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Visa Prepaid Card: Frequently Asked QuestionsABOUT THE CARDWhat is Visa Prepaid Card? It is a debit card that allows you the consumer to deposit money into a prepaid account and then withdraw funds using the Visa or ATM network. You may only spend the amount of money that has been deposited to the card, less any applicable service charges. Who may have a Visa Prepaid Card? Most applicants will qualify for the Visa Prepaid Card account. You need to have a valid US address (no PO Boxes) and social security number. issuing institution will do other background checks to meet governmental guidelines. APPLICATIONHow soon will I get my Visa Prepaid Card after submitting the completed application form? Once the standard verifications have been completed, your Visa Prepaid Card will be mailed to you through the US postal service. In most cases, it will arrive within 7 to 10 working days from the time the financial institution received your application. Do I need a bank account to get my Visa Prepaid Card? No bank account is required. However, if you have a checking account it can be used to re-load the card. Could my application be turned down? Yes. However, in most cases, anyone submitting a valid name, a valid U.S. address and social security number will get a Visa Prepaid Card. Can I use my PO Box address on my application? No. We can not accept applications with a Post Office Box address. Applying with a PO Box will cause your application to be turned down. Will my name be on my Visa Prepaid Card? Yes, your name will be on your Visa Prepaid Card for your protection to help identify you to the merchant. How old do you have to be to use the Visa Prepaid Card? There are certain age requirements for the Visa Prepaid Card. For those older than 13 and under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian may enter the Cardholder Agreement & Disclosure Statement and you can become a registered user of the Card. Your parent must be on the phone during the account activation process in order to accept the Agreement on behalf of their underage child. Some merchants will ask to see the ID of the cardholder. So, it may be wise for underage users to have a student ID or other type of valid ID when using the Card. Is this Visa Prepaid Card anonymous? No. The cardholder's name will be embossed on the Visa Prepaid Card and the cardholder's personal information will be kept on record. We are committed to your financial security. All personal information provided by the cardholder during account set up will be verified. Can I have more than one Visa Prepaid Card? No COSTHow much does the Visa Prepaid Card cost to use? You pay a monthly fee and a small fee for each transaction – cash withdrawal, purchases, payments, and transfers. To view a complete schedule of fees, see our website or the Cardholder Agreement & Disclosure Statement that accompanied your card when you received it. What are the fees? You’ll pay a small fee for each card transaction, such as withdrawing cash, making purchases, or making payments/transfers. To view a complete schedule of fees, check our website or the Cardholder Agreement & Disclosure Statement that accompanied your card when you received it. ACTIVATIONHow do I activate my Visa Prepaid Card? Your Visa Prepaid Card is supplied un-activated for your protection. You can activate your card by calling our toll free card activation number at 1-800-321-4698. Upon activation you will be able to use your card either with your signature or with the supplied PIN. You will need your PIN to access cash from ATMs and point-of-sale merchants. Your PIN will become active immediately. THE VISA PREPAID CARD VERSUS A CREDIT CARDWhy would I want a Visa Prepaid Card instead of a credit card? Your Visa Prepaid Card allows you the ability to manage your money more efficiently by only spending the money available on your account, thereby avoiding the tendency to overspend. A credit card allows you to spend the credit card issuer’s money, up to the credit limit that has been set by them, and you can repay it at a later date. The credit card issuer charges the account holder interest each month, if the bill cannot be paid in full at the time it is due. This is convenient for many consumers, but they find it difficult to make the full payment when the bill is received, and therefore can get into unmanageable debt very quickly by only paying the minimum due. With a Visa Prepaid Card, you spend only the money you have. How is the Visa Prepaid Card different from a bank ATM/Debit Card? Your Visa Prepaid Card has many advantages over bank ATM/Debit cards offered by banks and other financial institutions:
How is the Visa Prepaid Card different from a credit card? Visa Prepaid Card has important advantages over credit cards:
