the $500 to load the card…either way, it’s not feeless!!! Amex seems to be the best deal on this site. Amazon, Apple, Paypal etc require a credit card be attached to an account in order to be able to use the gift cards/credit amounts I already have available …I just want an anonymous card unattached to my personal bank account.
I could NOT have said it better myself!! hahaha I actually Googled, “Prepaid cards with NO monthly fee”, and even capitalized the word, “NO”, and all I ended up getting was a BUNCH of cards that say(at least in the description before you read all of the fine print), “no monthly/yearly card fees!”!! As soon as you see one you may be interested in, you just find out that, “Oh, what we meant to say was that there’s no fee UNLESS you……..BLAH BLAH BLAH”. Someone as sharp as a bowling ball can see that THAT IS A DAMN FEE, regardless of the reason you give for it!!! Terrible… A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!!!!
Michael, if you are looking for a prepaid card that has no fees regardless of how you use it, you won’t find one. Same with “free” checking accounts. Even a free checking account charges you if you bounce a check or use an ATM owned by another back. These prepaid cards, however, are free in the sense that you can load them and use them without paying any fees. True, some require a minimum monthly load, but they are as close to no fee as you’ll find.
I could NOT have said it better myself!! hahaha I actually Googled, “Prepaid cards with NO monthly fee”, and even capitalized the word, “NO”, and all I ended up getting was a BUNCH of cards that say(at least in the description before you read all of the fine print), “no monthly/yearly card fees!”!! As soon as you see one you may be interested in, you just find out that, “Oh, what we meant to say was that there’s no fee UNLESS you……..BLAH BLAH BLAH”. Someone as sharp as a bowling ball can see that THAT IS A DAMN FEE, regardless of the reason you give for it!!! Terrible… A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!!!!
Bank Freedom (dotcom) is better then all of the ones listed above. GreenDOT sucks big time. They have had over 900 complaints with the BBB yet, they still get a rating of A+++. They owe a lot of people money. Even me. Google “why does greendot have a rating”.
Bill, Bank Freedom’s fees are nearly identical to the Mango MasterCard. And the Mango card offers a savings account that pays 5.1%, which is nice. Still, the Bank Freedom is a good choice. Thanks for the tip.
As for Green Dot, I’ve used the card without any issues. Any company as big as Green Dot will have a lot of complaints. Even Bank Freedom has complaints filed against it with the BBB. I still think it’s a good product.
Don’t state ‘No overdraft fees’ on the listed cards, when everyone knows that overdrafts are not possible on debit cards.
A bank may provide the (not free) service on a checking account, which is different.
Check cashers can be less expensive than the fees banks charge non-account holders. I would rather pay the small fee than go through the contempt and permanent collection of every number on my I.D. even at a local bank.
Money Network card Visa version has just a $3/month charge with no loading fee and 25 cents a purchase even if cash back. A company can provide a free non-Visa version as a payroll card.
Actually a person could just use the employer provided payroll card if associated with MasterCard or Visa. However, the employer reserves the right to charge the account for overpayments or termination disputes.
One is called Comdata.
What are usage fees on the other cards?
The walmart card listed above does have a one time issuance fee & Monthle fees that should be listed above & other fees
That’s right Sandra. I just rec’d my W/M MC and the first thing that jumped out at me was the $3 monthly fee (unless u deposit $1000). I don’t have $1000 to deposit. If I did I wouldn’t need a prepaid card, I’d have a bank debit card.
Many of these cards do not allow Government deposits, specifically tax returns. And some that do have very low limits and have online complaints that they have held several thousand dollars in tax returns from customers.
I have the following cards with no fees: AMex prepaid, AMEX campus prepaid, Bluebird, Green Dot Visa. They are all fee-free or waive the monthly fee with a reasonable amount of use ( a certain deposit or number of purchases). Bluebird atm is free with any direct deposit within 30 days. AMEX each provide 1 free atm withdrawal per month- which is more than enough. I rarely have used atms in my life. Almost any merchant accepts cards and I really can’t see they need of more than one $400 atm per month from each card. I guess there are people who need daily cash for certain, um street vendors.
