Mango Prepaid Mastercard Review
The Mango Prepaid Mastercard’s fees are competitive among prepaid cards. But its standout feature is its high-interest savings account. You can earn a 6% APY. But only if you meet the deposit requirements.
Mango Prepaid Mastercard
Pros
- High-interest savings
- Low monthly fee
Cons
- Monthly fee is not waivable
- ATM Fees
- No bill pay
Mango Prepaid Mastercard not what you are looking for? Check out other options in our Best Prepaid Debit Cards list.
Mango Prepaid Mastercard Overview
The Mango Prepaid Mastercard is known for one thing–its high-interest savings account. The Mango card offers an eye-popping 6% APY savings account to its prepaid card holders.
There is a bit of a catch, however. The 6% savings account is available only to prepaid card holders that have a “net direct deposit” of at least $800 per month. “Net direct deposit” is Mango’s term for money that gets added to the card through an ACH transfer–like direct deposit for your paycheck–minus the money that goes back out through an ACH transfer the same month. Transfers out would include transfers out to your PayPal account or even recurring bills setup through your electric company, for example.
Still, the savings account offers a 2% APY even for those that don’t meet the direct deposit requirement–well higher than what most brick and mortar banks offer.
Beyond the savings account, the Mango Prepaid Mastercard offers a simple fee structure. It charges a monthly fee of $3 and $2 per ATM withdrawal.
While the monthly fee is low, there is no way to waive the monthly fee through regular direct deposits or other usage requirements. And it’s missing a couple of features offered by some other cards–like a bill pay service, the ability to deposit checks to the card, and a mobile app.
Features
Like other prepaid cards, the Mango Prepaid Mastercard offers direct deposit and text alerts. And since it’s issued through the Mastercard network, the Mango card can be used anywhere that Mastercard debit cards are accepted. In addition, Mango offers
Savings Account: The Mango Prepaid Mastercard offers a connected savings account to users. Users can create their account by transferring as little as $1 into their savings account. If you meet the direct deposit requirement, Mango offers a 6.00% APY on savings account balances up to $5,000–the best savings account offering of any prepaid card.
If you do not meet the direct deposit requirements in a given month, you receive a 2.00% APY.
Balances above $5,000 earn 0.10% APY.
Mobile Access: Mango no longer offers a downloadable mobile app. However, it does have a mobile portal–a webpage formatted for a smartphone. Through the portal, users can send and receive money, find the nearest reload location and see associated fees, and monitor transactions.
Limits
You can have up to a $10,000 balance on the Mango Prepaid Mastercard – in-line with most prepaid cards.
The maximum daily spending limit for the card is $2,500, and the daily ATM limit is $500, both close to average.
While not important to some prepaid card users, it’s worth noting that the daily cash load limit on the Mango card–at $940–is significantly lower than most cards.
Fees
The Mango Prepaid Mastercard has a simple fee structure. And that’s one of its strengths. The monthly card fee is $3.00. ATM withdrawals cost $2.00, with a $1.00 fee to check your account balance at an ATM without making a withdrawal.
Mango charges no other regular fees and no fees for your connected savings account
You can reload your Mango Prepaid Mastercard at Green Dot reload locations, but fees charged by Green Dot can be up to $4.95 per transaction.
How to Load Money on the Mango Prepaid Mastercard
There are several ways to load the Mango Prepaid Mastercard.
Direct Deposit: Paychecks and government benefits checks can be loaded on the card via direct deposit without a fee.
PayPal Transfer: You can transfer money to your Mango Prepaid Mastercard from PayPal without Mango charging a load fee, though PayPal may charge a fee.
Mobile Check Deposit: Mango does not have a built-in system for mobile check deposit, but it is connected to INGO. Checks can be deposited through INGO with no fee, but deposits will take 10 days. If users want the deposit same-day it costs 1% to 4% of the check’s value.
Online Bank Transfer: If you have a bank account, you can transfer funds to the Mango Prepaid Mastercard online for free. However, Mango’s security system requires the name on the bank account must match the name on your prepaid card.
Cash Reload: Mango is connected to the Green Dot reload network which has over 100,000 partner locations. Green Dot locations include Walmart, 7-Eleven, CVS/Pharmacy, and more. Cost per reload can be up to $5.95.
Getting Cash
There are two ways to get cash from the Mango Prepaid Mastercard:
ATMs: You can use the card like a bank debit card to withdraw money from any ATM. The Mango fee is $2.00 per transaction, plus the fee charged by the ATM owner. The Mango Prepaid Mastercard also charges a $1.00 fee for balance inquiries at ATMs, so we recommend using the web portal to check your balance when possible.
Cash Back at Retailers: Many retailers allow you to get cash back when making purchases using your PIN number. That avoids the ATM fees.
Getting the Mango Prepaid Mastercard
The Mango Prepaid Mastercard must be ordered online, but there is no activation or shipping fee. Your card will be mailed within 1 day of ordering and you should receive it within 7 to 10 business days.
As with other prepaid debit cards, you do need a valid social security number to verify your identity, but there’s no credit check or other requirements.
Summary of the Mango Prepaid Mastercard
Mango’s savings account is a stand-out feature. For those meeting the direct deposit requirement and wanting to take advantage of the savings feature, there’s no better choice.
Even for those that don’t, Mango’s low monthly fee makes it a competitive choice among prepaid cards.
However, the inability to waive the monthly fee, the lack of free ATM withdrawals, and some missing features, like bill pay, are drawbacks.
Best For: Prepaid card users that use direct deposit and want a great savings account.
Not So Good For: Prepaid card users who regularly visit the ATM, deposit checks, or require online bill pay.