Best Prepaid Debit Cards

What are pay as you go debit playing cards?

A pay as you go debit card can function a budgeting device or an all-out substitute for a checking account — and the perfect pay as you go playing cards provide comfort whereas charging few charges. Pay as you go playing cards are simple to get. There’s no credit score test, they usually’re typically obtainable even should you can’t get a checking account due to a nasty banking historical past. In contrast to with a bank card, you load funds onto pay as you go playing cards earlier than use. Some firms additionally provide mobile-optimized banking accounts that don’t require a squeaky-clean banking or credit score historical past — they usually typically price lower than pay as you go playing cards. Skip forward to examine these low-fee alternate options.

Pay as you go debit playing cards vs. common debit playing cards

You don’t want a checking account to get a pay as you go debit card, nevertheless it’s a requirement for a daily debit card, which is linked to your checking account. For pay as you go debit playing cards, you load the cardboard with cash once you get it, then use it to make purchases. For normal debit playing cards, the funds on your funds are taken straight out of your checking account as you make funds. Nerdy tip: If you’ll want to construct credit score or have been denied a checking account, a pay as you go debit card won’t be the most suitable choice: Secured bank cards assist construct credit score, and should you can’t get a daily checking account, strive second probability checking. These accounts present one other shot at mainstream banking and its perks. Why belief NerdWallet: Our writers and editors comply with strict editorial pointers to verify our protection is honest and correct, so you’ll be able to select the monetary accounts that work finest for you. See our standards for evaluating banks and credit score unions. Listed below are our prime pay as you go debit playing cards primarily based on charges and options. Scroll down for extra element on every account.

CHEAPEST
NerdWallet ranking READ REVIEW	Bluebird by American SpecificNo month-to-month feesFree ATM networkGreat budgeting options
	Movo Digital Pay as you go Visa CardNo month-to-month feesInstant transfers between playing cards
BEST FOR ATM WITHDRAWALS
NerdWallet ranking READ REVIEW	Fifth Third Entry 360° Reloadable Pay as you go CardOne of many greatest free ATM networks amongst pay as you go playing cards$4 month-to-month charge that’s simple to waive
BEST FOR PARENTS
	FamZooA number of subaccounts for kidsCosts $2.50-$5.99 per thirty days
	GreenlightSubaccounts for kidsStore-specific spending controlsMonthly charge from $4.99
BEST FOR SHOPPING AT WALMART
	Walmart MoneyCard3% money again at Walmart.com and within the Walmart app and different money again rewardsMultiple subaccounts for household members2% APY on as much as $1,000 in financial savings account
BEST ALTERNATIVES TO PREPAID
NerdWallet ranking LEARN MOREat Chime, Deposits are FDIC Insured	ChimeNo month-to-month feesHas a financial savings compone

Bluebird by American Specific

Least expensive

Bluebird, issued by American Specific and in partnership with Walmart, affords greater than the common pay as you go debit card, and you may load and spend cash with out paying charges. However Bluebird does have limits in terms of service provider acceptance, and it doesn’t permit money again at retailers.

• Basic charges and options: No month-to-month charges and no prices for on-line activation or inactivity.
• Purchases: No charges.
• ATM withdrawals: Free at ATMs within the MoneyPass community; $2.50 charge at different ATMs, plus any ATM operator charge.
• Reload strategies: Direct deposit, debit card switch, card-to-card switch, cellular test deposit (with a third-party charge for fast processing), money load at Walmart or different shops. (Retailers apart from Walmart might cost as much as $3.95.)
• Different options: Test writing, separate “set-aside” accounts for financial savings and as much as 4 subaccounts for members of the family.
• Downsides: No money again at retailers. The cardboard is issued by American Specific, which isn’t accepted in all places that Visa and Mastercard are.

Movo Digital Pay as you go Visa Card

most cost-effective

Most pay as you go debit playing cards both cost you every month or every time you make a purchase order, however the Movo Digital Pay as you go Card does neither. The exception is should you go greater than three months with out exercise; then a $4.95 inactivity charge is charged per thirty days till there’s exercise. A “digital” ingredient helps you to purchase issues on-line, and you may request a bodily card for in-person purchases, ATM withdrawals and money again at retailers.

• Basic charges and options: No month-to-month charges and no prices for activation; $4.95 inactivity charge.
• Purchases: No charges.
• ATM withdrawals: $2 at ATMs within the Visa Plus Alliance community; further operator charges might apply at out-of-network ATMs.
• Reload strategies: Direct deposit; checking account switch; prompt card-to-card switch; cellular test deposit (with a third-party charge for fast processing); money load at retailers with Visa ReadyLink, MoneyPak and Reload @ Register places, equivalent to Walgreens or Safeway (for a charge set by the retailer).
• Different companies: On-line invoice funds are free. For a charge, you too can create one-time secondary digital playing cards (“CASH Playing cards”) with their very own card numbers. These playing cards can shield your predominant account quantity throughout transactions. Movo can be utilized with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
• Downsides: Free methods to reload the cardboard, equivalent to financial institution transfers, can take as much as 5 enterprise days; no free ATM community.

