What’s a prepaid debit card? You’ve heard of debit cards and credit cards, but this is different. This card can help you stick to a budget and limit your spending.
Prepaid Debit Card
A credit card offers you access to credit that you can pay back later. A regular debit card gives you access to all the money in your checking account. A prepaid debit card is funded by money you load onto the card through a variety of means. You can only spend the amount that is loaded on the card. A prepaid debit card is not linked to a bank account.
Prepaid Debit Cards and Fees
Prepaid debit cards can involve different fees. There’s an activation fee, monthly fee, card loading fee, cash withdrawal fee, and fee for withdrawal at out of network ATMs. Look for cards with a minimal number of fees, a large network of ATMs, and cash loading centers. Most cards don’t charge for purchases. But there are some that do.
No Fee Prepaid Card?
If you get a prepaid card that doesn’t charge a regular fee, it might end up costing you more in charges for cash withdrawals or when you load cash to the card. There is generally an activation fee on most cards. Look for cards with monthly fees that help you avoid transaction fees for cash loading, purchase, or cash withdrawal.
With a lot of cards, monthly fees can be waived if you load cash through direct debit. The fee may also be waived if you load at least $750 or more. Check the terms and choose according to your usage.
Most of these cards are from issuers who have a large network of ATMs and partner shops. These are places where you can load cash for free. But there’s always the option to load cash through direct debit.
Some prepaid debit cards have a savings facility. You can set aside some money that you load into the card in a savings section. This can’t be accessed when you’re trying to withdraw or make a purchase. The bonus of this is that you can earn interest on the money that you’re locking in. But there are only a few cards that have this facility.
Many prepaid debit cards come with usage tracking facilities. Expenses can be separated into different categories and you can track how the money is spent.
There’s also a Cash Back prepaid debit card, the only one of its kind, the American Express Serve Cash Back. This card gives you 1% cashback on all purchases. It also comes with purchase protection.
Why Use Prepaid Debit Cards?
If you don’t have a good financial record and thus, can’t get a credit card, you can use prepaid debit cards for cash-free transactions.
There is no credit check for these cards.
You can learn to budget your expenses.
You can create savings without having to create a bank account. Look for cards that pay an interest on the amount in the savings section.
Go to card comparison websites and find reviews of the best prepaid debit cards. Choose the card that’s the best fit for you.
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How to decorate your kitchen with hanging lights
Read moreKitchens usually have high ceilings, and there is a need for additional lighting on certain cooking areas for better performance of activities such as chopping. While ceiling lamps provide consistent illumination, there is a need for hanging lights that focus on individual regions inside the kitchen. It should be kept in mind that hanging lights placed inside the kitchen are different from those placed in the rest of the house since they are made of a tougher material to tolerate vapors emanating out of the cooking stove. Hence, apart from being aesthetically pleasing, the kitchen pendant lights also have to be resistant to moisture and other foreign elements.
- Kitchen pendant lights are mostly affixed to counters since they are pretty simple to install and do not require an electrician in most cases. The main reason why these hanging lights are so popular in the kitchen is that no other light fixture comes as close to the cooking surface. Hanging bulbs radiate light of high intensity over a small region and therefore do not require supportive lights. A single hanging light works pretty well to lighten up one corner saving on money as well as electricity.
- Hanging lights made from different materials such as brass or wood can be purchased from the market to coordinate with the theme of the kitchen. Brass kitchen hanging lights are a bit old-fashioned and lend an antique look to the house. Fancy versions of the same are also available to decorate different rooms. Although they are cheap, their lighting capacity is not limited in any manner. Brass hanging lights are robust, durable and do not require frequent modifications.
- In the case of requirement of additional light over the kitchen island, multiple hanging lights may be needed to simulate natural light. These multiple lights form a part of the track system and therefore have to be placed close to one another along the length of the track. There are separate hanging lamps to be positioned over the sink so that washing utensils and dishes are simple and effortless. This part of the kitchen is always free from the grime of the chimney, and therefore lampshades made from delicate materials such as linen can be purchased.
- Wooden pendant lights are extremely popular these days due to their elegant design which is characterized by a fusion of antiquity and modernity. These lights are also found in the patio region due to their natural and earthy look. Wooden hanging lights are a bit on the expensive side, but the feel they provide to the house is worth the money spent. Colorful hanging lights have caught the fancy of young buyers who enjoy having a party theme in their room.
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What are the advantages of smart home appliances
Read moreSmart home appliances are specialized dedicated technology which runs on a principal system. Therefore they are obviously not cheap but are extremely useful. Smart home appliances help you control all functions at home by easily connecting to your smartphones or tablets. You can also guide them using voice commands.
Different smart home appliances can do a range of things for you. Depending on their purpose, they can sense any hiccup or electrical surge and can immediately shut off the power automatically. Some can anticipate failure in the water system and switch it off. Or some are designed to manage your culinary needs. For example, they know the perfect period required to prepare a delicious meal. Some technologies can even guide you through various recipes. Whereas, certain smart home appliances can even close all your doors and windows after predicting bad weather. Therefore, having smart home appliances have its own advantages as gives you the power to interact with your house.
Advantages of smart home appliances
- Apart from making your home a little fancier, smart home appliances lend you the ability to free yourself from taking care of certain household chores. It makes managing home more convenient as all the home devices can be efficiently controlled from one place. All you need to do is install the app on your phone and quickly tap on to the multiple functions.
- Smart home appliances are extremely flexible especially when it comes to accommodating other new technologies and devices. Irrespective of the current state-of-the-art appliances you have in your home, installing a new one will never trouble you. These new smart home appliances are easy to connect and work well with the home appliances which are already in your house.
- With intelligent home appliances, you don’t have to worry about security, as they come with high-performing surveillance cameras, motion detectors, mechanized door locks, and additional such security devices. You can activate your digital security guards before going to bed. The other advantage of having security appliances is that you can request for security alerts and alarms if in case any device goes off at any time of the day.
- With smart home appliances, you can control functions of your home even from a distance. For instance, you have a dinner party, and you are still busy buying groceries. With smart home appliances, you can request or order the stove to preheat so that by the time you get home, you are set to cook.