That said none of these cards will accept a federal tax refund. Or if they do, they have complaints and very low limits. So I need a card that 1. accepts tax refund and 2. has a reasonable load limit- like 10 grand, not some crazy 1000-2500 limit.
Right now it seems my only option is to direct deposit my tax refund to my online savings account, which has no debit card attached, holds every deposit for 5 days, and takes 5 more days to transfer to another account. So it seems best case, I might have to wait 10 full business days after my tax refund comes to load it onto my Bluebird, in the meantime using my savings account info to pay a limited number of online bills that will accept it as a payment method.
the green do t card takes longer then they say it will come. maybe about 2-3 weeks pehaps.
Are any of these cards work as a real CC when booking flights, renting cars, etc.?
Car rentals = No (no legitimate car rental company takes debit cards)
Booking flights = Yes
Hotels = Yes (except the bank puts hold on the amount or cost of your hotel room plus incidentals as soon as you check in. If the amount on hold is not all used for the duration of your stay, the remainder stays on hold for more than 7 days.)
I’ve rented cars using debit cards. They placed a hold on some money just like hotels do. I’ve never had an actual credit card. But this was back in 2006-2007. Maybe things have changed?
I’ve rented cars using debit cards. They placed a hold on some money just like hotels do. I’ve never had an actual credit card. But this was back in 2006-2007. Maybe things have changed?
Is there a prepaid card that is easy to reload via internet banking vs. going to a bank; store; or Western Union office?
Norm, just about very prepaid card can be reloaded via online bank transfer. I’ve personally used the Walmart MoneyCard, and reloading it via an online bank account is very easy.
Lowest fee
Western Union MoneyWise Prepaid MasterCard Fees
0.00 Direct deposit fee
0.00 Online bank loading fee
0.00 Withdraw fee
0.00 Monthly maintnance
0.00 Money Transfer Fee
3.25 Western Union Reload Fee, (but you can reload thru checking for free)
5.25 6 Month Inactivity fee (if you don’t use your card within 6 months)
There are some drawbacks to the Western Union card. I have been denied some services on Amazon and when I called the number on the back of the card I kept getting disconnected. I also had an order cancelled by them for items that were back ordered.
It also takes 2 weeks for direct deposits to come through on the first direct deposit, and 1 week for each one after that!!!!!!!!!!!!!
can any of the prepaid be used on auction sites such as ebay
PerkStreet is an absolute rip-off. They say that they do not do a credit check but this is the very reason they denied me. If I am sending my money why is there a credit check anyway. So I sign up on Sunday and get an email on Tuesday that unfortunately they cannot give me a card. But when I signed up on Sunday they had asked for up to $500 in starter funds. When I had checked my bank account there was a debit from this company. I called up and was like how can you take my money without service. She said that it would take up to 7-10 business days to get the money back. I was like it did not take 7-10 business days to get the money. They might have debited on Monday but I did not check until Tuesday. If you know you might not approve an applicant don’t be messing with their money. I think this company is just trying to make money of me in the mean time. I reported them to the BBB and the next move is the FCC and my States’ Attorney General. They messed with the wrong one.
Tasha, not sure why PerkStreet took your money and then denied the card. And it’s ridiculous that it will take that long to get your money back. I’ve had many readers who have had great experiences with PerkStreet, but it’s crazy how they’ve handled your application.
For others reading this comment, keep in mind that PerkStreet is NOT a prepaid credit card. PerkStreet is a bank and the card they offer is a debit card. That may explain why they check an applicant’s credit score. The prepaid cards listed on this page do not check credit.
I received an approval e-mail from PerkStreet last week. They mentioned on the e-mail that in 3 to 5 business days, they will debit my bank account which they did on the third day. I wonder why Tasha’s experience was as such when her application was declined.
Your best bet is to notify the Better Business Bureau. They can help you get your money back. Plus, they can warn anyone else who plans on using this company in the future. Good luck.
Can I use a prepaid card as my paypal account to receive the payment on from a sale that I make to someone. If so how does that work? Can anyone help me, or offer another suggestion if I cannot do the above. Thanks for any help and advice you can give to me.
