Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

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How to Make Your Own Pre-Paid Debit Card – And Suze Orman’s Approved Card

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There’s been a bit of a ruckus with the release Suze Orman’s pre-paid debit card — the Approved Card.

Her card joins other celebrity cards such as the Rush Card and the Kardashian Card.

The problem, many claim, is that pre-paid debit cards come with fees to use them.  With Suze’s card, people are claiming that she is just profiting from her audience.

I’d like to show you an alternative to pre-paid debit cards.  In fact, I’m going to show you how to make your own pre-paid debit card!

First though, let’s go over what a pre-paid debit card is.

What is a Pre-Paid Debit Card?

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Bank of America Changes its Mind: No Debit Card Fee

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A little while back we reported about Bank of America’s move to start a $5 a month debit card fee for those who used their card for purchases.  In that article, two things we talked about were 1) Making some noise and let BofA know you aren’t happy about the new debit card charge, and 2) Switch your account to another bank, like a credit union or an online bank with free checking.

Well guess what?

Bank of America is dropping their $5 fee on debit card usage!

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What are Credit Unions and Why are They Good for You?

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With Bank of America in the news for its new debit card fee, and other big banks adding fees left and right, and with free checking beginning to disappear from major financial institutions, consumers are looking for other options. Credit unions are once again receiving attention as those disgruntled with big banks turn to smaller, community financial institutions. But what are credit unions and why re they good for you?

What is a Credit Union?

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New Bank of America Debit Card Fee: Here’s What You Should Know

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You aren’t a Bank of America customer and your bank doesn’t charge debit card fees so you can stop reading now, right?  Not so fast.  Everyone needs to know about the new Bank of America debit card fee because it may very well affect your account.

In order to make up for the new credit card regulations that cap the amount of fees a bank can collect from a merchant, Bank of America is charging a $5 fee to customers if they use their debit card to make purchases at a retailer but there’s more to it than that.  Let’s take a look… [Read more…] about New Bank of America Debit Card Fee: Here’s What You Should Know

PerkStreet Financial 5% Cashback Powerperks September 2011

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PerkStreet Financial, the online checking account, have released their September 2011 5% cashback Powerperks.  For those who don’t know PerkStreet yet I suggest you check out my PerkStreet Review.  We’ll wait.  All caught up?  Good.  So you know, PerkStreet offers cashback on their debit card spending (pretty rare for a checking account and for some, better than receiving an interest rate on checking).  You always get between 1% and 2% on your debit card spending.  On top of that, every month they select specific categories and retailers where you can earn 5% cashback.  The selections usually revolve around a seasonal theme, which makes the categories both practical and fun.

For September, PerkStreet wants to help you get your family and home ready for the Fall season with cashback on clothes, home goods, and more at the following retailers: [Read more…] about PerkStreet Financial 5% Cashback Powerperks September 2011