5 Best Prepaid Debit Cards

Prepaid debit cards aren’t tied to a line of credit or a bank account — you simply load them with cash and then spend what you have. Compare the best prepaid cards out there based on monthly fees and reload options.

Editor’s note

The prepaid Bluebird card by American Express was on our list, but the card is no longer available for purchase. For current Bluebird customers, June 2, 2026, will be the last day you can make purchases, and on September 8, 2026, it will be the last day you can log in and view prior transactions and statements.

5 best prepaid debit cards

• Best overall: Revolut
• Best for families: Greenlight
• Best for Walmart shoppers: Walmart MoneyCard
• Best for P2P payments: Cash App Families
• Best for in-person reloads: PayPal Prepaid Mastercard®
• Best for pay-as-you-go: Green Dot Prepaid Card

Finder Score	Fee	ATM withdrawal	Features
Best overall
9.6 Excellent Revolut	9.6 Excellent	$0 per month	$0	Starts at $0/month Upgrade to paid Premium or Metal plans for more perks International and travel perks 140+ currencies	Join Revolut and get $20. Make your first virtual or physical Revolut card payment to receive $20 credited to your Revolut account. T&Cs apply.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Revolut’s prepaid debit cards have tons of features that make it our best overall pick. Revolut offers early direct deposit, no foreign transaction fees, savings rewards, savings pockets, budgeting tools, kid cards, virtual cards, currency exchange allowances and best of all, there’s a $0 Standard plan. The Standard plan offers up to 3.50% APY on balances in your High Yield Account and up to 2.90% APY in regular Savings. However, Revolut is an online-only option, and your first physical card costs $4.99, but virtual cards are free. Pros & cons Pros $0 Standard plan Early direct deposit High savings APYs No reload fees with bank transfer No fees at Allpoint ATMs Cons $4.99 first card purchase fee Online only Best APYs require paid plan
Best for families
9.2 Excellent Greenlight Finder Award	9.2 Excellent	$5.99 per month	$0	Spend, save & invest Chores & allowance tools Spending controls & limits Instantly send money to your child Up to 6% savings rewards	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Greenlight is ideal for parents who want to start teaching their children financial literacy and give them access to funds. The $5.99 monthly Core plan comes with five debit cards, games with educational features, chore and allowance tracking, savings rewards, store-level parental controls and more. There are no reload fees, ATM withdrawal fees, international fees or purchasing fees. If you want more functionality, Greenlight’s other plans offer more features like cell phone coverage, cashback rewards, higher savings bonuses and identity theft protection. And if you’re a US Bank checking customer, you can get a complimentary Greenlight plan. Pros & cons Pros $0 for US Bank checking customers Store-level parental controls Chore and allowance tracking Tons of security features Savings bonuses Cons Starts at $5.99 per month for everyone else Online only
Best for Walmart shoppers
Walmart MoneyCard		$5.94 per month	$2.50	Earn up to $75 cash back on Walmart purchases each year Earn 2% APY up to $1,000 on your savings Up to 4 family accounts FDIC insured by Green Dot Bank	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it The Walmart MoneyCard stands out for its cashback rewards. Earn 3% cash back when you shop at Walmart.com, 2% at Walmart fuel stations and 1% at Walmart stores. You can earn up to $75 per year, and rewards are delivered every 12 months. The card also accepts direct deposit, offers early paycheck access and lets you create subaccounts for family members. As you may expect, you can also reload the card at over 90,000 Walmart-partner reload locations. On fees, the card can come with no monthly cost if you direct deposit at least $500 per month. Otherwise, it is $5.94 per month. Pros & cons Pros Cashback rewards at Walmart Waivable monthly fee Early direct deposit Subaccounts for family Cons $5.94 fee without direct deposit Rewards delivered every 12 months
Best for P2P payments
9.4 Excellent Cash App Families	9.4 Excellent	$0 per month	$2.50	Start with as little as $1 Your teen can earn 3.50% interest on their savings Send and request money, deposit cash and access ATMs Free saving and investing** features with parental approval	View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Cash App offers a prepaid debit card, simply called the Cash Card, with no monthly fees or balance requirements. Cash App is best known for its peer-to-peer payments, which allow for easy transfers to friends and family. The Cash Card is linked to your in-app balance, which you can reload with bank transfers, card transfers or direct deposit. There’s no card purchase fee for a standard card, but if you don’t mind paying a little extra, you can get a customized card. On top of all that, the Cash App card is available to those as young as 13 — with an adult sponsor for minors. Pros & cons Pros $0 monthly fees Multiple reload options P2P transfers Available for ages 13 and up Customizable card options Cons ATM fees (waiveable with direct deposit) Online only
Best for in-person reloads
PayPal Prepaid Mastercard®		$4.95 per month	$2.50	Faster access to deposits PayPal Prepaid mobile app Open a savings account PayPal Payback Rewards	View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it While it’s also great for regular PayPal users, the PayPal Prepaid Mastercard is also ideal for those who need or prefer in-person card reloads. You can add money with over 130,000 NetSpend reload locations, which include grocery stores, gas stations and retail stores. Aside from the convenience, this card also has special offers and cashback rewards with select retailers, and you can open an optional savings account earning up to 4.30% APY. There’s also a companion app to check your balance, remotely deposit checks, find reload stations and get alerts. On the downside, there’s a monthly fee of $4.95 that you can’t waive. Pros & cons Pros Over 130,000 reload locations Cashback offers Optional savings account Remote check deposit Cons Miscellaneous fees to watch out for $4.95 monthly fee
Best for pay-as-you-go
Green Dot Prepaid Card		$5 per month	$3	Avoidable monthly fee Early direct deposit No credit check	View details Compare product selection Compare	loading	Why we like it Green Dot Pay As You Go Visa Debit Card is just what it sounds like — you don’t pay monthly fees, just pay per use. There’s a $1.50 transaction fee per use, charged on up to 20 transactions per month. It can add up if you intend to use the card a lot, but it offers a low-cost way to stash cash if seldom used, thanks to the lack of monthly fees. This card offers app features like other debit cards, such as online bill pay, mobile check cashing and multiple reload options, like direct deposits, bank transfers or in-person retail locations. While it may be a pay-as-you-go card, if you don’t load or spend with the card once every 90 days, there’s a $9.95 inactivity fee. Pros & cons Pros $0 monthly fees $1.50 pay-as-you-go Early direct deposit In-person reload locations Cons $9.95 inactivity fee after 90 days May be charged ATM or in-person cash reload fees

