Green Dot Reviews
Green Dot is a bank holding company providing low cost banking and payment. Green Dot’s products and services include General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) prepaid debit cards and a large cash transfer network.
Some of the benefits of the Green Dot pay-as-you-go cards save you from incurring overdraft fees, penalty fees and in addition there is no minimum balance requirement. The cards are easy to obtain because they do not require a credit check or an existing bank account. Debit cards are safer than carrying cash around, if you lose cash or it is stolen, it is gone forever, if you lose your card or it is stolen you may be able to recover any unauthorized transactions.
These cards can be found online through their site for free or purchased at one of their local retailers for approximately $5-$7 dollars. There are different card options to choose from including both Visa and MasterCard basic debit cards, online secure shopping cards, express bill pay cards, prepaid student cards, and NASCAR themed debit cards. The cards can be activated online or by phone, the minimum initial deposit must be at least $10.00.
Green Dot makes most of their money by participating in the MoneyPass surcharge-free ATM Network, consisting of over 200,000 ATM’s nationwide. The ATM’s can be located online or with the free iPhone and Android application.
There are many fees attached to the Green Dot card which is maintained through the MoneyPass network. Each time you reload at a retailer it costs approximately $5.00, there is $6.00/month card maintenance fee, out of network ATM withdraws cost $2.50 plus the ATM’s operating fees, each cash advance is $2.50, out of network ATM balance inquiries are $.50, and replacement cards cost $5.00.
The numerous fees for using this prepaid debit card seem a bit hefty. Definitely check out different options and read the fine lines of any prepaid pay-as-you-go card. Even if there are no “hidden fees”, there are probably clearly outlined detailed fees listed on the card packaging or the card website.
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About The Author
Van Hughes
Van Hughes covers American Politics, economics and business from Cansas. He has worked as a reporter, editor and policy adviser in Dallas, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico.
