Gas is unfortunately on the rise again. 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.
The Walmart card is one of the few prepaid cards to pay cash back. Here are the details:
- 3% cash back at Walmart.com
- 2% cash back at Murphy USA and Walmart fuel stations
- 1% cash back at Walmart stores
- Up to $75 in cash-back rewards per reward year
Additional Card Features
- Use it for purchases everywhere Debit MasterCard® or Visa® debit cards are accepted in the U.S.
- Deposit checks with your smartphone camera
- Write checks to pay rent and other bills requiring a paper check. Order personalized checks using the Walmart MoneyCard Mobile App. Fees and limits apply.
- Pay bills with our FREE online bill pay service
- Instantly send money for FREE to another participating card issued by Green Dot Bank, including the Walmart MoneyCard
- No overdraft fees, ever
- Your registered card is protected against unauthorized transactions
- Some features available only on a personalized 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).
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 Walmart 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 Walmart 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 understand the fees you may be charged. For the Walmart MoneyCard(SM) MasterCard® Prepaid Card, the fees are simple:
- Direct Deposit: Free
- Load Cash at Wal-Mart: $3
- Monthly Fee: $5 (Your Monthly Charge will be waived when you have loaded $1,000 or more to your Card in the previous monthly period (excludes person-to-person transfers received using the Send Money feature.)
- ATM Withdrawal: $2.50 (Withdraw cash without a fee at Walmart MoneyCenters and Customer Service Desks. Limits apply.)
Rob Berger
Rob Berger is the founder of Dough Roller and the Dough Roller Money Podcast. A former securities law attorney and Forbes deputy editor, Rob is the author of the book Retire Before Mom and Dad. He educates independent investors on his YouTube channel and at RobBerger.com.
