Reloadable prepaid cards have become increasingly popular, offering financial flexibility and budgeting control without a traditional bank account.
But let's face it—fees can quickly chip away at your hard-earned cash. That's why finding a reloadable prepaid card with no fees is crucial.
To help you out, I've made a review and compiled the best reloadable prepaid cards with no fees you can find out there.
Table of Contents
What is a Reloadable Prepaid Card With No Fees?
Reloadable prepaid cards with no fees are typically those prepaid cards that don't charge fees for using most of their services.
Whilst some reloadable prepaid cards charge fees for using their services, others, on the other hand, might charge little or no fee for services such as monthly maintenance.
The benefit, however, with most of these prepaid cards is they are all excellent alternatives for those with poor banking history since they don't require a credit check to issue you the card.
Also Read: 6 Best Reloadable Prepaid Cards In Australia
What Are The Best Reloadable Prepaid Cards With No Fees?
Reloadable prepaid cards come with a lot of benefits and most prepaid cards offer the convenience we need when shopping both online and in person.
If you're looking for the best reloadable prepaid card with no fees, then you might find the below options useful:
- Bluebird® Prepaid Debit Card
- Serve® Prepaid Card
- MOVO® Virtual Prepaid Visa® Card
- Fifth Third's Access 360° Prepaid Card
- PNC SmartAccess ® Prepaid Visa ® Card
- smiONE™ Visa® Prepaid Card
- Netspend® Visa® Prepaid Card
- Brink's Money Prepaid Mastercard®
- PayPal Prepaid Mastercard®
- WeSwap Mastercard® Prepaid Card
1. Bluebird® Prepaid Debit Card
The Bluebird card, offered by American Express, is an FDIC-insured prepaid debit card with virtually no fees.
Over the years, the Bluebird card has been considered one of the best checking account alternatives that is ideal for people and households without a bank account as it offers convenient family-friendly money management tools that you'll find really helpful.
Its money management tools also help prevent negative balances and avoid overdraft fees.
The Bluebird card comes with other perks such as no monthly or purchase transaction fees, no fees for transferring money, no in-activity fees, no fees for online bill pay, and offers many ways to add money freely onto your prepaid card including; direct deposit, transfers from a linked debit card or external bank account, mobile check deposits and cash reloads at Walmart locations.
Additionally, ATM withdrawals through the Bluebird card are free at over 30,000 MoneyPass ATMs nationwide, but you might be charged a $2.50 fee for non-MoneyPass ATM withdrawals.
2. Serve® Prepaid Card
The American Express Pay Serve Prepaid Card is another great reloadable prepaid card with no fees and appealing features.
The Serve prepaid card features a "subaccounts" option that households without bank accounts can use to educate their kids on how to save and budget — making it an ideal option for families.
You can load money onto your Serve Pay As You Go Visa prepaid card through direct deposits, mobile check deposits, and transfers from other Serve accounts, but you may be charged a fee of up to $3.95 when you load cash at retail locations.
Coupled with freeloading options, there's no monthly fee associated with the card.
However, the downside of the card comes at ATM withdrawals where you'll be charged a fee of up to $2.25 when withdrawing cash, on top of what the ATM owner may charge.
Also Read: Where To Buy Prepaid Visa Cards In Australia
3. MOVO® Virtual Prepaid Visa® Card
The MOVO Virtual Prepaid Visa Card is another good prepaid card with no fees that is ideal for people without a bank account and a poor banking history.
It offers a wide variety of payment options without the use of a traditional bank account and does so by providing several deposit and spending options.
The MOVO card is a virtual card and as such is ideal for those looking to complete online transactions without the fear of losing their card information online and as such, it is considered as one of the best virtual prepaid cards for online shopping.
There are no monthly fees with MOVO and you won't be charged any fee for bill pay, ATM balance inquiries, withdrawals with a bank teller, or physical card replacements — however, always be on the watch for other fees.
A major downside with MOVO is its physical cards do not include the added security of EMV chip technology.
Also Read: Best Free Instant Virtual Card Provider Apps
4. Fifth Third's Access 360° Prepaid CardSm
The Fifth Third's Access 360° Prepaid Card is another prepaid card with no fees you can have out there — there's no fee for getting and activating the card.
Additionally, the Fifth Third's Access 360° Prepaid Card comes with free reloads (direct deposit), a large ATM network, and a $4 monthly fee; — you can waive this monthly fee by opening a checking account with the Fifth Third Bank and deposit at least $500 onto the card each month.
The card has cheaper fees than most prepaid card options out there, but it isn't a great option for those looking to do foreign transactions with the card.
5. PNC SmartAccess ® Prepaid Visa ® Card
When looking to get a prepaid card, getting one with a brick-and-mortar bank can be really great.
The PNC SmartAccess ® Prepaid Visa ® Card, issued by PNC Bank (a popular bank that offers a wide range of personal banking services), is one of the best reloadable prepaid cards with no fees you can find out there.
You can load money onto the card freely through direct deposit, transfer money online from a bank account to the prepaid card for free, and do fee-free cash reloads at PNC branches and ATMs.
Additionally, the card is completely free to get though you'll be required to do a minimum deposit of $25 onto the card.
It has a simple fee structure — the PNC SmartAccess card charges a $5 monthly fee, but there are no transaction fees and no activation fees.
