Green Dot

I am a frequent user of pay as you go bank cards and have always had a very nice experience with the ones I have used in the past. So, I was completely flabbergasted by the green dot card. My family and I purchased green dot cards so that my sons could transfer their portion of the rent onto my green dot card, monthy. The first month we had no problem transferring funds but the second month was a complete disaster. When my sons transferred their amount of the rent onto my green dot card, green dot blocked ALL THREE of our accounts. When we each called to have the blocks removed we soon realized that the call center was not in the US and that the customer service reps were all reading from scripts and whenever I asked a question they would just continue to read from the script, like a robot. We soon learned that there was no way for anyone in customer service to take the blocks off of our accounts. That we would have to wait TWO BUSINESS days for any type of help and since this happened on a Friday this meant no one would be able to help us until the following week. The process for removing the blocks is to be given a case number, put it in the subject line and email green dot at a specific email address the front and back of your ID. We did this and eventually the blocks were removed but then green dot closed both my sons accounts without any type of communication so it wasn't until their checks the following week didn't show up on their green dot cards that we figured it out. Now neither of my sons got their paychecks and they cannot purchase food or any thing they need. They both had to email their jobs and find out where their checks went and they get paid every week so this is STILL an ongoing problem. I have already closed my account with them. And I urge you please for your own sanity and safety DO NOT PURCHASE A GREEN DOT CARD! I have gone back to using a Fred Meyer card since I have had it for years and NEVER had a problem with it. We will be trying out the Chime card. I have heard good things about it. Thank you for taking the time to read this and research the green dot card. I would give this card no stars if I could.

Don't sign up for any of Green Dot cards or accounts if you have a real bank account. You can not transfer your own money to any other bank or cash service at all. That means you are cut off from cash app, FBpay, venmo, zelle, Google pay... every major and minor bank, and savings and loan.
You can use the money at a store. Sure. You can go to an ATM and get some cash. Yeah. You can go to Walmart and get cash. Sure. With limits and hassles, you can access it. But you can't HAVE it.
You can't send it to yourself.
You also can't send it to anyone who isn't part of the GD network. So you can't, for instance, pay your rent with it. Or pay back a friend. Or, and I really can't stress this enough... YOU CAN'T SEND IT TO YOUR OWN BANK!
In the age of almost totally cashless banking, where we can accept payments from friends, clients, employers, the government... whomever!...from a plethora of 3rd party electronic funds transfer services, that can be linked to multiple banking services and institutions, so that you can take a payment from a client through cash app, and send it into your business account, then send some to your personal account at a different bank, and then, to a friend from there, through a different 3rd party EFTS, or even from your bank straight to their's, when competing banks and financial services have little problem sending and accepting EFTs from almost any other financial institution... Green Dot says, "No. You can send money from us to us. That's it. No one else. Unless they are with us. Then you can send it to them through us from your GD account to their GD account. But they won't be able to have it. Unless they have another GD account."
That...is ridiculous. Absolutely, completely, incomprehensibly, ridiculous.
I'm sorry. Green Dot sucks.

I been using green dot for a good while now about 5 years so they gotten plenty of money from me. I finally was able to apply for overdraft protection where I can overdraft my account up too $200

First off they don't allow you too withdraw that money and can only be used for purchases. Ok that's obviously a ploy so they can get you for 15$ every small purchase you make. So I was reluctant to try it out cause I really needed the money but I knew I was going to do grub hub that same day to pay it off

Well I made 3 transcrations totaling 140 dollars. I had to do it cause I needed gas to fill up my car. I had to pay for my phone service and get some food too. I knew I was gonna pay it all back in one day tho doing grub hub so I wasn't too worried getting charged.

That day I made 146 dollars doing grub hub and did the instant cash out so the money was right there but it just needed to be approved first cause green dot doesn't offer real time banking deposit or whatever it's called. Convenient for them right?

Because they $#*!en waited more than 24 hours to process the deposit so they can process the overdraft fees first and damn right I got hit up with 45 dollars total for overdraft fees even tho I had the money put in my account it just needed to be approvedby them.

I was hoping they would by good faith see that I made an effort to pay the money back right away and not charge me the overdraft fees. It was under 24 hours when I did the instant cash out from grub hub so they shouldn't of charged me the over draft fees! Or atleast charge me just once. They are just being greedy!

After this experience I am done with green dot. They are not a good company and will charge you bs fees whenever they have a chance! I been a customer for 5 years and this is how they repay me? Yep as soon as I get my first check deposited into my account from my new job at Amazon I will take that money and open a new bank account elsewhere.

Green dot has lost my business unless they wanna fix this then I will continue to use green dot. If not well their loss!

Nothing but a complete cluster F. Really hard to speak to and understand... Again, Buyer Beware!

If negative 10 rating available would use that. NOTHING good about this business.
Just purch Green Dot debit visa card 4 days ago at Krogers. I relaized when I looked at card I had someone pick up for me at store it was not what I needed. I needed simple gift card to give someone.
Spent literally 2 hours today with hangups and deception by Green Dot. Each call takes min 20 min wait.
First call lady answered bad english as usual. Told her needed to cancel or get money back. After giving card number to her she went away from phone and never came back. Spent another 20 min and gal answered and said she could not hear me. No phone problems here. Waited another 21 min and got 2nd gal that took info saying she would cancel card and would take 2 wks. As original gal we talked to once we gave her card number she went somewhere and did not hang up but never returned to phone
To complete what she claimed she was doing.
Out of desperation went online to activate so I could go to Kroger or bank and cash out card. After putting all information in including ss number no errors but at final end it said system error can not complete.
Went thru the process again 2nd time with no problem putting in all information but again at final confirmation screen said system error. Clearly obvious they had my $300 and intended to put up road blocks from being able to get the money back using card in any way it says you can. This is like the Nigerian scam calls you get except they sell cards thru reputable stores. Unless you want to lose your money or have money to throw away to scammers avoid these people. I hate negative reviews but what I hate worse is good people getting their hard earned cash scammed away or have to lose $1000 of time to fight and get THEIR money back. When you put YOUR money into a legitimate bank you do not have to beg and fight to get some of it back as these losers require. Getting it back takes hours or added legal help. Go to your local bank or credit union. Easier and safer.

