Prepaid debit cards are an alternative way to access and spend money by using a physical card, mobile app, website or electronic payment. Check out some of the best prepaid debit cards available — some of which offer features that are comparable to a full-service checking account.
In this guide, we review the Best Prepaid Credit Card For Direct Deposit, best debit cards with no fees, free debit cards with money on them, and what prepaid card has the highest deposit limit.
Best Prepaid Credit Card For Direct Deposit
If you’re looking for a prepaid credit card, you may have noticed that the cards that are best for direct deposit are not always the ones with the most robust rewards or perks. That’s because some prepaid credit cards offer free access to your money as soon as it’s deposited into your account, which means there’s no wait time for funds to settle before you can use them. A great example of one such card is the American Express Bluebird , which also offers other features like interest-free financing on purchases and PIN-less bill pay. But there are plenty of other good options out there; here’s how I came up with my top picks:
American Express Bluebird
American Express Bluebird is a prepaid card that can be used with direct deposit to pay your bills, buy things online and in stores, withdraw cash from ATMs worldwide, and more.
American Express Bluebird is most suited for people who want a prepaid card without monthly fees or overdraft protection. It has no monthly fee and charges no fee for ATM withdrawals or online bill payments—and it offers free access to over 60,000 MoneyPass ATMs in the U.S., which makes it easy for you to get cash on the go.
PayPal Prepaid Mastercard
If you’re looking for a prepaid credit card that offers great value and flexibility, the PayPal Prepaid Mastercard could be the right choice. It’s accepted anywhere Mastercard is accepted and can be funded with a direct deposit. Plus, users can use it to pay bills online or withdraw cash at ATMs.
When compared with other prepaid credit cards on this list, some of its advantages include:
- No monthly fee
- No annual fee
- The ability to deposit money directly from your bank account
TD Go Card
TD Go Card is a basic prepaid card that comes with the following benefits:
- No activation fee
- No overdraft fees
- No monthly fees, and no minimum balance requirements.
- The TD Go Card has no credit check or minimum income requirements. This means you can get your card even if you have bad credit, as long as you meet their age requirement (18) and have an active social security number.
NetSpend Visa Prepaid Card
The NetSpend Visa Prepaid Card is an excellent option for those looking for a prepaid card. It has no activation fee and no monthly fee, so you can get it without having to pay anything up front.
It’s also accepted at over 30 million locations, which means you’re sure to be able to use it wherever you go.
This card has some great benefits as well: it doesn’t have overdraft fees or foreign transaction fees associated with it, so if that’s something that concerns you then this could be a great option.
PayPower Visa
If you’re looking for a no-fee card and want to use the PayPower network, this is a good option. You can get up to 3 months of free service, and then $4 per month after that. You can use it in the same way as any other prepaid card—to make purchases online, withdraw cash at ATMs, pay bills online—but you may find yourself using it more often than other cards because of its access to PayPower’s network of ATMs (around one million).
To sign up for this card:
- Go through our link above or click here directly (make sure “Visa” under Product Type).
- Enter your information into the form (name/address/SSN if applicable) and click continue.
- Review all necessary terms and conditions before checking off “I Accept” and clicking continue again
Brinks Prepaid Mastercard
The Brinks Prepaid Mastercard is a great choice for people who have no credit history and need to build it, as well as those looking to get rid of high interest rates on their existing cards. The card has no monthly fees, no overdraft fees (otherwise known as insufficient funds), and can be used at any ATM—even if you don’t have another bank account for the funds to come out of. You can also use it online or in stores, where you can buy things with your prepaid card just like you would with a normal debit or credit card. Plus, if you’re having trouble paying bills on time because of a lack of funds from your current job/work situation, this prepaid mastercard will allow you some flexibility by allowing direct deposit into your account without requiring a minimum balance or charging any fee whatsoever (although we still recommend keeping some money available in case something comes up). If all goes well with this card and its features are working correctly (so far so good!), then maybe next time around we’ll consider applying for something more advanced such as an unsecured line of credit at one bank versus having multiple accounts across several different banks!
Movo Virtual Prepaid Card VISA
- The Movo Virtual Prepaid VISA card is a great choice for people who are looking to use a prepaid credit card and make direct deposits to their account.
- This card comes with a $1,000 limit, but if you have good credit, they may be able to increase that limit.
- The Movo Virtual Prepaid VISA card has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and no overdraft fees that many other prepaid cards have.
