The Green Dot is an American financial service and bank holding company. Its headquarters are in Austin, USA. The company mainly issues prepaid debit cards and is globally the largest prepaid debit card company by market capitalization. It also offers a payments platform used by Uber, Apple Pay Cash, and Intuit. Since it is a payment platform, its cards have routing and account numbers. I will show you how to get my Green Dot account and routing number shortly.
A routing number and account numbers are significant for various financial transactions. If someone from another bank wants to send you money, they should use your account number and routing number. Even though we have a transfer service such as Zelle, which eliminates the need for the above details when sending money, they remain relevant, mainly when contacting a wire or ACH transfer.
Green Dot was started in 1999 by Steve Streit. He started it as a prepaid debit card for teenagers to shop online. The company continued expanding, and in the year 2001, it embarked to serve the “unbanked” and “underbanked” people to improve their banking practices. The company acquired other companies such as Loopt, AccountNow, UniRush Financial Services, AchieveCard, and Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to expand its territories.
Opening A Green Dot Account
The company also gives you a personal banking experience to enjoy mobile banking and bill pay. You can link your prepaid card to your banking app to use for your bill payments, which is one way how to get money off a temporary Green Dot card.
You can open a GO2 Bank account online by visiting the Green Dot account opening page then entering your email address in the space provided. After that, you can click the Get Started Button. If you already have a card from the company, you can activate it by tapping the “Already Have a Card? Activate it” button. You only need to provide the card number, the expiry date, and the security code.
Enter the necessary details per the federal government requirements to continue creating an account. You require your name, date of birth, email address, Social Security number (SSN), and MOBILE phone number. The bank may also require your driver’s license or other identification documents. You also need to provide your physical address.
Once your Green Dot account is active, you will get a notification via your email or phone number about the status of your GO2Bank account.
Things You Can Do With Your Green Dot Prepaid Card
The prepaid card works the same as the other payment cards. The following are some of the things you can do with your card.
i) Pay bills
Your card can help you sort out various bills such as water, electricity, internet, and many others. Nowadays, carrying cash to pay your bills is outdated, and firms now emphasize paying using digital means.
ii) Send money
The card allows you to send money to other Green Dot cardholders online. You need to use the card account online using the card management app that you can get from the relevant sites such as App Store and Google Play. Follow the procedure below to send money using a Green Dot prepaid card.
- Log in to your account online.
- Navigate to ‘Pay Bills and People’
- Select ‘Pay People’
- Hit ‘Send Money’
- Enter the recipient’s name, email, and phone number
- Write a memo
- Enter the amount to send
- Hit ‘Continue’ to review the information
- Tap ‘Send Money’ to complete your transfer.
iii) Transfer money to a bank account
You can transfer money from a GreenDot card to a bank account online. You can do so by following the procedure below.
- Log into your Green Dot account online.
- Move to ‘Add money’ or ‘Transfer money’ section.
- Tap ‘Transfer money’.
- Add the bank details where to send the money.
- Follow the other instructions to complete the transfer.
iv) Buy goods and services
You can buy goods and services at physical locations or online. When buying online, you can present the card number, the expiry date, and the CVV or send money directly if the business has a Green Dot account. When buying at a physical location, you need to tap or swipe at the register to make your payment.
Ways To Get Your Green Dot Account And Routing Number
A routing number is significant for direct deposit purposes. If you are employed or getting any government benefit, you can use the routing and account numbers to apply for direct deposit. You can make instant transfers with routing and account numbers apart from direct deposit.
That is when doing a wire transfer. Wire transfers are not always instant, and in most cases, they complete within a day. To get your account and routing numbers, you can use any of the following ways.
- Text info to 37267
- Download and log in to the Green Dot app and Tap ‘ASAP Direct DepositTM’.
- Log in to your account at GreenDot.com and click ‘Deposit’, then ‘Free Direct Deposit’.
Using the online method is more reliable since the text method may have difficulty, especially if your phone has messaging issues.
Prepaid Cards That You Can Get At Green Dot
There are various prepaid cards that you can get from the company. They include the following:
a) Unlimited Cash Back Bank Account
The card features a 3% cashback when you use it on purchases. You also get a 3% APY on the savings account since the card allows you to save money for the future. Cash backs are ways of appreciating customers whereby one realizes the value of their money.
b) Walmart MoneyCard
Walmart MoneyCard is a product of Walmart in partnership with Green Dot that gives you the Walmart MoneyCard that you can use online and at Walmart physical stores.
c) Green Dot Prepaid Card & Cash Back Debit Card
The card is only available in stores, while you can get the Cash Back Debit Card online and in various stores. Stores that sell the cards include CVS Pharmacy, 7-Eleven Kmart, and Walgreens.
You get it customized with your name when you buy a card only. However, if you apply at a physical store, the cards are temporary and do not have your name but indicate “Valued Customer.” The temporary cards are not reloadable either.
d) Uber Business Debit
The company has partnered with Uber, a taxi company, to help drivers get paid quickly via debit card. They can then access their funds online and at ATMs, unlike banks that can waste one’s time queuing for payments.
e) RushCard
RushCard allows users to receive early direct deposit, rewards, and money management services. The card was from UniRush LLC, which later sold it to Green Dot Corporation in a deal valued at $147 million.
Final Words
Green Dot is an American financial services company and bank holding company with headquarters in Austin, USA, and offers mobile banking services, prepaid cards, and bill payment services to their customers. Depending on your desires, you can get a temporary or a personalized permanent prepaid card from the company.
Green Dot cards are available online and at physical stores like Walmart and CVS. You can load the cards at physical locations, receive money from others, or via direct deposit.
