fbpx

Card Category: Prepaid & Debit

Take a look at our list of the top ten highest-rated prepaid and debit card programs. The application process for these cards is quick, safe, and secure, and many of them do not require a credit check or minimum balance. It’s important to note that prepaid and debit cards differ from traditional credit cards in that you’re using money that you loaded onto the card beforehand to make purchases or pay bills online. Furthermore, some of these cards offer a direct deposit option, which eliminates the need to pay check-cashing fees. Let’s begin below.

Walmart MoneyCard®

Get peace of mind with three coverage levels, up to $200, for purchase transactions with opt-in & eligible direct deposit.*

  • Card Brand

    MasterCard®

  • Rewards Rate

    n/a

  • Annual Fee

    See Terms

  • Credit Recommended

    n/a

  • Regular Purchase APR

    n/a

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

  • Waive your monthly fee when you direct deposit $500+ in previous monthly period. Otherwise, $5.94 a month.*
  • Earn 3% cash back at Walmart.com, 2% cash back at Walmart fuel stations, & 1% cash back at Walmart stores, up to $75 each year.*
  • Earn 2% interest rate on up to $1,000 balance in your savings account. Plus, get chances to win cash prizes each month!*
  • Get peace of mind with three coverage levels, up to $200, for purchase transactions with opt-in & eligible direct deposit.*
    *Please see site for full terms and conditions.
Card Details Page

GO2bank

Get your pay up to 2 days early - Get your government benefits up to 4 days early.*

  • Card Brand

    Visa®

  • Rewards Rate

    n/a

  • Annual Fee

    0.00

  • Credit Recommended

    All Credit Types Considered

  • Regular Purchase APR

    n/a

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

  • Overdraft protection up to $200 with opt-in and eligible direct deposit*
  • No monthly fees with eligible direct deposit, otherwise $5 per month
  • Earn up to 7% cash back when you buy eGift Cards in the app
  • Get your pay up to 2 days early – Get your government benefits up to 4 days early.*
  • High-yield savings account, 4.50% APY paid quarterly on savings up to $5,000.*

*Terms and conditions apply. Cards issued by GO2bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. Overdraft fees may apply. Click Apply Now to learn more.

Card Details Page

Chime® Debit Card

Applying for an account is free, takes less than 2 minutes, and won’t affect your credit score.

  • Card Brand

    Visa®

  • Rewards Rate

    n/a

  • Annual Fee

    $0.00

  • Credit Recommended

    Limited to Good

  • Regular Purchase APR

    0.00%

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

Applying for an account is free, takes less than 2 minutes, and won’t affect your credit score. When you sign up for a Chime account, you’ll receive:

  • A Chime Visa® Debit Card
  • A Checking Account
  • Access to our award-winning mobile app to keep you in control of your money

We provide simple, lowest-cost services across checking and saving that align with our members’ interests. They use us because of features like:

  • Fee-free overdraft through SpotMe® ˆ: Traditional banks took $11 Billion in overdraft fees in 2019. At Chime, we do things differently. We will allow you to overdraw up to $200ˆ on debit card purchases without charging a fee.
  • No unnecessary bank fees˜: No minimum balance requirements. No monthly service fees. No foreign transaction fees. No transfer fees.
  • Get your paycheck early**: Set up Direct Deposit and receive your paycheck up to 2 days earlier than some of your co-workers!
  • Chime accounts are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, so you know your money is safe with us!

Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.

Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.

1The Annual Percentage Yield (“APY”) for the Chime Savings Account is variable and may change at any time. The disclosed APY is accurate as of November 17, 2022. No minimum balance required. Must have $0.01 in savings to earn interest.

2The average national savings account interest rate of 0.21% is determined by FDIC as of November 17, 2022 based on a simple average of rates paid (uses annual percentage yield) by all insured depository institutions and branches for which data are available. Visit National Rates and Rate Caps to learn more. Visit National Rates and Rate Caps to learn more.

**Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

^Chime SpotMe is an optional, no fee service that requires a single deposit of $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the Chime Checking Account each month. All qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their account up to $20 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals initially, but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your limit. Your limit may change at any time, at Chime’s discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe won’t cover non-debit card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. See Terms and Conditions.

***Round Ups automatically round up debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and transfer the round up from your Chime Checking Account to your savings account.

****Save When I Get Paid automatically transfers 10% of your direct deposits of $500 or more from your Checking Account into your savings account.

^^Funds are automatically debited from your Checking Account and typically deposited into the recipient’s Checking Account within seconds. Pay Anyone transactions will be monitored and may be held, delayed or blocked if the transfer could result in fraud or another form of financial harm. Sometimes instant transfers can be delayed.

