mPower Visa Prepaid Card

How We Rated the mPower Visa Prepaid Card

Card Features Fees Disclosure Clarity BBB Rating Load Options Overall Rating

Rating Explanation mPower Visa Prepaid Card 4 GetDebit.com Editor The mPower Visa prepaid card is a great product for those looking for a lot of features in their prepaid debit card. If you want cash back rewards opportunities, money management tools, a credit builder tool, text alerts, travel and prescription discounts and card-to-card money share, the mPower card may be perfect for you. Cornerstone Marketing LLC is the Independent Sales Organization that markets and provides customer service to cardholders for the mPower card and they are ranked high with the Better Business Bureau. The card would receive our highest rating for excellent features although the fees could end up being a little higher than some other cards out there if not used carefully. The mPower Visa prepaid card is a great product for those looking for a lot of features in their prepaid debit card. If you want cash back rewards opportunities, money management tools, a credit builder tool, text alerts, travel and prescription discounts and card-to-card money share, the mPower card may be perfect for you. Cornerstone Marketing LLC is the Independent Sales Organization that markets and provides customer service to cardholders for the mPower card and they are ranked high with the Better Business Bureau. The card would receive our highest rating for excellent features although the fees could end up being a little higher than some other cards out there if not used carefully.

mPower Visa Prepaid Card Fee Examples

Want to know how much the mPower Visa Prepaid Card might cost you to use in a typical month? We have crunched the numbers for you! We also show how mPower Visa Prepaid Cardstacks 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	mPower Visa Prepaid Card	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 mPower Visa Prepaid Card*

Activation Fee:	$9.95	Card Limit:	$10000
Monthly Fee:	$6.95	ATM Withdrawal:**	$2.00
Signature Transactions:***	$0.00	ATM Balance Inquiry:	$0.75
PIN Transactions:***	$1.00	Bill Payments:	$1.00

The mPower Visa really does has a well disclosed fee structure, although a little complex, so read the fee schedule carefully. The biggest tip is to use direct deposit if possible and save the Activation Fee and monthly maintenance fee. The nice thing about this card is all of the features available ... so if you are looking for a card with a lot of power and not just low fees, this could be the card for you.

Notes:
* Fees verified as of 11/20/2011. 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 mPower Visa Prepaid 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.

mPower Visa Prepaid Card Card Options

What you see is what you get with this basic "black" card. No artsy frills, but lots of great features.

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

The mPower Visa prepaid debit card (like all financial products) has fees that certainly can be avoided when used with care. Some of these include paper statement fees, customer service call fees, expedited card fees and lost card fees. Also, be aware of the POS PIN purchase/cash advance fee.

Tips for Using The mPower Visa Prepaid Card

• How to Dispute a Debit Card Charge
• Can I Get a Secondary Card on a Prepaid Debit Card Account?
• Using a Prepaid Visa Card — A Few Tips
• How to Load Money on a PayPower Prepaid Card
• Why Do I Need to Provide a Social Security Number to Get a Prepaid Debit Card?