It was only a matter of time before Walmart rolled out something more competitive. It's also only a matter of time before Walmart starts some type of rewards program.
https://www.walmartmoneycard.com/walmart/account/legal-info-page?doc=feeplan&productname=preferred
$6 to purchase
$3 monthly service fee - waived with either direct deposit or $500 loaded during the month.
Free cash reloads
Early direct deposit when employer gives notice
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The OnBudget Prepaid Mastercard No Fees Instant ACH Deposits
https://onbudget.com
No fees
No prepaid card fees, no ATM fees, no account fees, and no load fees.
Two prepaid debit cards included per account
Seamlessly integrates two users into one household budget.
Effortless budget setup process
Eliminates all the guessing and tedious work in setting up a budget.
Instant card loads from any bank account
No more waiting 2 to 3 days for money to load from your bank (and still no fees).
Free access to budget advisors
Support from initial budget consultation through 90 day budget checkup.
No fees
No prepaid card fees, no ATM fees, no account fees, and no load fees.
Two prepaid debit cards included per account
Seamlessly integrates two users into one household budget.
Effortless budget setup process
Eliminates all the guessing and tedious work in setting up a budget.
Instant card loads from any bank account
No more waiting 2 to 3 days for money to load from your bank (and still no fees).
Free access to budget advisors
Support from initial budget consultation through 90 day budget checkup.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Serve Prepares for New Serve
Thanks again for signing up for an American Express Serve® Account.
As a new Accountholder, we wanted to let you know about some important fees and features, which allow us to provide you with even more value and convenience.
• Monthly & Foreign Transaction Fees: In order for us to improve existing features and continue to introduce new ones, beginning on December 3, 2013, we will charge a monthly fee of $1 and a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% on purchases made outside of the U.S. We will waive the monthly fee for each statement period when you (1) add money in any amount to your Account using Direct Deposit or (2) load $500 or more to your Account.*
• Free MoneyPass® ATM Transactions: We recently introduced free ATM withdrawals at over 23,000 MoneyPass ATMs. Visit www.moneypass.com to find an ATM near you.
• Coming Soon - Free Ways to Add Cash at Retail Locations: American Express Serve customers will soon be able to add money to their Account for free at CVS/pharmacy stores nationwide and participating 7-Eleven locations. Stay tuned for more information.
See the chart below for a complete list of all fees for your Serve Account.
American Express Serve Account Fee Summary
Monthly
$1 Monthly Fee
(no fee in NY, TX & VT)
–OR–
No fee until 12/3/2013
$0 with any Direct Deposit during your statement period
–OR–
$0 when you add $500 or more during your statement period
Add Money $0 Direct Deposit
$0 Checking/Savings Account
$0 Debit/Credit Card
Coming Soon: Add cash for $0 at CVS/pharmacy stores nationwide and participating 7–Eleven locations
Load cash using MoneyPak® or Vanilla Reload (Third party fees may apply1)
ATM Withdrawals $0 at MoneyPass® ATMs
$2 at non-MoneyPass ATMs.2 ATM operator fees apply
Foreign Transactions 2.7% on each transaction after
conversion to US dollars
As a new Accountholder, we wanted to let you know about some important fees and features, which allow us to provide you with even more value and convenience.
• Monthly & Foreign Transaction Fees: In order for us to improve existing features and continue to introduce new ones, beginning on December 3, 2013, we will charge a monthly fee of $1 and a foreign transaction fee of 2.7% on purchases made outside of the U.S. We will waive the monthly fee for each statement period when you (1) add money in any amount to your Account using Direct Deposit or (2) load $500 or more to your Account.*
• Free MoneyPass® ATM Transactions: We recently introduced free ATM withdrawals at over 23,000 MoneyPass ATMs. Visit www.moneypass.com to find an ATM near you.
• Coming Soon - Free Ways to Add Cash at Retail Locations: American Express Serve customers will soon be able to add money to their Account for free at CVS/pharmacy stores nationwide and participating 7-Eleven locations. Stay tuned for more information.
See the chart below for a complete list of all fees for your Serve Account.
American Express Serve Account Fee Summary
Monthly
$1 Monthly Fee
(no fee in NY, TX & VT)
–OR–
No fee until 12/3/2013
$0 with any Direct Deposit during your statement period
–OR–
$0 when you add $500 or more during your statement period
Add Money $0 Direct Deposit
$0 Checking/Savings Account
$0 Debit/Credit Card
Coming Soon: Add cash for $0 at CVS/pharmacy stores nationwide and participating 7–Eleven locations
Load cash using MoneyPak® or Vanilla Reload (Third party fees may apply1)
ATM Withdrawals $0 at MoneyPass® ATMs
$2 at non-MoneyPass ATMs.2 ATM operator fees apply
Foreign Transactions 2.7% on each transaction after
conversion to US dollars
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Walgreens New Prepaid will Include Check Cashing
I'm betting $3 to cash a check and deposit onto the card - being able to keep $100 cash at that time.
