Credit and Debit Card Ratings

Green Dot Prepaid Visa Debit Card Rating

Please note that this page is outdated and maintained for archival purposes only. However, consumer comments below are current and new consumer reviews (by folks like you) on this card are still encouraged. You can view our current prepaid card reviews here.

Welcome to our site! Our editors have been covering the credit and debit card space for a total of 30+ years and we are proud to have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, etc.

Unlike almost all card comparison sites that only list cards that advertise with them, 95% of the cards on our site don’t pay us a dime (and Brinks does not). This site is powered by consumers like you! 🙂

How the Green Dot Reloadable Visa Debit Card Works

Just like many other prepaid debit cards, the standard Green Dot Prepaid Visa® Card (which is what this review will focus on) works like a bank debit card or ATM card. However, depending on what you load your Green Dot prepaid card to do, the working can vary a little. You can load the card to put money on other prepaid cards, debit cards or credit cards; and even to pay some specified bills.

Please Note! This page was originally published a few years ago and is no longer being updated in 2021. GreenDot is focusing on promoting their new and improved Go2Bank Cash Rebate Visa- Click Here for to More Info and to Apply Online in Just Mins! (sponsor link)

Now, depending on the service that you will be using your prepaid card to access, there are a number of benefits you may receive as compared to using bank cards. For instance, you can use the Green Dot card to get some discounts on online shopping. In some cases, you may also be rewarded with points for using the card.

However, please note that the card has a pretty high monthly maintenance fee of $7.95 if you do not do a monthly direct deposit of at least $1,000 (which is a high amount as well compared to other prepaid Visa cards). Also, there is a $1.95 fee to purchase the card (activation fee) and a cash reload fee of $5.95, which is high as well in comparison to other similar prepaid card offers (bad features).

Good Benefits of using the Green Dot Reloadable Visa Card

  • You can track spending on the go using the Green Dot mobile app.
  • You can apply for this prepaid debit card whether you have a bank account or not and you will not be subject to a credit check before you are provided with the card.
  • You will be able to fill other prepaid cards, debit cards or even credit cards easily with the Green Dot MoneyPak. On the same note, you can use the card to pay bills, withdraw cash from ATMs and even shop online.
  • You will have no long usage commitments. This means you can choose whether to use it or not.
  • You will not be subject to any penalty charges and overdraft fees.
  • Finally, the card is reloadable meaning that you can top up the money on the card using direct deposit, MoneyPak or even bank money transfer services.

Important Consumer Note!

The Greendot debit card does NOT help you improve your credit.

Registering for Green Dot Prepaid Debit Card

There are two ways to get a Green Dot reloadable Visa prepaid debit card. You can register online and setup your account or purchase a card at a retail location.  Both options are simple.  However, by registering online you can avoid the fee associated with purchasing a card in-store.  You will be required to load the card before you can make purchases.

When registering, you may be required to submit some of your personal details including the provision of your social security number. After registration, you will be provided with a non-reloadable temporary prepaid card that you will use until you are provided with the reloadable prepaid card. It is important to note that the temporary card will not have access to some services like ATM usage, and it may be limited for use in the United States only.

As per the provision of Federal laws, Green Dot will have the responsibility of obtaining, verifying and recording relevant customer information that can be used to identify them (customers). Some of the basic information that Green Dot may require from you when registering for a Green Dot reloadable prepaid debit card include your name, date of birth, social security number and address.

Please Note! This page is no longer being updated in 2021. GreenDot is focusing on promoting their new and improved Go2Bank Cash Rebate Visa- Click Here for to More Info and to Apply Online in Just Mins!

The Green Dot prepaid card may be a good deal for you, but be sure to review our other prepaid card offers which have less fees, such as the new no fee Chime Visa below, and different benefits. The monthly membership fees on Green Dot are high if you don’t have a direct deposit every month.

The bottom line is that it may or may not be the best reloadable card for you depending on how you use it.  You should compare prepaid cards carefully to be sure you choose the prepaid card that’s most cost efficient for you.

Please read our review of another Green Dot offer here:

Full Green Dot Prepaid Unlimited Cashback Debit Card Review

Author: Tameka Riley

  • Green Dot Prepaid Visa Debit Card Rating

    Green Dot Prepaid Visa Debit Card Rating

    Please note that this page is outdated and maintained for archival purposes only. However, consumer comments below are current and new consumer reviews (by folks like you) on this card are still encouraged. You can view our current prepaid card reviews here.

    Welcome to our site! Our editors have been covering the credit and debit card space for a total of 30+ years and we are proud to have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, etc.

    Unlike almost all card comparison sites that only list cards that advertise with them, 95% of the cards on our site don’t pay us a dime (and Brinks does not). This site is powered by consumers like you! 🙂

    How the Green Dot Reloadable Visa Debit Card Works

    Just like many other prepaid debit cards, the standard Green Dot Prepaid Visa® Card (which is what this review will focus on) works like a bank debit card or ATM card. However, depending on what you load your Green Dot prepaid card to do, the working can vary a little. You can load the card to put money on other prepaid cards, debit cards or credit cards; and even to pay some specified bills.

    Please Note! This page was originally published a few years ago and is no longer being updated in 2021. GreenDot is focusing on promoting their new and improved Go2Bank Cash Rebate Visa- Click Here for to More Info and to Apply Online in Just Mins! (sponsor link)

    Now, depending on the service that you will be using your prepaid card to access, there are a number of benefits you may receive as compared to using bank cards. For instance, you can use the Green Dot card to get some discounts on online shopping. In some cases, you may also be rewarded with points for using the card.