If I want a credit card can I get one through your program? No, we do not issue credit cards. If I apply for a Visa Prepaid Card, will there be a credit inquiry? No. You can get a Visa Prepaid Card without a credit background check. However, the issuing institution will do other background checks to meet government guidelines. What is the credit limit on my card? Your card is not a credit card; therefore there is no credit limit. You may only spend what has been deposited to your account. What is the difference between a credit card and a Visa Prepaid Card? A credit card offers the cardholder a line of credit that allows them to spend up to a certain amount of money, and repay that money, plus interest, to the credit card company at a later date. The Visa Prepaid Card accesses money that you have deposited to your account only, so there is no extension of credit and no interest paid. What's my credit limit? Please keep in mind that the Visa Prepaid Card is not a credit card. You "store" your money in your card until you spend it. That’s why ours is called a "Prepaid card". The limit you can spend is the amount of money you deposit onto the card. Does buying or using a Visa Prepaid Card build my credit rating? No. This Card is not a credit card. It is prepaid. Because no credit is granted and no payments are required, this Card does not build credit history. HOW TO USE MY VISA PREPAID CARDWhere can my Visa Prepaid Card be used? You can use your Visa Prepaid Card to get cash at over One MILLION ATM's and you can make purchases anywhere in the world that displays the VISA or Plus™ logos. You can even use it to pay bills over the phone or the Internet. Will I need another form of identification when I use the Visa Prepaid Card? In most cases you will not. However depending on the merchant they may require you to present additional identification. Can I use my Visa Prepaid Card at ATM’s to get cash from my account? Yes, you can use your Visa Prepaid Card wherever the Visa and Plus™ logos are displayed on automated teller machine or point-of-sale locations. When you request cash select “CREDIT” when prompted. You will not receive a bill since the money is deducted directly from you account. Can I use my card at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants? Yes, you may use it at any location that displays the Visa and Plus™ logos. How current is my balance information? Your balance and transaction information for your Visa Prepaid Card is kept up to date almost instantly. Deposit information is dependent on the banking system and is generally available the next business day. Can I schedule recurring transactions? Yes you can! However it will be determined by the merchant that you are going to set this up with. You just have to make sure that there are enough funds on your card when that recurring transaction comes due. "Recurring Transactions" are transactions that are automatically charged to your Card each month with or without your knowledge. Examples of merchants that may use recurring transactions include Internet Service Providers, Health Clubs, Insurance companies that automatically charge monthly premiums to your Visa Prepaid Card, "Book of the Month Club" type merchants, Cable TV services and the like. Can other family members get a Visa Prepaid Card as well? Yes. If you want other family members or friends to have their own account, they may apply in the same way you applied for your Visa Prepaid Card. What do I do if I have questions about my account activity? Contact Customer Service at 1-800-844-2658 How long is the Visa Prepaid Card valid before it must be renewed? Your card will expire automatically one (1) year after the date of issue. For security reasons, if you do not use your card for an extended period of time, the issuing financial institution may put your card into an "inactive" status for your protection or may close out your account. How do I add more money to my Visa Prepaid Card? You can add more money to your card by:
How can I find out how much money is left on the card? You can check your balance for FREE by using our secure Internet site or by using our toll free interactive telephone service at 1-888-241-2732. You can also check your balance at any ATM machine; however there will be a small charge for doing this. Can I use my Visa Prepaid Card to pay bill to over the phone or Internet? Yes. You can pay bills to companies that allow telephone payments or Internet payments and that accept payments by Visa. You must have enough funds in your card account to cover the payment and associated fee. Can I find out about card activity at any time, or do I have to wait for a monthly statement? You will not receive a monthly statement. All account activity is kept updated on our secure Internet website. You can keep track of your money 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All you have to do is:
