Business: The Hidden Price of Prepaid Debit | The New York Times

[@larsb3497]

American Express Blue Bird card. I’ve had it for about a year... it’s great!!! I hope they are making money... I don’t want them to go away... but I’ve never been charged for anything. You load it for free at any Walmart. No low balance fees. No fees ever..!! Plus its an American Express card, it looks way more legit, than pulling a green dot (wtf) card out of your wallet... Thank you AmEx. Great product!

[@amberflame5656]

American Express isn't accepted every where.

[@steelrose7342]

I begin to use America Express Serve Freeuploaders this month. It's been a great for online purchases.

[@jessec9576]

Blue Bird was great until they stopped me from being able to load my card.

[@quann06]

They should be upfront about the fees so people know what to expect. But yes the companies do have to charge some fees to make money, but let us know ahead of time what you're charging. Too many companies lie before they tell you about the fees.

[@kishascape]

My American Express one charges none. But I’m grandfathered in since 2015

[@eddiebruv]

These are available in the UK. Some have monthly fees, some don't. The fees for their use don't seem as high as the examples shown here. Someone's got to pay for it somewhere along the line,as long as the costs are not too high. The main problem is not telling people upfront what all the costs are going to be.

[@yody94]

I'm up in Canada and I used to have one of these. If I put in $200 and gradually used that money over time about 10-30 of that is lost in fees. Complete rip-off.

[@lifeasrob1757]

Aside from the ethics issue addressed, I have a question. Why is it that the man interviewed and so many people talk about not having an ID or enough IDs? As far as I know, every DMV issues drivers licenses and ID cards that are acceptable for legal identification purposes. In my entire life I have never experienced an issue with providing proper ID for any purpose that I can recall.

[@blackworldtraveler3711]

I use my credit cards like a debit card. Prepay before buying. If I don't have the cash I don't buy. I even autopay $100 a week to my credit card because of weekly gas and groceries and always floating around $200 in my account. I'm disciplined and not stupid. About 35 years of credit card use in the U.S. and over 50 countries with no issues and never any fees. I also own several thousand shares of Visa and MasterCard purchased in the early 90s paying currently close to $500 a month reinvested dividends in my Roth account because again.....I'm disciplined and not stupid.

[@nksharing-n-caringlife7194]

Knowledge is power every one don't have the kind of knowledge you have. Sharing is the key, you are blessed but the blessings comes with sharing, I'm not saying that you aren't but if that be the case pass it on by sharing your knowledge. It's better to give then to receive, may God Bless you.

[@aurorajudith-ramirez7389]

TEACH ME YOUR WAYS 🥺🥺

[@blackworldtraveler3711]

NkSharing-N-Caring Life You post like the goofy people of the future in that movie “Idiocracy”. Nothing I said here is anything new just common sense. Nothing to be blessed about. Has been shared in public schools for decades.. It’s called reading and basic math. Very simple. “I am my own charity” - The Millionaire Next Door

[@Robert08010]

Maybe this is the wrong product for me; I don't know. All I want is a card that is NOT tied directly to my bank & checking account so when I make online purchases from vendors I don't know, I have the security to know they can't drain my bank account.

[@np1056]

All I can say is do your research. Bluebird (the Walmart/AMEX card) is actually a part of American Express the *bank*. I didn't even realize until researching these cards, but AMEX became a bank during the financial crisis. So they intentionally make it seem like you're going bank-free when you aren't. It's starting to look like burying your money in your garden is a better option than these cards, lol. Best of luck.

[@kidzzone7356]

just go to varo

[@pianocrisante90]

“PHOOONE!” 01:21

[@rgh267]

Go with Amex Bluebird. Problem solved.

[@g_willow]

Rob Fowler... I still stand by my comment. Your bank makes money from the services you are provide and from other things like loans and interest. The people who offer pre paid cards are running a business. All businesses are out to make a profit and they do that with the fees they collect. So basicly your saying it should be illegal for them to charge for their services. That makes zero sence. . All these cards have links to their fees right on the sign up pages. If you lack the common sence to read the contract before handing over your money then we'll, that's on you.

[@Haddley333]

amazing how people dont read the fine print.

[@juliannaokike31]

This goes for any site one is shopping on. So now not to affect my every day banking at my financial institutions.

[@justauser]

Goodness. Why on earth would people get these? TD Bank in New York offers FREE banking as long as you have $100 in your bank account. With that comes a free debit card and they offer a couple no annual fee credit cards you can apply for. This is only one bank, most banks have options for free banking and they all come with free debit cards.

[@dhdjkalkdjdkd]

Think about the convenience, security and access the prepaid cards provide. It can be a great tool for budgeting, allowance for kids or way to get away from check cashing fees. Let us make sure we do not kill a product which is a life saver for many of us.

