Western Union prepaid Visa

LOL! I was just looking it up-



Western Union???? Prepaid MasterCard????

Easy to Get, Easy to Use

The power of cash. The convenience of plastic. Efficiently manage your money and pay bills because you control how much you put on the Card.

Experience the benefits

Carry your money safely and conveniently.

Shop online anywhere MasterCard debit cards are accepted.

Check your Card balance anytime online or over the phone.

Reload your Card at any participating Western Union Agent location in the United States.

Direct Deposit your pay check onto your Card and pay NO Monthly Account Maintenance Fee. That's a savings of $4.95 per month.

Yea, it sounds better than keeping all my cash in a coffee can. I used to use this card as a regular pre-paid MC. It worked great, never had any problems. It was easy to load also.

So, when paying bills with a Western Union Mastercard, they can't do squat with the information. Correct? Or can someone get ahold of your card number and take advantage of it? Or is that not possible because it has that three digit security number on the back? Do I make any sense here? It's late and my brain is getting fried. And you can have your paycheck direct deposited on that card? Huh. Volley, what do you think? You're a "bank" person. Do you hate it when I always ask you the "bank" questions? :lol:

As far as I know, it works exactly like a regular Mastercard. And yes, it did have that 3 digit number on the back. And yes, you can have you paycheck direct deposited on the card. It did have a $2,500.00 max limit on it however. But, in my case, not a problem. I can't even remember the last time I had over 2 grand in the bank. thats about all I know, maybe Volley can check into it some more.

Hey guys....went to bed a bit early last night. The beauty with credit cards is that added layer of security, the ccv code on the back and yes, they would absolutely need your whole card number and the ccv code to get into your $$.

Yep, you can have your paycheck direct deposited right onto the card and then pay your bills!!

Hello All, I am using the western union prepaid card and it's great. The fee is waived if you have your paycheck directly deposited on to it. Good Luck!

One more thing, you can withdraw money from an ATM machine too!

Gina, that is exactly the question I was going to ask. Thanks for the info.

I have a prepaid visa and so far so good!

gina that is great feedback about the fee being waived with DD!

My boyfriend has one of these cards too, I think it's called greendot or something. He gets his paycheck deposited on it, and he likes it enough. The only problem being that there are limits to how much you can withdraw per day (and it's pretty low, something like $300), and so they get you with the fees as well. But it's better than nothing. He can't have a bank account right now, so this is his best bet.

I second that motion! Prepaid is the way to go. PDL companies can not dig in to it. If it is stolen there's (0)Zero liability. FCK the banks charging NSF fees, and overdrafts. I got a prepaid card that let you know when you may cause an overdraft, I will get a text message, or info at the ATM. Now tell me how many banks do that?? I'll tell you,,,.... NONE!
I also got fee bill pay on-line with this PP debit card, hah!

One thought. If paychecks can be direct deposited onto a credit card, don't they need a routing number or something to do this? Do you think PDL lenders can somehow dig up this info and charge our cards just like a bank account? Also, do you think pre-paid cards have the same "zero liability" protection that "regular" cards have?

The pdl would need the full card# and the ccv code.

The terms and conditions are posted on the website, but I do recall seeing some dispute resolution policies.

One more thought. If we decide to do this everyone needs to be very careful which pre-paid card you choose. I've used several over the years and some, if not most are not reliable. They often get declined by merchants for no reason whatsoever. And some have tons of "hidden fees" that jump up and get ya when you least expect it. And I had one that took like 7 buisness days to credit your card after you reloan it.

Hmmm....this sounds good. I have to laught at FormulaTA's post about it having a $2500 max allowed on it! :lol: If I had $2500, I wouldn't know how to act! I'm thinking (in response to cturners post) that your paycheck being deposited on it wouldn't be an issue as far as pdls. I mean, we have a third party who does our paychecks direct deposit. Just don't see that third party giving out any bank account information to anyone, personally. But, now here's my question, I do understand that you can use it at stores, to pay bills, etc. And I do understand that you can use it at the ATM machines. Now, I guess I just need to know where to "read up" on this because I'm wondering if there is a fee to withdraw from the ATM machines. Volley, where did you find this information so that I can read up on it?

Cannr, just do a google search for Western Union Prepaid Mastercard and you'll find thier web page. And I do believe there was a small fee for w/d money out of an ATM. Plus you still have to pay the ATM machines fee also. But, it sure beats waking up one morning and finding my bank account drained!!

Wait. It takes days to "post" to your card when you reload it? Would that be the same case if you had your paycheck direct deposited on it? Days? Lordy, I can't wait days! LOL! I have like $1.00 before payday!

