If you are going to use a prepaid debit card, consider using one that will benefit others with each swipe of your card. The Pink ACE Elite Visa not only offers you money-management benefits such as text alerts and money transfers between cardholders, it also offers an invaluable feature. Each time you use your card, ACE Elite will donate a portion of your purchase to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. You have the opportunity to help others by simply spending money.

Getting cash back during a transaction is the best way to access cash with this prepaid debit card. You do have the option of using any ATM, but you can get cash back when you make purchases using your PIN at many retailers. ACE does not charge for a PIN purchase transaction, but there is a $2.50 ATM cash withdrawal fee.

Other fees, charges and features in this review refer to the ACE Elite with Direct Deposit Fee Advantage Plan. To be eligible for this plan, you must have $500 deposited into your account during one calendar month. There is quite the list of fees for this prepaid card, including:

• Purchase fee: $9.95
• Instant bank transfer: $5.95
• ATM decline fee: $1.00
• Additional card: $3.95
• Replacement card: $3.95
• Stop pre-authorized payment: $10.00
• Balance inquiry by ATM: $0.50
• Balance inquiry by automated service: $0.50
• Balance inquiry by toll-free number: $0.50
• ATM withdrawal: $2.50 plus ATM fees
• International ATM withdrawal: $4.95 plus ATM fees
• Overdraft protection service: $15.00 per occurrence
• Account-to-account transfer via automated service: $1.00
• Account-to-account transfer via customer service agent: $4.95
• Inactivity fee: $5.95 (this occurs if card is not used in a 90-day period)
• Plan Fee: $5.00

That fee list may seem horrifyingly long, but this prepaid debit card does offer a few free services, including checking your balance online, anytime text alerts, and direct deposit.

You are able to load your money via the ACE Cash Express, which has locations across the U.S. To find a location near you, simply visit the ACE Elite website. Here, you will find a Store Locator tab where you can enter your state or zip code to find reload centers near you.

The ACE Elite website features a blog articles about how you can save money. You can also subscribe to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to receive tips on how to be more frugal.

You can use the Pink ACE Elite card wherever Visa debit cards are accepted, including online retailers, car rental services and airlines. You are also able to pay your bills online with the card.

The Pink ACE Elite prepaid card has a great list of card-specific features. But our favorite non-card feature is what the Pink represents. For every purchase you make with your Pink ACE Elite Visa, a portion of that money is donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. We love that you can enjoy great card features while giving back.

In today’s fast-paced world, mobility is key. With this prepaid card, you can make purchases anywhere. And with the iPhone or Android app (both are free), you can check your balance, see recent transactions and find the closest load location. The iPhone app is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad iOS 4.1 or later. The Android app requires Android 2.1 and up.

Even if you don’t have an iPhone or Android, you can still sign up for anytime text alerts. You will receive texts daily, weekly or after each prepaid debit card transaction to your cell phone or email account. If you choose per-transaction alerts, you'll get notifications of purchase authorizations, ATM withdrawals, loads, refunds, cardholder transfers and fee plan assessments. Note: you must have a text-message enabled cell phone to receive the texts.

Direct deposit is a fast and efficient way to load money to your card. Your money is immediately accessible, and you can withdraw up to $200 per day with no fees at any ACE Cash Express location.

If other members of your family also have a Pink ACE Elite card, you can transfer money between cards through a text message or online, which is very convenient.

Due to the many rules, regulations and fees associated with the prepaid debit card, you are more than likely to have questions. You can call customer support Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. CST, and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The system is largely automated, so you will need a card number to access the live support service, unless your card has been lost, stolen or you never received it.

We are disappointed that this prepaid card site does not have a FAQs section. We had to send an email to customer support desk for the simplest questions. Unfortunately, we never heard back from email support, which is, again, disappointing and frustrating.