- You can use this card anywhere VISA is accepted; however, it will not work at ATMs or gas stations that accept only cash or check payments (for example CVS/Walgreens). You also cannot transfer money from your bank account using this card even though it looks like an actual debit card!
best debit cards with no fees
If you are looking for a similar yet effective alternative to a debit card, a prepaid card may be your solution. Prepaid cards allow you to load money onto them to make any purchases at any location. Essentially, they function similarly to debit cards, without having any connection to a bank account. This makes prepaid cards a great option if you have poor banking history. Prepaid cards are handy, but you must be careful. Some of them come with fees that can add up and cause you to spend more money. Below, we’ve listed the top ten reloadable prepaid cards with no fees. We also get into the specifics of prepaid cards, how they work, and what benefits you can receive from using them. Use this detailed guide to pick the right prepaid card for you.
What Is a Prepaid Card?
A prepaid card is a method of payment that you can use to make everyday purchases, such as gas, groceries, clothing, and more. However, before you can use a prepaid card to make a purchase, you must “load” it with money. Almost all major banking institutions, such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express offer prepaid cards. The concept of prepaid cards seems fairly simple and easy, but you must be careful to read the card’s rules and requirements before you acquire one. For example, some cards require you to pay a number of fees to keep it activated, including annual or monthly fees. You may also find cards that require you to load it with a specific amount of money. The good news about prepaid cards is that there typically aren’t any limitations on what you can buy or where you can buy from. Some prepaid cards will even allow you to withdraw money at an ATM, send money to other people, and receive rewards for making purchases. More importantly, if you’re concerned about your credit history, you will not need to pass a credit check in order to obtain most prepaid debit cards.
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How Do Prepaid Cards Work?
The first step to using a prepaid card that you’ve acquired is to load money onto it. While some cards may let you choose the amount of money that you put on the prepaid card, other cards may require you to load the card with a specific amount. Once you’ve done this, you can use the card to make purchases at any location, both in-person and online, that accepts cards as a method of payment. When you’ve used all of the money on the card, reloadable prepaid cards will allow you to put more money on them so that you can continue making purchases.
What Can I Use Prepaid Cards for?
Essentially, you can use a prepaid card to purchase anything that accepts a card as a method of payment. Prepaid cards are also great for emergency uses and vacations. If you are traveling far from home and don’t want to risk losing your debit or credit card, you can bring a prepaid card to make purchases. Prepaid cards are also a good tool for children. If you have a teenager who doesn’t quite need a bank account yet, you might consider giving them a prepaid card that they can use for necessary purchases. Or, if you give your children allowances, you can also load their allotted allowance money onto the card. Prepaid cards offer plenty of benefits, and you can truly use them how you deem fit. Further below, we talk more about how you can benefit from using a prepaid card.
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The 10 Best Zero-Fee Reloadable Prepaid Cards
Below, we discuss the ten best reloadable prepaid cards that don’t have any annual, monthly, or reloading fees. Any of the cards we listed are fantastic options if you are looking for a prepaid card that will be reliable. In fact, most of them come from big-name banking institutions, such as Visa®, American Express®, and Mastercard®. Check out some of these cards’ best features, and decide which one will work best for your needs.
Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Card
When it comes to reloadable cards, chime has to be our #1 pick for several reasons. The card has no annual fees, no interest, it’s easily reloadable from your mobile phone using the chime app, and best of all it helps you build credit by reporting your balances to all the major credit bureaus. Chime doesn’t check your credit before you apply for their visa card which makes card approval easy and seamless.
Bluebird® Prepaid Debit Card
The Bluebird® prepaid card is a highly recommended prepaid debit card that offers users plenty of benefits without the annoying fees. This card is a great option for parents who want to teach their children money management skills, as it does not allow you to go into a negative balance. You can also load the card with money via direct deposit, money transfers, checks, or at a cash register at a Walmart location.
Some of the other pros to this card are that you can opt to receive alerts when the balance begins to run low, and you can withdraw cash at any MoneyPass ATM in the country. However, with the Bluebird card, you cannot get cash back at a retailer. Additionally, some extra perks from the card will cost you a small fee.
Netspend® Visa® Prepaid Card
The NetSpend Visa Prepaid Card is one of the best no-fee prepaid cards. With this card, you will not have to worry about overdraft fees, activation fees, credit checks, or minimum balances. The NetSpend mobile app allows you to manage the money on the card with ease, and you can load money onto the card via direct deposit or checks. One of the best features about this card is that it is insured by the FDIC. This means that it is a safe card to use to make purchases. NetSpend also makes it easy for customers to replace their card, in the event that it gets lost or stolen.
PayPal Prepaid Mastercard® Card
If you’re looking for a prepaid card that is quick and easy to use, the PayPal Prepaid Mastercard® Card is a great option. PayPal has dominated the online banking world by providing effective technology and processes. This card is especially easy to use if you already have a PayPal account. To add more money to the card, all you have to do is move money from your PayPal account onto the card, which you can do online. This card offers perks that most others don’t, including cash back offers and deals from the stores that you like to shop at. This card is insured by the FDIC.
