UPside Prepaid Visa Review
The UPside Visa prepaid card offers rich features with low fees. Direct deposit of paychecks is free, as is online bill pay. You can even write a check online and UPside will mail it for you. Deposit cash at 60,000 retail locations, and earn up to 15% rewards.
- The power of a bank account in a Visa Prepaid card
- No activation fee. $0 monthly fee if $300 or more is loaded each month. Only $1.99 otherwise.
- Free Direct Deposit from your employer. Deposit cash at 60,000 locations nationwide.
- No credit check required. Bad credit is ok.
- Write personal checks, best to pay rent or other bills.
- Accepted like any Visa debit card in the US, abroad and online.
UPside is Easy to Use
The Upside Visa offers free direct deposit of paychecks. In addition, you can reload the card at 60,000 retailers (up to $500 per load). And you can even write personal checks with the card online, and UPside Visa will mail the check for you. You can even view your balance and transactions online in real-time.
The UPside Visa Prepaid Card is ideal for teens, students, those with no credit, or even those with bad credit. The card is a reloadable prepaid card, which means your spending limit is the amount you put on your card. Because the card has no line of credit or credit limit, you can’t spend more than you have deposited onto the card. There are no over limit fees, and you can’t go into debt. There are no interest charges.
Upside Rewards
The card does have a rewards program called the UPoints Rewards Program. The Rewards includes both cash back and rewards certificates to nationwide retailers. The UPoints are rewarded in various ways. You can earn up to 15 Points-per-dollar-spent at any of the hundreds of UPside Mall merchants. The purchase does not have to be made with an UPside card. Loading money onto the card will earn you 1 UPoint per dollar (UPside Edge only). If you refer a friend and they become a card member you will earn 500 points. There are also additional ways to earn points like the Create-A-Card contest and the “Purchase of the Month” program. The points you earn depend on where you make the purchase. You will receive between 1 and 15 points per dollar spent, which are worth between 1 and 15% cash back at select retailers.
Upside Rates and Fees
Even though the card is a prepaid card and it does not charge interest, there are still fees that are associated wit using the card. The Upside Prepaid Visa offers 4 different types of cards, and the fees you will be assessed are based on the card you have. The table below shows you some of theses fees. For a complete list you should view the Terms and Conditions of the card.
| PLAN OPTION | UPSIDE CLEAR | UPSIDE ACCESS | UPSIDE EDGE | UPSIDE LIFE (not applicable to all) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activation Fee | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Membership Fee | FREE | $2.99/month | $29.95/year | FREE with $300 + loaded/month (otherwise $1.99) |
| Loads from ACH/DDA | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Loads from Debit or Credit Card | $2.50 convenience fee for instant loads | $2.50 convenience fee for instant loads | $2.50 convenience fee for instant loads | $2.80 convenience fee for instant loads |
| Maximum Balance | $1000 | $2000 | $5000 | $10,000 |
| ATM Access | N/A | $1.49 for withdrawals + fee charged by ATM provider | $1.49 for withdrawals + fee charged by ATM provider | $1.49 for withdrawals + fee charged by ATM provider |
| Phone Inquires | $0.99/call | $0.99/call | $0.99/call | $0.99/call; $2 to speak to live agent |
| Card Replacement | $8.95 | $8.95 | $8.95 | $9.95 |
For more information and to get the card, visit UPside’s official website.
