The best prepaid debit cards, or reloadable prepaid cards, have low or no monthly fees and offer many ways to add and withdraw money. Of 44 we analyzed, the best include Bluebird, Movo and Fifth. Prepaid debit cards are a great option for building credit. To find the best prepaid card for you, see our side by side comparison of features.
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Close. Find the best prepaid debit cards of 2019, including low fee cards and those you can use for free. We compare features, fees, and bonuses.Prepaid debit cards have always been a controversial topic. Some cards carry insanely high fees just for making everyday purchases. Suze Orman’s entry into the prepaid card business, the approved card, prompted heated debate about whether it represented a conflict of interest, given Orman’s following.In 2010, the Kardashians announced their branded prepaid card. They received bad press due to the card’s predatory fees and lack of customer benefits. They canceled the card soon after it was announced.Not all prepaid cards are as bad, but fees are common.
You need to evaluate each offer to determine whether a prepaid card is right for you. Prepaid debit cards are the preferred tool for many parents. They can monitor their children’s spending while teaching their children how to responsibly handle money management.The best prepaid debit cards are cards without fees, offering rewards for everyday purchases. While credit is almost everywhere in this country, many Americans do not have a credit card or bank account. They use cash for their needs. While this might be a cheaper method of paying for products and services, it isn’t always safe to carry around cash for purchases. Rather than resort to prepaid cards with high fees consider looking at some of these best prepaid debit cards available for consumers today.
The Best Prepaid Debit Cards of 2019 NetSpend Visa Prepaid MasterCardNetspend is one of the leaders in the prepaid card industry. Their strongest offering comes in the form of the NetSpend Visa Prepaid MasterCard. If you’re savvy enough to know how to transfer money to and from your card without the help of a Customer Service agent, the transfers are always free, If you need help, it’s $0.50 per transfer.
There is no direct deposit fee and no initial fee for getting the card.NetSpend offers three different plans to manage your prepaid card. They are as follows:. Pay as you go – No monthly fee but a $1 charge per signature transaction and a $2 charge per pin transaction. This plan is ideal for people who plan to use their card very very little.
FeeAdvantage Plan – $9.95 per month, all transactions included at no additional cost. Premier FeeAdvantage Plan – $5.00 per month if you have at least one qualifying direct deposit of $500 or more every month. The best value in terms of monthly cost if you have the direct deposit available.Also, be careful at the ATM with this card. There is a withdrawal fee of $2.50 and a decline fee of $1 if you don’t have funds readily available.Learn MoreWalmart MoneyCard® Visa® with Cash-Back RewardsThe Walmart MoneyCard® Visa® offers the best rewards program of any card on our list. For all Walmart shoppers, you stand to earn 3% cash back on every Walmart.com online purchase.
2% cash back is earned at Murphy USA and on Walmart fuel purchases and 1% cash back is earned at Walmart stores. The maximum amount of cashback you can earn is $75 each year. If you find yourself getting cut off from cash back rewards because you’ve already capped out $75 in a year perhaps you should review your finances!The fee structure for the Walmart MoneyCard® Visa® is fairly straightforward.
There’s a $5 monthly charge and it can be waived when you load more than $1,000 on your card in the previous month. A $2.50 ATM withdrawal applies on every transaction and to get cash from your card at a Walmart location is free of charge. There is no charge to receive the initial card, no charge to make daily purchases and a $3 fee if you require a replacement card.Learn MoreAmerican Express Serve® Cash BackIf cash back is your game, the American Express Serve Cash Back provides a great opportunity. Every time you shop at a store or online, you’ll earn 1% cash back. Cashback is added immediately after you make your payment and available for redemption on your next purchase, at any time. There is no annual cap on the amount of cash back you can earn and it never expires, so long as your account remains open and in good standing.Now let’s talk fees. The initial card price is up to $3.95 if buying at a retail location.
There is a $5.95 monthly fee unless you live in TX, VT or NY (no fee in those states). No direct deposit fee, no fee to add money from a bank account but up to a $3.95 fee to add cash at a retailer. Depending on the ATM you use, there could be up to a $2.50 ATM fee. No ATM fees when using a MoneyPass location.
Last but not least, if you’re looking to take cash out of your American Express Serve Cash Back, up to a $9.49 fee applies.Learn MoreGreen Dot® Prepaid MasterCard®This is a card with a simple fee plan. Cardholders will not have to pay a monthly fee as long as they deposit at least $1,000 onto the card monthly or make 30 qualifying purchases posted to your account monthly. If these conditions are not met, the monthly fee is $7.95. There are fees for initial purchase, which varies by retailer, of up to $4.95. Reload fees also vary by retailer and is currently up to $4.95.Green Dot is an extremely convenient but expensive prepaid option. In addition to using the card for everyday purchases, you have the ability to write checks using your account. The limit per check is $3,000 and it’s only good for 90 days.
