I started down this road and decided to check with Sovereign Bank. They have a student checking account that can have a parent as a Joint Owner who both can get their own debit cards. It is a non interest bearing account, has no minimum and no montly fees. You can refuse to OPT In to overdrawn as well thus avoiding a $39.00 OD Fee.. thus you have to keep track of what’s in there or be prepared to be embarrased. All in all, I can’t see why with these options available for a student anyways one would go to this prepaid debit card. Oh, and the 1st set of checks are free! Sounds like a good deal and hopefully there is no fine print that I have failed to read.

Upside and Walmart cards are 2 of the better ones all around. If you don’t have direct deposit and your check is issued from an out of state bank the Walmart deal is the best one since you’d most likely incur a check cashing fee (never more than $3 through a Certegy service) and a reload fee otherwise.

If someone belongs to AAA they have a Visa Travel Money card with free reloads and a one time $5 purchase fee. The card says travel card but once registered/personalized online it works almost anywhere

The worst cards have fees for everything and charge you a surcharge to add money even for direct deposit and then charge to get the money off the card. There will always be some fee to add cash since its a reverse credit transaction but not having an atm network and adding a surcharge for using one is a complete rip off. Other than MoneyManager there are a few Bank payroll cards such as Bank of America’s CashPay that also have free atm withdrawals at least one a week anyway.

“How do I get a card?
“Ask your supervisor, Human Resources, or Payroll department for an Enrollment Form.”

You can get a MoneyManager card yourself. You do not have to apply for one through your payroll department. They want that business but will send you one directly and you just fill out the direct deposit form and you are good to go.

Just email them, thats what I did. They are adding cash reloads later this year.

MoneyManager is an intriguing card, but it’s a payroll card. You can’t get one yourself. You can only get one if your company is willing to use it in lieu of a paycheck or direct deposit into a checking account. In fact, you have to apply for the card through your payroll or human resources department. That’s a big catch.

And we don’t think it’s a good idea to give your college student a debit card on your primary checking account. The potential for problems is just too great.

http://www.moneymanagercard.com/pricing.php

If you don’t have direct deposit but your check is issued through a local bank that you can use then the next best is the Infusion card because reloads are $3.50 versus $4.95 for Greendot and there is no monthly fee or startup fee.

http://www.infusioncard.com/terms.php

You are getting your maths wrong: The UPside Visa card has an offering for teens (called UPside Clear) and one for adults (called UPside Life) that have $0 monthly fee, whether you load payroll money in the card or not. The Wal-Mart card is $3 / month. 0 versus 3.