Baby Phat Prepaid Visa RushCard

How We Rated This Card

Card Features Fees Disclosure Clarity BBB Rating Load Options Overall Rating

Rating Explanation The "pay as you go" plan option of the RushCard has a number of great features and provides a very good value for people who use the card as a bank account replacement. The company behind the RushCard line of prepaid Visa cards (UniRush LLC) has an good BBB rating, and has great experience in running and building prepaid card programs. We like the clean website and good fee disclosures with this card, and the number of features available make it a great bank-replacement product. If you will be using the bill pay features heavily, you may want to check out other cards, as this card charges a $1 fee for every bill payment, which can add up. Check this card out, we think you'll like it. It stacks up nicely among the top prepaid debit cards.

Card Fee Examples

Want to know how much this card might cost you to use in a typical month? We have crunched the numbers for you! We also show how this card stacks up against some common alternatives so you can see if you would save money using this card. Please remember -- cost should NOT be the only reason why you pick a card -- make sure to consider the card's features (some cards have more features than a typical bank account).

To see different scenarios, change the following variables.

	Number of transactions each month	BabyPhat RushCard	Bank of America "Regular" Checking	Check Cashing Store
Monthly Fee	Once per month	$	$	$
Cash paycheck (per month)	$	$	$	$*
ATM Withdrawals	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	$	$	$
Bill Payments	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	$	$	$
Online Purchases	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	$	$	N/A
In-Store Purchases***	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	$	$	N/A
Overdrafts:****	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20		$	$
Total		$	$	$

Note: * Based on a U.S. Average check cashing rate of 4.54% (per the Brookings Institution),
**Using the Money Order fees from the U.S. Post Office (Some of the lowest available),
*** We assume that 1/2 of your in-store purchases will be made using your PIN,
****A LARGE portion of Americans experience at least 1 overdraft each Month. Also note that the Check Casher CANNOT buy items online, and must use cash for all purchases.

Fees Associated With The BabyPhat RushCard*

Activation Fee:	$19.95	Card Limit:	$9,999
Monthly Fee:	$0	ATM Withdrawal:**	$1.95
Signature Transactions:***	$1.00	ATM Balance Inquiry:	$0.50
PIN Transactions:***	$1.00	Bill Payments:	$1.00

The RushCard "pay as you go" progam is designed for people who use their cards relatively frequently. If you have low monthly usage needs (and only do several ATM and purchase transactions, and only pay a few bills each month), you may want to consider the RushCard "pay monthly program" (associated with their Purple Diamond and Black Diamond cards). There are also a few fee "gotchas" to watch out for. First, with this card, it doesn't matter if you choose signature or PIN debit at the point of sale -- you always get charged a $1 fee per purchase (up to a limit of $10 each month). Next, watch out for some of the fees for "expedited" service (like lost card replacement), as they add up fast.

Notes:
* Fees verified as of 01/02/2010. Check the Current Terms & Conditions for a list of all the fees.
** Some ATM operators may charge a fee for use of their ATMs in addition to this fee.
*** To use your card in a "signature" transaction, select "Credit" when checking out at a brick and mortar merchant. Most internet transactions are automatically processed as "signature" transactions.

Card Options

RushCard provides two main fee options for their cards: a "pay as you go program" (which the BabyPhat card uses), and a "pay monthly" program (which the Black Diamond and Purpose Diamond Rushcards use). Each fee program has two card designs available. The "pay as you go" program has the Pink BabyPhat card, and the classic RushCard plus Visa card. The "pay monthly" fee program allows you to choose between the "Purple Diamond Rushcard" and the "Black Diamond Rushcard". All of the cards look cool.

Here are GetDebit’s “Low Fee Tips” for this Card

Many prepaid cards, including the RushCard Prepaid Visa Cards, have fees that can be avoided with careful use. Here are a few tips to minimize your monthly fees and costs associated with the prepaid Visa RushCards in the Rush Card pay as you go program.

• First reduce the number of ATM withdrawals you make. If you need $200 of cash for the week, take that whole amount in one withdrawal from the ATM (assuming you have enough funds in the account!). Don't withdraw $20 or $40 at a time (the fees add up FAST). Also, the pay as you go program charges you an extra $1.95 for each ATM withdrawal -- this can add up quickly, especially since most ATM providers charge an extra fee on top of what Rush Card charges.
• Save paper. Don't order paper copies of your account statements. The RushCard prepaid Visa (like many prepaid issuers) charge you extra to receive statements by mail. Why not save a tree and save yourself some money?
• Treat your card like a checkbook. Don't try to take money out when you don't have it (you won't get an overdraft charge, but you could get a "decline" transaction at an ATM).
• Avoid the need for special fees, like stop payments on bill pay transactions, or special customer service.
• ALWAYs use direct deposit (it's good for the planet since it reduces paper, it's good for you, and it's good for your bank account).

Tips for Using The Baby Phat Prepaid Visa RushCard

• Loading Funds on your Prepaid Card Using the Visa ReadyLink Network
• Why Do I Need to Provide a Social Security Number to Get a Prepaid Debit Card?
• Can I Make a Deposit at an ATM to My Prepaid Card?
• How to Refill Visa Prepaid Cards
• Can I Get a Secondary Card on a Prepaid Debit Card Account?