If you don't have direct deposit and you are a frequent Walgreen's shopper this could be a very good card.
---------------------------
Check cashing for Balance Financial cardholders in the initial 250 Walgreens stores. Cardholders will be able to deposit payroll, tax refund and government benefit checks and can receive from a Walgreens cashier up to $100 in cash from their card account. Additional cash can be accessed without a fee at a Walgreens ATM.
When you activate your Balance™ Financial MasterCard, your Balance® Rewards account can be linked to your card account. Once cards are linked, your Balance Financial MasterCard also becomes your Balance® Rewards Card. Then, just use your Balance Financial MasterCard and watch the points really add up:1
Get 10 points for every $1 spent at Walgreens or Duane Reade stores.
Get 100 points every time you reload in store.
Get 1,000 points when your first direct deposit is made. Then, get 250 points for each month a direct deposit is received.
If you don't have direct deposit and you are a frequent Walgreen's shopper this could be a very good card.
---------------------------
Check cashing for Balance Financial cardholders in the initial 250 Walgreens stores. Cardholders will be able to deposit payroll, tax refund and government benefit checks and can receive from a Walgreens cashier up to $100 in cash from their card account. Additional cash can be accessed without a fee at a Walgreens ATM.
When you activate your Balance™ Financial MasterCard, your Balance® Rewards account can be linked to your card account. Once cards are linked, your Balance Financial MasterCard also becomes your Balance® Rewards Card. Then, just use your Balance Financial MasterCard and watch the points really add up:1
Get 10 points for every $1 spent at Walgreens or Duane Reade stores.
Get 100 points every time you reload in store.
Get 1,000 points when your first direct deposit is made. Then, get 250 points for each month a direct deposit is received.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
US Bank Contour Card
It's $4 to get the card and $4 a month to maintain it.
https://usbankcontour.com/personal-preset
The cards are available in different colors and you can have up to 5 sub accounts which also cost $4 to order but no monthly fees for sub accounts.
This card or one of the sub accounts can be loaded with a credit card, a debit card, by cash at any US Bank (free) or via Visa Readylink ($4-$5).
https://usbankcontour.com/fees
Pretty good limits on usage. $10,000 total cap, $5,000 daily spending limit and a $1,000 daily ATM withdrawal limit.
If US Bank was on the East coast I'd be getting one of these myself.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
American Express Brings Free Cash Reloads to Serve Card
Amex brings a lot of new features to Serve, the best being free cash reloads. There is now a $1 monthly fee that is waived when you have direct deposit or deposit $500 in a month.
Free cash deposits at CVS and 7-Eleven stores nationwide along with free MoneyPass ATMs, free BillPay and no fees is very compelling. This is a real threat to US Banks.
I was surprised to learn that the 'Learnvest' service is a paid service other than through Serve/American Express.
Serve did have 'English as a first language' customer service and I believe the $1 waivable fee is to generate some extra revenue to keep a higher level of customer service. BlueBird customer service (unless its changed which I doubt) was horrendous.
Free Cash Load Network: Starting this November, American Express Serve customers will be able to take cash to the register at more than 14,000 participating CVS/pharmacy and 7-Eleven stores and add it to their American Express Serve Account. This is made possible through a relationship with InComm and its Vanilla Reload Network.
Direct Deposit: Serve customers can add their paycheck or government disbursements directly into their Account through Serve.com.
Mobile Check Capture: Later this year, customers will be able to use their smartphone camera to snap a photo of a check and add it directly into their Account using the Serve mobile app.
LearnVest Partnership: LearnVest, a company aimed at making educational financial content accessible to everyone, will provide information designed to help customers set and achieve financial goals and save money. This free educational financial information will be integrated throughout the Serve.com experience.
Reserve: Customers can easily move funds with one time or recurring payments from their Serve Account to a linked Reserve to put money away – and keep it away – for future purchases like a vacation, holiday gifts, or for emergency funds.
Bill Pay: With electronic bill pay customers can pay any bill online using Serve.com and the Serve mobile app.
Free Withdrawals at MoneyPass® ATMs in the U.S.: American Express Serve customers can now withdraw money for free at more than 22,000 MoneyPass® ATMs nationwide. For the closest MoneyPass® ATM location, customers can visit: https://www.serve.com/manage-money/#/atm-access
American Express Serve is now available online at www.serve.com and will be available at select CVS/pharmacy, Family Dollar, Office Depot, Walgreens and Duane Reade stores in the U.S. this fall for a one-time purchase price of $2.95.
Free cash deposits at CVS and 7-Eleven stores nationwide along with free MoneyPass ATMs, free BillPay and no fees is very compelling. This is a real threat to US Banks.