In addition, The Green Dot® Prepaid MasterCard® offers free online mobile bill pay and NO fee for an ACH transfer. As always, direct deposit is FREE.Learn MoreChime Visa® Debit CardPrepaid cards can certainly make life easier, but they can also make life more expensive.
If you’re in the market for a prepaid card, you may want to consider opening a savings account with. The Chime Visa Debit Card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. There’s no monthly fee to worry about, no card fee, and no fees for making day to day purchases.
ATM’s in the Money Pass network are also free to use (there are over 24,000 of them nationwide)On the savings account side, every time you use your Chime card to make a purchase, they round up the dollar amount and deposit the change into your Chime Savings Account. Setting up direct deposit is easy and there are no fees to transfer money in and out of your account. Coolest of all, Chime is willing to start you off with a free $5 after your first direct deposit.You can also have a look at our All of the checking accounts listed can also provide you a debit card to make purchases, but be aware of each bank’s monthly fees and/or requirements for waiving the fee.Learn More Final ThoughtsAs you can see, the prepaid debit card industry is mired in fees. If you believe a prepaid debit card is right for you, tread carefully. Read the terms and conditions and know the fees.
Even the best prepaid debit card can end up costing more money than you are prepared to spend. There are many other debit cards I’m not including in this list at all because they are best avoided.
Using a prepaid debit card can help a responsible person who does not qualify for a credit card handle their expenses, but it can also be a recipe for disaster. Oops we missed the blue and green cards for the American Express prepaid system green card is ATMs no fee otherwise no fee at all cashback on certain purchases and only 495 a month. Cash loan limits $20 per load up to $100 per day $400 a week 2500 or 5000 a month. There are also large withdrawal limits per time per day in per month what are larger. Keep in mind these are for cash only you can transfer any amount from pennies to the full amount that’s in the account if you need to. 395 initial start amount per month, Bill and nishal larger (i.e., $20) deposit required. I have been using Chime Card for about 2.5 years and it is one of the best prepaid cards that I have ever had.1.
I get my direct deposit two days earlier than most traditional banks2. Savings account option which automatically rounds up the change to the next dollar and each month it pays you a percentage of your total deposited savings up to 10% annually3. If you don’t have enough funds in the checking account but you have a linked savings chime will withdraw from the savings to cover you NO overdraft fees4. I can conveniently access my account through my mobile app and allow it to send me messages regarding card balance, transactions and deposits.5. I CAN BLOCK MY CHIME CARD WITHOUT HAVING TO CANCEL THE CARD AND WAIT FOR A NEW ONE!!!(This is very convenient for me as I tend to be forgetful sometimes and I do misplace my card or wallet but with a few clicks I can block my card from usage of any type – if I find my card I can unblock it myself without having to speak to a customer service rep!)6. App allows text with customer service rep – who I have never had any issues with)7.
I can transfer money to and from any of my outside bank accounts / prepaid debits or regular debits instantly to my chime and the funds are ready for immediate use! (Must verify your accounts first) oh yeah, did I mention that they also allow transfers from debit gift cards? So if you have a 50 dollar visa/MC/AMX GIFT CARD with a balance over 25 dollars you can transfer it to your account!! Cashback rewards if you make purchases at certain merchants that month. I don’t care too much for this feature at all.9. Transfer money to any of your friends or family in the chime network through the app and they get it right away!10. Never had a problem with unauthorized purchases, data breach or account compromise!This is a great card!
On 5/31/15 My account somehow was compromised and Mango allowed over $1200 in fraudulent purchases of gift certificates to process at a local mall by someone using a cloned card. $300 Aldos $300 Victoria Secret $200 $Sunglasses Hut $200 Hollister $200 Express (ALL WITHIN 24hrs and with NO RED FLAG!!?? REALLY MANGO?) After filing a dispute with Mangos dispute dept M.Powerlink and waiting for an entire week with no funds, I recieved an email today that they’ve concluded that the charges were valid, would not be returning my $1200 and that I would need to contact each vendor where the purchases were made and resolve the issues myself.(WHAT BANK DOES THIS)??? My direct deposit also went into my account today also and before my new card they supposedly issued me made it to my mailbox THEY CLOSE MY ACCOUNT ON PAYDAY WITH AN ADDITIONAL $800 IN IT!!!!
THATS $2000 IN 1 WEEK!!!Stay away from this Card if you dont want to lose your hard earned $$$!! I learned the hard way, DO NOT TRUST PREPAID CARD COMPANIES!