Brink’s Money Prepaid Mastercard®
If you’re in need of a prepaid debit card quickly, you will appreciate the quick activation process for the Brink’s Money Prepaid Mastercard® Card. When you load money onto the card using direct deposit, you are granted quick access to your money. You will also enjoy the convenience of the mobile app, which allows you to manage your money at any time of the day. Additionally, this card is insured by the FDIC, so you can be sure that your money is protected. This card is also free of pesky monthly fees, allowing you to save your money.
MOVO® Virtual Prepaid Visa® Card
The MOVO® Virtual Prepaid Visa® Card is amongst the best prepaid debit cards because it is an excellent economical choice. One of the benefits to this card is that you can withdraw cash from any ATM that accepts Visa cards. Additionally, you can have easy online access to manage your card through the Movo mobile app. This app makes it easy to add more money to the card via PayPal or direct deposit. Overall, this card has no fees that you need to worry about. However, you must be conscious of using your card regularly. If you don’t use the card for three months, Movo will charge you a $4.95 monthly fee until you resume using the card.
Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Credit Card
With a maximum balance of $10,000, you will enjoy the flexibility of the Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Prepaid Card. With this card, you are not limited to making purchases at Starbucks. In fact, you can use it anywhere that accepts Visa as a payment method. This card does not have any monthly or activation fees, and if you’re an avid Starbucks drinker, you can link your card to your Starbucks rewards account. Unfortunately, the downside to this card is that you cannot withdraw money from an ATM. You will also see a 3% fee if you use the card outside of the United States, so we don’t recommend this prepaid card for travel purposes abroad.
Fifth Third’s Access 360° Prepaid Card
The Fifth Third’s Access 360° Prepaid Card is a great prepaid debit card that gives you the option to go without paying fees, but you must be careful. This prepaid card does come with a $4 monthly fee, but you have two options to waive that fee: open a checking account with Fifth Third, or deposit a minimum of $500 a month onto the card. However, there are no activation or inactivity fees to worry about. One of the coolest features about this card is that you are allowed to have joint owners. This makes it a great card for parents and children.
Serve® Prepaid Card
The Serve® Direct Deposit Prepaid Card gives you access to easy money management without a credit check, hidden fees, and minimum balances. With this card, you can pull cash for free from more than 30,000 MoneyPass ATM locations in the country, comes with fraud protection security, access to a mobile app, and the customer service team at American Express.
This card typically has a monthly fee of $6.95, but you are able to waive that fee as long as you deposit at least $500 on the card monthly, via direct deposit.
WeSwap Mastercard® Prepaid Card
The WeSwap Mastercard® Prepaid Card is a good prepaid debit card without fees, but we’ve ranked it at the bottom of the list because you have to be very careful with how you use it. Or else, you could find yourself paying extra money. This card allows you to add money quickly and free of charge via direct deposit and checks. You can also make withdrawals for free, as long as the amount is at least $200. This card is one of the best choices for people who want to obtain a prepaid card well-suited for travel. This card works in more than 180 countries and allows you to store money in 18 different currencies. However, making instant conversions can cost you.
The Difference Between Prepaid Cards and Debit Cards
It’s important to note that prepaid cards are different from debit cards. Although both debit cards and prepaid cards allow you to make purchases, the major difference between the two is that a typical debit card is associated with a bank account. There is also a difference between prepaid cards and credit cards. When getting any type of card, it’s important to read the fine lines to make sure that you are not signing up for something you don’t really need or want. Additionally, prepaid cards are different from gift cards, despite a few similarities. You can only use gift cards to make purchases at designated locations. With a prepaid card, you can buy anything that you want from any location. Although prepaid cards are not the same as gift cards, prepaid cards still make great gifts—especially if you want to give somebody the freedom to make purchases anywhere.
Final Thoughts on Reloadable Prepaid Cards
Prepaid cards and debit cards are not the same thing. However, they have similar functions. If you are looking for a card that you can use to purchase items, without having to link it to a bank account, a prepaid card may be your best bet. Some prepaid cards, however, come with hefty fees. To avoid extra spending, you should find a prepaid card that doesn’t require you to pay additional fees. In this article, we discussed the pros and cons of the ten best reloadable prepaid cards with zero fees. To find the right card for you, consider your needs, as well as what you plan on using the card for.
To find all the details about the terms and conditions of an offer, check the online credit card application. We put a lot of effort to present you accurate and up-to-date information; however, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all credit card information presented.
Editorial Disclosure: All reviews/opinions expressed here are author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser included within our content. The information presented on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned below may have expired. Check the issuer’s website for the most recent information.
free debit cards with money on them
Availability of insurance benefits on your card may vary by card issuer. Please refer to your issuing financial institution for complete insurance benefit coverage terms, conditions and exclusions.