Glad I ran into this website. I’ve been using AccountNow and they charge 9.99 a month for service fees along with 3.50 for every ATM purchase. I think I’m gonna go with another card.
Oh, no! You got the gold card which is a rip off. The regular card is also a rip off if you are frequent user because it charges you $1 for every transaction.
Eldridge, I am right there with you. I too use the AccountNow Gold Visa, it stinks! On top of those fees, their website offers a $25 direct deposit incentive. The stipulations are you have to have at least $500 deposited for 2 or 3 consecutive months. I’ve been using the card since December and was making around $1600 a month and never received the incentive. But their customer service sucks too. Hence the reason why I switched to the AMEX prepaid card. No fees other than ATM withdrawals if I need cash I’ll just get it as cash back after a purchase to avoid that fee and I can set up direct deposit. Yep sounds like the card for me!
I just need a card to pay off some debts with the least fees possible and hassle. Please advise.
I am a student.
I have both the AMEX prepaid and Bank Freedom cards. No fees. The AMEX prepaid also insures purchases if they break or get stolen within the first 90 days. Kinda cool.
Is there a prepaid card that will let me receive a payday loan loaded straight onto it??
Kym, just about any reloadable prepaid card can accept bank transfers and direct deposit. You can can an account number and routing number from the prepaid card company once you have a card. These numbers would be required for any transfer. In terms of whether you can have a payday loan transferred to the card, that would depend on whether the payday loan company would transfer funds electronically. I assume that most do, but I don’t know for sure. Best of luck.
My new website will be up live beginning next month. I will need a prepaid card that I can direct my merchant account to deposit direct into the prepaid credit card from customers purchases from my site. I will then use the credit card to purchase the item from my wholesale company. Is there a limit to how much money goes into the card? Some of my items are $5,000 or even more. Volume could push the amount into the 10′s of thousands of dollars. What are the limitations if any for how much money can go into the card??? Thank you, Don Steffensen
Don, prepaid cards do have a limit, and probably would not be ideal for what yo describe. The highest limit I’ve ever seen on a prepaid card is $10,000, and most have limits of $2,500 or less.
Can you please comment this chart.
KAIKU AccountNow 3 Green Dot 4 NetSpend 5 RushCard 6
Purchase Fee No No $4.95 4a No $3.95-$14.95
Monthly Fee $1.95 $9.95 3a $5.95 4b $9.95 $9.95
ATM Withdrawal Fee $1.45 $2.50 $2.50 4c $2.50 $2.50 6a
Customer Service Fee Free Free Free $0.50 5a Free
Credit Card Loading Yes Not Offered Not Offered Not Offered Not Offered
Card-to-Card Transfers Yes Yes Not Offered Yes Yes
Bank Transfers Yes Not Offered Yes Yes Yes
Mobile Banking Yes Not Offered Yes Yes Yes
Direct Deposit Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Average Monthly Cost 7 $1.95 $9.95 $5.95 $9.95 $9.95
Average Yearly Cost 7 $23.40 $119.40 $71.40 $119.40 $119.40
Clay, do you have a question about this chart?
there are debit card available for outside US ex.Asian country?
Yes, you can find prepaid cards in just about any country.
Clay – thanks for posting the link. I checked out Kaiku’s website, it looks amazing!!!
I did not see a free card on this list.
Emily, the cost depends on how you use the card. If you think about free checking, even these accounts have fees for bounced checks, for example. The cards listed here either have extremely low fees or no fees at all depending on how you use the card (i.e., use direct deposit, load a certain amount on the card, get cash back at retail stores rather than an ATM).
So, I just need a visa card for a recurring internet purchase from overseas. I have very bad credit. Will one of these cards work? I tried a visa gift card, but it didn’t work. I looked at the Walmart card, but looked like it had monthly fees for deposit and for maintenance.
K, your best bet is the American Express prepaid card. It has no fees at all.
I cant have a bank acoount cause my now divorsed wifes os alot of money so if i get a bank it will all be gone cause her debt so i need a card for me to use but with lowest cost to me an im still not sure i like what i see so far an it will take her along time to pay her debt
Can I book a flight and hotel with a Green Dot card? how does that work
Lynn, you should be able to book a flight with a prepaid card. Booking a hotel room is a bit trickier. If you paid in full at the time of booking, it shouldn’t be a problem. But reserving the room might be an issue. Each hotel chain is different, so you would need to confirm with the specific hotel you wanted to book. To be sure, I’d call the airlines and the hotel in advance.
