Please note that this page is outdated and maintained for archival purposes only.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! 🙂

---

Does PNC offer a Prepaid Card?

Unfortunately, PNC stopped offering prepaid products and closed their program as of January 4, 2025. You can view our current prepaid card reviews here.

Activation Fee: No purchase fee

Monthly Fee: $5.00 monthly fee (low fee when compared other prepaid Visa cards)PIN Transaction Fee: $0.00Signature Transaction Fee: $0.00ATM Withdrawal Fee: 0.00 (In Network- 9,000 PNC ATMs)ATM Out of Network Withdrawal Fee: 3.00Cash Load Fee (* asterisk indicates third party fees): Up to $4.95- varies by retail locationCard Reviews: Prepaid Debit Card Reviews

Card Features

Initial Fees

Average Monthly Fees

Bill Pay Fees / Features

Loading Fees / Options

Total Score

User Rating

249 total ratings

Things We Like

~ Simple straightforward low (compared to other prepaid cards)

~Availability of a free ATM network.

Things We Dislike

~ The PNC ATM network is not as large as some others

~ There is a $10 charge for a paper check if you need a refund.

Posted November 4, 2022 by Curtis Arnold

Advertisement Notice:

Please note that we receive finanical compensation for some links on our site. We carefully screen advertisers and hope they provide value to our readers. These links are labeled “Referral Link” or “Sponsor Link”.

Financial Question? Ask an Expert by Posting a Comment at the Bottom of This Page. Here are Our Most 3 Recent Comments

Welcome to our website! 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 most of our competitors, we strive to be unbiased and objective- 95% of the card offers on our site don’t pay us a dime, including PNC. 🙂

Your input is invaluable and we’d love to have your opinion as to whether the PNC prepaid visa debit card is worth it (whether you should you apply). See cardholder positive and negative opinions at the bottom of the page – this site is powered by you!

---

The PNC debit (PNC SmartAccess® Prepaid Visa®) is a prepaid Visa and is one of the lowest fee prepaid cards that you can apply for (though the Chime Visa is cheaper- see below). Please note that the prepaid card is different, but similar to the PNC Virtual Wallet Bank Visa® Debit, which is a regular debit card that is linked with a PNC checking account.

Benefits and Features:

• Access up to 36 months of historical monthly account statements online at anytime for your account. This can help you budget and measure your spending over time.
• PNC in partnership with Visa can make your cash go farther through valuable discounts offers (more info. available on Visa website).
• This product is safer and more secure than cash because, if your Visa is lost or stolen, your funds are protected and will be refunded through zero liability policy.

---

---

---

How to File a Complaint Against the PNC Prepaid Smart Access Visa:

If you have contacted PNC Bank, (that issues the PNC Visa – not MasterCard) and are unable to resolve your account issues in good faith, we strongly suggest taking the following steps:

1) Please post your account issues and problems at the bottom of this page in our cardholder comments section.

2) Notify PNC Bank (ask to speak to a manager or decision maker) that you have complained in writing on BestPrepaidDebitCards.com (feel free to take a screen shot and post on social media as well), a consumer advocacy site that has been featured for years in many major national media outlets.

Also, feel free to share that your post can be shared by our site with members of the media (we will change your name to protect your privacy and will certainly not share any personal account info).

3) Consider also filing your grievance with the BBB and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and your state’s Attorney General Office.

4) Please post any updates to your problem after taking these steps as sharing your experiences will help educate and empower other consumers! 🙂

---

Benefits For Teen and Students:

• Your teen ager or student can use SmartAccess to help with develop money management, personal finance skills and to learn budgeting.
• They can use it for shopping online and in store purchases.
• If your teen or student works (has an employer), they can load funds to the Smart Access Visa or have their paycheck direct deposited each month.

Should You Apply?

Please read the customer opinions (positive and negative) below before you make a decision about whether to apply for this offer. We also suggest you read our full editorial review (link below) before you fill out an application.

The bottom line (Read Our Full Review Here) is that if you are an existing PNC customer or near a PNC branch, this Visa is not a bad deal in comparison to other similar offers that you can apply for.

However, there are no fee offers such as the Chime Visa below with more benefits (see below). For ex., PNC does NOT allow you to get paid up to 4 days early like you can with the Go2Bank offer below (this is a common feature). 🙁

Finally, please consider writing your personal review and rating of this card below- it only takes a few mins and will help others. Please note PNC cardholder aka customer or customer reviews and complaints, including scams, below and please post any problems, complaints or praises you have, comment or question- an expert will typically reply to your question within 24 hours!

