RushCard Prepaid Visa Review

Rushcard Prepaid Debit Card

9.4

Features

10.0/10

Fees

8.0/10

Budgeting Tools

10.0/10

Card Limits

9.5/10

Pros

  • Savings Goals
  • Mobile App
  • Text Alerts
  • Mobile Check Deposit

Cons

  • Fees

The Rushcard offers a long list of features along with reasonable fees. We cover the features, fees and card limits in our Rushcard prepaid debit card review.

Rushcard is one of the more interesting prepaid cards we cover. It’s been in the business longer than most prepaid options, founded in 2003. Over the years it’s weathered a fair share of consumer complaints, particularly when it comes to fees. Yet in 2014’s Consumer Reports Prepaid Card Ratings, it was a recommended card.* In this review, we’ll look at both the features and the fees of the Rushcard to better explain its rise to the top.

Rushcard Features

Let’s start with the features.

Early Direct Deposit: With direct deposit of a paycheck or government benefits check, cardholders can receive their money up to two days early. There is no cost to enroll in direct deposit.

Tax Refunds: Cardholders can have their tax refund deposited directly to their Rushcard.

Pay Bills Online: You can pay bills with the Rushcard even if your creditor doesn’t accept debit cards. Rushcard will send them a check.

Rushcard Transfers: You can transfer money between your own Rushcards (yes, you can have more than one) or to a friend or family member’s Rushcard. There is a $0.99 fee for a transfer to another person’s card.

Set Savings Goals: Called Rushgoals, you can set savings goals, track your progress, and reach your goals. Rushgoals can help you save for vacations, home repairs, school tuition, or any other savings goal. As an added bonus, each month that you maintain an average balance of $500 or more in your goal account, Rushcard rewards you by refunding up to $2 in fees to your RushCard account.

Security: In addition to the security of a card rather than carrying cash, Rushcard offers Pause Protection. With the Mobile App, you can pause your card, rendering it unusable. This is an ideal feature if you misplaced your card. In addition, there is zero liability for fraudulent charges to your card.

Text Alerts: You can receive alerts via text or email. Alerts include activity on your account and balance information.

Mobile App: The Rushcard app is free and available for both iPhone and Android devices. With the app you can check your balance, deposit checks, or set up direct deposit.

Mobile Check Cashing: You can deposit a check to the Rushcard by simply snapping a picture with your smartphone.

Customer Service: Rushcard offers 24/7 customer support.

Rushcard Rewards

Rushcard offers a number of rewards:

  • Refer-a-Friend: Earn up to $600 a year referring your friends to the Rushcard. You’ll earn $30 for each friend referred who applies, sets their PIN, and funds their account. Your friend also earns 30!
  • Prescription Discounts: With the RushCard Pharmacy Discount eCard, you can save on prescriptions at Wal-mart and Sam’s Club.
  • Visa Discounts: Save more money with exclusive savings at more than 90 participating retailers.
  • Free Credit Counseling: Rushcard members enjoy free, one-on-one credit counseling services from Operation HOPE.

Load Options

There are several ways to load funds onto a Rushcard:

Direct Deposit: You can set up direct deposit for your paycheck or government benefits check.

Load Cash: You can load cash via several load networks, such as MoneyGram and WU Reload+. You can also load cash onto the card at major retailers, such as 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, CVS, and Walmart.

Load Checks: Using the mobile app, you can load checks onto a Rushcard by snapping a picture of the front and back of the check.

ATM Network

Rushcard currently offers more than 24,000 fee-free MoneyPass ATMs. Withdrawals from other ATMs cost $2.50 plus any fees charged by the ATM owner.

Rushcard Fees

Rushcard offers two fee plans, The Rush Unlimited Fee Plan and the Pay As You Go Fee Plan. The best plan will vary from person to person based on how you use the card.

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Card Limits

As with all prepaid cards, there are limits to the amount of money that can be loaded to the card and the maximum spending and cash withdrawals.

  • Cash: $2,999 load limit per day
  • Card-to-Card Transfers: $2,000 per day/$5,000 per month
  • Direct Deposit/ACH: $10,000
  • ATM Withdrawal limits: $3,000 per month

What We Like

  • Excellent card features
  • Discounts
  • Rewards
  • Ease of use
  • Zero liability policy

What Could Be Better

  • Fee plans