Is there a prepaid card without the debit logo?
Elle, all prepaid cards are part of a debit network. Most are either debit MasterCard or debt Visa. That being said, I don’t believe the American Express prepaid card has a debit logo. Instead it says “prepaid” above the American Express logo.
I want to get a prepaid credit card to help raise my credit…what is the best one to get? I want a card that reports to all 3 creditors…and suggestions??
Krisit, prepaid cards do NOT help you build credit. At one time some of them did, although they never reported to the 3 main credit bureaus. The best option to build your credit is a secured credit credit card. They are designed for those with limited or no credit. Good luck!
what about that upside visa? Does anyone know about that????
Andrea, the UPside is a good option. It’s very low cost and has just about every feature you could want from a prepaid card.
My teenage daughter is going to Italy and Greece with her school this summer. They don’t want the kids carrying a lot of cash and want them to have a debit card to use for purchases and ATM’s. What is the best pre-paid card I can get her that won’t charge fees for each overseas purchase? I have checked US Bank and Bank of America and they both charge 3% per transaction outside of the US.
hi. i want to sell some items on ebay, but have no bank acct cuz ive got terrible credit and banking history…i DO have money though….what banks could i try to get a savings acct. with for pay-pal, since pay-pal accepts savings accounts for seller fee’s, and unfornatually pay-pal does NOT accept pre-paid cc’s as a method to pay seller fee’s. also, If i can’t find a bank to help give someone w/ poor credit a savings account, could i try an online bank—like perkstreet–which lets you uplaod your account from a pre-paid card—then use my perkstreet etc acct. for pay-pal?
pls pls pls advise, as much as possible, i need help desperatly w/ this issue
Marci, the PayPal Prepaid MasterCard may be exactly what you’re looking for. It also comes with an optional linked savings account. I don’t recommend it for regular transactions, but it’s a good option if you want to link it to a paypal account.
they have now a pre paid paypal card that links as the checkin account. some prepaid do link but u have to get the routing and account number from the prepaid card holder.
If YOU put MONEY into an account it is NOT a CREDIT CARD!!
Greg, that’s so true! But folks still use the terms prepaid credit card and prepaid debit card interchangeably. I guess it’s like driveway, which you PARK on, and parkway, which you DRIVE on.
i just tried to sign up for a prepaid credit card but it was failed, but i had to enter my SS card # and birthdate… I hope my personal information will be stolen by all those crazy people out there who do such horrible things like that…
I have Netspend and I love it. They have low fees plus they give you a ten dollar cushion if you upgrade to Premier along with a savings account. Right now they are giving people $20 bonus for signing up….yournetspend.com
I bought a prepaid cards in the USA and I could not use it in Fance. I cannot paid any thing with oneline.
What is the problem?
Best
Bernard
Bernard, that’s strange. Most prepaid cards work overseas, although they typically charge a foreign transaction fee. Which prepaid card did you use?
Is there a pre-paid debit card that has 24 hour service?
Is there a pre-paid debit card that lists the atm’s in my area before I actually get the card?
Is there a pre-paid debit card that allows me to take more that $400 out at a time?
Hello,
Last week I cashed my pay check at the issuing bank, WF. It was horrible they made me sit through a 45min sales pitch using needing a finger print as a ruse… I’ll be packing my own ink pad the next time I visit, see how well that goes.
I then headed over to where I wanted to make my first purchase, Office Max. There I saw silver Visa Gift cards in varying denomination, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to use Cash for on-line purchases I picked up a $50 card. There was a fee for purchasing the card(printed clearly on the packaging), but I have yet to see any others.
The Card worked perfectly at Amazon and Google Play, even though the name on the card is “gift card recipient”.
The major draw back of this card is the card is not refillable, though it’s almost advantageous to have a new credit card number every so often it’d seam uneconomical to pay for each new card/refill. Plus when the card is almost empty I’ve no choice but to use it at a retailer where I can pay the rest with cash or gift card. I’ve been using gift cards a lot recently, it feels safer then toating around thousands of dollars.
