guide

Newbie guide to manufactured spending: REloadit Cards

Update: Now that REloadit cards are reduced to $500 increments and unloading them has become more difficult, they are no longer a viable manufactured spending option.

REloadit cards are the holy grail of manufactured spending tools. If you can find a location that carries them in $950 increments and lets you pay with a credit card, you have hit the jackpot. Bonus points (literally) if you can earn a category bonus from this purchase.

ReloadIT cards

I’ve had mixed experiences here. In the past, I’ve been able to buy these at a Safeway without hassle. Recently, I came across a Lucky’s grocery store that carried these and Vanilla Reload Cards. I was told they only accepted “cash or debit” for both cards. I find this interesting, since the REloadit site specifically says REloadit cards can only be purchased with cash.

Considering the fee is just $3.95, on a $950 purchase you would earn 475 – 950 miles, depending on which mile-earning debit card you use. If you’re on the low end, you’re paying more money to earn fewer miles than with a Vanilla Reload card. On the high end, you’re reducing your manufactured spending costs by half.

Here is a list of prepaid cards you can use to unload REloadit cards and eventually cash them out:

1. PayPower 
Paypower Prepaid Visa Card

Reload Limit: $2,500 per day

Fees: $5.95 monthly fee

Where to buy: Grocery stores (Safeway, Kroger, etc.)

How to Cash Out: Amazon Payments, ATM, bill pay feature, cash back at grocery store registers, money order, square cash

2. Paypal Prepaid MasterCard

Paypal Prepaid MasterCard

Reload Limit: $2,500 per day, $15,000 per month

Fees: $4.95 monthly fee, $1.95 ATM withdrawal fee

 

Where to buy: Online or CVS

How to Cash Out: Amazon Payments, ATM, bank transfer, cash back at grocery store registers, money order, Square Cash

Note: Paypal offers a refer-a-friend program. For each friend that signs up and loads $10 on their Paypal Prepaid MasterCard, you both earn $5.

3. Netspend Prepaid cards

NetSpend Prepaid Card

Reload Limit: $7,500 per 25 hours/$15,000 per month

Fees: $1 per credit transaction, $2 per debit transaction, $1 bill pay fee, $2.50 ATM withdrawal fee. Transaction fees are waived if you sign up for the $10 monthly plan.

Where to buy: Online, select grocery stores

How to Cash Out: Amazon Payments, ATM, Bill Pay feature, Cash back at grocery store registers, Money order, Square Cash

4. Vision Visa Prepaid Cards

Vision Visa Prepaid Card

Reload Limit: $2,500 per month

Fees: $9.95 Activation fee

$7.95 Monthly fee

$2.50 ATM fee

Where to buy: Online

How to Cash Out: Amazon Payments, ATM, bill pay feature, cash back at grocery store registers, money order, Square Cash.

Note: This card earns 1% cash back at gas stations

5. Univision Prepaid Cards

Univision Prepaid Card Manufactured Spending

Reload Limit: $950 per day/$9,000 per month

Fees: $9.95 monthly fee, $1.95 ATM fee when you go outside the Allpoint network

Where to buy: Online, Grocery stores (Safeway, Lucky’s, etc.)

How to Cash Out: Amazon Payments, ATM, bill pay feature, cash back at grocery store registers, money order, Square Cash

While this card has a monthly fee of $9.95, you get free unlimited ATM withdrawals at Target, 7-Eleven and within the Allpoint network. The Univision card also offers a bill pay feature similar to Bluebird.

You can offset the monthly fee by earning a $10 referral credit for each friend you refer. The person you refer will earn $5, and are no limits on how much you can earn this way. If you want to refer/be referred for, leave a comment indicating this.

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22 Comments

  1. Which Safeway?!? I haven’t been able to buy them there in over a year. Just got shut down again trying yesterday 🙁

    • I bought them at the CVS by Safeway, though it doesn’t work anymore. They’re not hard-coded into the register, so it worked the first time. The second time, the cashier refused. My brother-in-law buys Visa/MC gift cards from that location regularly and they take his credit card.

  2. The link provided to the ADP card has an employer of UC Davis – does this matter, since I’m not a UC Davis employee? Can I still sign up using this link, or should a more generic link be used?

    • Yes, if you can get a generic link I’d use that. Otherwise, you might want to give this a shot – you never know, they might just approve you.

  3. Hmmm….never heard of Reloadit cards, but then again, I’m new to manufactured spending =) I will have to see if they have these in my area!

  4. Charles Li

    I read in the fine print that only Green Dot works to load onto the ADP card. Did something change from your last post?

  5. Jerry Mandel

    Cards like Paypower that can only be bought with cash should never be recommended by you.

  6. (I’m reposting my question here, just in case you didn’t see it. )
    How to load ReloadIt to my Paypal debit card? Should I go to ReloadIt website or Paypal website? And I guess I have to load twice for each $950 ReloadId card, since there’s a $500 daily limit from Paypal, right?
    Thanks.

    • PointChaser

      You can do it on the Reloadit website. Right on the home page you’ll see a form where you can enter your Reloadit pack # and card number.

      • Thank you. I found my problem. The Paypal debit card I have is Business Debit Mastercard, not the Prepaid Debit card. So it’s not reloadable. 🙁

        I have to get a no-fee PayPower card from Safeway and load them to it.

        Thanks again.

        • PointChaser

          I see. By the way, you can also load ReloadIT onto Evovle Money and pay some of your bills. Be sure to check their list of payees before loading funds.

          • Some GIFT cards at Safeway can be converted into DEBIT cards by phone or online. Packets contain instructions. Not reloadable. Buy a bunch.

  7. Michelle Patterson

    Visa and MC or merchant cards?

  8. Assuming you can actually find them AND buy them with a CC, do they actually load on Serve now? If so, are they a debit card load?

  9. So, I am completely new MS! For the ReLoadit, do you have to unload them on one of these cards in order to use them on say Evolve Money? Or can you just use them as is?

  10. Cool, thanks! Hopefully I can find a place that will let me use a credit card for them. Been trying to work on MS for the first time since I finally got two AMEX cards and Evolve doesn’t take AMEX 🙁 Thanks for the info and the website, its been really helpful! 🙂

  11. One of the biggest questions I get hit with is “Where can I buy a Reloadit card?” I find Reloadit cards to be difficult because its not located in popular retail stores like the other reload packs (Vanilla Reload…discontinued, MoneyPak, PayPal Cash and more). The other reload packs can be found at many locations CVS, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Rite Aid etc. Its just odd for Black Hawk Network Inc. to limit themselves like that.

    I also want to mention that Reloadit cards actually get more complaints than most other cards. They have numerous amount of negative reviews across the internet regarding technical issues with their website when users try to load their Reloadit pack. There is definitely room for improvement.

  12. Would anyone have any insight to why I can’t make an account with the reloadit safe? I have tried everything as far as clean out the cookies used different email addresses.. I even tried using a brand new computer and still have been unable to make an account. So I am unable to use these these reloadit cards to reload.

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