Complaint Review: Netspend Prepaid Debit Card Services

I've been with Netspend since 2007. I have had plenty of issues that were resolved. In 2007, my husband left my card in an ATM at US Bank which ate the card. My available balance was over $4,000 and I was extremely worried. I was told to purchase a new temporary card and they would transfer my balance. That was great! I always get all of my deposits, usually early and have access to my funds. The only issue that I find negative is the "refer a friend" program which takes about 2 months to get the payment for both parties, but we got our extra $20 each! I have called Netspend customer service plenty of times, sometimes frantic because my card isn't working. To my relief Netspend puts blocks on accounts that have unusual activity and all it takes is a phone call to remove the block. I am extremely happy with Netspend and am sorry for any ill experience one goes through with Netspend. But I haven't had an experience yet that makes me want to quit Netspend.

 I've been with Netspend since 2007. I have had plenty of issues that were resolved. In 2007, my husband left my card in an ATM at US Bank which are the card. My available balance was over $4,000 and I was extremely worried. I was told to purchase a new temporary card and they would transfer my balance. That was great! I always get all of my deposits, usually early and have access to my funds. The only issue that I find negative is the "refer a friend" program which takes about 2 months to get the payment for both parties, but we got our extra $20 each! I have called Netspend customer service plenty of times, sometimes frantic because my card isn't working. To my relief Netspend puts blocks on accounts that have unusual activity and all it takes is a phone call to remove the block. I am extremely happy with Netspend and am sorry for any ill experience one goes through with Netspend. But I haven't had an experience yet that makes me want to quit Netspend.

Unlike some people, I got involved with Netspend not because I can't get a bank account -- I no longer WANTED a bank account.  The bank I was with ripped me off thouands of dollars since the start of the recession, and I couldn't take it anymore.  I found out from my local heath and human services office that what my bank was doing was totally legal, and that was the reason why the caseworker who I was speaking to stopped working at a bank and started doing social work instead.  She couldn't stand ripping people off anymore.

I could pick any date to have my account fee taken out of my account, and as often as I needed to pay off the full annual fee.  I'm on SSI, so of course I picked the first of every month to have my $9.95 fee taken out, as that's when I'm totally sure there's going to be funds available.  A bank would debit the $9.95 before taking out the funds.  Netspend does not.  Netspend doesn't charge overdraft fees anyway, and it's next to impossible to be overdrawn.

Want to know what's in your account without having to look up the balance?  Simple.  KEEP A LEDGER.  Either use a banking software like Quicken to keep track, or do it the low tech way and write it down.  They don't take out monies in a different order than you spend, they actually show you your pending transactions online, again very much unlike traditional banks who order your transactions from highest to lowest, and then have your pending transactions hidden underneath what all banks like to call "outstanding debits."  What you don't understand is your "pending transactions" is not because of Netspend.  Those happen when the merchant hasn't collected the funds yet.  Have you had your cable turned off the same day you paid the bill?  Have you called the company?  Don't blame the bank, blame the amount of time the merchant needs for processing.  I know this b/c I work for one of the largest national telecommunications companies, and that's the way our client processes their transactions --- up to 24 hours for a debit or credit card, and up to 72 hours for a check.  So quit trying to spend money you don't have!

I never need a paper check for anything.  For a dollar a piece, the bills I need to pay that don't have  a website that takes Visa and also have a P.O. box, all my bills are paid on time, when I say the funds need to be sent.  I give the account number and the amount that needs to be paid, and it's paid.

I don't have unauthroized charges b/c everything I do online is on secure sites ONLY.  The ONLY other person who uses my card is my husband.  Why bother getting another card on the acct?  They do NOT charge a fee to cash your paycheck.  The account fee is the same as the maintance fee charge accounts and banks have -- actually it's less than what my bank used to charge.  I have a paycheck and a social security check, and guess what?  I decided when I get my charge, and I decided how much that charge is going to be towards my entire fee.  Metabank IS Netspend.  Netspend is the name of the card, Metabank is the company who owns the card.  I asked for the card on their website, they sent me the card, and after a couple of months of getting more and more sick of my bank, I finally decided to activate it.  If you got the card and never ordered it, obviously you don't watch where you click on the Internet, as their are a lot of websites with paid sponsors who you have to "uncheck" their information if you don't want it.  Trust me, I learned that the hard way with other companies who I thought were fraudulent and really weren't -- found out it was my fault.

