
The Approved Prepaid MasterCard® created by Suze Orman is a low fee prepaid card that has some unique features users can benefit from. This is not a credit card which means anyone can be approved for the card and you can’t get into debt with this card. You can use this card anywhere MasterCard debit is accept and it’s safer to carry this card than it is to carry cash because of the protections the card offers. You can use this card to pay bills, make online purchases, get cash from an ATM or anything else you can think of.
Loading Funds
This card works just like every other prepaid cards. You can load funds by signing up for direct deposit, making a bank transfer or adding cash. Here are all the details:
Direct Deposit: You can have your paycheck automatically deposited to your account each pay day. This service is free and is the best way to have funds loaded to the card. You can also have your government funded check or income tax refund deposited to the account.
Bank Transfer: You can transfer funds from an exiting checking or savings account. You can make a one time transfer or set up reoccurring transfers. There is no charge for this service.
Add Cash: At anytime you can add cash to your card account. Just visit a MoneyGram® Express Payment® or Western Union® agent location near you. There is a fee for adding cash to your account.
One nice feature is that you’ll get surcharge FREE ATM withdrawals at over 35,000 Allpoint® ATMs nationwide for 30 days after every bank account transfer of $20 or more.
TransUnion Credit Scores, Reports and Monitoring
An essential part of your financial portfolio is your credit score. Being an Approved cardmember you will have access to your TransUnion credit score which normally costs $11.95 per month. This is FREE for the first year you are a cardmember. You have will access to things like your credit score, detailed reporting, information on how to improve your credit score and identity theft protection to name a few. Being able to review your credit score in detail will help you improve your credit and find out what you can do to get financed for things like a car or mortgage.
The Credit Project
To take it a step further, this card does what no other prepaid card on the market does – it shares your account history with a major credit bureau. When you agree to be part of the Credit Project, your transaction history will be shared with TransUnion and be analyzed so they can understand the connection between that information and the information that is currently used in most consumer credit reports. The data will be provided to TransUnion is linked to you or your account so your identity is kept private. This is a big step for the prepaid card industry and maybe this will lead to prepaid cards actually building credit for consumers.
Emergency Fund
This card allows you to set up a separate Emergency Fund. If you know anything about Suze Orman then you know how she feels about Emergency Funds. Having money set aside for those unexpected situations in life will keep you on track with your finances. As a cardmember, you can choose to pay into your Emergency Fund and the money will be kept safe until you need it. You can’t accidentally spend it because you have to call customer service in order to access it.
You also have the option to set up an additional Savings Funds so you can save up for big purchases you plan on making like a home, card or vacation. The money is completely safe and it’s FDIC insured.
Approved Card Fees
It’s no secret that many prepaid cards have high fees. However, this card has a very reasonable fee structure and if you use the card as suggested by Suze it will only cost you $3 per month. Here are the fees:

*To see a complete list of card fees click here.
Additional Benefits of the Approved Card
- Suze’s Advice: Get Suze’s money management tips and videos.
- The Approved Dashboard: With your personalized Approved Card Dashboard, you’ll see at a glance what you’ve been using your Approved Card for and much more.
- TransUnion Services: You will get FREE TransUnion® credit report and score with UNLIMITED updates and FREE 24/7 email updates of critical changes to your TransUnion® credit report.
- Protect Your Identity: When you get The Approved Card you’ll also get powerful FREE identity theft protection from TrustedID®.
- Mobile and Online Money Tools: Take control of your money with simple to use FREE text and online tools to help keep track of your spending. (Standard text messaging rates from your service provider may apply.)
- Pay Your Bills: Pay your rent, utilities and more, online, by phone or with a check. And there’s never an overdraft fee.
- Emergency Fund: Set some money aside for the “what-ifs” in life. You can also set up accounts to save for big ticket purchases.
- Share Cards with Family and Friends: You can set up 3 separate cards under your Approved Card account for your family members or friends with no additional monthly fee. It costs just a one-time Card Purchase Fee of $3.00 per card.
- Transfer Money to Other Cardholders: Send money to any of your friends and family members who have The Approved Card for FREE.
How To Apply
You can apply for the card online by completing an application. There are no credit requirements so anyone is welcome to apply. When you open a card account, be prepared to provide your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow them to identify you.


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