NetSpend Charges $1.50 for every transaction and costs up to $9.95 for reloading at a retail location. It charges $9.95 monthly account fees. NetSpend ATM withdrawal fees are $2.50 and $0.50 for Balance inquiries. NetSpend Card Inactivity for more than 90+ days has a $5.95 fee per month.
The pay-as-you-go plan has no monthly fees.
Planning to buy a Netspend prepaid card? Check out the detailed Netspend fee plans and other charges that you’ll incur when using your Netspend card.
Netspend is a leading provider of payments and financial solutions that serves over 10 million users across the US. It issues Visa and Mastercard prepaid debit cards and corporate prepaid cards that can be used for cash withdrawals at ATMs, in-store purchases, online shopping, bill payments, and more.
These cards are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), giving you greater financial safety and security.
Netspend has a lot of other great benefits, such as zero minimum account balance, making it a blessing for those who need to withdraw all their income every month. It doesn’t do credit checks nor has any activation fees, which is why many people choose Netspend to manage their money.
However, just because it doesn’t charge activation fees, it doesn’t mean that there is no other Netspend fee involved.
After you activate your Netspend prepaid card and verify your identity, you need to choose from different fee plans.
Here we delve into Netspend’s fees and charges that you may have to pay to use the card.
Read: What Is The Daily Spending Limit On A NetSpend Card?
Netspend Fees And Charges
| Netspend Fee Type | Pay-As-You-Go Plan | Monthly Plan |
| Card Purchase Fee | $0 if you sign up at Netspend.com Fee’s go Up to $9.95 if purchased at a retail location | |
| Plan Fee | $0 | $9.95 $5 – You will get a reduced monthly plan if you received $500 in direct deposits from payroll/benefits in a calendar month |
| Purchase Transaction Fee | $1.50 for the PIN and signature transactions | $0 |
| ATM Withdrawal Charges | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| Cash Reload Fee | $3.95 (this fee varies) | |
| Fee for ATM Balance Inquiry | $0.50 | |
| Card Inactivity (90+ days with no transaction) | $5.95 per month |
Read: What Bank Does NetSpend Use?
Does Netspend Charge for Every Transaction?
Netspend offers various fee plans to use its prepaid card. If you choose its Pay-As-You-Go Plan, you won’t have to pay any fee for opening an account with Netspend, nor is there any plan fee. But you will be charged for every transaction that you make using the card. This plan is designed for users who have a limited number of monthly transactions.
Check out the various fees for the Pay-As-You-Go Plan below:
Purchase Transaction Fees
For purchase transactions, you will be charged $1.50 per purchase.
ATM Withdrawal and Balance Inquiry Fees
For cash withdrawals at ATMs, you will incur a fee of $2.95, while declined ATM transactions are charged at $1.
Each ATM balance inquiry costs $0.50, and the respective ATM operator may also charge you a fee. However, if you make balance inquiries via Netspend’s Online Account Center or Anytime Alerts feature, you won’t incur any charge.
Cash Reload Fees
Every time you reload cash on Netspend, you will be levied $3.95. But this amount may be lowered depending on how and where you use your Netspend prepaid card. If you reload cash at a Netspend Reload Network Location, the operator may charge you a lower fee.
OTC Withdrawal Fees
There is an Over-the-Counter (OTC) fee for withdrawals at financial institutions. It is charged at 1 percent of the withdrawal amount or $2.95 (whichever is greater), up to $9.95.
The OTC Withdrawal Fee for cash withdrawals at a Netspend Reload Network Location is levied up to $4 or 2.75 percent of the withdrawal amount (the greater of the two). This fee is fixed by the Netspend Reload Network operator and varies based on the location and withdrawal amount.
International Transaction Fees
If you use your Netspend card outside the US, you will be charged a Foreign Transaction Surcharge at 4 percent of the transaction amount. This will be over and above the usual purchase transaction fees or OTC Withdrawal Fee.
Fees for cash withdrawals and balance inquiries at ATMs at foreign locations are nil, but the ATM operator may still charge you. Foreign Transaction Surcharge at 4 percent per withdrawal also applies in case of ATM withdrawals outside the US.
