What is the UPside Visa prepaid card?
The UPside Visa® prepaid card is a prepaid, reloadable spending card; like a prepaid phone card or a store gift card that your teen can use everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Because it's a prepaid card, your spending is limited to the amount of money loaded to your card. The purchases that your teen makes with his/her UPside card are decremented from the available balance. Family or employers are able to reload funds onto the card when needed. And, unlike most other reloadable spending cards, the UPside card provides your teen with reward points for free goods and discounts at a variety of stores.
Why would I get an UPside card instead of using my bank check card or credit card?
The UPside Visa® prepaid card can be used as a budgeting tool for your teen's spending. With UPside, you and your teen decide together the amount to spend. You (or employers, friends and family with your Direct Deposit information) are the only ones who can authorize transfers of money from an account to the UPside card. With immediate access to online statements, you can review your spending along with your teen, and together discuss how you can develop and maintain financial responsibility in your teen's spending decisions, using our educational tools provided. As well, with instantaneous funding, you have the peace of mind that your teen will never be without money in an emergency. The UPside card is the most powerful and effective means to help you develop responsible spending behaviors, while still having the freedom to shop everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.
What is the difference between an UPside card and a credit card?
Unlike a credit card, the UPside Visa® prepaid card does not have a line of credit. Therefore, you are unable to go into debt or spend more money than your balance.
Whose name is embossed on the card?
The name of the teen/student is embossed on the card.
What costs or fees are involved with an UPside card?
The UPside Visa
® prepaid card has lower fees than most other spending cards available. And the majority of these fees can be avoided by managing your UPside card correctly - checking your balance online, making sure you always have suitable funds on the card. Below is a list of fees:
UPside Access Plan Purchase Fee - $4.95
Monthly Fee - $0.99
Value loads cost $0.99 for ACH funds transfers and $2.50 for credit card transfers
Phone Inquiry Fee - $0.99 per call
UPside Edge Plan Yearly Fee - $24.95
Includes unlimited free value loads (surcharge applied to credit card value loads)
Phone Inquiry Fee - One free per month; $0.99 per subsequent call
ATM Fee - $1.49 + fee charged by ATM provider
Card Replacement Fee - $6.95
For a full breakdown of the fees associated with the UPside card, please click
here.
Who is behind UPside?
UPside services are operated by Plastyc Inc, based in New York, NY. The UPside Visa® prepaid card is issued by MetaBank in Sioux Falls, SD. pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
How do I sign up for an UPside card?
Unlike most of our competitors, either the teen or parent is able to begin registering for an UPside Visa
® prepaid card. Once both parties have finished registering, the online account is activated and the card is shipped. To begin registration, click
here.
How long does it take to receive the UPside card once I've registered?
You should receive your card within 10 business days after registering.
Where is the card sent?
The card is sent to the card account owner (parent/guardian).
I received the card. How do I activate it?
You can activate your card by calling 1-866-845-6273 from your home telephone.
I have not received my card in the specified time. What do I do?
If you registered with UPside more than 10 business days ago and you have not yet received your card, please email customer service at cs@upsidecard.com.
How does my teen use the UPside card in a store?
When swiping the card at a retail store terminal, choose either "credit" or "debit". If your teen chooses credit they can simply sign the receipt - if he/she chooses debit they just need to enter your PIN number (which they get at activation.) Please note, not all merchants accept PIN transactions. If that is the case, just select credit and simply sign the receipt.
How does my teen use the UPside card online?
Your teen can use their UPside Visa® prepaid card online anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. When checking out, enter the billing information as asked. Please note that the BILLING address is the address of the parent/guardian. If he/she would like the merchandise shipped to another address, enter shipping information accordingly.
Where can my teen use the UPside card?
Your teen can use your UPside Visa® prepaid card anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, both online and in physical stores. He/She may also withdraw cash at ATM terminals accepting Visa or Cirrus® cards.
Who can use the UPside card?
Only the teen/student whose name is on the card may use the card. All cardholders must be at least 13 years of age to get an UPside prepaid card.
Can my teen use the card to withdraw cash?
Yes. Your teen may withdraw cash from any ATM where he/she sees Visa® or Cirrus® signs, using the card and PIN (personal identification number). Insert the card into the machine, enter the PIN, and press the cash withdrawal option. Your teen will then be prompted to choose an account from which he/she wants to withdraw funds; select checking, enter the amount, and receive the cash.