One more thought. I wonder if my work will actually do this? I'm looking at our direct deposit authorization form and it says "monies can/will be deposited into certified checking accounts or savings accounts, or a combination of both only". mmm, wonder if that leaves credit cards out?? I will ask HR.

Good question. I had already thought that I'm going to call our third party payroll that does our direct deposit and just see if they do that.

Ok ladies, i'm very interested in this for my daughters in college!! Any suggestions on which are the best cards and where do u get them??
Thanks for any info,
Ang

Cannr, sorry i should have been more clear. Western Union was not like that, money usualy posted within hours of a reload. I can't speak for direct deposits however, i never did that. I've used so many of these pre-paid cards I can't remember exactly which one's were bad and which one's were good. Western Union was a good one though. I liked Wired Plastic too. Not sure if they offer direct deposit or not.

Ang, you daughters will like Wired Plastic for sure. It's kind of a hip card aimed towards younger folks. I Used it for a while, I had no problems. Can't remembed the details however, like fee's and stuff like that.

Yea that's what i wanna know cuz i'm sure it'll be easier than trying to keep up with my debit card! They're both very good with money and spending but i'll try to look it up online!
Thanks a lot,
Ang

Okay, maybe a problem with the Western Union card, not sure. I just called to ask about the direct deposit and got ahold of a foreign speaking cs rep and I could barly understand a word she said. BUT, she said (i think) that your 1st direct deposit would take 15 days before it would be available!!! I was like, are you sure? she said it was only the first time, after that it would be available after midnight on the day it was deposited. But, i could barly understand her, so maybe i misunderstood. Maybe it takes 15 days to set up direct deposit. if someone else wants to give it a try and call, the number is 1-800-325-6000.

Hey guys..I have a Greendot card. I don't use my citibank Visa to pay bills or buy online, because I am terrified of someone getting ahold of my cc info and robbing me blind. I can be paranoid. Anyway, we pay bills every other week, so every other week I go to Walgreens and load the amount for the bills on my greendot. It's a $4.95 fee. The funds are on my card within 60 minutes, and I can pay bills. Simple, safe, and convenient.

Oh my Lordy! 15 days? Hell, I'll be dead by then! LOL! Thanks for posting the phone number. I'll give it a call tomorrow and see if I can get more information!

If anyone's paycheck provider is ADP like mine is, check out thier web site. They actually offer thier own visa debit card for direct deposits. Not sure if my work offers it or not. I'm guessing not since i've never heard of anyone around here talking about it.

Wow everyone! Lots of good dialogue here....so Western Union, greendot, wired plastic....lots of choices.

If you cant get your questions answered over the phone, check out their websites. When I posted the WU info last night here, I noticed a User Guidelines page on their website.

yea, i'm seeing some light here. I really was not looking forward paying all those check cashing fees for cashing my paycheck. And then having to get money orders to pay my bills. And then having to keep any extra cash in a coffee can at home. A safe direct deposit method would be so much better.

Its a huge revenue generator these days for these companies.

I would encourage everyone to do their research and fully understand all of the fees, limitations etc before they have their hard earned $$ deposited to these cards.

Good point Volley, these things can be expensive if your not careful. GreenDot for example, charges like a dollar every time you check your card balance by phone.

Hello all, I use western union pre-pay and I love it. I pay my bills with it too. I posted the fees below for Western Union & Green Dot. I do know that some of the prepaid have hidden fees - but western union and green dot seem to be pretty accurate with their fees. I have had no problems or issues with both of them. I really only use Western Union - but I do have green dot, which I will probably cancel since I don't use it.

One more thing...You can withdraw up to $500 per day from an ATM with western union. I think up to $300 with green dot (but not sure - I know it's not $500). I think that is why I decided to go with Western Union.

Unfortuanatly direct deposit on a debit card will not be an option for some of us. I just got to work this afternoon and asked HR about this option. They said direct deposit MUST go to either a Checking or savings account. Debit cards are not an option. And I work for a large company, so this may be the same answer many people get.

cturner, western gives you an account #, routing number and the account type is checking. I don't think your employer has to know it is a debit card. My western union card came with a bank name: Bank First, a routing # and account # all to be used for direct deposit purposes.

thats great gina! thanks for the valuable information. i am a western union member and never knew this card existed. I have a question for you. You stated that the Max Load per Day is $950. Does that apply to direct deposit too? Because sometimes my paycheck is more than $950 if I work overtime.

