Writer: Eric Bank
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
Key Takeaways
We’ve dived into the world of prepaid cards to find you the best options for your compatible Apple device:
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GO2bank™: Best for everyday banking with Apple Pay.
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Greenlight – Debit Card For Kids: Best option for families.
If you love all things Apple, you will want to read our review of prepaid cards that work with Apple Pay. Prepaid reloadable cards are a good alternative to bank-linked credit and debit cards, and the Apple Pay mobile digital wallet app works with most of them.
When you combine the convenience of Apple Pay with the simplicity of prepaid cards, you get a worry-free way to pay your bills without overdrafts or late fees.
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Navigate This Article:
The Best Prepaid Cards That Work With Apple Pay
Prepaid cards aren’t just for consumers with bad credit. It turns out that many folks are not big fans of fee-laden bank accounts, where one overdraft can cost $50 or more. If you don’t want to mess with bank accounts, consider these prepaid cards that are compatible with the Apple Pay mobile wallet.
- Overdraft protection up to $300 with opt-in and eligible direct deposit*
- No monthly fees with eligible direct deposit, otherwise $5 per month
- Earn up to 7% cash back when you buy eGift Cards in the app
- Get your pay up to 2 days early – Get your government benefits up to 4 days early.*
- High-yield savings account, 4.50% APY paid quarterly on savings up to $5,000.*
*Terms and conditions apply. GO2bank™ cards are issued by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association. Overdraft fees may apply. Click Apply Now to learn more.
The GO2bank™ prepaid card works with Apple Pay, so you can use your phone for purchases wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
Beyond digital wallet compatibility, the account offers early direct deposit and waives its monthly fee when you receive an eligible payroll or government benefits direct deposit during the previous statement period. You can also deposit cash for free at Walgreens using a barcode generated in the GO2bank app.
- Greenlight is a debit card for kids, managed by parents
- Parents set flexible controls and receive real-time alerts while kids monitor their balances, set goals, and learn how to manage money
- Feel secure knowing Greenlight blocks unsafe spending categories
- Receive Mastercard’s Zero Liability Protection
- Upload a photo of your choice to create a unique custom card
- Debit cards are FDIC-insured up to $250,000
- Easily turn your Greenlight card on or off and receive real-time spending notifications
Greenlight supports Apple Pay for children ages 13 and older, giving teens a convenient way to pay while parents retain oversight through the app. Parents can set spending controls, receive transaction alerts, and turn cards on or off as needed.
Its allowance and savings tools make it particularly useful for families teaching kids to manage money, though a paid subscription is required.
- Earn points on swipes: Earn up to 7x the points on card swipes at over 14,000 participating merchants, then redeem them for cash back in your account.*
- Get paid up to 2 days faster with direct deposit*
- If you qualify, you can access up to $1,000 before payday with a paycheck advance
- Qualifying direct deposits receive fee-free overdrafts*
- No minimum balance fees, no overdraft fees, no bank transfer fees
- Access to more than 40,000 fee-free ATMs*
- *View product disclosures here.
Current lets you add your debit card to Apple Pay, including your virtual card, while you wait for the physical card to arrive. The account has no minimum balance fees or bank transfer fees and offers access to more than 40,000 fee-free ATMs.
Eligible members can also receive their pay up to two days early with direct deposit and qualify for fee-free overdraft coverage.
- Take your kid’s spending freedom to the next level with a BusyKid VISA® Prepaid Card. Eliminate concerns over having on-hand cash. It’s easy to use, secure, and it teaches your kids how to manage money they can’t see.
- Every family subscription comes with up to five cards (one per child).
- Cards are backed by the Visa® Zero liability policy and can be locked temporarily if misplaced.
- Given it’s backed by the trusted name of Visa®, the BusyKid Spend Card is widely accepted in stores and online
- BusyPay™ is an easy way for family or friends to instantly send money to a child’s BusyKid account
- Choose from a variety of card designs to find which fits your busy kid best
The BusyKid Visa® Prepaid Card can connect to Apple Pay, allowing kids and teens to make purchases with a compatible mobile device. Its standout feature is the connection between chores, allowance, and spending: Parents can assign tasks and help children divide their earnings among spending, saving, charitable giving, and investing.
A family subscription includes up to five prepaid cards, making it an option for households with multiple children.
