Green Dot may not be the best prepaid debit card on the market, but it is easy use, has reasonable fees and several great reload options, and, best of all it, is safer and more secure than carrying around cash. When you purchase a Green Dot card, you will have the option to choose a prepaid MasterCard or a prepaid Visa. You can use both wherever MasterCard and Visa debit cards are accepted.

You can purchase the Green Dot prepaid debit card at thousands of locations across the U.S. The purchase price of this card will vary by retailer, but the typical price is around $4.95. The monthly service charge for this card is $5.95, unless you can load at least $1,000 to your card or have 30 posted purchases transactions within the monthly billing cycle. Compared to many other prepaid debit cards who also offer a similar deal, Green Dot's $1,000 fee is very reasonable, which we appreciate, but we wish there was no limit at all.

As we read through the card fees on the Green Dot website, we were surprised to see that they do not charge an ATM withdrawal fee for ATMs that are "in-network." You will be able to find a few of these in-network ATMs at your local banks, like Zion’s First National, U.S. Bank and more. For a list of these ATMs, you can go to their website to learn more. For other ATMs not in the network, there will be a $2.50 charge, plus ATM fees. With this prepaid card, you can receive cash back at a participating bank. If you choose to do this, there will be a $2.50 fee.

Below are additional fees that you will encounter while using this prepaid debit card:

• Balance inquiry at non-network ATM: $0.50
• Replacement card, lost or stolen: $4.95
• Second card: $4.95
• Expedited card delivery: $19.95

During the initial purchase process of this card, you have the option to upgrade to a VIP Membership status for an extra cost. What does this mean? You get the VIP perks, baby. If you are an elite cardholder, you get free ATM usage at any ATM nationwide, meaning you will save $2.50 each time you withdrawal money. Remember, however, that you will still be responsible for the ATM fees. If you happened to lose your prepaid debit card, instead of paying the $4.95 for a new one, they will FedEx you a replacement card for free. When you are a VIP, your call to customer service will be bumped ahead of the non-VIP cardholders.

The Green Dot packet that you purchase at a retailer does not include the actual, authorized prepaid debit card. You will get a temporary card that you can still make purchases with, but you cannot use it to withdrawal money from an ATM or get cash back. You will use this temporary card until your authorized debit card arrives in the mail, which can take 7-10 business days. This can be inconvenient if you habitually need cash.

You are able to have a second card, which you can give to a friend or family member. If you are planning to give this card to your child or college student, remember that, in order to activate this card, you must be 18 years old or have a parent or legal guardian on the phone through the activation process. Also, be aware that the secondary card will have the same account number as your main, personal card, so both cardholders will have access to the funds.

As soon as you sign up for this prepaid debit card, we highly recommend, no insist, that you read the cardholder agreement. There is a lot of fine print that comes with this card, so please be aware of every detail so you do not violate your agreement.

One of the main features of this card is that you get to choose whether you want a prepaid MasterCard or Visa card. This is a great option depending on where you live in the country. Big corporations to small businesses all have their own payment policies, and not all merchants accept all cards. We also appreciate that this prepaid debit card does not require a credit check.

The first commandment of prepaid cards is this: Know thy balance. With the Green Dot Mobile feature, you can – anytime, anywhere. If your phone is compatible with text messaging, then you can sign up for the service by registering your phone number with the prepaid card site. Once you have done this, you can check your balance whenever you need to. This is a free service, but your mobile provider may charge you standard messaging fees.

You can purchase a Green Dot prepaid debit card at over 50,000 retailers across the U.S., including:

• CVS Pharmacy
• Kmart
• Rite Aide
• 7-Eleven
• Walgreens

Once the card is purchased, you can load money to that card in several ways, including:

Direct Deposit – You can set up direct deposit for your payroll check and for government benefits. If your employer offers this option, you can login to your prepaid debit card account, select "Add Funds" then "Direct Deposit" and Green Dot will create a personalized form for you. You can fill out this form and give it to your employer. If you can have your social security, Veterans compensation, retirement and any supplemental check deposited to your prepaid debit card. You can even have your tax refund automatically deposited to your prepaid card.

MoneyPak –Thousands of stores nationwide carry the MoneyPak card. You can purchase the card for $4.95 and immediately add cash to the card at the register. You can then use this card to apply the funds to your prepaid debit card.

Bank Account – The ability to transfer funds from your bank account to your card is an excellent feature, and it's one that Green Dot offers. You can load your card from your bank account and credit union.

Direct deposit is a fantastic funding option and you can have up to $10,000 on it at any time, just make sure you do not go over that limit. During the purchase and load phases, issues may arise. If you find yourself in a bind, one that general FAQs cannot appease, you can call customer service. You will call this same support number if your prepaid debit card has been lost or stolen.

If you would rather use electronic means of communication, there are four different online forms that you can fill out for feedback, technical questions, specific card help and website help.

Green Dot has a Twitter account and a Facebook page. We recommend that you also post your questions or concerns to the respective social walls; you may get answers faster that way.