[@ThisOLmaan]

allowance for kids, , whatever happened to just giving kids there weekly allowance work greats for generations.

[@Samira4]

so should i buy the green dot prepaid card from dollar tree?

[@dhdjkalkdjdkd]

People need to have realistic expectations. The company offering prepaid cards has to pay for customer service, fraud write-offs, processing, marketing and many other expenses. If they do not charge any fee how do you expect them to survive. Almost all of us are aware of the $30 to $50 overdraft fee that banks charge besides other fees. And those who think a checks are free need to consider the money they spend in getting check books besides the $20+ stop payment fee in case they lose a check.

[@dhdjkalkdjdkd]

Prepaid cards offer tremendous value and are very helpful for a lot of people. Just like any other products, there are some good and some bad cards out there.

[@itaiosu]

A prepaid card from ur bank does not have fees (from PNB Philippines)

[@thebipolarbear1]

Go with Amex serve or even better Amex blue bird.

[@alanasims2981]

They sell Green Dots at Dollar Tree

[@bionicwoman9884]

Glad I dont need these cards. Regular debit and credit cards are enough for me.

[@Homestuckfan99900]

whose watching 2023?

[@mystfaex8794]

Well, I use mo's for 50yrs, no problem, I'm patient, save up for big stuff. Stops impulsive purchases too!🙄😁

[@themaing4451]

So after the balance reached zero they charge no fees anymore?

[@miguelrios3580]

They should change there name from:"PAYOMATIC" TO: "CRAPOMATIC"😆

[@alanasims2981]

Cost a dollar to buy them and load them at Dollar Tree (Green Dot)

[@estebansteverincon7117]

Or just open up a bank account at a bank, and apply for a banking/debit card. It's not rocket science, dude. LOL

[@shakaama]

he's 20. his single mom, probably didn't sign him up for any of the necessary identifications needed to enter adulthood, so now he's scrambling to get everything straight, and BOOM he has a kid, which he's paying for through the nose, at last minute, need diapers yesterday speed. even with money, i got scammed at 20, via credit card. free credit card for college students. me + 20,000 other kids: what's a credit card?

[@YUNGMAGIK333]

​@@shakaama💯

[@pianocrisante90]

In life nothing is free. As the old saying goes: “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

[@cameronmallory7408]

I have never gone in debt using a prepaid debit cards but credit card and bank card yeah debt banks don't want you to use prepaid cards oh yeah by the way I can use my prepaid card go into a bank and do a withdrawal and cost me no money yeah buddy if I use the ATM it will cost me like 2.50 fee educate yourself about your financial resources I will gladly pay 9.95 fee a month for prepaid then pay 23% in credit cards for the rest of my life let's get real people

[@themaing4451]

I was thinking about bluebird card to buy online. I got low budget and just might go back to Mexico to finish my studies. You can cancel anytime the card?

[@butchjohnson3953]

Rob O Matic😁

[@ThePhonyAccount]

Turned away from a bank? Just one bank? And how many IDs do the banks require to open an account? And has he tried a credit union, or does his problem go deeper?

[@dogguy8603]

Honestly its not hard to get a bank account, if he has a drivers license thats all you really need, besides knowing you ssn, and the minimum balance to start is generally about 20 bucks

[@keywestalert6329]

It is the case that you make lots of money. Not the right way vice president.

[@thehouseofhoops]

Wow, what a rip.

[@buzter123]

Easy fix, as painfull as it might be, READ THE CARDMEMBER AGREEMENT BEFORE USING PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Robert08010]

You mean the paper that is folded up inside the package that you cant open until after you have purchased and pre-loaded it? That agreement?

[@jesseb43]

Good thing I didn't activate

[@mamadoubalde2893]

Another way of scamming people

[@bennylow6483]

I got one at Netspend.come

[@syasenns294]

😂

[@uncleelroy6353]

green dot let's you know all this upfront,so this whole video is bogus

[@Robert08010]

Not all cards do. So this WHOLE VIDEO is not bogus.

[@g_willow]

Ok but, why would you load money onto ANY card without checking the fees? Every card has a card holder agreement READ IT. I took me literally 30 seconds to look up the fees for the first card shown in the video.

[@Robert08010]

Ginger and the Willow It all depends on how much experience you have with such cards. If you've never used one of these, you may not assume there are fees. My regular bank is so very generous with it's services and litteralky all they do is cash my paycheck for me. Now I understand why a credit card has fees but a card that you preload cash on to - well... This should be illegal. It's just another tax on naivety.

[@llengford]

This guy is full of crap he's trying to con everybody do not buy this card.

[@nofood1]

Anyone still using these in 2019 ?

[@nofood1]

@angelina angel cool, they dont have our name on them right?