---

Editorial Note!:
“The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, including this review and the reviews written by actual cardholders below. Apply Now button provided courtesy of DaButtonFactory.com”.

Customer Complaints and Ratings Below (please add your review below to help empower other consumers):

1. Weapon6 May 17, 2021 at 5:43 pm My complaint is about the Ingo Money app which is the most anal, counterproductive third Party check deposit company that closes your account for any reason without warning. And every prepaid company uses Ingo except PNC Bank which has a really good Prepaid offer.
2. Barbara McNairJanuary 20, 2021 at 1:36 pmNever Ever use this card!!!!My personal info was stolen!! Iam now worried what these people that had stolen my info will do!! I very anger PNC did nothing to protect my personal info (or data identity).Iam now scared that I will be in serious trouble if the info is used for something
   Else.!!!!
   • Curtis ArnoldJanuary 20, 2021 at 2:41 pmSo sorry your identity was stolen Barbara – pls keep us posted. Was any money taken off your card ?
3. CrystalOctober 21, 2020 at 5:41 pmThis account literally does nothing other than allow direct deposits, cash deposits and pay for whatever you can pay for with a debit card. Nothing more nothing less and then they have the nerve to charge you a fee for that. Get Chime.At least with them you don’t worry about chexsystems, you can pay your credit card bills with your account number and routing number, you can actually deposit a physical check into your account (yeah smart access allows no check deposits whatsoever not even in person in the branch), your direct deposit typically comes early and you get a savings account where change from your transactions gets deposited automatically.I got this account because I’m temporarily in Atlanta and didn’t want to bother with opening an account with a major bank since there are none back home and I would have to close it in a few months. I planned to only use this account for receiving my direct deposit and using the funds to pay off my credit cards which I use for everything so that I can get points.But I can’t make payments to my credit card unless I call each time because you HAVE to use the debit card only. This card is nothing more than essentially a gift card that allows direct deposit.Get Chime or Varo if you need to bank like an actual adult (no offense to other adults who have this card, but I don’t see how anyone can use this account successfully without being annoyed by all the things it can’t do). Get it for your teenager who just got their first job and has no bills. They’ll love it.
4. Curtis ArnoldOctober 22, 2020 at 7:38 pmGreat tips and rating on the PNC prepaid Visa Crystal and thx much for sharing your cardholder opinion.I assume you will close out your account after you move in a few months and switch to Chime or Varo?
5. LybraSeptember 17, 2020 at 6:24 amNow in 2020 do the pnc smart access card have the early pay?
   • Curtis ArnoldSeptember 17, 2020 at 4:24 pmLybra-Thanks for question about early pay. I assume you mean PNC depositing funds for its customers up to 2 or more days early (normally direct depositing payroll checks)? If so, unfornunatley, I still don’t believe the are offering this benefit (which most prepaid Visas do).You can see their funds availability policy on their site, which addresses this issue (looks like same day):Anyone else have any more current info.? Pls advise.
     • Curtis ArnoldSeptember 17, 2020 at 4:27 pmActually, there is a Sept 2020 version of this policy on their website, but looks the same as the one from a few years ago?
     • MorganAugust 4, 2019 at 2:32 pmThere are prepaid cards that allow you to receive direct deposit up to two days prior to payday. Does the PNC smartaccess card provide the same benefit?
     • Curtis ArnoldAugust 5, 2019 at 11:50 pm Greetings Morgan and thanks for a great question. Sorry for the delay in responding, but we called PNC customer service to verify that they do NOT offer early direct deposit (just the normal same day), which is disappointing as most prepaid Visa cards do offer this benefit and it’s definitely a nice free perk. We will update our rating accordingly.But please do note that other reloadable cards advertise getting your direct deposit UP TO 2 days early, but the fine print says they cannot guarantee payment 2 days early and it depends on factors outside their control. So, results will vary. 🙂Does this help? Please let us know if you have any follow-up questions and, if you end up getting another card, would love for you to write a brief review of your experiences! 🙂
6. Kristie slepskiApril 23, 2019 at 9:09 pmI have never had any issues with using my 💳. It’s accepted everywhere and very easy to get. My direct deposit was on the card biweekly. After a few years of use I had 4 transactions come out in one day from the same company exact amount withdrawn all 4 times! I appreciate the call I received from the fraudulent department. They definitely are on top when it comes to any suspicious activity. But when I received my message and returned the phone call to the fraud dept that’s where my thoughts of this company did a complete 360.I talked to an Ignorant gentleman who asked me why I was calling, was it because I forgot what I purchased in a very sarcastic manner. Which really made me angry. I was then told I could freeze the card. At first I didn’t agree to that because I was afraid of what would happen to my paycheck when it was time for direct deposit. After he explained to me that my paycheck would still be deposited but I would have to go to the bank to get money I asked for the freeze to start immediately. I was told he was going to do nothing because he looked up the transaction and it was a legitimate company. I am very disappointed with this situation and will not deal with them again. You know what they say back negative experience travels around much faster than a positive experience.