Don't use this card unless you can afford to loose the money you put on it. Someone stole my credit card information somehow and made 3 purchases in a 2 day period at the same Popeyes restaurant for a total of $139.55. I found out about the charges only 4 days later and immediately called Greendot. I was already very agitated that it even happened and then on top of that I had to talk to someone who I could not even understand. The only thing that I got out of the conversation was that I had to mail a letter listing the dates and charges that I was disputing. So I did, I explained that my card never leaves my home, I use it for internet purchases only and on a desktop computer with good virus protection. I live in NJ and that the purchases took place in CA. I was on lock down and could not have flown out to CA because of covid-19 no fly restrictions and have never been to CA. In my life.
This was their response:
"Thank you for contacting us about the dispute for $139.55 on your Green Dot. We have concluded our investigation of your dispute referenced above. Based on our review, we are unable to grant your claim because based on our review of relevant information, including transaction and account activity, no error was found. If you would like to request and receive a copy of supporting documentation used in the
Determination, please send a written request including your full name and the Case Number included at the top of this letter to: XXXXXXXX."
No error was found, really, they're calling it an error. This was credit card fraud, a crime was committed and it should have been investigated as such. (Who spends $139.55 at the same fast food restaurant in a two day period) I sent both an email and a mailed letter requesting the supporting documentation used in making the determination. They never responded.
Below you might see a Greendot response to this review saying something like:
"It truly saddens us to hear you're unhappy with the service you were provide. Please allow us the opportunity to make things right. Please give us a call through the number on the back of your card, so we can review your account with you."
I've already called, but can no longer speak to anyone. The automated system says that a decision has already been made, there is nothing further that customer support can do, goodbye.
This is not a real credit card company, you have no rights, don't throw away your money.

My husband bought this card so we could shop online for Christmas, we ran out of money so naturally we wanted to reload it. We went to the nearest green dot location and he went to load the card at the register with 200 dollars in cash. The clerk told him he had to buy a Money Pak card to reload it. First of all, you have to create another, separate account to use Money Paks services, then lo and behold it came to my surprise that an alert came up saying Money Pak can only be used on permanent cards ( where your name is on it). We were not informed of this at the time of sale, and the sales clerk insisted it was the only way and did not use the register to load the card as she said it was unavailable for their device. So I called customer service, to see if they can over ride the system by just directly accessing from their system and adding the money pak info into it. After explaining it to a representative they said they would transfer me to a supervisor which instead I was place back in the automated system to have to teleprompt all over again. Then I had to explain the situation to another person. Which told me there were no supervisors available to assist me and that they could no longer override the system to add funds from money pak as they have a new contract that doesn't allow that and is only exclusive to money pak a completely separate entity. We now have to wait until Dec 21 when the permanent card comes in the mail in order to use the funds. So close to Christmas and I can't shop for my son. His big purchase was gonna be on that card. What if we needed the money for food and it was the last of our money? How would we eat? I'm so pissed. The stores they allow to sell their cards are uninformed and ignorant. They do not have the information required to help you out and your stuck like me unable to use the funds. Plus it's another 5.95 charge to buy the money pak. What a scam. They make it look like it'll save you money when in reality their just as bad as banks with all the activation charges. We have spent 14 dollars so far in fees to use their poor services. 1.95 to buy the card then 7.95 for their monthly services, then 5.95 for the money pak... Dont ever use this awful system. Such a waste! Better to western union someone money than go through this crap.

WARNING: DO NO USE GREEN DOT! THEY WILL SCAM YOU AND TAKE YOUR MONEY! THEY DONT CARE ABOUT YOU!

I have a bank account with GreenDot Bank. On 2/3/23, I discovered that my bank account had been emptied with someone by the business name of JEKA LLC. I called my bank to report the fraud, however, they stated that they will not refund funds and I would have to call back in 10 days to file a fraud complaint. I called JEKA LLC, and spoke to Jeff, who stated I was the 12th person to call him that morning and it was not his company. He provided me with a list of others who called him regarding the same issue. I contacted about 12-15 others, and they ALL had the EXACT AMOUNT of their bank accounts withdrawn, and told by GreenDot there's nothing they can do. I advised Green Dot that there has been a security or data breach, because we are all GreenDot banking customers, our accounts were emptied to the penny, and now we do not have the funds to pay bills, late fees are being incurred, and the bank is refusing to return funds and acknowledge there is an internal issue. - Everyone is a GreenDot customer - Everyone had all of the money in their accounts withdrawn by JEKA LLC - The bank refuses to help any of us or return our money. I have phone numbers of others who have experienced the same issue. - Green Dot refuses to provide a legal services dept or anyone within the bank that can escalate this issue. We are constantly told to call back in 10 days to file a dispute. - Myself, and others (all over the United States), are now concerned about credit, what data has been leaked, how they knew how much money was in all of our accounts, and we are now incurring late fees, and NSF fees, as a result of the banks negligence. My credit has also now been compromised.

Strictly a Walmart Card, Customer service is a joke and not to mention the $10 fees that apply even when card is not USED! I would not RECOMMEND