SUPPOSEDLY THIS IS ONE IF THE BEST BUT LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO ME ( A LOYAL CUSTOMER FOR 3YRS)!! I’ve contacted my Lawyer and have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and BBB. SHAME ON YOU ROY SOSA and BERTRAND SOSA! I worked for my money and will not give up until my $2000 is returned to me!! I recently signed up with Chime after being a Netspend customer for 3 years because I was told they were a much better company and like Netspend offered direct deposit two days early. I’ve had nothing but problems since signing up and am going back to Netspend. My direct deposit was lost in space somewhere the first time and I had to wait 10 days before I got my paycheck and not once did Chime admit to any wrongdoing on their part but it was TOTALLY their fault.
I decided to give them another chance and now my check is not here again. All Chime computerized responses say is that it is my bank or the Federal Reserve causing the issue. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! I will never use them again and neither should you!!!
I agree that mio card sucks. I bought a card in dollar general, activated it, got the card with my name, put some $$$ in my account, when I tried to use it,what happened? Transaction denied!I contacted mio, mio said I need to fax my DL / SSN card to them. I faxed the documents to them, after a few days, they told me they couldn’t find it. So I faxed again, then asked them to check the fax after about 10 minutes, this time, they told me it was not clear and I need to email them. So I emailed them with the scan later.
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Again, after a few days, when I called, they told me they didn’t find my email. It seems they don’t know how to search for an email with the subject (with reference #).–they would ask you when you emailed, I told them the time, and I kindly told them that mio might use a different timezone from me. They still couldn’t find it. So, just like the first time, I told them to wait and I would do it on the spot. They told me they got it this time, and I need to wait 24-72 working hours. I told them I would close my account after they unlocked my account, and the guy told me I would have to wait 30 days after the account closure for the check to get mailed. What a ripoff company!
I have had this card for over a year and had no problems with it until I signed up for direct deposit to have my school refund sent onto it. I called and let Mango know and was assured that it wouldn’t be a problem. Well the refund went onto the card and they blocked my card and requested my ID that I had already sent in when I opened the card.
I said sure no problem and emailed it right over. I called and asked if they received it.
They said they did and would review it and call me back. No call back. I called and they told me that they closed my account and the money would stay in the account because it wasn’t eligible for a refund. I filed as many complaints as I could, even with the BBB. I have called over 30 times in 3 days and always got 1 of 2 people, Robert and Marciel.
Sounds fishy to me especially since they claime to have no further information and can’t or won’t direct me to someone who does. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! And yes I read every single word of the terms and conditions which this company does NOT abide!
I even called them out on it and they hung up on me! I recently signed up for the Mango 6% direct deposit savings account but I guess the fine print did not tell you about first that you had to go thru their “Prepaid” account which hits you with a $5 monthly fee. F.CK MANGOMango was an excellent card until tax season came along and I went ahead and decided to use Mangos Direct Deposit they talk about.
You know the part where it says Government Tax Returns can be Direct Deposited onto there card. This is where it get crazy. I did my taxes myself like I do every year and as i patiently waited those painstaking 2 weeks for my cash Mango decides to do the unexpected 18 hour before my money was to hit. Get this I go to log on to my Mango Account username/password and to my suprise it reads “no one with this user name?” The day before this no problems.
So i do what I can only do is call them and those F.ckers. They perseed to said your account has been closed due to suspecious activites!!!
So u can only guess what happens next. I did end up getting my check after another month and a half of waiting. This didnt only happen to me but to my circle of friends. We started out with Mango becuz u can send money to other Mango users thru text messeging.
Anyways I was very dissapointed that they falsly advertised there tax return direct deposits bullshit. I had been with them for over a year and they treated me like this with no explaination just a “Im borrowing u tax money for now sucka!!!” Anyways DO NOT USE MANGO WITH TAX RETURNS!!!! I suggest just DONT USE MANGO!!!! Mango did the same thing with my account and my son’s account. After numerous phone calls and lots of aggravation, the said they would send me a check for the balance on my account minus $10.00 fee for processing, and it would take 6-8 weeks. I reluctantly agreed, but right after I hung up with them, I filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against the issuing bank (Inter National Bank in McAllen, TX). The CFPB forwarded my complaint to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, who has the job of regulationg banks.
The OCC contacted the bank, who in turn sent it to Mango, and guess what? In less than 2 weeks I received a call from them apologizing for the mistake and reopened my account, and they gave me a $25.00 good faith credit. They also reopened my son’s account. I told them that I was still very upset and might not continue using them.
I will probably spend the money and then close the account for good. I have had the card for about four years now chris, and honestly, i have not had any issues with CS (and yes – i have had to contact them several times, mainly for disputed charges or getting holds removed).
