- Rating:
Summary:
With low fees and customer service available at every Walmart location, the MoneyCard is one of the leading prepaid debit cards available today.
Gas is unfortunately on the rise again. With the historic events in the Middle East unfolding, oil has again risen above $100 a barrel and gas prices are heading to $4 a gallon. Perhaps the easiest way to save money at the pump is with a gas rewards credit card. But what if you don’t want or can’t get a credit card? Well believe it or not the answer might be with the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card.
Walmart’s efforts to enter the retail banking market have been met with significant resistance. So Walmart partnered with Green Dot to issue the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card. While the MoneyCard is not a free prepaid credit card, it does offer very low costs (more about that in a minute). But the big feature is that through 12/31/2011, you can earn 1% cash back on all gas purchases nationwide. While you can earn more rewards with a credit card, the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card is the only prepaid card I’ve found that offers any cash back on gas purchases.
Direct Deposit Bonus
The Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card offers free direct deposit of a paycheck or government benefits check. The direct deposit works just like a traditional bank. You will receive an account number (separate from the number on the card) and a bank routing number. With these numbers, you can set up direct deposit. And with direct deposit, you get faster access to your money and avoid check cashing fees. And Wal-mart will pay a $10 bonus after you enroll in recurring direct deposit and use direct deposit to put more than $250 on the card.
Add Money at Walmart
One of the nice features of the MoneyCard is that you can load cash onto the card at Walmart. You can load cash onto the card at the register. You can cash a payroll or government benefits check at Wal-mart and load some or all of the cash on the card for free. And you can load cash on the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card at a Walmart MoneyCenter Express ATM.
Fees
When it comes to any kind of banking, it’s critical to understanding the fees you may be charged. For the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card, the fees are simple:
- One-time Card Issuance Fee: $3
- Direct Deposit: Free
- Load Cash at Wal-Mart: $3
- PIN & Signature Transactions: Free
- Monthly Fee: $3
- ATM Withdrawal: $2
Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card Summary
- No issuance fee online
- No credit check or bank account required
- No overdraft fees
- No minimum balance required
- Free Direct Deposit
- Use everywhere MasterCard debit is accepted, including shop online, pay bills, get cash at ATMs
You can check out more details and get the card at the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card.
Rob Berger
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Published or updated November 2, 2012.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
hi! i’m bobby i am wanting a big flat screen tv , i don’t have the cash , i seen the credit card paper saying that i can finance a tv with a walmart credit but i don’t have a walmart credit card but i have a walmart money visa debit card , i was wondering if i could finance a tv useing my walmart visa money card , i also have a checking account and i have a debit master card from my bank . can you please tell me if i could use either of these to finance a tv at walmart ,i can pay paments on a tv but i don’t have the cash to pay in fuul on a tv , i would apreciate you letting me know , thank you very much and i always choose walmart first to do my shopping , thany you from bobby brantley
Bobby, both the Walmart MoneyCaard and a debit master card require you to load money on the card before using it. You cannot finance a purchase with a prepaid card.
Maybe you should just save the money and then buy it, instead of financing, i mean come on its not like you are financing a new car…………………
contradictions listed above one area says at Wal-mart and load some or all of the cash on the card for free. then another area says under fees -Load Cash at Wal-Mart: $3 I was thinking this would be a good card till I saw the fees & for me Not sure why id do this when The bank is free but I guess for people who cant do a bank it would be great
not so true my sis has same bank account and pays 15 bucks monthly maintenance fees!!!crazy
Why is it so complicated to find your balance, and previous purchases.I have been looking at every website there is and I still can’t find out anything, from anywhere.This is supposed to be sooo easy but yet I still can’t findout anything.
William, you should be able to go here–https://www.walmartmoneycard.com/walmart/login–and log into your Walmart MoneyCard account. If you have not set up a username and password, you can do so at that web address, too.
What is the maximum balance I can have on my walmart prepaid card for tax season ?
My job requires a voided blank check to enroll me into direct deposit. So how would I circumnavigate this issue?
Chris, all they really need is the bank’s name, your account number, and the bank’s 9-digit routing number. Most prepaid cards, including the Walmart card, have a form that you can give your employer with all of this information. I’d get the form from Walmart and see if it satisfies your employer’s requirements.
How do I check transactions with my Walmart Mastercard?
Linda, you can check all of your transactions online.
Pros: convenient and you can get cash back at any walmart stores.
Cons: hurting my pocket every month because of maintenance fee ( $ 3.00 )
To avoid paying the loading card fee,just reload it at your budget,say $ 200.00 ,so that it will save your trip to walmart and avoid the reload fee.
Pros: convenient and you can get cash back at any walmart stores.
Cons: hurting my pocket every month because of maintenance fee ( $ 3.00 )
To avoid paying the loading card fee,just reload it at your budget,say $ 200.00 ,so that it will save your trip to walmart.