Facts and Figures .... !@#$%^&*

If you're looking for some new ways to make your budgeting easier -- And you want to get rid of the credit cards; prepaid cards may just be the option that you are looking for.


The branded prepaid cards that are available provide users with the flexibility, convenience, and protection of that of a MasterCard or Visa credit card, combined with the financial reality of spending only money that is actually available at the time, as the user would spend cash.


Prepaid cards have become increasingly popular budgeting tools for both credit cardholders and those who don't have credit cards, says Jennifer Tramontana, director of communications for the Montvale, N.J.-based Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA), the three-year-old national trade association that represents the network branded prepaid card industry.