Will my teen be charged for transactions at specific merchants?
No. There are no fees attached to spending money on your UPside Visa® prepaid card.
What are the differences between what the cardholder and account owner can do?
The online account owner (usually a parent) is able to load funds onto the card and monitor spending done by the cardholder.
The cardholder is able to make purchases using his/her UPside Visa® prepaid card. At this time, the cardholder is not able to load money onto the card.
How can I find my balance?
You are able to check your balance in three ways -
1) Online by logging into your UPside online account
2) by using your cell phone's internet browser and logging into your online account at https://wap.upsidecard.com.
3) By calling customer service at 1-866-845-6273.
Can my teen make a purchase larger than my balance?
No. Your teen cannot access more than the available balance through the UPside Visa® prepaid card. However, if he/she knows the available balance before he/she makes a purchase, he/she may ask the merchant if he/she can pay the balance of the purchase with cash or another form of payment.
Are there purchase limits to the card?
There is no maximum amount for a single purchase other than the current balance on the card.
Can my teen use the card internationally?
Yes. The UPside Visa® prepaid card is accepted anywhere Visa debit is accepted.
How can my teen get a pseudo account and routing number to give to his/her employer?
Your teen is able to get Direct Deposit information by logging into his/her online account, selecting "Update My UProfile," and clicking on the "Information for my employer" link. Your teen will need to print this information and give it to his/her employer. This information may also be used for other family members or friends that would like to transfer funds to the card, perfect for birthdays and special occasions.
How can my teen return an item, and when will the funds be credited to the card?
Advise your teen to always keep the receipts when he/she makes a purchase with the UPside Visa® prepaid card. Should he/she need to return an item, return the purchased item to the merchant with the receipt. The merchant will process a credit back to your card for the value of the returned item. The credit should appear on your online statement within a week of the return.
What are authorizations?
A merchant honoring an UPside Visa® card should first obtain an approval or "authorization" for the transaction. This is the amount that the merchant puts through against your card to validate that you have enough funds to make the purchase. In no event will a transaction be authorized in excess of the amount that is available on the UPside card. You should be aware that authorizations for certain transactions may be greater than the final purchase amount, and the amount of the authorization will be applied to your UPside card for seven days, or until the completed purchase transaction is posted. (See next question)
What is the difference between authorized and completed (posted) transactions?
At the time your teen wants to make a purchase, the merchant sends a request through the Visa® system to receive an approval, or authorization, that you have sufficient funds on your UPside card to make that entire purchase. At that time, a seven day hold is placed against your balance for the amount that the merchant requested, and that authorization transaction is shown on the UPside online transaction record.
After the merchant completes the transaction, the merchant sends the final amount through the system. Sometimes that final amount is different from the original authorized amount; for example, the tip may change the amount in restaurants, or shipping and handling charges may change the final amount in a mail or Internet order. We only post the final amount of the completed transaction sent by the merchant to your card. If at any time you do not have the funds available on your card to complete a purchase, your teen may pay for the difference in cash.
Why does the amount of the last transaction on the card not match the amount I was expecting it to be?
For financial transactions at certain types of merchants, such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and mail order retailers, there is an authorization amount and a settled amount and these amounts are usually different. This occurs when the actual amount of your purchase is not immediately available.
For example, this will occur when your teen uses his/her UPside Visa® prepaid card at a restaurant. The transaction is authorized for an amount greater than the actual amount because the restaurant does not know yet if he/she is going to add a tip to the bill after it is run through the system. Therefore, if the actual amount of the restaurant bill is $15, the restaurant may actually authorize it for $20. $20 is the authorization amount that will initially be deducted from your UPside card. If your teen adds a 15% tip to your bill ($2.25), the actual amount of your bill will be $17.25. When the merchant sends through the actual bill, the settled amount will be $17.25 and the difference between the authorization amount ($20) and the settled amount ($17.25) will be added to your available balance. If the settled amount is greater than the authorization amount, then the difference will be deducted from your available balance. Depending on the merchant, the adjustment could take a couple of days.
If a merchant does not send in a settled amount within a specified number of days (specified by the Issuer), the authorized amount of the transaction (in the example above this would be $20) will be added to your available balance.
What are UPoints and how are they earned?
UPoints is the loyalty program attached to every UPside card. Your teen earns points toward rewards like dollars off at their favorite stores. Points are earned in the following ways:
UPside and UPside Edge
i. Sponsoring friends
ii. Purchases at the UPside Mall
UPside Edge only
i. Value load point-for-dollar match
What do I do if the card is lost or stolen?
