How is a Wisely prepaid debit card different from a regular debit card?

One of the main differences between a Wisely prepaid debit card and a regular debit card is that Wisely offers prepaid debit cards vs. a deposit-based account. With a Wisely card, there are no overdraft fees because you can’t spend more than what is available on your card. In cases where identity verification is needed, Wisely does this without checking your credit or impacting your score in any way. A Wisely prepaid debit card is also reloadable, so you can add funds to it in a variety of ways. A regular debit card is tied to an account, which usually holds deposited funds. You can then access the funds by writing checks and making ATM withdrawals or electronic transfers.

Was this helpful?

YesNo

To help the federal government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, the USA PATRIOT Act requires all financial institutions and their third parties to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens a card account. ↩
Please allow up to 3 weeks for your pay to be loaded to the card after initial setup of direct deposit to your card. ↩
Because this card is prepaid, you can only spend what is on the card and thus are unable to overdraft. ↩
Please review your cardholder agreement and third party terms and conditions (if applicable) to learn how this applies to you. ↩
The number of fee-free ATM transactions may be limited. Please see your cardholder agreement fee schedule for more information. ↩
The Wisely card is a prepaid card. Wisely^® Direct and Wisely^® Pay are not credit cards and do not build credit. ↩
Standard message fees and data rates may apply. ↩
Additional terms and third-party fees may apply. ↩
See your Cardholder Agreement for full zero-liability information.
Under MasterCard’s Zero Liability Policy, your liability for unauthorized transactions on your Card Account is $0.00 if you notify us promptly upon becoming aware of the loss or theft, and you exercise reasonable care in safeguarding your Card from loss, theft, or unauthorized use. These provisions limiting your liability do not apply to debit transactions not processed by MasterCard or to unregistered cards.
Visa’s Zero Liability policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more detail.” ↩
Nearly 100% of cardholders receive their pay on or before 9am on payday. ↩
You may load $20-$500 in cash onto your Wisely Card for a flat rate of up to $5.95 (subject to card and balance limits). If you have a Wisely Pay or Wisely Cash card (see back of your card), this feature requires an upgrade which may not be available to all cardholders. You should confirm your access to this feature before attempting to load cash to your card. ↩
Amounts transferred to your savings envelope will no longer appear in your available balance. You can transfer money from your savings envelope back to your available balance at any time using the myWisely app or at mywisely.com. ↩
You must first pass an additional verification process. ↩
You must opt-in to early direct deposit on mywisely.com or myWisely mobile app. Early direct deposit of funds is not guaranteed and is subject to payor’s support and the timing of payor’s payment instruction. Faster funding claim is based on a comparison of our policy of making funds available upon our receipt of payment instruction with the typical banking practice of posting funds at settlement. Please see full disclosures on mywisely.com or myWisely app. Please allow up to 3 weeks for funds to be loaded to the card after initial setup of direct deposit to your card. ↩
Cash back rewards on purchases at participating merchants are powered by Dosh Rewards. Opt-In is required for Dosh Rewards only. Most Cash Back Rewards will appear in your Wisely Rewards savings envelope within the next calendar month following your completed transaction. Only Cash Back Rewards for the purchase of eGift cards will appear instantly. eGift Card Cash Back offers range from 2% – 12%, depending on the gift card that is purchased. Cash Back amounts will be disclosed before you select a gift card. Please review the Terms and Conditions of each eGift card product before purchase. Funds from all Rewards can be moved from the savings envelope into the available balance on your card. You must log in to myWisely to access the Rewards features for purchases and eGift cards. These optional offers are not Fifth Third Bank, Pathward, Mastercard, or Visa products or services, nor does Fifth Third Bank, Pathward, Mastercard, or Visa endorse these offers. ↩
The bill pay feature, powered by Papaya, is available through the myWisely app. Additional terms and limits apply. This optional offer is not a Fifth Third Bank, Pathward or a [Mastercard, Visa] product or service, nor does Fifth Third Bank, Pathward or [Mastercard, Visa] endorse this offer. ↩
If you have a Wisely Pay card (see back of your card), access to certain features or loading funds from sources other than the company you received your card through requires an upgrade, which you can request in the myWisely app or by calling the number on the back of your card. Requesting an upgrade will automatically initiate an identity verification process utilizing your personal information already on file which must be validated in order to upgrade. Card may be restricted or closed if your identity cannot be verified. Upgrade may not be available to all cardholders. ↩
While this feature is available without a fee, certain other transaction fees and costs, terms, and conditions are associated with the use of this card. Please log in to the myWisely app or mywisely.com to see your cardholder agreement and list of all fees for more information. ↩
Funds are typically available on your card within 10 minutes. ↩
You may load $20-$500 in cash onto your Wisely Card for a flat rate of up to $5.95 (subject to card and balance limits). If you have a Wisely Pay or Wisely Cash card (see back of your card), this feature requires an upgrade which may not be available to all cardholders. ↩
Ingo Money is a service provided by Ingo Money, Inc. and First Century Bank, National Association, Member FDIC, subject to Ingo Money and First Century Bank Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy. Approval review usually takes 3-5 minutes, but may take up to one hour. All checks are subject to approval for funding in Ingo Money’s sole discretion. Unapproved checks will not be loaded to your card. Ingo Money reserves the right to recover funds from bad checks if you knew the check was bad when you submitted it, if you attempt to cash or deposit it elsewhere after funding or if you otherwise act illegally or fraudulently. Fees may apply for loading or use of your card. See your Cardholder Agreement for details. All checks are subject to approval by Ingo in its sole discretion. Fees and other terms and conditions apply to check load services. Visit http://ingomoney.com/tc.html for complete details. ↩
To view applicable fees, please log in to the myWisely app or mywisely.com to see your cardholder agreement and list of all fees for more information. ↩
Your funds are protected from fraud if your card is lost or stolen. You must notify us immediately and assist us in our investigation if your card is lost or stolen or you believe someone is using your card without your permission. For more information, please review your cardholder agreement by logging in to the myWisely app or online at mywisely.com. ↩

The Wisely Pay Visa^® is issued by Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Member FDIC or Pathward^®, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. The Wisely Pay Mastercard^® is issued by Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Member FDIC or Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. The Wisely Direct Mastercard is issued by Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. ADP is a registered ISO of Fifth Third Bank, N.A., or Pathward, N.A. The Wisely Pay Visa card can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Visa and the Visa logo are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association. The Wisely Pay Mastercard and Wisely Direct Mastercard can be used where debit Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.