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Methodology: How we choose the best prepaid debit cards

Finder’s banking experts compare over 45 prepaid debit cards to find the best in the current market. We compare availability, account features and how easy it is to access your money. All prepaid cards must meet these minimum requirements to be considered one of the best:

• Multiple cash reloading options, such as bank transfers, debit transfers or retail locations
• Offers at least one free reload option
• First card purchase fee at or below $5
• Monthly fee at or below $5, or the ability to waive the fee

How are prepaid debit cards different from regular debit cards?

A debit card is linked to a bank account, typically a checking account. When you use a debit card, the money is withdrawn from your account.

Prepaid debit cards aren’t tied to a bank account or a line of credit. These cards can be reloaded and reused, similar to debit cards, but the money doesn’t sit in a deposit account. Prepaid debit cards can be gift cards, payroll cards or a place to deposit government benefits.

Why choose a prepaid card over a regular debit card?

There can be a number of reasons why someone may want a prepaid debit card over a typical debit card, including:

• You’re traveling and you don’t want to carry cash.
• You’re using prepaid cards as a way to sort your budget, such as using separate cards for separate bills.
• You want to give your child a debit card, but they’re not ready for a regular checking account just yet.
• You can’t qualify for a checking account, or you don’t want one.

Are prepaid debit cards better than regular debit cards?

Typically, no, traditional debit cards tend to be the more affordable and convenient option.

