It’s so easy to get carried away with vacation spending. We all have family, friends, coworkers, and even deserving factors that we want to show appreciation for. Without even realizing it, we can exceed any budgets we could have budgeted for gifts.

While it might seem like a good idea at the time – the holiday cheer and goodwill can be overwhelming – the fact is that piling up on high interest credit card debt or dipping into hard-earned savings doesn’t. just not worth that momentary adrenaline rush that comes from being generous. One way to stay within your vacation budget is to use a prepaid debit card. By using a prepaid card for vacation purchases, you can make sure that you stay on budget because, unlike credit cards, the amount you can spend is limited by how much you put into the card account before you go. spend a dime.

But don’t use just any prepaid debit card. As is the case with the use of prepaid cards in general, you’ll want to find cards to use during the holiday season that have as little cost as possible. Fortunately, you don’t have to do your homework to find out which cards have the lowest fees. BestPrepaidDebitCards.com has rated 70 prepaid card programs and ranked its top five.

“We did extensive research to compile this list and narrowed it down to the best cards for consumers today,” says Shane Tripcony, co-founder of BestPrepaidDebitCards.com. “We used a standard scoring system to calculate the average annual fee. “

The survey compared the costs of fulfillment: four ATM withdrawals per month, four ATM balance requests per month, five signature transactions per month, five PIN transactions per month, two cash reloads per month, one call to customer service per year and two cashier cash withdrawals per year.

Although the American Express Bluebird Card isn’t technically a prepaid debit card, it’s mentioned here because it works pretty much the same and has low costs and annual fees, Tripcony says.

Here are the top five prepaid debit card deals that consumers can use during the holidays and year round, according to BestPrepaidDebitCards.com.

1. Serve as

American Express
| Average annual fee: $ 0

Topping the list of the most affordable prepaid debit cards for consumers is Serve from American Express.

This card looks like a digital prepaid account and lives up to its name. You can send money by email, SMS and Facebook. And you can create sub-accounts to pay for a teenager’s allowance or your family’s babysitter.

There is no credit check, no minimum balance and no activation fee. And with an average annual fee of $ 0 according to our survey, the cost of using American Express’s Serve is hard to beat.

The cost of the card will increase after December 3, when a monthly fee of $ 1 will begin. (These fees are waived for customers who charge at least $ 500 per month, and they are not charged to customers who reside in New York, Texas, or Vermont.)

2. Convenient US bank charge card | Average annual fee: $ 47

The US Bank Convenient Cash Card comes in second.

This

Visa
-The branded card offers free ATM withdrawals, free ATM denials, and free ATM balance requests at all US banks. Both direct deposit and bill payment are free and can be set up online easily. The monthly fee is only $ 3. And there is a one-time activation fee of $ 3 when opening the account.

You are entitled to two free customer service calls per month, and any funds you load to the card are FDIC insured. PIN and signature transactions made with the US Bank Convenient Cash Card are all free, as are mobile text alerts.

3. Squeeze out the liquid | Average annual fee: $ 59.40

This Chase Visa branded card can be reloaded at 5,500 Chase locations nationwide. There is no charge to open the card, reload the value of the card, request an additional card, or withdraw money from a Chase ATM.

You can open the card with an initial charge of just $ 25. Its monthly fee is $ 4.95.

Funds loaded on Chase Liquid are insured by the FDIC and liability may be void for unauthorized use of the card. Both bill payment and direct deposit are free.

Mobile apps and free SMS alerts make it easy to check your balance. And you can sign up for cash back offers on Facebook.

4. PNC SmartAccess Prepaid | Average annual fee: $ 60

With the PNC SmartAccess Prepaid Visa card, bill payment, direct deposit and mobile text alerts are all free and ATM balance requests and all ATM withdrawals are free when using PNC Bank ATMs. .

There are no top-up charges except those charged by ReadyLink. And you can make free cash deposits at over 2,900 PNC branches. The PNC SmartAccess Prepaid Card charges a monthly fee of $ 5.

All funds loaded on the PNC SmartAccess Prepaid Card are insured by the FDIC. There are no maintenance or inactivity fees associated with the account and you can request an additional card for free.

5. BB&T Money Account | Average annual fee: $ 62.95

The Visa BB&T Money Account card has a monthly fee of $ 5 per month which can be reduced to $ 3 if you deposit at least $ 1,000 on the card in a month. And you can share joint accounts with a spouse, teenager, relative or friend. Additional cards are free.

There are unlimited fund transfers between BB&T accounts and all

ATM balance requests and cash withdrawals are free at over 2,400 BB&T ATMs.

You can deposit cash and checks to the card at over 1,800 BB&T financial centers and no separate bank account or minimum balance is required to open the account.

Funds loaded onto a BB&T Money Account are insured by the FDIC. Both bill payment and SMS alerts are free.

Well, holiday shoppers, we’ve provided some suggestions for five (six Bluebird Cash) great, low cost cards that can help you stay on your gift budget. Whether you’ve been shopping all year round and just have a little bit to finish, or you’ve saved your purchases so far, a prepaid debit card can come in handy in helping you cut down on some spending money. last minute. We have all seen that tapping into savings or accumulating new debt on a credit card can be the unwanted “gift” that keeps on giving the following year. Being disciplined with your vacation spending will also give you a head start on your New Year’s resolutions.

Curtis Arnold writes and speaks regularly about credit, debit cards, and other personal finance topics. He is the founder of CardRatings.com and BestPrepaidDebitCards.com.