UPside Visa Prepaid Card (Life Plan)

How We Rated the

Card Features Fees Disclosure Clarity BBB Rating Load Options Overall Rating

Rating Explanation 4 GetDebit.com Editor The UPside Visa line of prepaid cards gets good marks from us for great features (including a rewards program), excellent customer service rating, (Plastyc, Inc.) is very highly rated by the Better Business Bureau and competitive fees. NO Activation Fee, a low monthly fee (with $500 load) and FREE POS transaction fees make this a great card for heavy shoppers. Be aware that a monthly direct deposit is NOT required for this card, only a monthly load. There are only two reasons that this card doesn't receive the highest marks. There are other cards with more competitive fees and the fee disclosure for this card and other versions of it are somewhat complicated. Read all terms carefully before deciding which plan to choose. For example, only ONE free bill pay is included per month, additional bill pays will cost you. The UPside Visa line of prepaid cards gets good marks from us for great features (including a rewards program), excellent customer service rating, (Plastyc, Inc.) is very highly rated by the Better Business Bureau and competitive fees. NO Activation Fee, a low monthly fee (with $500 load) and FREE POS transaction fees make this a great card for heavy shoppers. Be aware that a monthly direct deposit is NOT required for this card, only a monthly load. There are only two reasons that this card doesn't receive the highest marks. There are other cards with more competitive fees and the fee disclosure for this card and other versions of it are somewhat complicated. Read all terms carefully before deciding which plan to choose. For example, only ONE free bill pay is included per month, additional bill pays will cost you.

Fee Examples

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

Activation Fee:	$0.00	Card Limit:	$10000
Monthly Fee:	$0.99	ATM Withdrawal:**	$
Signature Transactions:***	$0.00	ATM Balance Inquiry:	$
PIN Transactions:***	$0.00	Bill Payments:	$

The fee structure for the UPside Visa prepaid card is very competitive. Included in the $0.99 monthly fee are one FREE Bill Pay and unlimited Point Of Sale (POS) transactions with $500 monthly load and over $60 spent shopping monthly.

Notes:
* Fees verified as of 02/09/2011. 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 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

There are four options with the UPside Visa prepaid card including the Life Plan, Clear Plan, Access Plan and the Edge Plan. Read the Fee Schedule and Terms and Conditions pages carefully as fee structures are different for each card. There are also five design choices for you to choose from.

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

Tips for Using The UPside Visa Prepaid Card (Life Plan)

• Why Do I Need to Provide a Social Security Number to Get a Prepaid Debit Card?
• Using a Prepaid Visa Card — A Few Tips
• How to Dispute a Debit Card Charge
• How to set up Direct Deposit on an UPSide Prepaid Visa Card
• Loading Funds on your Prepaid Card Using the Visa ReadyLink Network