- Great for families who wish to store money on multiple prepaid cards linked together
- No risk of debt, overdraft, or hidden fees
- Retain parental visibility and control while empowering kids of all ages
- Separate funds into multiple purpose-driven accounts
- Alert parents and children about card activity and the remaining balance in real time
- A paid FamZoo subscription entitles you to use all of the active prepaid cards in your FamZoo family for as long as your subscription remains active. Adding family members and adding cards does not impact your subscription fee.
The FamZoo Prepaid Mastercard is another kid-friendly prepaid debit card. Parents can transfer funds instantly between family members’ cards at no charge and automate allowance, chore payments, and savings contributions.
Features such as parent-paid interest and separate accounts for different goals help turn everyday money management into practical lessons, with a subscription covering the family’s active cards.
What Is a Prepaid Card?
A prepaid card is a type of debit card. It differs from bank debit cards in that you fund them by depositing money into the card’s account rather than a bank checking account or savings account (CD or passbook).
You can get a prepaid debit card branded with the Visa, Mastercard, or American Express logo, and use it wherever the brand is accepted.
A reloadable prepaid card is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a prepaid credit card. It is not a prepaid credit card or any other type of credit card — it is a debit card.
| Feature | Secured Credit Cards | Debit Cards | Prepaid Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available from major issuers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Purchases use a line of credit | Yes | No | No |
| Can make in-store purchases | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Can make online purchases | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Typically reports to credit bureaus | Yes | No | No |
| Can directly affect credit scores | Yes | No | No |
| Requires a linked checking account for purchases | No | Yes | No |
| Requires a security deposit | Yes | No | No |
| Can carry unpaid debt from month to month | Yes | No* | No* |
The most important feature of prepaid cards is that you can get them without having a bank checking account, savings account, or good credit — all it takes is a cash deposit. With a prepaid card in hand or registered on your mobile banking app, you can shop online and in stores just as you would with a standard debit or credit card.
For in-store use, you swipe, tap (for contactless payment), or insert your prepaid card into the payment card terminal, just as you would a debit or credit card. You then choose between a debit or a (confusingly labeled) credit transaction:
- Debit transaction: You choose a debit transaction in combination with the card’s PIN. You can set up the PIN when you sign up for the card.
- Credit transaction: This transaction does not involve the use of credit. Rather, it indicates a signature debit transaction, where you sign the terminal or sales slip.
Debit transactions are more secure because PINs are secret, whereas your signature can be faked (or the cashier may fail to recognize a discrepancy). Signature transactions require some contact, even with a contactless payment card.
You can load money onto your prepaid card account in various ways, including with cash, money order, direct deposit, a transfer from another account, or mobile check deposit.
You can withdraw money from the cash card account via an ATM or an over-the-counter (OTC) transaction at designated retail locations and financial institutions. Many prepaid cards also allow you to transfer cash from your card to another account (e.g., a bank account, credit union account, or PayPal account).
How Do I Get a Prepaid Card?
We humbly suggest you start by reading CardRates.com reviews of prepaid cards to select the best card for you. You can click on the links in the summary tables to visit a card’s website and research the terms and conditions.
If you decide to sign up for a prepaid card, you can usually do so for free online or for a fee at a retail location or over the phone. You’ll have to deposit an initial amount at the time of purchase, which may be subject to minimums.
To get the full use and protections offered by the card, you’ll have to register your new card by providing some personal data, including:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Residential address
- Phone number
- Social Security number
If you sign up for a prepaid card online, you may be issued a virtual card number that you can use for card-not-present transactions (e.g., purchases made online, through a smartphone cash app, or over the phone) until you receive your physical card.
Registration is important because certain features, including reloading money, receiving direct deposits and tax refunds, or online purchasing, may be restricted until registration is complete.
Moreover, you need to register your prepaid cards so you’ll be protected against loss or theft. You also may need to register to become eligible for deposit insurance on cards that offer it.
How Do I Add a Prepaid Card to Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is a leading example of a mobile wallet that allows you to use your debit and credit accounts at participating merchants via your cellphone without the physical card. Apple Pay works on various devices, even on the Apple Watch app.
