For many individuals, one of many destinations of the prepaid charge card is the truth that, unlike a bank checking account, they think they have no potential for overdrawing and triggering hefty overdraft costs.
However the customer Financial Protection Bureau simply included strict limitations to those costs starting in October 2017. That may come as a shock to customers who did not also understand their prepaid cards could ever overdraft.
It really is a significant difference with this burgeoning industry. About $65 billion ended up being loaded on prepaid debit cards in 2012, significantly more than double the total amount in ’09. And also the CFPB estimates that quantity will double once more by 2018.
The cards are widely offered at shops such as for example Wal-Mart and 7-Eleven, plus on line as well as in payday lending and look cashing places; and attract mainly to the “unbanked” — people who for starters explanation or another abandoned their bank account, had it canceled, or never ever got one in the place that is first.
“customers looked to prepaid cards to obtain their monetary everyday lives in order and give a wide berth to your debt very often comes from overdraft charges,” stated Thaddeus King, an officer for Pew’s customer banking task.
Typically, prepaid debit cards have already been like cash: Once it really is gone, it is gone. You will need to buy significantly more than balance are able to afford while the deal can get declined — no costly overdraft charge.
But quickly whenever prepaid debit card organizations provide a type of “overdraft security” it’s going to work the same as a charge card: go your limit over while the bank will take care of you, then deliver you a bill and begin billing a charge and interest.