The Mango Prepaid Mastercard is an excellent option, if you're considering a prepaid debit card. More than just a regular card, Mango also offers a strong, modern suite of features, such as an app that allows you to track transactions and transfer money, and access to a savings account with a very good rate of interest. It's one of the best prepaid debit cards available today, despite having a handful of industry standard drawbacks.
Let's talk fees, because debit cards differ from most of the best credit cards. While there are no upfront fees or credit checks required (which is great), Mango has the usual fees that accompany reloadable debit cards. These fees include $3 charges for withdrawals at ATMs, a $1 fee if your transaction is declined, and a foreign currency conversion fee for when you use an ATM in another country. Mango also charges a monthly service fee of $5, although this is waived if you load more than $800 to the card each month. Beware: there's also an inactivity fee of $8 if you don't use it in a 90 day period, and if you want to deactivate the card and close your account, this carries a $10 fee. While there's no fee for getting a replacement card, you do have to pay if you want to expedite the new card. There is no cost for getting a paper account statement or for downloading the app. To learn about the fees on your card, we advise reading the cardholder agreement, which contains a detailed schedule of all the fees.
Where Mango stands out the most is in the features it offers. Like all the reloadable prepaid debit cards we reviewed, Mango does not require a credit check to sign up. It's important to know that Mango has no effect on your personal credit, so the card will not help you improve a poor credit score.
Mango has a smartphone app for both iPhone and Android. With this app, you can view your account balance, check transactions, reset your PIN, and transfer funds. It's a handy feature, and allows you to track your money very closely.
One of Mango's best features is the savings account it offers cardholders. When you sign up for an account with Mango, you can open a savings account with only $1. You can transfer funds between the savings account and the regular debit account. Mango gives you six free transfers a month. The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on Mango's savings account is the highest of any of the prepaid debit cards we reviewed, and currently stands at 6%. Once the account reaches a certain threshold, the APY drops.
Mango offers a variety of funding options. As with most of the cards we reviewed, you can have your paycheck or other government issued check directly deposited into your Mango account. You can also add funds to your card through bank transfers, Western Union and MoneyPak. Mango also offers the ability to add money through your PayPal account.
When doing a cash deposit, you should be aware that there is a limit of $950 on the amount you can deposit. There is also a maximum amount on your card ($10,000) and a limit to how much you can withdraw from an ATM each day, which is currently set at $500 for either an ATM or Teller.
Mango offers several options for support. There are a FAQs on its website, but if your question isn't answered there, you can contact this company by phone or through email. You'll also find help via the app too, which is compatible with all the best smartphones.
Should you choose Mango Prepaid Mastercard?
In a word: yes. The card itself offers some of the best value we've seen and, while it does incur standard fees for prepaid debit cards, there is nothing excessive here. The app makes it a thoroughly modern product, and the access to Mango's excellent savings account is a nice bonus. Mastercard is widely accepted throughout the world, too, so you won't need to worry about whether or not you can use it. Overall, we'd thoroughly recommend the Mango Mastercard.