Also, if you're having trouble with money posting to your account on time, maybe you should talk to your payroll department at your company.  Mine posted the day after I opened the account, as my company does everything online.

If you are not used to doing everything electronically, and you'd rather bank the way your mom did, then yeah, don't get wrapped up in a bank that does everything with a card.  I do nothing in cash, I don't go shopping in stores, I never mail bills, I do everything through the computer and understand how electronic banking works.  This is not a pre-paid card that you give to your family as a christmas gift -- not a gift card.  If you get on the Netspend site to see if your check came in, and the site happens to be down. ..reload it every half hour or so, you'll get through.  Like ANY other website this busy, occassionally it has server problems.  If you understand the Internet, you know that as soon as that happens, IT gets on it, and it's back up. 

I will continue to use Netspend, and continue to never get ripped off, b/c I read all the fine print and I know the basics of electronic banking.  Educate yourself on these things, and you'll avoid problems in the future when paper money will no longer exist.

Dear Customer,

We are sorry to hear you've had difficulties with a deposit. Our direct deposit services are free of charge and there is no fee to make a direct deposit of payroll or government benefits to any NetSpend account. It is not our intention or practice to take advantage of anyone and many appreciate the features we offer, such as free direct deposit, the ability to receive balance and account information via cell phone text messages, and the convenience of a pre-paid debit card without the pitfalls of overdraft.

As is the case at any bank or financial services business, direct deposits are subject to federal banking regulations to protect the financial security of the public. As a result, if a direct deposit is sent to an account in the name of a person or business that does not appear on the account, that direct deposit must be returned to its origin for reprocessing and delivery to the correct person. In this way, we insure that funds are delivered to the intended individual. In other cases, these problems occur where the company sending a direct deposit to your account mis-keys the account or routing number when electronically transmitting deposits.

Provided the name and other information on the account matches the information on the direct deposit our system posts the amount to the account automatically upon receipt. We hope this general response will help make sense of this matter until we can speak with you. Please contact us via telephone at the number shown on the back of your card and we will be glad to assist you in any way we can. To protect the security of your account, please do not post your account or personal information on any public site.


NetSpend Corporation

I can't believe I am hearing complaints about Netspend. They are the best bank I've ever had, and I've had an account with all the big ones. Metabank is the "owner" of the debit cards, and just like any other bank, when money is direct deposited it clears somewhere else before it pops up in your account. There is nothing special about the process with Netspend vs. any other bank - actually, other banks LOVE to hold your funds, trust me... Personally, I get paid a day or two quicker than my co-workers, because the big banks hold your funds. Who knows how much money they make in interest by holding funds for 24 hours. With netspend, the moment the payroll person sends the money through, it pops up in my netspend account! I get a text message the moment it pops in. No waiting for Friday!

Also, when you use your debit card, the funds are gone immediately - no more guessing about what charges might be pending with your bank account - your balance is always your balance. Why other banks can't do this is a mystery...probably because they like to keep you guessing so they can charge you fees.

Netspend has changed my life! no more overdraft fees and it works everywhere, all my money is always there, the bill pay works flawlessly, my balance is always what it is supposed to be, the online access is great, etc.

I can't believe I am hearing complaints about Netspend. They are the best bank I've ever had, and I've had an account with all the big ones. Metabank is the "owner" of the debit cards, and just like any other bank, when money is direct deposited it clears somewhere else before it pops up in your account. There is nothing special about the process with Netspend vs. any other bank - actually, other banks LOVE to hold your funds, trust me... Personally, I get paid a day or two quicker than my co-workers, because the big banks hold your funds. Who knows how much money they make in interest by holding funds for 24 hours. With netspend, the moment the payroll person sends the money through, it pops up in my netspend account! I get a text message the moment it pops in. No waiting for Friday!