Mobile wallets are an important evolutionary step in personal finance and provide a number of significant advantages over plastic cards. According to FinTech guru Andrew Wu:
“When you sign up for Apple Pay or a similar service, your card information is transferred one time to the bank, and the bank generates a randomized number that gets stored on your phone. Nobody in the transaction flow can see what your real number is, and because the randomized number changes every time you use it, it’s useless if it’s captured.”
All the cards in this review work with Apple Pay. To load a prepaid card onto Apple Pay, follow these steps:
- Open your Apple Pay wallet. If you use Touch ID, affix your finger to the screen. Touch ID is a biometric fingerprint identity sensor offered on Apple products.
- Click on the plus (+) icon.
- Read the information displayed and click on Continue.
- Select card type (Credit or Debit Cards).
- Add your name and the prepaid card’s account number, then click Next.
- Enter the card’s expiration date and PIN, then click Next.
- The cardholder agreement pops up, containing all the relevant terms and conditions. Read the entire cardholder agreement and then click on the Agree link.
- Apple Pay will tell you that the card was added. Indicate whether you want to make it the default card in the wallet.
- The app will confirm that the card is ready for use.
Note that other leading mobile wallets, including Google Pay and Samsung Pay, use similar procedures to accept a new card.
Interestingly, Apple Pay accounted for 92% of U.S. mobile wallet debit transactions in 2020.
Another great feature is you can transfer funds from a prepaid card straight to your Apple Cash account within the Apple Pay wallet. Apple Cash serves as the funding source for all your Apple Pay transactions.
Do not confuse Apple Cash with the Apple Card. The Apple Card is a credit card optimized for financing purchases made in Apple stores.
Can You Load a Prepaid Card With Apple Cash?
Your available Apple Cash balance can only be deposited to an eligible debit card or bank account. Because a prepaid card is not tied to a bank account, you cannot deposit the funds to a prepaid card account.
But if you have a bank account and a prepaid card, you can initiate a deposit to your bank account and then transfer the money to your prepaid card.
According to Apple Support, you can transfer your Apple Cash balance to your bank account by following these steps:
- Go to your card info:
– On iPhone: Open the Wallet app, tap your Apple Cash card, then tap the more button.
– On iPad: Open the Settings app, tap Wallet & Apple Pay, then tap your Apple Cash card. - Tap Transfer to Bank.
- Enter an amount and tap Next.
- Tap 1-3 Business Days. If you don’t have a bank account set up, follow the instructions on your screen to add one.
- Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode.
The money will appear in your bank account within one to three business days.
Do Prepaid Cards Charge Fees?
All prepaid cards charge fees. Usually, you can choose between a monthly maintenance charge and a pay-as-you-go fee. How frequently you use the card will determine which option costs less.
Some cards charge a reduced monthly fee if you make a direct deposit of a set amount of money within a calendar month. You usually only have to meet the direct deposit requirements once, not every month.
There can also be a slew of other fees, including fees to purchase or activate the card, add funds, transfer money, make purchases, and withdraw cash. There may also be fees to check your card balance at an ATM, use your card at a foreign location, replace your card, or fail to use your card within a set period.
One charge you won’t pay is an overdraft fee since you can only spend the card account balance and no more. However, some cards offer a courtesy overdraft protection feature that allows you to exceed your card balance by a token amount (typically $10) rather than have the transaction rejected outright.
There may be a fee attached to this service if you don’t replenish your card balance right away.
Compare Prepaid Debit Cards That Work With Apple Pay
Our review of prepaid cards that work with Apple Pay suggests the growing popularity of prepaid cards, mobile wallets, and Apple Pay. Use our card summaries and ratings to help guide your choice of prepaid cards.
Since most prepaid cards provide similar functionality, fees and convenience will probably be your basis for comparison. All things being equal, you’d like to pay the fewest and smallest fees while receiving the services you want.
For example, if ATM withdrawals are important to you, your card choice may center on the proximity of a participating no-fee or low-fee ATM.
Editorial Note: Our site content is not provided or commissioned by any credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed on CardRates.com are the author's alone, not those of any credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by credit card issuers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information; however, all credit card offer details, including information about rewards, signup bonuses, introductory offers, and other terms and conditions, is presented without warranty. Clicking on any offer on CardRates.com will direct you to the issuer's website, where you can review the current terms and conditions of the offer.
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