Prepaid debit cards have great uses, such as being used for gift cards or when traveling. But for everyday use, they are often more expensive than traditional checking accounts and come with more fees, such as inactivity fees, cash reload fees or card purchase fees, and some prepaid cards charge a fee for every transaction.

For the most part, typical checking accounts just charge a monthly fee. The bank won’t charge you to deposit cash at an in-network location or ATM, or for making a purchase — unless you’re overdrafting.

And on top of that, plenty of checking accounts don’t charge monthly fees, either.

Are prepaid debit cards federally insured?

Prepaid cards can be covered by federal deposit insurance, but it’s not a guarantee.

Federal deposit insurance covers balances up to $250,000 in US deposit accounts from FDIC- or NCUA-insured institutions. Since prepaid cards aren’t linked to a deposit account, there’s no guarantee that every prepaid debit card will come with that coverage. Some banks that issue prepaid cards may include it, since the funds may be held in deposit accounts, but it’s not always a given.

However, some prepaid debit cards offer this coverage, such as Revolut’s and Green Dot’s prepaid cards.

If you’re concerned about deposit insurance, compare checking accounts that will be federally insured, or look through your prepaid card’s terms and conditions for coverage and registration options.

Compare more top prepaid debit cards

Narrow down top prepaid cards by monthly fees, ATM fees and their perks. Tick the Compare box on multiple cards to compare them side by side.

5 of 6 results

Finder Score	Fee	ATM withdrawal	Features
Promoted 9.6 Excellent Revolut	9.6 Excellent	$0 per month	$0	Starts at $0/month Upgrade to paid Premium or Metal plans for more perks International and travel perks 140+ currencies	Join Revolut and get $20. Make your first virtual or physical Revolut card payment to receive $20 credited to your Revolut account. T&Cs apply.	Revolut is not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Fees may apply. See revolut.com/en-US/ for details.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.2 Excellent Greenlight Finder Award	9.2 Excellent	$5.99 per month	$0	Spend, save & invest Chores & allowance tools Spending controls & limits Instantly send money to your child Up to 6% savings rewards	Teach your child to spend, save and invest all in one app. Get 5+ financial literacy tools, including chores and allowances. All with powerful parental controls to decide where your child can spend and how much. Includes up to 6% savings rewards.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Walmart MoneyCard		$5.94 per month	$2.50	Earn up to $75 cash back on Walmart purchases each year Earn 2% APY up to $1,000 on your savings Up to 4 family accounts FDIC insured by Green Dot Bank	The Walmart MoneyCard prepaid debit card offers cashback rewards on Walmart purchases, but charges high ATM fees on every transaction.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Netspend® Visa® Prepaid Card		$9.95 per month (or $5 with a $500+ direct deposit, or $0 with pay-as-you-go)	$2	Get paid faster Easy loading Control your finances Card customizations Mobile app Savings account	With Netspend, you get a convenient way to manage your money on a prepaid card that is packed with features.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
8.6 Great Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry)	8.6 Great	$8 per month	$0	Automate allowance & instantly send money to your child Optional parent-paid savings interest Spending controls & limits $8/month after Finder exclusive free trial	Get 2 months free and $10 allowance when you sign up to Acorns Early with Finder's exclusive code: AFFUSFDR10. T&Cs apply.	Get interactive money and investing tools for your kids, including expert-developed games and quizzes. Offers strong parental controls that allow you to set where and how much your child can spend.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading

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Showing 5 of 6 results

What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score applies to 45+ kids' debit card options. It takes into account the card's fees, features, age requirements, ATM access and more — this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, we compare like-for-like debit cards. So if you're comparing the best kids' cards with no monthly fees, you can see how card stacks up against each other by features, opening deposits and other benefits.

Read the full breakdown

Bottom line

Prepaid debit cards can be ideal for traveling, giving away as gifts or for giving your kid their allowance digitally. However, prepaid cards can come with pesky fees, like monthly maintenance fees, reload fees or inactivity fees. When comparing prepaid cards, read the fine print so you aren’t caught off guard.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Bethany Hickey

Banking editor

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Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

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