Suspend your card immediately. You are able to do this online, from your cell phone, or by calling customer service at 1-866-845-6273. If you are certain that your card is lost, you must call customer service within an appropriate amount of time to cancel that card and order another. Please see the
Terms & Conditions for more information.
Can I suspend the card and reactivate it later?
Yes. You can suspend your card at anytime. The card account owner is the only party that may unsuspend it.
How do I close my online account?
The first step is to remove all of the funds remaining on the card by making an ATM withdrawal or purchase goods or services in a merchant transaction. You may also request a check from UPside for any balance remaining over $9.
Once all funds have been depleted from your card, the online account owner will need to contact UPside Customer Service at 866-845-6273, and request that the card be closed.
How am I able to load money onto the card?
You may load funds onto the card online or by calling customer service. Funds may come from either a checking account or credit card in the name of the card account owner. Family/Friends/Employers may load funds onto the card by using the Psuedo Direct Deposit Information provided on the cardholder's online account page.
Can I set up an allowance schedule for my teen?
Yes. Once your card account is activated, you are able to set up an allowance schedule for any period or amount you choose.
How long does it take until the funds appear on the card balance?
Funds originating from a credit or debit card appear immediately upon loading. Loads from ACH/bank transfer can take up to two days. If the funding source does not have enough money, the load will be denied.
Pricing and value load limits.
Value load fees will vary depending on which UPside Plan you choose. You may not load more than $3000 onto your card in 30-day period and no single load can exceed $500. Maximum balance allowed on the card at any one time is $1500. For more information, see
UPside Terms & Conditions.
How do I dispute a charge?
To dispute a transaction, the online account owner (parent/guardian) must call customer service. Please have the transaction date and amount available for the call.
What are my rights if I dispute a charge?
Federal law may limit your liability for unauthorized use, but it may not provide for no liability. Under the Visa
® Zero Liability policy, you may incur no liability for unauthorized use of your card provided you notify us within a reasonable time of the loss or theft of your card or its unauthorized use. Please refer to the Cardholder Agreements
Terms & Conditions for additional information pertaining to your rights concerning unauthorized use of your card.
How does the UPside card teach financial responsibility?
With UPside, you and your teen decide together the amount to spend. You (or employers) are the only ones who can authorize transfers of money from another account to UPside. With immediate access to online statements, you can review your spending along with your teen, and together discuss how you can develop and maintain financial responsibility in your spending decisions, using our educational tools provided.
Are there spending controls associated with the service?
UPside includes an alert service when the balance reaches a preset threshold or is zero ($0). Further alerts are coming soon, including weekly spending thresholds and single purchase limits.
Am I able to see account transactions and balance for the card?
Yes. As card account owner, you are able to view the card account balance and transaction history in real time by logging into your online account or calling customer service.
Can someone else use my card?
Absolutely not. Keep your UPside Visa® prepaid card, including the card number, under your control at all times. And do not tell anyone your PIN, not even your best friend.
How safe is my confidential information? Is it secure online?
Please refer to the UPside Privacy and Security policy available through this website. We provide protection to our online card members by taking several security measures to create a safe and reliable experience.
We keep your information on secure servers in our data center. These computers are not directly connected to or accessible by the Internet.
We establish a secure session with your computer before asking you to send confidential information over the Internet to the UPside website.
You must enter your username and password to gain access to our site. To protect your information, we use firewalls that limit access to visitors who provide a valid username and password combination.
We encode or scramble data using 128-bit key Secure Socket Layer encryption before exchanging it between a cardholder and our database.
How is my teen prevented from making a purchase of illegal goods or services online?
First, you should discuss the use of the UPside Visa® prepaid card with your teen. You should jointly agree on what and where you can use the card. You will be able to monitor your teen's spending online by viewing your Account History. It is then up to you and your teen to address any issues related to the use of the card.
I would like to report misuse of the website (security, phishing, identity theft)?
UPside will never ask you for your information, password or username in any email sent to you or pop-up windows while you are not on the secured UPside website or cell phone WAP site (cardholders only). To report misuse, please contact your local authorities, then contact us and www.wiredkids.org.
How do I contact customer service?
To contact customer service, click
here.
I am an investor, how do I contact Plastyc, Inc.?
For investor contact information, please click
here.