MASTERCARD BENEFIT INQUIRIES
Within the U.S.: 1-800-Mastercard (1-800-627-8372) | Outside the U.S.: Mastercard Global Service Phone Numbers
1. Card registration required. Certain restrictions apply. Contact the issuer of your card immediately to report your lost or stolen card. You can use the customer service toll-free number listed on the back of the card. Be sure to keep a record of the Mastercard card number. Your issuer may need this information to cancel the card and issue a replacement. You can also contact Emergency Services for additional assistance. In the event your card is lost or stolen, your card issuer will not hold you responsible for unauthorized purchases made on your card. Terms and Conditions.
2. Certain terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Cardholders need to register for this service. This service is provided by Generali Global Assistance, Inc. Please see your guide to benefits for details, or call 1-800-MASTERCARD.
3. In order for you to be paid early, your payroll or benefits payment provider must submit the deposit early. It is important to note that your payroll or benefits payment provider may not submit the deposit or payment early each payment period. Be sure to ask your payroll or benefits payment provider when they submit your deposit information to the bank for processing. Faster access to funds is based on comparison of traditional banking policies and deposit of paper checks from employers and government agencies versus deposits made electronically. Direct deposit and earlier availability of funds is subject to payer’s support of the feature and timing of payer’s funding.
4. Standard data and messaging rates may apply from your wireless service provider.
what prepaid card has the highest deposit limit
Like checking account debit cards, prepaid debit cards have limits. ATM withdrawal limits and daily spending limits, for example. Here are the key limits, how they affect you, and how 5 of the top prepaid cards measure up.
While fees are often the focus when choosing a prepaid card (and they should be), you should also be aware of the card’s limits. Prepaid debit card limits place caps on how much you put on the card and even how much you can spend.
The right prepaid card should have sufficient limits to accommodate how you intend to use the card. Here are the key limits for prepaid debit cards and a comparison of those limits across the major brands.
Prepaid Debit Card Balance Limits
The maximum card balance is the total amount of money that can be on the card at any time. For most people, it’s the most important limit to consider when choosing a prepaid debit card.
That’s because your prepaid card will reject an attempt to load additional funds to the card that would cause the maximum card balance to be exceeded. For transactions like cash loads, running into a balance limit may be little more than an inconvenience. The cash load would be rejected and you walk away with cash in hand.
However, with direct deposit of a paycheck, benefits check, or even a sizeable tax refund check, a rejected deposit to the card can result in delays of weeks or months to get your funds.
And there’s a big difference in the card balance limits offered from one prepaid debit card to the next. Maximum balance limits range from as little as $2,500 to as much as $20,000.
There’s one outlier worth mentioning–the American Express Serve card. The AMEX prepaid cards, including American Express Serve® and Bluebird by American Express, offer a maximum card balance of $100,000 (not a typo). Whether anyone actually takes advantage of that is another question.
Here’s a look at the card balance limits for 5 of the top prepaid cards.
Spending Limits
Most cards have a spending limit that would exceed most needs for regular daily purchases. But occasionally we all make larger single purchases–like a new major appliance or a TV or other electronics purchase.
Spending limits on prepaid debit cards don’t just include purchases. They cap the total amount of transactions that use funds on the card. The total amount of transactions generally includes ATM and other cash withdrawals, as well as purchases.
Spending limits can be as low as $500, which could prevent you from using the card for those major purchases. Among nearly 70 prepaid cards that we track, limits can be up to $15,000.
Daily Cash Load Limit
Prepaid debit cards also limit the amount of cash that can be loaded to the card on a single day. The cash load limit applies to the total of any transaction where cash is added to the card, including loading cash through a reload pack, like the Green Dot MoneyPak, or at the register, like Walmart Rapid Reload.
The daily cash load limit doesn’t apply to other methods of adding money to the prepaid debit card, like direct deposit, bank transfers, or mobile check deposits.
Cash load limits range from $500 per day to as much as $10,000.
As with the balance limits, cash load limits will cause transactions that exceed the limit to be rejected.
Prepaid Card ATM Withdrawal Limits
Prepaid debit cards, like checking account debit cards, limit the amount that you can withdraw at an ATM for security reasons. An ATM limit caps the total ATM withdrawals in a day.
Most prepaid debit cards allow for over-the-counter cash withdrawals at a bank teller, as well as withdrawals at the ATM. The ATM limits apply only to cash from the ATM.
Daily ATM withdrawal limits range from a low of $300 to a high of $2,500.
The Final Word
When choosing a prepaid card, consider the limits. Will the card balance limit accommodate using direct deposit for your paycheck? Will the spending limits meet your daily spending needs? What about those occasional larger purchases?
Most people don’t need the highest limit prepaid debit card. But the limits need to be adequate for your use. To make sure you get a card that will hit the mark, you can use our search tool to compare prepaid debit cards, including their limits and fees.