The cost of the card in percentage when down the greater the value of card you chose.
After reading this blog I come to realize that this might be the best option for what I’m attempting to do.
I want financial independence and freedom, but most of all I want privacy. I want to be anonymous, not only to retailers and financial institutions but also to governments and even law enforcement. I think Benjamin said it best, Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither. Criminals will be crooks and honest ppl can either be crooks or victims, is what I would say. My being a victim won’t stop criminals so I might as well be a crook. I’m not sure you can follow how this applies, but if you lack imagination I suggest you familiarize yourself with the concept of a Police State.
This technique obviously can’t be used for Tax Evasion, my employer and WF have a record that I’ve received these funds. At best it would be considered Money Laundering, a legitimate business practice if you ask me.
On to my question, motives aside, considering that Direct Deposit is the last thing one would ever consider and add a cap on the maximum amount of information that should be necessary for obtaining and keeping a card to that which you’d find on a cash receipt(date, time, place, price). What then would you say is the best option for a Visa Card, refillable or not?
For anyone who shares my views, you may be interested in Tor Project: Anonymity Online and Bitcoin – P2P digital currency. Both are amazing technological and sociological achievements that deserve an honorable mention. If neither of these existed, I probably woldn’t be concerned about financial independence.
Thanks!
If anyone wants to avoid ATM FEES, I have an alternative solution:
If you need cash from a debit card and dont want to put up with crazy atm fees, simply go to the nearest major grocery store to you, and buy 1 candy bar and when paying for it at check out, use your debit card & it will automatically ask you if you want cash back (no fees for this) you select the maximum or whatever u need and u will get it without atm or transaction fees as its listed on your bank statement as a SALE, not a WITHDRAWAL.
Timothy, excellent advice. One caveat. You need to make sure the prepaid card does not charge for PIN transactions. You can’t get cash back with a signature transaction.
American Express Pass card is totally free. You can also load money from your actual Amex card. Upside Visa has a totally free credit card also tht it doesn’t advertise. It’s supposed to be for teens. I know one adult who has one.
I am currently looking for a prepaid card. My issue is that I will be reloading cash. I know most charge you a fee to do that. Is there any that have a low fee and a low monthly fee?
Keesha, both the UPside and Amex prepaid cards have low fees.
None of the above comments have addressed the fact that the Walmart prepaid Visa charges back fees if you let your card idle with a zero balance for a few months. I usually only use my card for Christmas shopping online, but ths year I used it when travelling and when I loaded it, I was immediately charged $3 for every month that had elapsed since I last used it.
Pat, almost all reloadable cards charge this fee. If you don’t plan on using a prepaid card each month, I’d close the account and open a new one when you need it.
Can I have a customer, not government agencies or employer deposit money into my prepaid debit card and how can he do this?
I’m going to South America for one month and need a card for ATMs and purchases. I don’t think I should get AMEX because it’s not accepted as many places as other cards. Are there any problems with using these cards overseas, at ATMs and at stores or with online vendors, and are there any cards that are better than others for overseas purchases?
Well for me..i dont do atms..so there was one card up until Sept of this year that nearly fit no fees to a tee..and that was MIOcard..among the lowest reload fee..but now like most small companies once customers grow..so do other things..now theres a .50 cent fee every month..1.95 fee every month its not used..and no thats not bad..for NOW..but the fact these fees have been added scares me because what happens when they continue to expand..id hate that..so prayfully they dont increase..otherwise im sure that this is currently the best prepaid card available..long gone are cards with no mth fee(mio was the only one)..but for now two quarters isnt too much to spare
Ok..my mistake mio still has no mthly fee..but u r charged .50 cents on every purchase u make..and 1.95 inactivity fee anytine u dont use..so correction!
Ok..my mistake mio still has no mthly fee..but u r charged .50 cents on every purchase u make..and 1.95 inactivity fee anytine u dont use..so correction!
I need to be able to load money on the prepaid card using another credit card, for my son in collage. can this be done online?
Also are there cards out there that let you load several thousand dollars so large monthly bills can be paid?