There are times it takes a bit to get through to CS, but that may be just because it is a busy time of the day/week. We also got our cards within the 7-10 days (which is the exact time it took for my card from my bank to reach me), so there were no issues there. From the website to the app on my phone to the emails i received letting me know of each transaction – i never had any issue with the card. As i mentioned in another post, i am only going to a traditional bank now because of the fees i have to pay from my creditors when i pay my monthly payment via card versus checking account. One last thing – I do not believe that the SmartyPig deal really qualifies as a general prepaid account either.You have to have a bank account to fund this at no cost. I’ll wager funding it through a credit card shows as a cash advance.
Further ACH transfers take up to 6 days depending on the source and the service. SmartyPigs claims of 2 days? They don’t control the time involved – they are the receiver.Further the card itself is only loadable through transfers from the savings account which can take up to 7 days according to the confusing website. So it could take 15+ business days to get funds onto the card. I don’t think that’s going to work for too many prepaid card users.Show me where I am wrong on this but I think not. I forgot the newest Western Union cards have no fees except for cash loads which are $4. Get the gold one because they can swipe it for cash deposits with no paperwork required.One of the things people need to do when they sign up for a card is read the T&C carefully.
If there is none on the website or the fees section says the schedule comes with the card – turn around and run.The other thing to review is the daily spending limit and the daily withdrawal limit. Its your money if you can’t get it or spend it what good is the card to you? Many of these cards purposely restrict both. This year after GreenDot closes on Bonneville Bank they will be adding a savings option and remote check capture deposit hopefully that gets implemented through partners for less than the current loading fee and free through capable phones. The latter will allow those without direct deposit to skip cashing the check.GreenDot does have free ATM transactions at MoneyPass ATMs (owned by US Bank).Other great cards are: (none of these have any transaction fees or monthly unless noted)MoneyManager card which only has two fees or one if you have direct deposit. 50 cents for ‘billpay to anyone’ where there is a check sent out (a stamp has a cost) and for cash deposits at any Visa Readylink location – $4 (swipes at 7-Eleven for instant load 24 hours a day).
Free & unlimited ATM usage at any of the 37,000 AllpointNetwork ATMs. Anyone can get a card by emailing them.MoneyNetwork card sold at 7-Eleven $2 a month, $2 for cash loading in store. They swipe the card at any 7-Eleven and you’re done. (25 cents for debit transactions).Nfinanse $3 a month, $3 to cash load free direct deposit.DebitPass which is at some credit unions and smaller banks is from US Banks Elan division. A credit union in my area has it. No fee to load cash. No monthly fee and ATM transactions cost a total of $1.50 at MoneyPass ATms.Watch for many more banks and credit unions to offer prepaid cards in the coming years.
Some banks that have prepaid programs now include Bank of America – CashPay card etc When those banks start to allow deposits at their locations for free those will take off.Not mentioned in the article here is that Mango Money has a retail location in Austin, TX that puts your check right on your Mango card at no charge – if they had 50 locations in metro areas or 1000 in some partner location that model would take off like a jet. Expand that model and get an ATM deal with Allpoint and they become a player.Chexsystems is automatically removed in 5 years. Telecheck & EWS have different standards.Ace Elite, Vision and to a lessor extent ReadyDebit are total rip offs. If they aren’t paying for space they should be jettisoned. If someone has a bad history with a checking account — frequent overdrafts, for example — their record will be tarnished, making it difficult for him to get another checking account after one bank closes the account. Banks generally verify applicants using ChexSystems, which is like a credit report — only for bank accounts. A bad record can prevent someone from being able to open an account.
Prepaid debit cards don’t verify ChexSystems reports, so this can be the only option for some people. It’s not a great option, but it probably is better than taking your pay check to a shady check-cashing establishment. Mango just closed my account due to inactivity. I have direct deposit going into the account, but since I did not use the debit/credit feature enough, they closed my account WITHOUT warning.
As a side note their website is constantly down and the two times I tried to use the card, it didn’t work. I only found out account was closed because I logged on and it indicated my account was blocked. Currently have about 2000 in the account.waiting on a call back from the Mango Manger, because no one could there would answer my questions about where my money is then.SCAM ARTISTS, DO NOT TRUST. Sorry you had issues with mango julie! I have been with mango for about four years now and have never had an issue – from deposits, to calling customer service, to getting disputes resolved. The only reason i am closing my mango card is i am getting tired of paying the fees companies charge when i want to put my monthly payments on my card – it is now easier for me to open a checking account and has direct withdraw this way. Again – so sorry you experienced this as mango was one of the best i have seen / used.