    However, please note that the card has a pretty high monthly maintenance fee of $7.95 if you do not do a monthly direct deposit of at least $1,000 (which is a high amount as well compared to other prepaid Visa cards). Also, there is a $1.95 fee to purchase the card (activation fee) and a cash reload fee of $5.95, which is high as well in comparison to other similar prepaid card offers (bad features).

    Good Benefits of using the Green Dot Reloadable Visa Card

    • You can track spending on the go using the Green Dot mobile app.
    • You can apply for this prepaid debit card whether you have a bank account or not and you will not be subject to a credit check before you are provided with the card.
    • You will be able to fill other prepaid cards, debit cards or even credit cards easily with the Green Dot MoneyPak. On the same note, you can use the card to pay bills, withdraw cash from ATMs and even shop online.
    • You will have no long usage commitments. This means you can choose whether to use it or not.
    • You will not be subject to any penalty charges and overdraft fees.
    • Finally, the card is reloadable meaning that you can top up the money on the card using direct deposit, MoneyPak or even bank money transfer services.

    Important Consumer Note!

    The Greendot debit card does NOT help you improve your credit.

    Registering for Green Dot Prepaid Debit Card

    There are two ways to get a Green Dot reloadable Visa prepaid debit card. You can register online and setup your account or purchase a card at a retail location.  Both options are simple.  However, by registering online you can avoid the fee associated with purchasing a card in-store.  You will be required to load the card before you can make purchases.

    When registering, you may be required to submit some of your personal details including the provision of your social security number. After registration, you will be provided with a non-reloadable temporary prepaid card that you will use until you are provided with the reloadable prepaid card. It is important to note that the temporary card will not have access to some services like ATM usage, and it may be limited for use in the United States only.

    As per the provision of Federal laws, Green Dot will have the responsibility of obtaining, verifying and recording relevant customer information that can be used to identify them (customers). Some of the basic information that Green Dot may require from you when registering for a Green Dot reloadable prepaid debit card include your name, date of birth, social security number and address.

    Please Note! This page is no longer being updated in 2021. GreenDot is focusing on promoting their new and improved Go2Bank Cash Rebate Visa- Click Here for to More Info and to Apply Online in Just Mins!

    The Green Dot prepaid card may be a good deal for you, but be sure to review our other prepaid card offers which have less fees, such as the new no fee Chime Visa below, and different benefits. The monthly membership fees on Green Dot are high if you don’t have a direct deposit every month.

    The bottom line is that it may or may not be the best reloadable card for you depending on how you use it.  You should compare prepaid cards carefully to be sure you choose the prepaid card that’s most cost efficient for you.

    Please read our review of another Green Dot offer here:

    Full Green Dot Prepaid Unlimited Cashback Debit Card Review

  • Risky New Bank Card Technology – Is Your Card At Risk

    Risky New Bank Card Technology – Is Your Card At Risk

    It sounds like a great idea. A host of new credit and debit cards issued by big financial players like Chase and MasterCard come armed with small computer chips and radio antennae that allow consumers to make payments by literally waving their plastic over a card reader. But according to a story in Consumer Reports Magazine, in exchange for the convenience of these so-called contactless cards their holders face increased risk of being victimized by thieves.

    Here’s the main problem: the very same technology – often a radio frequency identification, or RFID, chip – that makes it such a snap to hand over debit or credit card information to a merchant is also what makes it easy for a thief to lift those vital numbers themselves. That’s because criminals need only to get their hands on the sort of card reader stores use, which is easy because they sell for less than $100. Armed with a reader, a thief must only get within a few inches of a victim’s card in order to swipe the account number and expiration date, which can then easily be transferred to blank cards. Unfortunately, that means a crook can start making purchases with a counterfeit card, even if a victim still physically has theirs in their wallet or purse.

    So how do you know if your cards use this technology? Chase cards have labeled their contactless cards “Blink,” MasterCard’s are called “Pay Pass,” and others simply have a symbol consisting of four curved lines. There are plenty of people who have one. Citing The Nilson Report, a newsletter, the Consumer Reports story says 35 million contactless cards are in circulation in the U.S. alone.

    If you do have a contactless card, protecting yourself is not necessarily easy. There are wallets with shields that market themselves as RFID blockers. Although they can make it more difficult for an electromagnetic reader to swipe your account information, they don’t entirely block the transmission of card data. Another option is a protective sleeve made out of duct tape and lined with aluminum foil. Consumer Reports tests show that approach was superior to many options available for purchase but still didn’t offer complete protection. Probably the best method of protection is to ask for a card that doesn’t have this technology.

    Representatives of the credit and debit card industry insisted to Consumer Reports that contactless cards are safe. Chase spokesman Paul Hartwick told the magazine that the security codes on its contactless cards are designed to change with every transaction so that even if a card were compromised it would work for only one fraudulent transaction.

    The Smart Card Alliance, an industry group, maintains that contactless card technology deployed by American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa is secure and that there have been no reports that consumers have been victimized.  American Express says its contactless cards do not reveal the card account number, and Consumer Reports’ own tests supported this assertion.

    According to Kevin Fu, a University of Massachusetts at Amherst assistant professor, the absence of a flood of fraud reports linked to the cards is not proof of their security.  Because the contactless cards in circulation in the U.S. represent only 3.5 percent of the total debit and credit cards in use, they have not yet presented a big enough target to lure many crooks, especially when traditional magnetic stripe cards are so easily counterfeited.

Credit and Debit Card Ratings