Bluebird debit card allows loading with credit cards and has bill pay also
Usually these free prepaid cards have some sort of “hook” to get you on them and never let go
. I recommend looking into the Mango Money card… it’s one of my favorites out there.
Kaiku Prepaid Is The Best Out There Right Now 1.95 A Month And Over 50Thousand Surcharge Free Atms
I don’t know why my comment showed up as a reply to someone else. So I will try again with a shorter comment.
I have 3 AMEX prepaid products and a Green Dot. All are completely free for me. I have multiple avenues for direct deposit, loading $1000 in a month is not a problem, and never in my life have I needed to use an ATM when just about everything accepts a card of some sort. So a card with no startup/transaction/monthly fees that provides up to $400 in 1 free atm per month or a card that is completely free with 1 direct deposit per month definitely means FREE to me.
That said, none of these cards will accept a federal tax refund.
So: I need a card that 1. accepts tax refund and 2. has a reasonable load limit- like 10 grand, not some crazy 1000-2500 limit. Mine will probably be 4-5 grand.
It looks like maybe Kaiku is it, but I was really looking for a no- fee card. Is that the “catch”? No fee cards don’t accept federal government deposits- if you want your tax refund or similar deposit you need to pay fees?
I’m surprised when I do a search for this feature, I don’t get many results. You have to read the fine print to see most of these cards will not accept a tax refund deposit.
I tried posting before but I kept getting duplicate comment and my comment was showing as a reply to another completely irrelevant comment.
What’s the lowest fee card that allows the deposit of tax refunds? I have a bunch of the free ones and they do not.
Is kaiku the lowest fee one? A lot of them you have to read the fine print to even see if it’s allowed. There are horror stories out there by people who tried to load their federal deposits on ones like Green Dot and had their tax returns frozen or stolen. The AMEX products wont let you, and the green dot says in the faqs that they won’t do it. I’m surprised how many don’t even address this topic- which I would think would be perhaps the biggest single financial transaction for the unbanked.
I tried to get the Amex card and had to laugh when they asked for a copy of my SS, driver’s license and another form of ID. What part of PRE-PAID don’t these people understand? It’s my money! You don’t need to know what size and color underwear I wear in order to give me a piece of plastic to hold my own money! I have excellent credit and credit cards in good standing. I’m only doing this for privacy issues as I’m separating myself from the banksters that are killing the human race. I may as well just go back to cash and the hell with all of them.
Mark, you can blame the federal government. All reloadable prepaid cards are required to collect that information as part of government’s efforts to track the movement of cash in its fight against terrorism.
I got a bluebird account with no info other than my name and address…its done through amex but for walmart…
Mark,
What card, if any, did you finally go with? Very interested as I feel the same as you about this topic.
Technically one could blame the terrorists, the insane war on drugs, and other criminal types. Don’t be mistaken; prepaid debit cards to *not* distance yourself from the banks, so far most I have researched a bank is involved, often one of the large national banks. Free is never free, and there must be some value for our money residing in their banks for even short terms, or these cards wouldn’t exist. Either a bank account or store front check cashing service is needed to cash checks, so someone is going to make money from our using cash.
Can these prepaid cards be garnished?
Garnishment is a question of state law, so I don’t know the answer. However, I would assume that they could be garnished under the right circumstances.
Kaiku, charges an extra 15% on each hotel transaction you do so if you load the cost of a room on your card you better include the extra 15% or it is not going to go through and customer service is incredibly rude, I had my phone company accidently pull double payments out of my Kaiku account and they quickly reversed the withdrawel I had to wait 2 weeks to recieve my money back from Kaiku because they put a hold on it my son had a birthday with no cake or ice cream and my entire paycheck for that week was held so I could not touch it basically. Also since the phone company still had not been paid and I couldn’t because all of my money was being held my phone was shut off as well. Terrible card do not recommend. I also have yet to find an ATM in Kansas City that is remotely close to anywhere I may be.
I have a perk street pre paid card and it is wonderful. I got it from the teaching of Dave Ramsey…it works wonders…check the website out….especially the rewards….
I think the Western union card deserves a looking at. I find the only charge is to load the card. $4.98