GreenDot seems to be an easy way to load many prepaid debit/credit cards.

The reloads are available many places in the USA.

GreenDot charges about $5 per $400 of reload. This works out to less than 2%.

Exchangers like usece.com can convert e-gold into GreenDot.

Who Accepts Green Dot?
1-800 Reconex
Access DineroYa Maestro Card
Access DineroYa MasterCard® Card
Access MoneyNow™ Maestro® Card
Access MoneyNow™ Prepaid MasterCard® Card
Access PayDay™ Payroll MasterCard® Card
AccountNow Prepaid Visa®
AccountNow Vantage Debit MasterCard®
AccountNow Vantage Debit MasterCard®-ATM
Advansys Direct Access Card
Advansys Direct Access Prepaid Visa®
Advansys Global Cash MasterCard®
Advansys Global Cash Visa®
Affirm Credit Card
Affordable Phone Services
All American Home Phone
AmeriMex Communications
Billetel ATM
Billetel MasterCard®
Blaze MasterCard® Credit Card
Boost™ Prepaid Visa® Card
CallNet Communications
Card Flex General Purpose MasterCard®
Card Flex Payroll MasterCard®
CardMarte UniBancard MasterCard®
Carmen Electra Prepaid MasterCard®
Central National Bank Discover OCS Payroll
Central National Bank History in Black MasterCard®
Central National Bank MiCash Visa®
Central National Bank One Central Source Visa®
Central National Bank Slippery Rock
Central National Bank TIMA Visa®
CFG Acceptance Card
Cool Money Diamond Card
CorTrust Bank Credit Card
Cumulus Media 96.1 Jamz
Diamond Blue Card for Payroll
Diamond Card
Diamond Card for Check Cashers
Diamond Card StandAlone
Diamond FIRST
Discover OCS
Discover® OCS Payroll
DISH™ Now!
DISH™ YA!
DLite Diamond Card
Dynasis Prepaid Visa®
eXpressMoney STAR Card
FastMax Rewards MasterCard®
FastMax Rewards Prepaid Visa® Card
First Bank and Trust Revel MasterCard®
First National Credit Card
First Savings Credit Card
Five D's Communication
Free & Clear® MasterCard® Card
Freedom Communications
Gkard by POS Payment
Gkard Debit Visa® Card
Good2Go™ MasterCard® Card
Green Dot® Everyday MasterCard® Card
Green Dot® Everyday Visa® Card
Green Dot® i-GEN® MasterCard® Card
Green Dot® Student MasterCard® Card
H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard®
H&R Block Preferred Visa® Prepaid Card
H&R Block Visa® Prepaid
Instant Issue Diamond Card for Check Cashers
Instant Issue Maestro Diamond Card
Just Deals.com
La Red de la Gente
Legacy Visa® Credit Card
Lifetel
M2 MasterCard®
Mazumah Card
MetroPCS
MiCash Visa®
Mi-Commissions Card
NCO Financial
New Phone
Obopay Citi MasterCard®
Obopay Diamond Card
OCS Instant Issue Exchange Mi Coneccion
OCS Instant Issue Payroll
One Central Source Payroll
PayChek Plus Card
PayChek Plus Visa®
PaySpark USA
PODER Payroll MasterCard® Card
Primary Pay Card Prepaid MasterCard®
PrivaCash® MasterCard® Card
Progreso MasterCard®
READYDebit™ Card
Remesa MasterCard®
Right Access Cash Prepaid MasterCard®
Shizzle Prepaid MasterCard®
SiGoSM Money MasterCard®
Student Green Dot® Visa® Card
SureOne™ MasterCard® Card
Ta'Facil Debit MasterCard® Card
Ta'Facil Maestro® Card
TIMA
Trumpet CashCard
Truth® MasterCard® Card
TVG
Unicard
V2 card by POS Payment
V2 Star® Card
V2 Visa® Card
Visa® eXpressMoney
Wal-Mart MoneyCardSM Visa® Card
Wal-Mart Prepaid Visa® Card
World Card One

I ordered a GreenDot pre-pay card. I had been buying pre-paid Visa and MC gift cards for online shopping to reduce the risk of using my bank card. Finally I decided to go for the GreenDot pre-paid Visa. A helpful thing is they give you your card number, expiration date and CVV number so you can shop online if needed while you wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail.

Now, it's not cheap - but it is a service they are offering so we do pay:

$4.95 for the re-load card + whatever amount is being added to the card balance
ie., want to add $500? Pay the cashier the $500 (cold, hard cash only is allowed)+ the $4.95 for the reload card/fee
(if you do not use the new amount loaded you won't be charged for 90 days)

$4.95 per month maintenance

Plus various usage fees.

It definitely could add up so best to make real use of the card and to load large amounts when you can.

Could be a useful option for anyone who wants to limit how much they use their bank and or credit card. I don't think they report to the credit bureaus but they do reserve the right to check your credit report if ever needed (ie., if ever there are fraud concerns, etc.). If you need credit reporting better to use a regular credit card or if you do not yet qualify for one get a secured credit card from a reputable bank that reports (not all secured cards do). Bankrate.com maintains a list of the top secured and other types of credit cards.

Not sure where else GreenDot is available but the above info is for their basic USA card. For best accuracy definitely read the info on their site: www.greendotonline.com

Forgot to add that initially, to buy the card (actually the 'dummy card' that gets taken to the cashier at the store), it cost $9.95. They said it takes 7 business days so I'm hoping to have mine by the end of this week/early next week.

This post has been edited by goldelf: Sep 6 2007, 08:38 PM