7. ChristianAugust 31, 2018 at 7:40 amWanted to know this is my frist time using this card what time time does direct deposit post my SSI should be in there cause everyone gets the checks today and it says 0$still confrused
8. Chris LJuly 11, 2018 at 9:25 pmI used my debit card to make a $300 (equiv) withdrawal in a foreign country. The machine only gave me $20, but the receipt said it gave me the full amount. PNC has no system to follow up on reconciling the end of day balance with the foreign bank. PNC Bank leaves the customer to hold all the risk, even though they are negligent in validating such incidents with the affiliate bank. PNC just says it’s not their problem if the affiliate bank declares in their own favor. PNC Bank just said… “sorry about your luck”.
9. Demoun BMay 23, 2018 at 12:01 pmFull of crap like dude said… I had made some charges and the vendors refunded my money back but pnc you have to wait seven full days with most banks you only jave to wait five days. Thiz card is full of crap in every way and i can say im leaving this card soon asap…..!!!
10. Chalisse S LeeFebruary 8, 2018 at 1:50 pmCompared to other prepaid cards the PNC smart access card sucks. Most prepaid cards allow access to your funds a day or two later. This card does NOT. Most prepaid cards waive the service fee is usually waived when you select direct deposit. This card does NOT. The mobile app does NOT recognize your information. It shows you have a pending deposit but the funds are not available til the next day. I will stick with my bank account smh.
11. Helena RobinsonOctober 6, 2017 at 7:02 pmI have been waiting for my smartaccess card for over 2mon!! It was suppose to be sent to the branch this time. Which was the 4th time they claimed to have sent my card!!! I still didn’t receive it there!!! Its really inconvenient for me to have to keep going in and out of branches especially when they aren’t always open and I don’t have access to MY money when I need it!! Its really irritating me now!!!
    • Shane TripconyOctober 17, 2017 at 4:16 pmThat is just crazy! I can’t believe they have not gotten your card to you. You would think they would want you to start spending so they could start collecting transaction revenue. I am sorry to hear you are going through this. Hopefully, they have this taken care of for you by now!
12. Jose MoralesJuly 5, 2017 at 12:29 pmI’m curious to know if this card can help someone with there credit report? Unfortunately , the people at the bank are only looking to get you into something and not explaining in full detail the deal. Thanks
    • Shane TripconyJuly 5, 2017 at 9:03 pmJose,
      Thank you for your question. As far as building credit is concerned, unfortunately, as a prepaid card, it will not impact your credit score. If you are looking to build your credit, please check out secured cards which are similar to prepaid, but are reported to the credit bureaus and will help you build your credit score. Here is a link to our page: https://www.bestprepaiddebitcards.com/credit-building-cards-2-2/One of the cards from either of those pages can help you build credit.
13. FrancesJuly 2, 2017 at 12:29 amI just want to know how long do I have to stay with the PNC SmartAccess account before I can be moved up to the virtual wallet account?
    • Shane TripconyJuly 5, 2017 at 8:57 pmHi Frances,
      That is a great question. We do not actually provide the card but only review it. I have found their phone number that you may call their support team to find an answer to your question.PNC SmartAccess Cardholder Services at 1-866-304-2818I hope they can provide some guidance in this area.
    • Vickey MooreMay 18, 2017 at 2:52 pmPNC smartacess card is full of crapp. Someone used my bank card. They spents $1000 of dollars. PNC has refuse to refund me my money. I have disputed this case 3 times. They’re ridiculous! You can’t speak to anyone in the dispute department. You can only talk to reps who can only read from notes that someone else has entered. Please stay away from this card. It’s not secured at all
    • Shane TripconyMay 19, 2017 at 3:20 pmI am very sorry to hear you have not had a good experience with them. One would hope the support in an instance of this would be better, but I would not give up. I would try calling back and asking to immediately speak to a supervisor. Then, if they can not help, ask to speak to their supervisor and son on until you get someone to help you. If you can not get any response from them, I would recommend contacting your state’s Attorney General’s office and filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau to see if that can get you some traction on getting your money back. I wish you the best of luck. Please post back what happens.