If I lose my Visa Prepaid Card, is my loss limited? We will cancel your card as soon as you tell us that your card is missing. You will have no risk of loss after that time. Your Visa Prepaid Card is covered by Visa’s “Zero Liability” program. Check the Visa website for more details. (http://usa.visa.com/business/merchants/zero liability.html) How much can I spend from the Visa Prepaid Card at one time? The card has no limits on the amount of money you can spend at a merchant at one time, except to the available balance on your card. Cash back and ATM withdrawals are limited to a total of $500 per day, or your available balance, whichever is less. Is there a limit to how much I can spend from my Visa Prepaid Card during one day? Yes. There are no dollar spending limits on purchases, but you are limited to five (5) transactions per day and to the balance available on your Visa Prepaid Card. Cash back and ATM withdrawals are limited to a total of $500 per day, or your available balance, whichever is less. These limits are set for your protection in case your card is lost stolen or someone gets hold of your card number. Please check your terms and conditions for more details. Is there a daily maximum withdrawal limit from an ATM? Yes. The withdrawal limits are set by the Financial Institution. Plus, the card limits the amount of money you can withdrawal from an ATM to $500 a day. These limits are set for your protection in case your card is lost stolen or someone gets hold of your card number. Check the Cardholder Agreement & Disclosure Statement for more details. Can I change the PIN number on my card from the one originally assigned to me? No. At this time you can not change or have a custom PIN. If you forget or lose your PIN, it can be reissued to you. Please check the Cardholder Agreement & Disclosure Statement for the current fee for this service. Can my company send my retirement payment to my Visa Prepaid Card? How about other payments or other benefits? Yes. Your company’s retirement manager can transfer your retirement payments or other benefits directly onto your Visa Prepaid Card. Can my Visa Prepaid Card be used to receive government benefits? Your card can also receive payments from the government, or payroll from your employer just like direct deposit into a bank account. Can I use my Visa Prepaid Card to rent a car? Your Visa Prepaid Card may be used to rent a car, but because a rental car is an "open end" transaction your card may be "authorized" (have value held) for much more value than the actual cost of the rental car. How much more will depend on where you rent the car. The reason is that the rental car company won't know if they need to charge you for things like gas, car damage and extra days until you return the vehicle. Furthermore, these authorized funds will be held and unavailable for you to spend until the final transaction is posted to your statement. This means that you will not have access to these funds for perhaps as long as 90 days. For this reason, we do not recommend using your card to pay for rental car transactions. To avoid problems when you rent, our advice is to first call the rental car company and ask them what their policy is regarding the use of prepaid cards. How can I transfer money to another VVisa Prepaid Card? You can transfer the money to another Visa Prepaid Card from the same issuing institution by using our secure Internet website. Can I withdraw cash from ATM machines and banks with my Visa Prepaid Card? Yes. You will receive your four digit PIN (personal identification number) within three to four days after receiving your Visa Prepaid Card in the mail. At that time, you can use that PIN to access ATMs. ATM transaction fees apply. Can I use more value than I have on the Visa Prepaid Card? No. But, sometimes a merchant will make a mistake and accept your Visa Prepaid Card even though you didn't have enough value on it. Should this happen, you are responsible for this payment and an overdraft penalty fee will may be assessed. Please refer to your Cardholder Agreement & Disclosure Statement for more information. What if I return merchandise? Web and store merchants will credit your returns back to your Visa Prepaid Card as they would any other card purchase. What do I do with the Visa Prepaid Card after I've used all of its value? You can always reload it with more cash. See "Reloading Value to Your Visa Prepaid Card" for more information. If you decide that you do not want the Visa Prepaid Card any longer, you should return the Visa Prepaid Card to the issuing institution. If you do not return the Visa Prepaid Card, make sure the Visa Prepaid Card is destroyed! Should someone find the Visa Prepaid Card in the trash and use it for fraudulent transactions, you could become a victim of identity theft or financial fraud. How much can I spend at one time? The Visa Prepaid Card has no limits on the amount you can spend at a merchant at one time, except to the available balance on your Visa Prepaid Card. |
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