Third-Party Transaction Fees
If you use MoneyGram’s Bill Payment Service using your Netspend prepaid card, you will be charged a fee for every bill payment by MoneyGram. Similarly, Western Union Money Transfers through Netspend are also charged based on the rate fixed by Western Union.
Customer Service Fees
Live customer service has no fee, so you can easily call Netspend’s customer service team without incurring any charges.
ACH Fees
Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments cost nothing, as do direct deposits (ACH deposits). Declined ACH transactions are charged at $1.
Mobile Check Load Fees
Standard Mobile Check Load does not have any charges or fees. But Expedited Mobile Check Load for government and payroll checks with a preprinted signature are charged at 2 percent of the total check amount or $5 (whichever is greater).
Card Inactivity Fees
If you go 90 days without making any transactions—including purchases, cash withdrawals, load transactions, and balance inquiries—with your Netspend card, you will be charged $5.95 monthly.
Account-to-Account Transfer Fees
Account-to-account transfers via Netspend’s website don’t cost you anything. But if you make an account-to-account transfer via a Customer Service Agent, you’ll be charged $4.95 per transfer.
Miscellaneous Charges and Fees
Besides the above transaction fees, there are a few other charges associated with your Netspend prepaid card. If your card is lost, stolen, or damaged, you will be charged a Replacement Card Fee of $9.95 by Netspend. But if you request an additional card that is not a replacement card, you won’t be charged anything. A Custom Card costs $4.95.
Also, when you order a new or additional Netspend card or even a replacement card, you won’t be charged any delivery fee if you opt for the regular delivery time of 7 to 10 business days. But if you want your card within three business days, you will be charged a Card Delivery Fee of $20. Delivery within 1 to 2 business days is set at $25.
There are no fees or charges for getting an additional account statement mailed to you nor any fee for making a Stop Payment request on an ACH debit/pre-authorized payment transaction.
Read: Where Can I Get A Temporary NetSpend Card?
Does Netspend Charge a Monthly Fee?
If you don’t want to pay for every purchase transaction that you make with your Netspend prepaid card, you can opt for Netspend’s Monthly Plan that costs $9.95 per month. If you make several purchases every month with your Netspend card, this is the best plan for you.
Moreover, if you make a total of $500 in payroll or government benefit direct deposits in a single calendar month, you are eligible to upgrade to the Netspend Premier Plan that costs $5 per month. This plan gives you additional features while letting you save almost 50 percent on monthly fees.
The Netspend Premier Plan’s Purchase Cushion feature covers you up to $10 if you’re short on your Premier Card Account balance. You can also personalize your Premier card with your photo at no extra charge. This allows you to customize your Netspend card with your photo to let retailers know when it’s not you, adding an extra layer of security.
Read: Why Do I Keep Getting NetSpend Cards In The Mail?
What Are the Monthly Netspend Fees?
As mentioned, Netspend’s Monthly Plan costs $9.95 per month, while its Premier Plan costs $5 monthly. But they are not the only fees you pay on Netspend’s monthly plans.
Although transaction fees are nil, you have to pay $2.95 for ATM cash withdrawals. ATM balance inquiries are charged at $0.50, and you will incur a fee of $3.95 for cash reload. This Netspend fee may be reduced based on where and how you use your Netspend card.
As in the case of Netspend’s Pay-As-You-Go Plan, if you don’t make any transactions with your Netspend prepaid card for 90 days, you will be charged $5.95 per month.
Also, live customer service is not charged.
All other fees related to your Netspend card are just as mentioned above under the Pay-As-You-Go Plan.
Read: Why is My Netspend Direct Deposit Late?
What ATM Can I Use for My Netspend Card with No Fee?
As mentioned earlier, you can withdraw cash using your Netspend debit card from any ATM that accepts Visa and Mastercard debit cards, you will be charged a fee.
If you’re looking to avoid that, try any of the following methods:
#1 Withdraw Cash at a MetaBank ATM
Netspend is a registered agent of MetaBank. If you chance upon a Metabank ATM with a logo that reads “Who has privilege status,” you can withdraw cash for free there.
