Signing up for credit cards can be a great way to earn points, miles, and cash back. However, meeting the minimum spend requirements for those offers can be tough. One way to increase credit card spend is to use prepaid reloadable cards that offer bill pay services, as follows:
- Use a credit card to buy Visa or MasterCard debit gift cards (find best options here)
- Use those gift cards as debit cards, in-store, to reload a prepaid reloadable card.
Note: many stores accept cash only for reloads. The trick is finding the local store that allows loads to be paid by debit card. - Use the prepaid card’s bill pay feature to pay bills that can’t usually be paid by credit card: mortgage, rent, or even your credit card bill.
For advice regarding using these cards to increase credit card spend, please see: Best practices for prepaid card manufactured spend.
The following table lists prepaid reloadable cards that offer free bill pay services. Unless otherwise noted, stores typically charge $3.95 or $4.95 for each reload.
Issuer | Card | Monthly Fee * | Free in-store reload option? | Reload Network |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amex | Bluebird | Free | Walmart | Walmart only |
Amex | One VIP Serve | $1 Waivable | Yes | Vanilla Network, REloadit |
Amex | Serve (Blue) | $1 Waivable | No | Vanilla Network, REloadit |
Amex | Serve FREE Reloads (Green) | $4.95 | Yes | Vanilla Network, REloadit |
Amex | Serve Cash Back | $5.95 | No | Vanilla Network, REloadit |
Bancorp | Chime | Free | No | ? (documentation mentions “cash load partners”) |
Bancorp | Kaiku | $3 Waivable | No | Visa ReadyLink |
Bancorp | T-Mobile Visa Prepaid | $5 Waivable | No | REloadit, Visa ReadyLink |
Green Dot | GoBank | $8.95 Waivable | Walmart | Greendot |
Green Dot | Green Dot Prepaid | $5.95 Waivable | No | Greendot |
Green Dot | Walmart MoneyCard** | $3 | No | Walmart, Green Dot |
MetaBank | AccountNow Gold | $9.95 | No | Greendot, REloadit, Western Union, Visa ReadyLink, Moneygram |
MetaBank | AccountNow Classic | Free | No | Greendot, REloadit, Western Union, Visa ReadyLink, Moneygram |
MetaBank | RushCard Unlimited Plan | $5.95-$7.95 | No | Greendot, Western Union, Moneygram |
MetaBank | RushCard Pay as You Go | Free | No | Greendot, Western Union, Moneygram |
MetaBank | PayPower | $5.95 | No | Visa ReadyLink, REloadit |
* Waivable: Many prepaid cards waive monthly fees when you have a set amount of money deposited to the account each month. Please see each card’s cardmember agreement for details.
** Walmart MoneyCard: Several versions of the MoneyCard are available in-store, including one with free reloads at Walmart.
Reload Network Links
Follow these links to find stores in your area that support each reload network. Not all stores will accept debit card payments for reloads — many are cash-only.
- Amex Serve FREE Reload Network
- Green Dot
- REloadit
- MoneyGram
- Vanilla Reload
- Visa ReadyLink
- Western Union
Prepaid cards that offer bill pay for a fee
- H&R Block Emerald Prepaid Mastercard
- Netspend (Related cards: PayPal Prepaid, Brink’s, Pink NetSpend, BlueNetSpend)
Prepaid cards that do not offer bill pay
- Faster Money
- JH Preferred
- Momentum
- MyVanilla
- Vision Prepaid
Related posts and pages
- Best options for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards
- Best practices for prepaid card manufactured spend
- Beginner’s guide to buying & liquidating Visa & Mastercard gift cards
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