Gina, how long before direct deposit can be activated with this card. I called yesterday and they said something to the effect that my 1st deposit would take 15 days to clear! Also, Aminah's question is a good one. my checks are always more than $950.00.

I have not used it for direct deposit yet. I just got the info for it, it came with the card. The account #, bank info and routing number. I am changing employers and start 11/26 (much more money!! yahoo). I will set up direct deposit when I go to the new job. I just load the card to pay bills, etc. I took the loading information from the website (SEE BELOW). If you you use direct deposit, it can be up to $2500. If you load the card with a western union agent, it can only be up to $950. I did call Western Union when I first got the card and I was told that after you sign up with your payroll department you will get 1 papercheck, and then the next check will be direct deposit and the funds are available by 9 am (sometimes earlier) the day the funds are transferred by your employer.


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gina, thanks for getting all of this information for us! :wink:

cnnr, no problem...I am glad that I can be of help to someone. I received a lot of help and valuable information from this site and it is my pleasure to help someone along the way. Have a great weekend!

I loaded money on my western union prepaid mastercard and when I tried to withdraw money at an atm it did not give me the cash but still deducted the money and fees. Western union has been no help in me recovering my money. first they said it would be two days, then ten days, then 30 days now they say 45 to 60 days before I will be credited.

I have had this card for over one year and have had nothing but problems. Best thing to do would be stay away from western union pre paid services. I have been totally ripped offed and left completely frustrated.

I've had my Greendot Visa pre-paid card now for just about 1 year, and have my paycheck direct deposited right onto my card. I have had 2 lil snafus with their deposit system, where the money was there right at 6am every other Friday, but they were both resolved by noon EST. I also had 2 declined card charges, which again was a system issue (there wsa $700 on the card...so a $3.95 charge should have gone through). Otherwise, I have found it so useful. I use it to pay bills & make purchases (even through paypal for ebay). If you deposit $1,000/month you waive the Premier Card Member monthly fee (if you sign up for that). You do have to pay ATM fees (even if it's a fee free ATM machine), but being a Premier card member does decrease the ATM fees from th eprice noted below to $.99. Also, if you use certain ATM machines (which you can find on their site, greendotonline.com) you're ATM fees are also cheaper.

Here are their fees, as listed on their site:
SCHEDULE OF FEES AND CHARGES

Monthly Card Maintenance Fee -- $4.95 per month.

ATM Fee -- $2.50 per ATM transaction ($0.99 per ATM transaction for Student Cards). This fee may be reduced or waived altogether through rebates, promotions or special programs.

If you conduct a transaction at an ATM that is not operated by us, the operator of the ATM or any network utilized to effect the transaction may impose a fee.

International ATM Fee -- $3.00 per ATM transaction.

Cash Advance Fee -- $4.00 per cash advance obtained from a teller or other non-ATM cash system.

ATM Balance Inquiry / Declined Withdrawal Fee -- $0.50 per transaction/occurrence.

Balance Inquiry and Transaction History -- This information is free online at www.greendotonline.com. In addition, you may obtain balance information by calling our interactive voice response system. A charge of up to $1.00 will be assessed to the Card for each such call. If you wish to obtain balance information and/or transaction history from a live operator, there is a charge of up to $1.00 per call.

Lost or Stolen Card Replacement Fee -- $10.00

Card Research and Special Requests -- If you request that we perform research or handle special requests relating to the Card, there will be a charge of $25.00 per hour for each request. If your request involves a billing error or unauthorized transaction, this service is free.

Purchase and Reload -- The store where you purchase the Card will charge an initial activation fee and a reload fee. Check with your retailer for information on these fees before you purchase the Card.

Card Liquidation Fee -- $10 if liquidation is requested 30 days or more after activation. Should you request a liquidation of the card prior to activation or during the first 30 days after activating the card, you will not be charged a liquidation fee. If you have less than $10 on your card, we are unable to send you the check due to insufficient funds. Please spend the funds or request cash back at the point of sale from a merchant.



When you sign up for direct deposit, there is a form that you print out on their site that you submit to your HR department. it inclues a routing number and an account number, but that account number, from what I've been told does not mean you have a bank account. Now I have used the routing and account number to pay my student loan online (since they don't accept credit/debit cards), and the transactions have posted. But I don't get checks that I can use or anything like that.

Greendot's manner of posting and deducting money did get a lot quicker in the last few months, usually within 5 minutes of reloading the card is my money readily available. They also revamped their site for a more streamlined, user-friendly view of your account.

Overall, I'd give Greendot a 9.5 out of 10, only because of the few little issues I've incurred over the year. But I've found that it's been secure and safe from any agencies, PDLs or anything like that.