I was surprised to learn that the 'Learnvest' service is a paid service other than through Serve/American Express.
Serve did have 'English as a first language' customer service and I believe the $1 waivable fee is to generate some extra revenue to keep a higher level of customer service. BlueBird customer service (unless its changed which I doubt) was horrendous.
Free Cash Load Network: Starting this November, American Express Serve customers will be able to take cash to the register at more than 14,000 participating CVS/pharmacy and 7-Eleven stores and add it to their American Express Serve Account. This is made possible through a relationship with InComm and its Vanilla Reload Network.
Direct Deposit: Serve customers can add their paycheck or government disbursements directly into their Account through Serve.com.
Mobile Check Capture: Later this year, customers will be able to use their smartphone camera to snap a photo of a check and add it directly into their Account using the Serve mobile app.
LearnVest Partnership: LearnVest, a company aimed at making educational financial content accessible to everyone, will provide information designed to help customers set and achieve financial goals and save money. This free educational financial information will be integrated throughout the Serve.com experience.
Reserve: Customers can easily move funds with one time or recurring payments from their Serve Account to a linked Reserve to put money away – and keep it away – for future purchases like a vacation, holiday gifts, or for emergency funds.
Bill Pay: With electronic bill pay customers can pay any bill online using Serve.com and the Serve mobile app.
Free Withdrawals at MoneyPass® ATMs in the U.S.: American Express Serve customers can now withdraw money for free at more than 22,000 MoneyPass® ATMs nationwide. For the closest MoneyPass® ATM location, customers can visit: https://www.serve.com/manage-money/#/atm-access
American Express Serve is now available online at www.serve.com and will be available at select CVS/pharmacy, Family Dollar, Office Depot, Walgreens and Duane Reade stores in the U.S. this fall for a one-time purchase price of $2.95.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Balance Financial Mastercard by Walgreens
"Balance Financial Prepaid MasterCard" from Walgreen's/Duane Reade.
https://balancefinancial.walgreens.com
Balance Financial is currently offered to customers of more than 250 Walgreen's locations in Detroit, Milwaukee and Nashville, with a nationwide card roll out expected before year end and additional financial services in 2014
Has some fees which for the most part can be avoided.
No monthly fee when $1,000 a month is loaded - $2.95 a month otherwise.
Free ATM withdrawals at participating Walgreen/Duane Reade ATM's - no explanation of what that means though.
Bill Pay is 95 cents. They mention an expedited Bill Pay also.
Cash reload at Walgreen's/Duane Reade stores is $2.95.
Daily spend limit of $2,500.
Daily withdrawal limit of $500.
This already has IPhone and Android apps.
It sounds as though they will have special kiosks in stores just for this card.
Apparently Walgreen will begin cashing checks as part of this offering. Maybe they already do in some locations. Probably using Certegy just as Walmart does.
https://balancefinancial.walgreens.com/content/part/nm/MDAxNkUPFfRrPxlbiTCbXhdkw7gK
There is a 'rewards' aspect of this deal that combines Walgreen's purchase, prescriptions and some social/health through their 'Balance' reward program. It looks like every 1,000 points is worth one dollar at Walgreens. If you are a frequent Walgreens shopper this may be for you. Their prescription sales though are more expensive than Walmart by far.
My advice to Walgreen's is to either eliminate the cash deposit charge or lower it to $1.
https://balancefinancial.walgreens.com
Balance Financial is currently offered to customers of more than 250 Walgreen's locations in Detroit, Milwaukee and Nashville, with a nationwide card roll out expected before year end and additional financial services in 2014
Has some fees which for the most part can be avoided.
No monthly fee when $1,000 a month is loaded - $2.95 a month otherwise.
Free ATM withdrawals at participating Walgreen/Duane Reade ATM's - no explanation of what that means though.
Bill Pay is 95 cents. They mention an expedited Bill Pay also.
Cash reload at Walgreen's/Duane Reade stores is $2.95.
Daily spend limit of $2,500.
Daily withdrawal limit of $500.
This already has IPhone and Android apps.
It sounds as though they will have special kiosks in stores just for this card.
Apparently Walgreen will begin cashing checks as part of this offering. Maybe they already do in some locations. Probably using Certegy just as Walmart does.
https://balancefinancial.walgreens.com/content/part/nm/MDAxNkUPFfRrPxlbiTCbXhdkw7gK
There is a 'rewards' aspect of this deal that combines Walgreen's purchase, prescriptions and some social/health through their 'Balance' reward program. It looks like every 1,000 points is worth one dollar at Walgreens. If you are a frequent Walgreens shopper this may be for you. Their prescription sales though are more expensive than Walmart by far.
My advice to Walgreen's is to either eliminate the cash deposit charge or lower it to $1.
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