Please note that this page is outdated and maintained for archival purposes only. However, consumer comments below are current and new consumer ratings and reviews (by folks like you) on the Brinks prepaid 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! 🙂

---

Benefits of Brinks Prepaid MasterCard:

• Activation Fee: None of any of their monthly plans
• Monthly Fee: $9.95 for “Standard Plan” or $5.00 for Preferred Plan (to qualify for the Preferred Fee Plan, you must receive direct deposits of paychecks and/or government checks that total at least $500 in one calendar month)
• PIN Transaction Fee: None unless you do the Pay As You Go Plan and the its $1.50 per purchase
• Signature Transaction Fee: None unless you do the Pay As You Go Plan and the its $1.50 per purchase
• ATM Withdrawal Fee: Cash withdrawal fee of $2.50, plus ATM owner fees, if any

Card Features

Initial Fees

Average Monthly Fees

Bill Pay Fees / Features

Loading Fees / Options

Total Score

User Rating

Best Rated Features:

• Access to a $10 Purchase Cushion (overdraft) if you direct deposit $500 each month
• Brinks has a well known brand name that dates back to the 1800s.
• Enroll in Brink’s Money Payback Points and you will earn points when you make signature purchase transactions- redeem those points for cash back that will be credited to your account.

Worst Rated Features:

• 3 different monthly plans, but maintenance fees are still high (up to $9.95) and especially if you choose the “Pay as You Go plan” and use your card more than a few times each month
• PLEASE NOTE- YOU ARE AUTO ENROLLED IN THE “PAY AS YOU GO” after you apply and get your approved.

Advertisement Notice:

Please note that we receive finanical compensation for some links on our site. We carefully screen advertisers and hope they provide value to our readers. These links are labeled “Referral Link” or “Sponsor Link”.

Financial Question? Ask an Expert by Posting a Comment at the

Your input is invaluable and we’d love to have your opinion as to whether the Brinks Prepaid Debit MoneyCard is a good deal or bad  (see Brinks card customer opinions about whether it’s legit, including complaints and reviews, below). Click on “Leave a Comment” to read and comment if using a mobile device.

We did our first review of the Brinks Prepaid Debit MasterCard a few years back and it seems strange that a security company would be in the prepaid card business, but interestingly enough Brinks has a whole division called Brinks Money and their card that started in 2015 in partnership with Netspend has developed a decent reputation over the past few years.

Features and Benefits: Brink’s has been securing cash and valuables since 1859. Brinks partners with Netspend, a respected leader in the prepaid field.Get paid up to 2 days faster with Direct Deposit

Access your money whenever, wherever you are. Use your mobile phone and online Account Center to check your balance, send money, find reload/ATM locations and much more.Let Alerts help you stay connected to your money. Know when your card is used, direct deposit arrives, transaction details and your available balance.

500 bonus points when your enroll in Payback Points onlineYou can qualify for a Brink’s Preferred account with $500 in qualifying direct deposits, which will give you access to a $10 Purchase Cushion, Reduced Monthly Plan, and an optional Savings Account.

Expired 2021 Offer: You could get an extra cash bonus of $100, $250, $500, or even $5,000 (as a credit to your MasterCard) during the Brinks Show Me the Money Truck Sweepstakes. To qualify, you must make five (5) purchase transactions of $5 or more to be automatically entered to win.

 How to File a Complaint Against Brinks:If you have contacted Republic Bank & Trust Company (that issues the Brinks MasterCard) and are unable to resolve your account issues in good faith, we strongly suggest taking the following steps:

1) Please post your account issues and problems at the bottom of this page in our cardholder comments section.