» On the lookout for a standard spending account? Try NerdWallet’s finest free checking accounts.

Fifth Third Entry 360° Reloadable Pay as you go Card

Greatest for ATM withdrawals

Fifth Third’s Entry 360° pay as you go debit card takes half in Allpoint’s huge U.S. community and has entry to over 50,000 ATMs. This card is obtainable within the 11 states the place there are Fifth Third branches, which is the one place you may get the cardboard.

• Basic charges and options: $4 month-to-month charge that’s waived when you have $500 or extra in deposits month-to-month or a Fifth Third checking account; no prices for activation or inactivity.
• Purchases: No charges.
• ATM withdrawals: Free at Fifth Third ATMs and ATMs within the Allpoint ATM community; free at Presto! ATMs inside Publix shops and at 7-Eleven ATMs listed on the financial institution’s web site or cellular app; $2.75 charge at different ATMs, plus any ATM operator charges.
• Reload strategies: Direct deposit, financial institution switch, money load at Fifth Third department or ATM.
• Different companies: Card can have joint homeowners.
• Downsides: There’s no entry to a nationwide retail community for including money; the cardboard’s not obtainable in each state; and the cardboard doesn’t have a separate financial savings characteristic.

FamZoo Pay as you go Card

finest for PARENTS

FamZoo is a family-friendly pay as you go Mastercard that lets mother and father develop into digital bankers for his or her youngsters, even these youthful than 13. 4 playing cards may be a part of one month-to-month plan, however extra may be added for a one-time $3 charge per card. From the web site or app, you’ll be able to ship allowances, break up funds, see balances and exercise throughout all playing cards and arrange textual content and e-mail alerts.

• Basic charges and options: You’ll be able to prepay $59.99 for 2 years of FamZoo — that works out to $2.50 per thirty days. Different prepayment plans additionally provide a reduction. The charge is $5.99 for a month-to-month subscription; no prices for activation or inactivity.
• Purchases: No charges.
• ATM withdrawals: No cost from FamZoo, however ATM operator charges can apply.
• Reload strategies: Direct deposit; financial institution switch; PayPal switch; PopMoney switch (for a charge); add money at retailers like 7-Eleven and Walgreens that take part within the Reload @ the Register, MoneyPak and Mastercard rePower networks (as much as $6 retail charge).
• Different companies: A number of accounts beneath one plan, free and prompt FamZoo card-to-card transfers, capacity to lock and unlock FamZoo playing cards, budgeting instruments.
• Downsides: Not a part of any ATM community; most month-to-month charge is greater than common; no cellular test deposit characteristic.

Greenlight Pay as you go Mastercard

finest for PARENTS

Greenlight stands out for a characteristic that different pay as you go playing cards lack: store-specific spending controls. Dad and mom can preapprove the place their youngsters spend cash, so $300 earmarked for college provides can solely be spent at a campus bookstore, for instance. The pay as you go card additionally affords real-time exercise alerts, free card-to-card transfers for allowances and the flexibility to remotely lock misplaced playing cards. A Greenlight account can have as much as 5 subaccounts, so it really works for a household. Given low buy and withdrawal limits, it’s finest as a household budgeting device as an alternative of a checking account substitute.

• Basic charges and options: $4.99 to $9.98 per thirty days, relying on chosen plan (dearer plans embody options like investing training and id theft safety); no prices for activation, inactivity or account closure.
• Purchases: No charges.
• ATM withdrawals: No charges from Greenlight, however ATM operator charges might apply.
• Reload strategies: Direct deposit, debit card switch, financial institution switch.
• Different companies: As much as 5 subaccounts, no worldwide ATM withdrawal charge.
• Downsides: No checks or money may be deposited; the every day buy most per household account is $1,000 and every day ATM withdrawal restrict is $100, that are a lot decrease than common for pay as you go playing cards.

Walmart MoneyCard

BEST FOR SHOPPING AT WALMART

The Walmart MoneyCard affords its customers as much as $75 per 12 months in cash-back rewards: 3% for purchases made at Walmart.com and within the Walmart app, 2% at Walmart gasoline stations and 1% at Walmart shops. The app, which will get respectable rankings, is required to get fee-free money reloads at Walmart shops. Walmart MoneyCenters and Buyer Service desks additionally provide fee-free money withdrawals. This pay as you go, reloadable card is family-friendly. You’ll be able to order an account free of charge for as much as 4 further people who find themselves a minimum of 13 years outdated. The Walmart MoneyCard affords a free “Vault” financial savings characteristic. Financial savings will earn 2% APY on as much as $1,000 on the cardboard enrollment anniversary. As a result of it’s not a part of an ATM community, you’ll pay $2.50 for ATM withdrawals along with any operator charges.

