Reload Packs for Prepaid Debit Cards

Filed Under Prepaid Debit Cards

This question comes up all the time. “How do I reload a prepaid debit card?” Usually people are unsure about how they add money to debit cards in the first place and this is one of the stumbling blocks to using them as financial tools. But in reality, the process is pretty easy to understand and do.

Most reloadable debit cards allow you to add money to your card in a number of ways. The number one way is through cash reload packs. These are nothing more than bar-coded, laminated, cardboard cards that you can purchase at a local store. They’re available in so many locations, you’d swear they were everywhere. Also, debit card companies are working on ways to for you to be able to buy a reload pack online too.

You’ll find them in most drug and convenience stores in a section that’s dedicated just to cash cards, gift cards, and such. To use one, you simply pull it off of its display hook and take it to the cashier. Once at the cashier, you pay a certain amount of money for the money reload pack (a reload fee really) and a certain amount of money to add to the card’s balance. You decide how much you want to load on the card though most companies have both a minimum and a maximum limit. The cashier rings up the sale and you get a receipt and the card. At that point, you’re half done.

Now you need to link that amount of money you’ve just given to the cashier to your card. To do that, you can call the prepaid card company and step through a phone tree of prompts that get you to enter your card number and a number that was on the reloadable money pack. Or you can use a computer and go to the company’s website and do the same thing. Once you’re finished, your card is reloaded and you’re able to use it for your bills, purchases, or ATM withdrawals.

To use one of these packs, cash has to change hands. That’s one of the reasons why this type of device became so popular in the first place. You see the cash reload prepaid card was first created to serve the underbanked community. Hard-working men and women who may have been paid in cash and needed a way to transfer that cash into something that was a little more flexible to use. That’s still the case today but it’s also true that reloadable cards are useful for people with normal banking relationships as well. And there are more ways to load up the cards than just using a cash reload pack.

For instance, some retailers have the ability to reload prepaid cards on the spot with a programmed card reader. You give cash to the cashier, he or she swipes your card through one of these readers, and bang, your card is loaded. Another way is to use a payroll or government check, though this works just like a money reload pack.

The most convenient way to reload is by an automatic direct deposit. In this case, you set up a scheduled withdrawal from either a bank account or a payroll check and have it sent directly to your card’s account. You don’t have to make a trip to the store and you don’t have to make a phone call or an Internet visit to the card company. Plus, most prepaid card companies will waive the reload fee when you set up one of these deposits so you save a little money too. It’s a sweet deal.

Using debit cards is pretty easy and reloading them is easy too. And it’s extremely easy to figure out where to get reloadable money packs because they’re available in literally thousands of stores across the country. It’s a big reason why reloadable debit cards are such a great financial tool.

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