Green Dot is an American financial technology company and bank holding institution whose headquarters are in Austin, Texas, United States. It is the leading prepaid debit card company globally by market capitalization. Green Dot also offers payment services and is the technology platform that Apple Pay Cash, Uber, and Intuit use for their transactions. The company started its operations in 1999 under the leadership of Steve Streit as a prepaid card for teenagers to pay online. We shall learn how to withdraw money from Greendot without the card.
Green Dot Corporation issues prepaid MasterCard plus Visa prepaid cards in the United States. You can get the products from nearly 100,000 retail stores such as CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Dollar Tree. Also, you can receive discounted offers at Meijer and Walmart. The platform also transfers personal direct deposit funds (e.g., Social Security payments) to personal bank accounts from the United States government. Furthermore, the company provides co-branded card programs to Boost Mobile, Walmart, AT&T, and Citibank.
Numerous disadvantages are associated with the Green Dot cards, such as the 3% cashback you get for using your card. Again, the platform also has a savings account that offers 3% interest called the Unlimited cashback account. When you use a Green Dot card for your purchases, the systems deduct the spend amount from the balance stored on your card. You can add finances to your Green Dot prepaid debit card in various ways.
How to get started with Green Dot?
You can get started with Green Dot by opening an account online. Once it is ready, you will add money to your account from another bank or credit union account. You can make an instant transfer with routing and account number when you use wire transfer. First, you must obtain all needed to open an account with any financial company.
Federal law requires Green Dot and any other financial institution to obtain, verify, and record their address, name, date of birth, and Social Security number when registering an account. For Green Dot, you require the details when applying for your card.
Green Dot may ask you for details, including your driver’s license or any other identifying document and a valid Social Security Number. Once you have all those, you can apply for your card online by visiting the application page. Once you click to Open an account link, you will land on the GO2bank page. Here, you will enter your email address, pass the security test, and tap the Get Started button.
You should enter your first and last name on the page that opens and make sure that your name matches your state ID, which will help you greatly when setting up direct deposits. Once you enter your names, hit the continue button and enter your home address on the opening page. The home address includes the address, Zip code, apt/suite/unit (optional), Zip code, city, and state. After that, you tick the two agreement boxes, and tap Continue.
How to activate your Green Dot card?
After successfully applying and getting your card, you will activate your card. The activation requires a mobile number, online access, and identity verification to open an account and enjoy all features. Having an activated personalized prepaid card is essential to access all Green Dot features.
You can visit the Green Dot card activation page and then activate your card. To activate it, you must enter the 16-digit card number, the expiry dates, and CVV, and press Next to complete your card activation. You can receive money on your Green Dot card for your transaction activities.
How to use a Green Dot prepaid card?
The card is not that different from other payment cards, such as debit and credit cards, in terms of usage. It allows you to carry out various transaction activities, including the following. Have a look.
i) Buying goods and services
You can use your Green Dot prepaid card to buy goods and services at various places such as supermarkets, restaurants, airports, and other places that support card payments. You can make your payment online or at a physical store.
Online payments require you to key in the card number, the expiry dates, and the security code on the field provided. When making your payments at a physical store, you will have to swipe or tap.
ii) Withdraw money at ATMs
The card allows you to withdraw finances from ATMs across the country. That allows you to get cash for various uses since you will not need to use the card for your transactions. Some places do not accept cash payments, yet you may need to get essential things from there.
iii) Pay bills
Green Dot fully supports bill payments through its prepaid debit cards. You can pay for your electricity, water, internet, etc. Bill payment is one of the critical transactions since we cannot live without essential services.
iv) Transfer to a bank account
You can transfer money from a GreenDot card to a bank account online. You need to log into your account, and you are good to go. Most prepaid card companies do not support bank transfers. Similarly, Green Dot does not allow transfers to bank accounts unless done indirectly accounts through mobile wallets such as PayPal and Venmo.
How to withdraw money from Greendot without the card?
As I have mentioned somewhere up, you can withdraw money from your card account at an ATM by inserting the card into the machine, entering your PIN, and withdrawing. However, it is not a must that you use the card to withdraw money. You can withdraw finances from your card to a bank by following a few steps to accomplish the transfer.
However, you can only use indirect means to carry out the process. Ironically, Green Dot allows you to add money to your account from another bank. You must first link the bank to Green Dot using the steps below.
- Log in to your Green Dot account on the app.
- Tap Deposit, or log in to GreenDot.com and choose Add Funds.
- Choose Bank Transfer from the menu.
- Select the bank to link.
- Enter the details you use to log in to your bank account.
- Complete verification checks if your bank requires any.
Once you have finished the linkage, you can transfer money from the bank to your card account. To transfer money from GreenDot to your bank account, you can first add the card details to PayPal. After that, you can transfer money from GreenDot to PayPal, then transfer the funds to your bank account.
Although the transfer method is lengthy, you will eventually avail money in your bank account. PayPal supports bank withdrawals. Instead of PayPal, other platforms that you can use include Venmo, Cash App, and Payoneer.
How to send money through Green Dot?
Green Dot users can send money to one another when the need arises. You need to use your online account, and you are good to go. The steps below are necessary for your transfer.
- Log in to your account
- Navigate to Pay Bills and People
- Select Pay People
- Navigate to Send Money.
- Enter the recipient’s name, phone number, email address, and memo.
- Enter the amount to send.
- Hit Continue
- Review the details and select Send Money to complete the transaction.
How do I deposit money on my Green Dot prepaid card?
There are various ways you can deposit finances in your account. They include the following.
1) Early direct deposit
The direct deposit allows you to get your payments two days early. You can get government benefits payments up to 4 days early. Therefore, you get your funds earlier compared to traditional banks.
2) Deposit cash
You can deposit cash at the register using your card or the Green Dot App. We have 90,000+ retail locations countrywide.
3) Bank transfer
I highlighted how you link a bank account to add money to your account. After a successful linkage, you find it easy to move money from your bank to your Green Dot account. You can even add another card to the Green Dot account to help top up your balance and can even have two prepaid cards on the same account, although Green Dot may limit the cards’ usage.
4) MoneyPak®
The platform allows you to deposit money on any eligible debit or prepaid card using Green Dot cards.
5) Deposit checks
You can use the app to deposit checks from anywhere by taking photos of the endorsed check.
Can I get a temporary Green Dot card?
It is possible to register for a temporary Green Dot card for your online transactions. The cards cannot allow you to withdraw money at ATMs as tangible cards do. However, you can get money off a temporary Green Dot card if you add it to PayPal and then fund a PayPal transfer to a bank account.
Bottom line
Green Dot is an American financial technology company and bank holding institution headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. It is the leading prepaid debit card company globally by market capitalization. The platform allows you to manage your cards online, whereby you can check your card balance, send money to other Green Dot account holders, and deposit checks, among other transaction activities. You cannot transfer money from Green Dot to a bank but can recharge using a bank account.