#2 Withdraw Money at a MoneyPass ATM
If you own a MoneyPass Netspend ATM card, you can make cash withdrawals for free at MoneyPass ATMs. You can use the MoneyPass ATM Locator tool on the MoneyPass website or app to find the ATM nearest to you and withdraw cash without paying any surcharge.
#3 Use a Visa Plus Alliance ATM
Netspend works with many financial institutions to offer services such as free cash withdrawals at ATMs. Netspend has partnered with Visa Plus Alliance ATM so that you can withdraw cash for free at any of the latter’s ATM locations.
Netspend All-Access Fee Plan
The Netspend All-Access Account by MetaBank is great for those who love Netspend’s amazing features but also need a bank account for everyday transactions.
The All-Access Account provides customers with all Netspend’s features along with the benefits of a banking account such as:
- No credit checks
- No minimum account balance
- No activation fee
- Prepaid Visa debit card
- Receipt of paycheck or government benefit direct deposits up to 2 days earlier
- Addition of check funds to your account with Netspend’s mobile app via Mobile Check Capture
- Unlimited surcharge-free cash withdrawals at all MoneyPass ATMs
- Mobile banking
- Receiving text alerts and tracking your spending activity through Anytime Alerts
- Optional Debit Card Overdraft Service to avoid overdraft fees if you deposit money into your account within 24 hours from the time of creating an overdraft
- Purchase Cushion that covers you up to $10 if you fall short on cash
- Cashback offers on qualifying purchases with Payback Rewards
- 6 percent Annual Percentage Yield with an optional savings account
- Zero Liability Policy to protect your Account in the event of fraudulent charges
All these features come with fees as listed below:
- Monthly maintenance fee: $5
- Additional Card Fee: $3.95
- Signature and PIN transaction fees: $0
- Domestic non-network ATM withdrawal: $2.50
- International non-network ATM withdrawal: $4.95
- Balance inquiry fee: $1
- Paper statement fee: $5.95
- Overdraft fee: $20
- Foreign transaction fee: 3 percent
- Additional card fee: $3.95
- Replacement card fee: $3.95
- Custom card fee: $4.95
Read: Will I Get My Stimulus Check On My NetSpend Card?
How to Avoid NetSpend Fees
NetSpend fees can be overwhelming and numerous sometimes on its Prepaid Card.
Here are a few options to reduce the fees:
- Fees for reloading your card in person. You can avoid the loading on fee by adding funds to your NetSpend Card online rather than going to stores where you’re going to incur fees.
- Fees for mobile deposit of checks. Set up a direct deposit in order to avoid the mess dealing with paper checks.
- Fees for transferring money between accounts. Transfer money to a NetSpend account online rather than letting customer service representative do it for you which will cost you around a $4.95 fee.
- ATM fees. Avoid ATM fees by asking for cash back when you’re making a purchase at a retailer.
- POS fees. When you make a POS purchase, there is a $1 to run the purchase as credit or $2 to run it as debit if you are on the Pay-As-You-Go Plan. To avoid the fee, it is ideal to upgrade the plan, but make your own assesment before making the switch if it will benefit you.
- Balance inquiry fees. Check your NetSpend Card Balance online rather than at an ATM which can cost $0.50.
- Foreign transaction fees. You can avoid these fees by only using your card domestically.
- ACH fees. Avoid automatic payment on your card which will cost you $10, rather than manual payment for free.
- Fee for account inactivity. There is a $5.95 fee for inactive accounts uptp 90+ days.
Why Does a Netspend Mastercard Cost Less Than a Netspend Visa Card?
When buying a Netspend prepaid debit card, you can choose between a Mastercard or Visa. Wondering what’s different? Aside from their payment network, there’s no difference in pricing or features.
Conclusion
Using Netspend is a great way to manage your money and do daily transactions. You can choose from the company’s Pay-As-You-Go Plan, Monthly Plan, or Premier Plan as per your needs. Or, if you need a Netspend prepaid Visa debit card along with a host of banking features, you can check out the Netspend All-Access Account.
Whichever you choose, go through the Netspend fee plans and structures as explained above to arrive at the right decision.
We hope our article quelled your doubts regarding Netspend’s charges and helped you save money on fees.
