Myplash.com has begun selling Teen Prepaid MasterCards with images that include So So Happy, Skelanimals, Paul Frank, and Emily the Strange, according to a report issued Wednesday by Bill Hardekopf, chief executive of Lowcards.com, a credit-card comparison Web site.
On Nov. 17, Hardekopf wrote about how the Kardashian Kard was a bad deal because of the high fees that came with the card.
Myplash.com also sells prepaid cards featuring various artists, and earlier this year began marketing one featuring characters from the Twilight movie saga.
“There is nothing illegal about using cartoon characters to promote a financial product to teens, but it sure bothers me as a parent and seems to cross over the line of what is good taste,” said Hardekopf, also author of The Credit Card Guidebook.
Fees for the Myplash cards are lower than fees for the Kardashian Kard but they still add up, Hardekopf said.
The activation fee is $6.95. The monthly fee $4.95 and the reload fee from a credit or debit card is $4.95 (there is no fee for direct deposit reloads). The ATM transaction fee is $1.50 per withdrawal. There is a $1.95 fee for inactive accounts and $2.00 fee for a paper statement. Disputing a transaction costs $15 per transaction.
Electronic bill pay costs $0.50 per transaction. Contacting a customer service agent will cost $1.50 by email and $1.95 to speak with a live customer service agent (free for first three minutes). Transferring money to another Myplash card costs $0.50 per transfer. Text message and email alerts are free.
Cartoon Characters Prepaid Cards
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