Another twist for the unemployed: Debit card fees

Another twist for the unemployed: Debit card fees

www.cnn.com

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- If you're out of work like Steve Lippe, who was laid off from his job as a salesman in January, you know you already have problems. But looking at the fine print that came with his new unemployment debit card, he became livid.

"A $1.50 [fee] here, a $1.50 there," he said. "Forty cents for a balance inquiry. Fifty cents to have your card denied. Thirty-five cents to have your account accessed by telephone."

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Given the choice of immediate access to unemployment funds via a state issued debit-card or waiting 10-days for a traditional check payment, 925,000 Pennsylvanians chose the card only to discover a plethora of 'hidden' fees and charges linked to its use.

This seems to me like kicking somebody that's already down.

Not very nice, and also not very suprising ...

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I wouldn't have taken the card anyway. It's too easy to waste money you can't see, and I wonder if it can be overdrawn? In which case, there goes another 30 dollars for the unemployed.

This is more a scam than any help to anyone!

whenever they load the card - transfer the entire amount into your own account instead, or just go and pull out the full amount in cash.
You do not need to use that card for any purchases.
If you need to open an account with the bank that the card is drawn on, so what.
You might also already have all of these restrictions on your own card already anyway.

Originally posted by visible_villain


Given the choice of immediate access to unemployment funds via a state issued debit-card or waiting 10-days for a traditional check payment, 925,000 Pennsylvanians chose the card only to discover a plethora of 'hidden' fees and charges linked to its use.

The key word there is chose. All the idiots had to do was take the check option.

Sounds like kickbacks to me. Think about this. All those tiny little transactions adding up over time. Would come out to be a lot of money in the end. Money that is given back to the state that issues the card.

Nice. I wonder if anyone has figured out how much money the state has stolen from people using these debit cards?

Each week my unemployment is loaded onto my debit card and I go to my bank and have the amount deposited into my checking account. No fee's or loss of money.

If someone is actually paying these fee's, they need to find a way around it. Ways around it do exist.

Yea, the right to chose. Well if you see how it works in some states you will understand why they take the card. It is given to you by default on the card when you sign up! Yes you can chose but most do not even know that they can get a check. In some states you cannot get a check even if you would want that.

When you call , and that can take hours or days to find a person that can help you , then you find that they do not have a way to change this to a check.
The states do not want you taking the check, And on top of that it can take up to longer than a week to get you money . Each week.
When some are out of work they lose there accounts at the bank, Yes if you get behind on payments , and one has that happen when they are thrown out of work. The bank will close your account. And if you try to get another account at an other bank you cannot.
They run a credit check, and that is that. Now people are not trying to borrow money from the bank , just have an account.
For some that speak like they know what is going on , I hope you do not fall into the same that Millions have. You will learn quickly that what you want and what you can afford to get done, are two separate issues.