Over the years, the best prepaid cards have continued to grow in popularity and have not shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, a staggering 23 million adults use them frequently at the grocery checkout, gas pump, or the ATMs. The best prepaid cards are used like debit cards, making them one of the best financial tools available.

Prepaid Cards 101

Since prepaid cards are very easy to obtain, they are considered the best alternative to credit cards, checks, and cash. Also known as general-purpose reloadable, prepaid credit cards, or prepaid debit cards, they can only be used once money has been loaded successfully onto the card.

Those who don’t have access to savings or checking accounts used to be the primary users of prepaid cards. However, thanks to exciting and peerless benefits they offer, prepaid cards have become massively popular, growing an impressive 50 percent between 2012 and 2014.

Different Types of Prepaid Cards

• Payroll Cards

Just as the name indicates, rather than receiving the usual pay checks, many employees nowadays prefer to have their salaries, bonuses, and other incentives loaded directly to their prepaid cards. Once the money has been loaded, they can use their cards to pay the bills, purchase goods, and withdraw from ATMs.

• Gift Cards

Gift cards come in monetary denominations that are specific. Gift cards are designed to be used for purchases at specific stores. Often, they are not reloadable but they are considered ideal for gifting.

• General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) Cards

With a general purpose reloadable card, you need to load money onto the card first and use it like you would a debit card. GPRs work similar to most credit and debit cards and are often honored and accepted at merchants and online stores.

The Benefits of Getting a Prepaid Card

• They are easy to get. Prepaid cards are very easy to obtain.
• They are easy to use. As mentioned earlier, prepaid cards are honored and accepted almost anywhere where major credit and debit cards are accepted.
• They are considered safe. While you can also lose cash when using your prepaid card, it is often very minimal. If you lose your credit card on the other hand, there is a possibility that you can rack up substantial charges. This is especially true if you have a very high credit limit. Also, if you lose your prepaid card, the loss is often limited to the balance available on the card. Thankfully, some prepaid cards also provide protection against theft or loss.
• They won’t require credit checks. This is considered a massive advantage by those who are unbanked and those who have less than stellar credit histories.
• They are great budgeting tools. You can load money onto your prepaid card that’s intended for groceries and other things. So if you have depleted all the balance intended for the groceries, you would have to live off with what’s remaining in your pantry until the end of the month.
• There are no monthly bills to take care of. If you hate the inconvenience of sifting through electronic statements and paperwork, you would surely love prepaid cards. With prepaid cards, there’s no need to sift through electronic statements or paperwork monthly.
• You won’t incur any debts. When using a prepaid card, your transactions will be limited by the balance that’s available on the card. As soon as the balance has been depleted, your spending will also stop automatically. Unlike credit cards, you won’t incur mounting debts when you use a prepaid card.
• You will have overdraft protection. As mentioned earlier, you won’t be able to use your prepaid cards for the time being as soon as all the balance has been depleted. Fortunately, you can use your prepaid card right away once money has been successfully loaded onto the card.

Digital advertising has skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade – in 2021, an estimated $329 billion was spent on these costs alone. So how much does SEO cost for a small business?

In order to properly survey an SEO cost guide, several factors must be considered, especially when it comes to small businesses. With some basic SEO services, a small business can jump to the front of the line in online searches, including on Google Maps.

First, let’s talk briefly about the biggest question…

What Is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s a fancy term for an online marketing strategy that gets a business to show up near the top of search engine queries – for small businesses think “<insert service here> near me.”

Let’s say you have an HVAC company, and you’d like for your business information to show up near the top of the list when someone types “HVAC services near me.” Can you imagine how much business that could generate for your operation?

Now, it’s fair to admit that HVAC services are not the most enthralling of subjects to the common consumer, so hiring an SEO company for HVAC SEO can take that burden off of you – the business owner – and someone else can work to drive traffic to your business for a fee.

How Much Does SEO Cost for a Small Business?

That all depends on the type of SEO services you are looking for. If you’re looking for someone to pop in and update the information on your site once a month on a project-by-project basis, you can expect to spend less than $100 per month if you hire an individual.

On the other side of the coin, if your site sees hundreds of clicks a day and needs constant attention, it is going to cost significantly more. With that said, if you’re looking for HVAC SEO as a small business, you can consider the former.

Where Can I Find an SEO Company?

Ironically, you can just type that question into a search engine! There are quite a few SEO services in marketing hubs like New York and other commerce-driven areas.

Call an Established SEO Company for Your Marketing Needs

It’s tough for a small business to get noticed in an increasingly competitive business environment – hiring an SEO company can help you stand out in a big way.

To answer the question “how much does SEO cost for a small business,” the answer is…not much. When you factor in the amount of revenue that will be driven toward said small business, the cost of SEO services is a drop in the bucket.

Think of it like this – 30 years ago, you would’ve paid $200 to be on the front page of the local newspaper every day for a month, right? SEO services work the same way, only cheaper…and much more interactive and effective.

In today’s modern world, going about your financial transactions without using the best prepaid card is almost impossible. Fortunately, when you use the best prepaid cards, you will not only enjoy peerless ease and convenience, you can also easily adhere to your budget and live within your means.

If you are looking for an effective budgeting tool that can help you create a budget and manage your money better, you can never go wrong with the best prepaid cards. Not only that, prepaid cards also provide unmatched flexibility so you can shop online and  easily carry out transactions that require the use of plastic cards.

Essentially, prepaid card providers offer various benefits, fee structures, and features. That said, it is recommended that you do your research and shop around before picking a prepaid card. This is necessary if you want to find a prepaid card that will suit all your needs.

If your main purpose for getting a prepaid card is help with your budgeting, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will cover how you can use your prepaid card to stick to your budget and to manage your money properly. Get your budgeting efforts off to a wonderful start by keeping the following basics in mind:

Load only the money you have budgeted for a specific purpose to limit your spending.

If you load a specific amount of money in your prepaid card, it becomes easier for you to stick to the budget you have created. Case in point: let’s say you want to allot $200 for eating out each month. If you spend all the balance in one go, that means you won’t go out until the end of the month when you will replenish the card again.

Use your prepaid card in lieu of cash.

If you have been trying to budget your money but in vain, it is likely that you have not yet tried the envelope system. With the envelope system, you place cash you want to set aside for a specific thing in each envelope. While this technique is undeniably effective, it also comes with certain risks.

For starters, it’s not always safe to constantly keep and carry money anywhere you go. There is also the likelihood that you would be able to use it on other things aside from its intended purpose. With a prepaid card, it’s easier for you to stick to your budget without the risks. It’s also hands down more convenient.

You are spared from costly interest charges and late fees.

If you are using a credit or debit card, it is likely that you can attest how difficult it can be to budget your money using those financial tools. Come to think of it, with a credit card, you will be using money you don’t really have. It is the bank’s money that you are borrowing for the time being and you will eventually pay at a later date.

If you want to avoid accumulating a mountain of debt and spare yourself from those exorbitant monthly fees and other charges, using a prepaid card is one of the best options available at your disposal. Also, when you use a prepaid card, you won’t need to worry about your credit score if you can’t pay your credit dues on time.

You can load school allowances on the prepaid card.

If you want to teach your children smart budgeting and spending habits, giving them a prepaid card is recommended. With a prepaid card, you can teach them how to budget their money and at the same time, you can also teach them how to be responsible with their spending.