• Basic charges and options: $5.94 month-to-month charge waived with a month-to-month deposit of a minimum of $1,000; $1 starter card buy charge if bought in retailer; no inactivity charges.

• Purchases: No charges.

• ATM withdrawals: $2.50 charge, plus any operator charges.

• Reload strategies: Free out of your current checking account; free so as to add money through the Walmart MoneyCard app at Walmart shops; free cellular test deposit; free so as to add funds from checks cashed at Walmart shops; in any other case, $3 to reload money at a Walmart retailer; as much as $5.95 to reload elsewhere.
• Different companies: As much as 4 free further accounts; financial savings account with 2% APY for first $1,000, and possibilities to win month-to-month money prizes; choice to lock and unlock your card through the app; textual content and e-mail alerts.
• Downsides: Charge to make use of ATMs; restricted strategies for reloading funds.

Low-fee alternate options to pay as you go playing cards

The distinction between pay as you go debit playing cards and checking accounts is beginning to blur, as many have related options and companies. Cellular-optimized banking accounts match on this center floor — like most pay as you go debit playing cards, many haven’t any credit score test; not like pay as you go playing cards, many are linked to a checking account.

Chime

TOP ALTERNATIVE TO PREPAID

NerdWallet ratingLEARN MORE at Chime, Deposits are FDIC Insured Chime isn’t a pay as you go debit card or a standard checking account however a free “spending account” within the Visa cost community. This account has lots of the identical capabilities as a checking account, nevertheless it doesn’t include paper checks. By way of the app, although, you’ll be able to request that checks be mailed to a recipient, even your self, free of charge. It’s also possible to open a linked Chime financial savings account and arrange automated transfers.

• Basic charges and options: No month-to-month charge and no prices for activation or inactivity; no credit score test. Money withdrawal and third-party charges might apply.
• Purchases: No further cost.
• ATM withdrawals: Free at over 60,000 ATMs within the Allpoint, MoneyPass and Visa Plus Alliance ATM networks; $2.50 at different ATMs, plus any ATM operator charge. Money withdrawal and third-party charges might apply.
• Deposit strategies: Free via direct deposit, financial institution switch and cellular test deposit; add money at retailers within the Reload @ the Register community (as much as $5 retailer charge).
• Different companies: Non-obligatory financial savings account. Chime has two automated financial savings packages: one the place a proportion of each paycheck robotically goes into the financial savings account and the opposite the place your purchases are rounded as much as the closest greenback and the rounded-up change goes to financial savings (see under for extra info from Chime). It’s also possible to obtain prompt transaction alerts and lock your debit card should you lose it. Notice {that a} Chime Spending Account is required to open a financial savings account.
• Downsides: The out-of-network ATM charge.

Greatest pay as you go debit playing cards and alternate options: Abstract

Account/card	Month-to-month charge	# of free ATMs
Bluebird by American Specific	$0	30,000+
Chime account	$0	60,000+
FamZoo Pay as you go Card	$2.50 to $4.33 if pay as you go; $5.99 if billed	None
Fifth Third Entry 360° Reloadable Pay as you go Card	$0-$4	50,000+
Greenlight Pay as you go Mastercard	$4.99 to $9.98	None
Movo Digital Pay as you go Visa Card	$0	None
Walmart MoneyCard	$0-$5.94	None

METHODOLOGY

We checked out 40 reloadable pay as you go debit playing cards supplied by a number of the greatest banks, credit score unions and pay as you go debit card issuers. The place a number of card plans existed, solely the essential month-to-month charge plan was thought of. We analyzed 4 classes for every card: common charges and options, purchases and withdrawals, reload charges and choices, and different companies equivalent to invoice pay and financial savings accounts. The playing cards that made this listing had the perfect mixture of those classes. Some playing cards on this roundup have nonbank program managers that accomplice with banks. Regardless, all of the playing cards’ issuers are banks that insure customers’ cash via the Federal Deposit Insurance coverage Corp. No playing cards above have overdraft charges. Pay as you go debit playing cards that we thought of included: ACE Elite Visa Pay as you go Debit Card, American Specific Serve, Bluebird by American Specific, Fifth Third Entry 360° Reloadable Pay as you go Card, Inexperienced Dot Pay as you go Visa Card, Mango Visa Pay as you go Card, Netspend Pay as you go Card, PayPal Pay as you go Mastercard, RushCardPrepaid Visa Card.