Control Prepaid Mastercard Review
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Finder right now.
- Monthly maintenance fee
- Up to $7.95
- Signature transaction fee
- $0
- PIN transaction fee
- $0
- Card fee
- $0
Our verdict
A prepaid card with a pay-as-you-go or monthly option and a high-yield optional savings account.
If you’re not a fan of traditional bank accounts or can’t seem to qualify for one, the Control Prepaid Mastercard is a good alternative option. There are two plans: Pay-As-You-Go and Monthly. The monthly plan starts at $7.95, but you can get it reduced to $5 per month with direct deposits of at least $500 per month. The card also offers cashback rewards that you activate in the app, and an optional savings account with up to 5% APY on balances under $1,000. However, like most prepaid cards, you’ll have to watch out for reload fees and ATM fees.
Best for: Those with direct deposit who can’t get a traditional checking account.
Pros
-
Reduced monthly fee available
-
Early direct deposit
-
Cashback reward offers
-
Clear fees
-
Optional 5% APY savings account
Cons
-
Balance inquiry and withdrawal ATM fees
-
No way to fully waive monthly fee
-
Costly expedited card delivery fees
-
Inconsistent terms and conditions
Control Card plans and cost
You can get the Control card and pay as you go, meaning you pay per transaction, or choose a monthly plan for unlimited no-fee transactions.
The Pay-As-You-Go Plan is new, and there’s a fee for each transaction. However, try as we might, we could not locate that fee per transaction. The monthly plan is automatically applied to your Card Account when you get the card, according to Control’s fee agreement. On the site, though, Control states that the Pay-As-You-Go Plan is automatically effective at the time of card activation.
If you decide to get a Control prepaid card, be sure to read through the card’s terms and conditions carefully at the time of signup so you know which plan you’re selecting and the fees associated with it.
| Plan | Cost | Features |
|---|---|---|
Pay-As-You-Go Plan | $0 monthly fee, but fee per transaction |
|
Monthly Plan | $7.95, or $5 per month with direct deposit |
|
What we like about the Control card
The Control Card is from Ouro Global, a company that issues prepaid cards, including Netspend and the PayPal Prepaid Mastercard.
The Control card is a prepaid card, not a debit card or checking account. It can be a solid alternative option for those who can’t qualify for or don’t want a traditional bank account.
With the Monthly Plan, you’ll pay $7.95 per month, and there’s no card delivery or application fee. You can also qualify for the reduced monthly fee of $5 if you set up direct deposit of at least $500 per month.
Additionally, if you have any Netspend Prepaid Cards, you can easily transfer money between the Control card and Netspend cards.
Early direct deposit
Setting up direct deposit of at least $500 per month qualifies you as a “Control Card Account upgrade” customer, which means you get a reduced monthly fee and can receive your direct deposits up to two days earlier than expected.
On top of that, setting up direct deposit can unlock another perk: Purchase Cushion. In a nutshell, it lets your account go up to $10 in the negative. You must repay any negative balances immediately, and it is not a line of credit.
High APY optional savings
Control offers the optional Savings Account with up to 5% APY on balances up to $1,000. Balances over $1,000 will earn 0.50% APY, which is significantly less than the top rate but still higher than the national average rate of 0.42% for savings accounts.
Rewards on select purchases
The Control card comes with an optional Cash Back Rewards program.
According to the terms, the rewards are based on your “individual shopping habits.” There isn’t much information for non-customers, but the site states that you activate reward offers in the app, and the rewards are directly credited to your account.
Where it falls short
Like most prepaid cards, you’ll have to watch out for the Control card’s ATM fees and cash reload fees.
At domestic ATMs, the Control card charges $0.50 for balance inquiries, $2.50 for withdrawals and $1 for any ATM-declined transactions. There’s also a $4.95 charge for international ATM withdrawals.
To reload the card, there are no fees for standard delivery mobile check deposits or ACH transfers. If you want to reload cash at a Netspend reload center, the fee is up to $3.95.
Costly expedited card delivery fees
If you lose your Control card and need a speedy replacement or just want your new card right away, it’ll cost you $20 or $25. To receive your card in one to two business days, it costs $25 for expedited shipping. This fee isn’t too egregious, but it’s something to keep in mind. If you’re OK with waiting seven to 10 days for card delivery, it’ll still cost you $4.95 for a replacement.
Control Prepaid Mastercard’s fees and access
| Type of fee | Fee details |
|---|---|
Monthly service | $7.95, or $5 with $500 in monthly direct deposits |
Opening deposit | $0 |
ATMs |
|
Debit card fees |
|
Overdraft or nonsufficient funds | $0 |
Other fees |
|
Compare Control with cards to build your credit
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How we picked theseWhat is the Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches over 300 checking accounts from hundreds of financial institutions. It takes into account the product's monthly fees, overdraft fees, opening deposit, customer support options, ATM network and features — this gives you a simple score out of 10.
To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts analyze hundreds of checking accounts against what we consider is the best option: no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, a large ATM network of 50,000 or more, additional features outside of typical banking services, and the optional perk of earning interest. Accounts that are nearly free to maintain and use are scored the highest, while accounts with costly fees and few features are scored the lowest.
Alternatives to prepaid debit cards
Prepaid cards can be great for traveling or even for kids who just aren’t quite ready for a full-fledged bank account. Unfortunately, prepaid cards tend to come with monthly fees, reload fees and ATM fees — and the Control card is no exception.
Here are some alternative cards to consider:
- Prepaid credit cards. Designed to build credit history, these cards are usually called prepaid credit cards or debit-credit cards. No matter what you call them, they’re secured cards backed by a linked bank account. Most don’t charge APR because they require owed balances to be paid off each month, and many don’t charge monthly fees.
- Second-chance bank accounts. These accounts are for those with poor banking histories. Banks often use ChexSystems to review your banking history, but second-chance accounts either don’t consider your banking history or have less stringent requirements than traditional accounts.
- Fee-free checking. There are many free checking accounts to choose from, most of which come from online banks like SoFi, Varo or Ally.
Customer reviews and ratings
| BBB accredited | No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | A+ |
| BBB customer reviews | 1.12 out of 5 stars, based on 389 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 05 March 2025 |
The Netspend and Control prepaid cards are issued by Ouro Global. And unsurprisingly, most of Ouro Global’s reviews are related to the popular NetSpend prepaid cards. Reviews and complaints on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile are full of issues around compromised accounts, deposits not going through, locked cards and poor customer service support. There are also multiple reports of fraud, with people saying that someone opened a prepaid card in their name and they want the account closed.
All in all, these complaints are typical for companies with card-issuing services. Ouro Global regularly responds to customer reviews and complaints in an attempt to resolve any issues that crop up.
Control Prepaid Mastercard is not currently available on Finder
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Your reviews
Bethany Finder
Banking editor
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