˜Out-of-network ATM withdrawal fees may apply except at MoneyPass ATMs in a 7-Eleven, or any Allpoint or Visa Plus Alliance ATM.

^^^Mobile Check Deposit eligibility is determined by Chime in its sole discretion and may be granted based on various factors including, but not limited to, a member’s direct deposit enrollment status.

Card Details Page

Firstcard

At Firstcard, you’ll face no annual fees, overdraft fees, or transaction fees.°

  • Card Brand

    MasterCard®

  • Rewards Rate

    * Earn up to 15% cashback at select merchants

  • Annual Fee

    0.00

  • Credit Recommended

    No Credit, Limited

  • Regular Purchase APR

    0%

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

Join Firstcard today and start enjoying up to 15% cashback on your everyday purchases!

 

EARN UP TO 15% CASHBACK* AUTOMATICALLY

Tired of digging up promo codes or student IDs everytime you shop? With Firstcard, all your discounts are applied automatically. Just show up, shop, and save up to 15% in cashback — easy as that!

 

STUDENT CENTERED

With us, students save more and stress less. At Firstcard, we’ve built our team to include student voices, because no one knows what students want more than students themselves.

 

SAFE & EASY TO JOIN

We know students are busy. So, we’ve made signing up for Firstcard as easy and as safe‡ as possible. Open your account in just a few minutes. No sign-up fees, no minimum balance requirement, no problem. Note: you must be at least 18 years old to sign up for Firstcard.

 

MINIMAL FEES

To us, fees are a thing of the past. At Firstcard, you’ll face no annual fees, overdraft fees, or transaction fees.°

* Earn up to 15% cashback at select merchants

‡ Firstcard uses industry standard encryption technology to make sure your information is safe and secure.

° Please note that Firstcard does not have control over fees charged by other institutions you choose to do business with while using your Firstcard debit card or account (e.g. ATM withdrawal fees). When you use an ATM that is not a part of Firstcard’s network, the operator of the ATM will notify you if they charge a fee.

Card Details Page

Western Union® Netspend® Prepaid Mastercard®

Western Union® transfers, shop online or pay bills

  • Card Brand

    MasterCard®

  • Rewards Rate

    n/a

  • Annual Fee

    Up-to $9.95 monthly*

  • Credit Recommended

    Any Credit Welcome

  • Regular Purchase APR

    n/a

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

  • Western Union® transfers, shop online or pay bills.
  • With Direct Deposit, you can get paid faster than a paper check.
  • No late fees or interest charges because this is not a credit card.
  • Card use is subject to activation and ID verification. Terms and costs apply.
  • Card issued by Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC.
Card Details Page

Brink’s Prepaid Mastercard®

With Brink’s Direct Deposit, you can get paid faster than a paper check

  • Card Brand

    MasterCard®

  • Rewards Rate

    n/a

  • Annual Fee

    Variable Monthly Fee

  • Credit Recommended

    Any Credit Welcome

  • Regular Purchase APR

    0.00%

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

  • Brink’s gives you the peace of mind you deserve. Securing cash and valuables since 1859.
  • With Brink’s Direct Deposit, you can get paid faster than a paper check.
  • No late fees or interest charges because this is not a credit card.
  • Use the Brink’s Money Prepaid Mobile App to manage your Card Account on the go and enroll to get text message or email alerts (Message & data rates may apply.)
  • Card activation and identity verification required. Terms and Fees Apply.
  • Card issued by Republic Bank & Trust Company, Member FDIC. Click for full details.
  • See additional Brink’s Prepaid Mastercard® Details.
Card Details Page

Netspend® Prepaid Mastercard®, now a WWEpartner®

No overdraft fees on Card purchases

  • Card Brand

    MasterCard®

  • Rewards Rate

    n/a

  • Annual Fee

    Variable Monthly Fee

  • Credit Recommended

    Any Credit Welcome

  • Regular Purchase APR

    0.00%

  • Full Details

    Card Page

Highlights

  • Pay everywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted.
  • With Direct Deposit, you can get paid faster than a paper check.
  • No overdraft fees on Card purchases.
  • No late fees or interest charges because this is not a credit card.
  • Use the Netspend Mobile App to manage your Card Account on the go and enroll to get text messages or email alerts. (Message & data rates may apply).
  • Card use is subject to activation and ID verification. Terms and Costs Apply.
  • Card issued by MetaBank®, Member FDIC.
Card Details Page