Prepaid debit cards were a winner this holiday season. According to a recent survey, the ability to be able to shop online and manage money are two of the most important factors when people came to making the decision on purchasing a prepaid debit card. 

A few of the more popular uses and/or reasons for the prepaid debit card purchases were; to pay bills online, to have access to a Visa card, the use of direct deposit, to eliminate the need for carrying cash and to be able to shop online.

Protecting Your Debit Card
A debit card is like a blank check, so you need to guard the debit card and the account number carefully against loss or misuse. A thief can clear out your bank account before you even know your card is missing.

If your debit card is lost or stolen, or if you think someone is using it fraudulently, call your bank immediately. Follow the phone call with a letter.

As debit cards become more and more the “in thing”, being used for practically everything these days, it would only make sense the the emergence of payroll debit cards would be the next logical thing. Having your pay put directly onto a debit card is an exciting idea which is already being utilised. I have researched a little further and found one of the original companies, TransCard.com, offering the payroll debit card. Here are some faqs and details of their service:

Q. How quickly can I access funds that have been loaded to my card?
A. Immediately!

Prepaid debit cards are increasingly visible, pitched to parents by banks and retailers as tools to teach financial responsibility while protecting students from the long-term punishment of escalating debt should those lessons go unlearned.

Cards available through financial services companies were prominent in back-to-school advertising. The cards can be bought and loaded — which means the cash is paid up front — then given to a student to use, just like a traditional debit card linked to a bank account.