However, the PNC SmartAccess card offers free ATM transactions (only at PNC ATMs), including cash withdrawals, cash reloads, and balance checks — you might be charged a $3 fee for doing cash withdrawals at out-of-network ATMs.
While it's a good option for those looking for a simple prepaid card, people located out of the 19 states where PNC bank branches and ATM locations are found might find it a difficult option.
Also Read: Best Prepaid Cards For Online Shopping In Australia
6. smiONE™ Visa® Prepaid Card
The smiOne card just like other prepaid cards is a convenient alternative to traditional banking methods that allow users to receive their payments securely, at the same time offering them the most important financial tools they need for maintaining financial well-being.
It is ideal for families since it allows customers to get additional cards for their family and friends.
Though not directly, you can even transfer money from your smiOne card to your bank account.
The smiOne card is another great reloadable prepaid card with no fees since it offers free direct deposits for your paycheck and other payments.
ATM withdrawals are free if you use the card at In-network or MoneyPass ATMs, but you might incur a $2.50 fee for cash withdrawals at non-MoneyPass ATMs.
Remote check deposits are free (if you're ready to wait till 10 days) or might go with a fee of up to 5% of the check value when cashing a check to load money onto your card at Ingo Money; —cash reloads through Visa ReadyLink however go at a cost.
7. Netspend® Visa® Prepaid Card
The Netspend prepaid card is one of the popular prepaid cards available in the market that is FDIC-insured.
Considered as one of the best checking account alternatives, the Netspend prepaid card typically comes with all the banking features you'd normally have with a bank account.
There is no fee to order and activate the Netspend card, but using the card is quite expensive — there's a monthly fee associated with using the card, inactivity fee for not using the card, overdraft fees, and no free network for cash reloads and ATM withdrawals.
Though the Netspend prepaid card is an expensive prepaid card you'll find out there, you won't incur monthly fees when using the Pay As You Go Plan.
8. Brink's Money Prepaid Mastercard®
The Brink's Money Prepaid Mastercard is yet another checking account alternative for people without bank accounts.
Issued by Netspend, it offers almost the same banking services as the giant prepaid card issuer.
Getting the Brink's Prepaid Card is completely free and there are no monthly fees associated with the Pay As You Go Plan — however, cash reload and withdrawal go with a fee.
9. PayPal Prepaid Mastercard®
The PayPal Prepaid Mastercard is a great prepaid card for people with PayPal accounts who have had issues with banking in the past.
The card comes with a couple of perks such as free cash back at retail checkouts and is accepted wherever Mastercard and PULSE cards are accepted.
Getting the card is completely easy and you'll typically need a PayPal account if you want to manage your card more flexibly.
The only way to add money to the card freely is by transferring funds from your PayPal account; — cash reloads at Netspend Reload Location might cost you a fee of up to $3.95.
There are no free ATMs for cash withdrawals and you'll typically incur a fee of $2.50 for withdrawals over the counter at banks.
10. WeSwap Mastercard® Prepaid Card
WeSwap Mastercard Prepaid Card is another prepaid card with no fees that's worth a mention on this list.
This prepaid card is ideal for people looking for prepaid cards for spending abroad as it allows travelers to load, swap, and spend money around the world in many currencies.
While WeSwap allows cardholders to load money onto their prepaid card for free through direct deposits and checks, it might take some time for the money to reflect in your prepaid card account; — a review from Mini Travellers says it took them over 14 days for a top up to reflect on the card account.
As a result, we'd recommend this card only if you can be patient enough, though there are more convenient options you can find on this list.
Do Prepaid Cards Have Fees?
Most prepaid cards have monthly maintenance fees of roughly $10, which is comparable to checking account fees of up to $15 each month. But you may also pay a fee to open your prepaid card, often around $5.
Many prepaid cards will additionally charge you an ATM fee, a reload fee, and a foreign transaction cost. Most prepaid cards have monthly maintenance fees of roughly $10, which is comparable to checking account fees of up to $15 each month.
But you may also pay a fee to open your prepaid card, often around $5. Many prepaid cards will additionally cost you an ATM fee, a reload fee, and a foreign transaction cost.
Are There Reloadable Gift Cards With No Fees?
Gift cards are usually not reloadable since they come with a specific dollar amount and once used, the gift card becomes totally useless.
However, some gift cards don't come with fees and can be used to complete most financial transactions usually without incurring fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a prepaid card with no fees?
Yes, the Bluebird Prepaid card is one of the best prepaid card that comes with virtually no fees.
Do all prepaid Visa gift cards have fees?
While most prepaid gift cards have fees, some prepaid gift cards do not.
Do prepaid cards have an activation fee?
No, prepaid cards usually do not have a card activation fee.
What prepaid card has the least amount of fees?
The Bluebird Prepaid Card by American Express is the best prepaid card that comes with little fees. You won't find a better one elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
Not having a bank account or having a poor banking history shouldn't stop you from completing financial transactions that matter to you.
Prepaid cards are the best banking alternatives that you can find out there.
This article compiles the best reloadable prepaid cards with no fees.
Keep in mind, however, that whilst some prepaid card options on this list might charge some fees for using their services, others, on the other hand, might not charge fees for using the most important features of their prepaid cards.