In 2003, Hip Hop legend Russell Simmons founded RushCard to help give poor Americans alternative ways to access their money without paying large fees to the check cashing and money order firms. The RushCard is a prepaid card used similarly to a debit card. Millions of consumers don’t have bank accounts and rely on prepaid cards similar to the RushCard as their primary access to money.
In the past month or so, some RushCard users have not been able to access their money. For some, they can’t even verify their paychecks were deposited on their card. Many consumers live pay check to pay check and rely on having access to every penny they have. Many RushCard users are now having problems paying for their housing, groceries and other necessities due to not having access to their money. I imagine RushCard is working hard to correct their issue so its clients can access their funds as soon as possible.
Are prepaid credit cards the best solution for the poor? You can be the judge, but I find many people who use prepaid credit cards are a far cry from being poor. I see many people using these types of cards because they have bad credit and can’t qualify for traditional credit cards. A better option for many of these people is to open a secured credit card like the one from Capital Bank, they can use this card for their monthly purchases and then pay it in full each month. This helps consumers build up a credit profile, eliminates many of the fees that come with prepaid cards and eliminates interest charges if they pay their credit card balance in full each month.
You’re not alone if you have credit issues or are not able to open a bank account. Just try to stay informed of the best options available so you can look to improve your situation instead of making it worse.
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Credit Reporting / Scoring Expert, Chris McConville is the President of Credit Education at CureMyScore.com and founder of myexpertcreditwitness.com where he works as an Expert Credit Witness in both Federal and State Court. With working in the credit and mortgage fields since 1991, he’s dedicated to sharing his knowledge to educate consumers.
