BuyRIGHT Pre-Paid MasterCard®

Well, this is definitely an interesting option to look at if you want something that is a little bit different from the other guys. It has a lot of different options that pull it closer to a real credit card, but it may not be the best choice for you.

This card supports all of the standard benefits that just about all of its competitors have. You can make withdrawals from any ATM out of the 900,000 compatible choices throughout the world. There is an option for free direct deposits for easy reloading. They do offer a special system to pay your bills automatically online, which is a really nice addition. You’ll even get the free activity alerts to protect against unauthorized spending. There are some nice unique benefits available for you too. Buying their card allows you to join the BuyRIGHT program. This allows you to use your prepaid card as a real credit card through SmartCreditShopping.com. It does this by giving you a $7,500 line of credit that you are automatically approved for, as long as you can put down a 20% deposit on your card for what you plan to borrow. Any payments made through this program will be reported to the credit bureaus to help you make real progress towards fixing your credit. There is also a nice rewards program availabe. For every dollar you spend you’ll get a point that you can spend at their shop. It’s just nice to be able to get some ringtones and downloads that are basically free.

The fees are a little odd. There is a pretty steep $29.95 activation fee for the card and you have to put at least $20 on it to start out. This means that short term users may want to look for another option. The fees beyond that are up to you and which plan you end up choosing. You can choose to just shell out $1 for each of your purchases with the card, or you can pay $4.95 a month and have unlimited purchases. For anyone who is going to make more than 4 purchases a month, the choice should be pretty obvious. These aren’t too bad for monthly fees considering all the little extras that you’re going to get.

This is another option for someone who may want to get something a little better than the average prepaid card. Their rewards program and their credit line offers some innovative little additions to the prepaid card that put them on a level all their own. Their fee structure is a bit steep for the person who just wants a basic card though. Overall though, it is definitely a card that you should consider if you really want to have some options for advancement in the future.