Years (and years… I won’t say how many) ago my husband and I would always stop by our bank to pick up Travelers Checks for our vacations/travels. We didn’t have a debit card then or a credit card we wanted to use and cash was just a little too risky. What if we lost it, misplaced it or, heaven forbid, were robbed?
American Express now has a prepaid card that is easily reloadable and perfect for traveling and more.
I know we aren’t the only family that has jumped on the “cash only” bandwagon. In years past I used to carry a divided envelope FULL of cash… each section was dedicated to a separate part of our budget. In theory, this was incredibly smart. In actuality, it just wasn’t safe. If I had lost the envelope we would have been up the creek without a paddle. Our grocery, clothing, entertainment funds… would all be gone.
The American Express Prepaid Card is safer than cash or traditional credit cards:
No overspending, no overdraft fees
It’s prepaid, so you can only spend what’s preloaded on the Card. That means there’s no risk of overdraft fees or impacting your credit history.
Protection if the Card is lost or stolen
Feel safe knowing that if the Card is lost or stolen you won’t be responsible for fraudulent charges and American Express will replace the funds.
It’s easy to manage the Card online
With an online account, you can check your balance, view transaction history, add funds to the Card, set up automatic reloads and sign up for alerts.
World-class 24-hour Customer Service
The American Express Prepaid Card comes with world-class Customer Service. Simply call us anytime, 24 hours a day at 1-866-207-7970.
Purchase Protection
If an eligible item purchased with the Card is accidentally damaged, or is stolen, Purchase Protection can reimburse you—up to 90 days from the date of purchase.
American Express Selects ®
As an American Express Prepaid Card member, you have access to hundreds of discounts and special offers. Just log into your account to access American Express Selects.
Roadside Assistance
In the event of car trouble, you have access to Roadside Assistance. Just call us and we’ll send help.
Global Assist ®Services
If you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home and need emergency assistance, you are backed by Global Assist. We can direct you to English-speaking medical and legal professionals, help with lost passports, and much more.
Seriously, how many prepaid cards offer you all of these services?? Usually you purchase a prepaid at the local retailer, spend it and toss the empty card in the trash. The American Express prepaid card will become a permanent fixture in your wallet.
Fewer Fees:
The American Express Prepaid Card has no recurring fees. Unlike many other prepaid cards, you keep more of your money in your wallet—where it belongs.
NO ANNUAL FEES
NO MONTHLY FEES
NO CUSTOMER SERVICE FEES
NO CREDIT CHECKS OR OVERDRAFT FEES
NO TRANSACTION FEES
ONE FREE ATM WITHDRAWAL MONTHLY
Thereafter, a fee of $2.00 per withdrawal is assessed against the Card balance. Please note: ATM owners/operators may also charge their own fees for each withdrawal.
So now you know a little bit about the new prepaid card. How many situations could you think of to use something like this? It’s more functional that just a card in your wallet!
- Have a young adult in college that you occasionally send money to? Help is only a click, touch or call away… load the card with your set amount and they cannot overspend because an “emergency” came up at Wal-Mart.
- Stay within your personal budget : e.g. grocery, school shopping, vacation
- Funds for your babysitter: instead of handing over cash for the sitter to take your kids to McDonald’s, the zoo or whatever… give them a prepaid card. You can view the transactions, refill the card etc all from your computer or phone.
- Give yourself an allowance that isn’t flexible to keep yourself on budget. You can let it accumulate for larger purchases or buy yourself a latte at Starbucks.
There are so many uses… what can you think of to use it for?
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
I’ve got a son headed to college and this sounds perfect for him. I was always scared he would lose his money and have to do without.
I have used these in the past, and they are handy just need to make sure you use them in a reasonable amount of time or check the fine print, some say that if you do not use them, you can be charged an inactive fee or something like that. I had mine a while ago, though so maybe they have changed that!
Thanks for the inforamtion!
I think this will be perfect for my daughter next year when she heads off to college!!!! I definitely don’t want her having a bunch of cash on her living in the dorms!!!!!!