Want to know more about prepaid cards? Check out this Live Journal blog. Prepaid cards are not credit cards. Rather they are Visa or MasterCard debit cards that can be used wherever debit cards are accepted. At Prepaid Debit Card man, in addition to writing about prepaid cards, you can find out what mood the Prepaid Debit Card man is in...is he listening to music? Is he drawing.
Also, this journal will cover some personal finance topics.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tarjeta Prepago | Mastercard or Visa
Few Spanish speakers search in Spanish for prepaid cards. The ones that do often type tarjeta prepago but come up with a bunch of prepaid phone card sites. If they want to find a tarjeta prepago MasterCard they have to type that phrase into the Google, Yahoo Search, or Bing. Or they can type Prepagada MasterCard.
Once they find what they are looking for, the site may not be in Spanish. Hopefully, the can read English. If they can't the best prepaid card for Spanish speakers is offered by MiCash.
Once they find what they are looking for, the site may not be in Spanish. Hopefully, the can read English. If they can't the best prepaid card for Spanish speakers is offered by MiCash.
Friday, June 11, 2010
PIN-debit cards interchange costs rise
The costs merchants pay on debit card transactions to cover the electronic interchange of financial data across the debit networks continues to rise. According to Digital Transactions, an industry magazine, the cost of the average $50 PIN-debit sale a small retailer quadrupled over the past decade (from '96-2007).
This means that merchants accepting PIN debit card prepaid or regular on typically the Visa or Mastercard branded networks paid an average of 40.1 cents. Ten years ago that amount was less than a dime.
What does this mean for consumers? It means the gap between the interchange rate charged to retailers for signature transactions vs. PIN transactions is narrowing. So they have less incentive to prefer and guide consumers to PIN transactions. They also may raise prices to recoup their costs.
This means that merchants accepting PIN debit card prepaid or regular on typically the Visa or Mastercard branded networks paid an average of 40.1 cents. Ten years ago that amount was less than a dime.
What does this mean for consumers? It means the gap between the interchange rate charged to retailers for signature transactions vs. PIN transactions is narrowing. So they have less incentive to prefer and guide consumers to PIN transactions. They also may raise prices to recoup their costs.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wal Mart Money Cards
Wal Mart Money Cards are reloadable prepaid cards. You can load them at a Wal Mart cashier for a $3 fee (if that location participates in this way to load) or by purchasing a Greendot MoneyPak at WalMart for $4.95. Greendot MoneyPaks are another easy way to load prepaid cards or prepaid credit cards. You can either call 1-800-GREENDOT or go to the greendot website. Here's how it works. You give the cashier the cash you want to put on your prepaid card plus the $4.95 fee. Then when you call or go online with Greendot, you give them your prepaid card number and the MoneyPak number you have in your hand, and within a few minutes, the balance on the MoneyPak will be transferred to your prepaid cards. Then you can throw away the MoneyPak because it is a one-time-use function for loading money on GPR cards.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
How to find a place to load money on a prepaid card
A common ways to load money on prepaid credit cards (AKA secured credit card) is to transfer money from your checking account to your new secured credit card account online. Or write a check.
The two most common ways to load money on prepaid debit cards, however, is to use a Greendot Money Pak or Western Union agent. Greendot Money Pak's are available at 7-11s nationwide. Here's some more information, as well as a 7-11 Locator.
Greendot MoneyPaks are a temporary card that you buy for $4.95, and then add cash to by handing your cash to the cashier, who then loads the MoneyPak with money. Because the MoneyPak card itself does not have a MasterCard or Visa logo, it can't be used on debit card networks. However, by logging in online or calling a customers support number, you can quickly transfer the entire balance to your prepaid card (which is why you are buying the MoneyPak in the first place.
The two most common ways to load money on prepaid debit cards, however, is to use a Greendot Money Pak or Western Union agent. Greendot Money Pak's are available at 7-11s nationwide. Here's some more information, as well as a 7-11 Locator.
Greendot MoneyPaks are a temporary card that you buy for $4.95, and then add cash to by handing your cash to the cashier, who then loads the MoneyPak with money. Because the MoneyPak card itself does not have a MasterCard or Visa logo, it can't be used on debit card networks. However, by logging in online or calling a customers support number, you can quickly transfer the entire balance to your prepaid card (which is why you are buying the MoneyPak in the first place.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Government Helps You Better Manage Your Money with A Website
The government website http://www.mymoney.gov just got an overhaul. Over 20 U.S. government agencies contribute to this site. It provides loads of online tools and resources to help people manage their money. Special navigation paths for teachers, students, men, and women.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
How to Load Money on a Prepaid Card
As more and more people get a prepaid MasterCard or prepaid Visa, certain retail chains benefit from cardholders' need to load money on their card. There are three main ways to put money on a prepaid card: by going to a Western Union agent location, purchasing a Greendot MoneyPak, or setting up direct deposit to have money taken out of a paycheck and put on the card, either the whole amount or just a fixed amount such as $75 a paycheck.
For the second method, one of the largest retail chains with locations seemingly everywhere is 7 Eleven. You can walk into a 7 Eleven, and for $4.95 pick up Greendot MoneyPak, then hand the cashier the money you want to put on the MoneyPak card. You can't use the MoneyPak itself to make purchases, so the next step is to either call the phone number on the MoneyPak card or go online and then transfer the value on the MoneyPak to your reloadable prepaid card. You can also purchase 7 11 prepaid cards, which are displayed near the check out.
For the second method, one of the largest retail chains with locations seemingly everywhere is 7 Eleven. You can walk into a 7 Eleven, and for $4.95 pick up Greendot MoneyPak, then hand the cashier the money you want to put on the MoneyPak card. You can't use the MoneyPak itself to make purchases, so the next step is to either call the phone number on the MoneyPak card or go online and then transfer the value on the MoneyPak to your reloadable prepaid card. You can also purchase 7 11 prepaid cards, which are displayed near the check out.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Ultimate Prepaid Debit Card Guide
MiCash has put together a nice report on prepaid debit cards. It's a free download.
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