2) Notify the Brinks customer service department (ask to speak to a manager or decision maker) that you have complained in writing on BestPrepaidDebitCards.com (feel free to take a screen shot and post on social media as well), a consumer advocacy site that has been featured for years in many major national media outlets.Also, feel free to share that your post can be shared by our site with members of the media (we will change your name to protect your privacy and will certainly not share any personal account info).

3) Consider also filing your grievance with the BBB and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and your state’s Attorney General Office.

4) Please post any updates to your problem after taking these steps as sharing your experiences will help educate and empower other consumers!

Read Customer Complaints and Reviews Below!

This MasterCard is decent. We have rated it with 4 stars. They do offer purchase protection and additional benefits if you direct deposit at least $500 a month (including lower monthly fee).But there are better prepaid Visa and MasterCard offers (see below) and honestly this card looks really similar to a regular Netspend card in terms of the pricing structure- just branded with the Brinks logo.

One helpful tip related to the Pay-As-You-Go plan that we mentioned in our previous review was signing for each purchase your make and having the merchant run your card as a credit card. We suggested this as a way to avoid entering your PIN and being charged 1.50 every time you use your card (was previously $2 per swipe).

Please Note! We now aren’t recommending this strategy anymore because both PIN and signature based transactions now charge the same fee of $1.50 per purchase.Finally, be sure to read customer reviews (complaints and praises) of the Brinks MasterCard below and post your negative or positive review! Problems will be addressed by one of our editors typically within 24 hours.

“The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, including this review and the reviews written by actual cardholders below.”

Consumer Reviews and Ratings of Brinks Prepaid Debit Card:

I’ve had brink for 3. Years now never went over my statement my husband did we had 600.00 missing they pd bk 200.00 there rip off

Dawn HillJanuary 3, 2023 at 6:57 pm
I am very unhappy with the decisions you have made without consulting me and i want to get all my money even my disability check that you are holding and wont release it to my account for 3 more weeks ..I’m not satisfied or happy right now and there is no one in charge to talk to

Curtis ArnoldJanuary 4, 2023 at 8:39 pm
Dawn-

Thanks for posting your rants about Brinks and sorry to hear about your problems. Unfortunately, we are not Brinks, but an independent site that provides ratings of cards. Do you have their contact info.? I would suggest calling their customer service.

Daniel Carvajal December 30, 2022 at 2:10 am
This is the worts prepay money card I have in my all life.im going back to Chime the best one 9.00 pm and I still don’t know how much I gone to get pay from work this week.Not anymore

Deborah August 10, 2022 at 1:29 am
On Jul 16 I HAD TO GET A NEW BRINKS CARD BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD USED MY OLD ONE. i AM STILL AWATING IT. I’VE CALLED NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAs told each time that it would be here in the next day or two. THEY LIED. SO NOW MY SS#$ IS FLOATING AROUND SOMEWHERE IN THE ETHER, MY PHONE IS SHUT OFF SO I CAN’T CALL ANYONE, MY ELECTRIC IS ABOUT TO BE TOO, AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT THE RENT,. MY HUSBAND IS IN CRITICAL CARE IN THE HOSPITAL AND THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE DOCTOR TO CONTACT ME. MY HUSBAND’S CHANCES ARE IFFY. NOW I HAVE TO CONTEND WITH THIS.

Nelma Meza June 21, 2022 at 2:27 am
The day before Mother’s day this year in 2022 I had just got off work and I looked at my phone and I noticed my money was being taken from my card. So I called the police I couldn’t get a cop to do a report until Monday because they were closed. so I closed that card and asked for a new card reported my card stolen and that Monday I had my police report and the location of where it was taken from because it stated on my transaction why haven’t they investigated it and they said they couldn’t pay me for my dispute. Try again later.

Thank you again.
Customer Service Team”

Even after they closed my account they continued to hold my funds and never sent me a check in the mail. This is very poor customer service in terms of communication with customers on their account updates.

I have requested now my that my account funds be sent to me and they said it will take 10 business days. I will update if there are any additional issues with this.

Trisha Waters May 22, 2019 at 5:51 pm
I closed my Wells Fargo checking account and closed out my bank debit card.

I have had the Netspend prepaid card, but want to apply for the Brinks card as I don’t like Netspend (just got it for my tax refund this year).

I want Brinks prepaid card so I can get check deposit ASAP. My car is down and I have no way to get to the bank right now. 🙁

Any advice?

Empower other cardholders by posting your rating of the Brinks reloadable debit card below!