Wired PlasticTM Visa® Prepaid Card

From the CompareCards.com Editorial Team:

With this card, which is a prepaid card accepted all over the world wherever Visa is honored, you never have any overdraft fee; check cashing fees, or late payment penalties. You can manage your money and pay bills using convenient online features that are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from any Internet connection. You can also sign up for email alerts that will keep you updated about important information related to your account.

As will other prepaid cards, you deposit your own money into the card account and then those funds become your credit that you can use to make purchases, pay bills, or do cash transfers and withdrawals. There are miscellaneous fees associated with all prepaid cards, too, and this one is no exception.

There is a one-time activation fee of $9.95, for example, and a monthly service charge of $3.95. The ATM withdrawal fee is $1.95, and if you inquire about your balance through and ATM it costs 95 cents. If you use the customer service hotline your first two calls each month are free, and after than they cost 95 cents each. So the smart way to use this card is to avoid transactions that have fees attached and instead try to rely on the free service features to keep track of your account.

The Bottom-Line
This is a pretty standard prepaid card, and although some of the fees and charges will add up really fast, those are offset by some features and services that are offered for free. So if you use this card carefully and strategically you can come out ahead. Meanwhile you get the convenience of carrying plastic instead of cash and of having access to some helpful online tools and features. The card is also accepted at Visa retailers worldwide and you don’t have to have good credit or a credit history track record to get the card. There’s no credit check so this is a good card for those who lack credit.

The Good
There are some good features for free, like two calls to customer service per month without a charge and online money management tools. The card is affiliated with Visa, too, so it is accepted all over the world.

The Not So Good
There are lots of little fees, so you need to familiarize yourself with the whole fee schedule and avoid those fees as much as possible. Otherwise this card could get expensive. It’s also a prepaid card so it does not have the features you’d expect from a standard credit card.