Also, when you use your debit card, the funds are gone immediately - no more guessing about what charges might be pending with your bank account - your balance is always your balance. Why other banks can't do this is a mystery...probably because they like to keep you guessing so they can charge you fees.

Netspend has changed my life! no more overdraft fees and it works everywhere, all my money is always there, the bill pay works flawlessly, my balance is always what it is supposed to be, the online access is great, etc.

I can't believe I am hearing complaints about Netspend. They are the best bank I've ever had, and I've had an account with all the big ones. Metabank is the "owner" of the debit cards, and just like any other bank, when money is direct deposited it clears somewhere else before it pops up in your account. There is nothing special about the process with Netspend vs. any other bank - actually, other banks LOVE to hold your funds, trust me... Personally, I get paid a day or two quicker than my co-workers, because the big banks hold your funds. Who knows how much money they make in interest by holding funds for 24 hours. With netspend, the moment the payroll person sends the money through, it pops up in my netspend account! I get a text message the moment it pops in. No waiting for Friday!

Also, when you use your debit card, the funds are gone immediately - no more guessing about what charges might be pending with your bank account - your balance is always your balance. Why other banks can't do this is a mystery...probably because they like to keep you guessing so they can charge you fees.

Netspend has changed my life! no more overdraft fees and it works everywhere, all my money is always there, the bill pay works flawlessly, my balance is always what it is supposed to be, the online access is great, etc.

I can't believe I am hearing complaints about Netspend. They are the best bank I've ever had, and I've had an account with all the big ones. Metabank is the "owner" of the debit cards, and just like any other bank, when money is direct deposited it clears somewhere else before it pops up in your account. There is nothing special about the process with Netspend vs. any other bank - actually, other banks LOVE to hold your funds, trust me... Personally, I get paid a day or two quicker than my co-workers, because the big banks hold your funds. Who knows how much money they make in interest by holding funds for 24 hours. With netspend, the moment the payroll person sends the money through, it pops up in my netspend account! I get a text message the moment it pops in. No waiting for Friday!

Also, when you use your debit card, the funds are gone immediately - no more guessing about what charges might be pending with your bank account - your balance is always your balance. Why other banks can't do this is a mystery...probably because they like to keep you guessing so they can charge you fees.

Netspend has changed my life! no more overdraft fees and it works everywhere, all my money is always there, the bill pay works flawlessly, my balance is always what it is supposed to be, the online access is great, etc.

I disagree with you on several spots.

Meta bank is a netspend bank. The bank most Netspend Visa cards are drafted off of is Inter National Bank. The Mastercards are drafted off of Meta Bank. Both are netspend banks.

I have had direct deposit with my Netspend account for 2 years and had my card for 4 years. In all that time, Ive had one problem with them. A bill payment didnt get canceled correctly and they sent the money to the specified payee. Netspend refunded my money in 3 hours.

If your deposit got lost, you need to go back to the location you made the deposit at and ask for answer's. You should have a reciept that says your deposit amount and your new balance after the deposit. If You werent given this then your money wasnt deposited. As for the direct deposit fees. There are none. You need to check the fee closer. Its a transaction fee for using your card. Its a dollar for credit transaction and two for debit. You can avoid this by signing up for a monthly fee of 9.95 I have that feature and I use my card twice a day atleast! Saving me 50 dollars a month in fees.

I would encourage everyone to supply correct information the first time everytime when getting theese cards. If your information does not match your card will be placed on hold. Read all the terms and conditions and ask lost of question's. You wouldnt ask the janitor at the bank to deposit your paycheck so why would you trust your money to a deposit place that loses your money, doesnt deposit it at all or stole your deposit?

File a complaint against the check cashing place that took your deposit and call netspend to let them know deposits are being stolen there.Last buyt least check the reciepts people.