As of September 2008, the Social Security Administration has issued a Direct Express prepaid credit card to the 3.9 million people with Social Security and disabilities nationwide. The purpose of this card is to allow recipients without bank accounts, or those who don’t like receiving a check in the mail, to now have a card that will automatically have their allotted amount deposited to the debit card each month. This will prevent delays in the check arriving in the mail, theft of paper checks, and sometimes a difficult attempt to get to the bank and cash it.

Who should apply? Anyone on Social Security or on disability who likes the idea of ​​having a debit card for their transactions instead of cashing their monthly check and using cash or having to write checks from their bank account. The Direct Express Debit Card is accepted anywhere a MasterCard is accepted and can also be used to get cash from ATMs, retail stores and banks.

What if the Direct Express card is lost or stolen? This debit card is like any other debit card and you will have a personal pin number that protects you if it is. You can call immediately to report this and your debit card will be replaced. It is also protected and insured by the FDIC.

Does the card cost anything? No, it’s free with no monthly account fee and has free services like: optional notifications of deposits made to your card by phone, text or email, optional alerts when your balance falls below a certain level and once a month, Free ATM Withdrawal at participating ATMs. There is also a toll-free 24/7 customer support number.

Are there other rates? For certain things, like ATM withdrawals, after the first free withdrawal it’s just $0.90. Other fees include a $0.50 bill payment fee each time you pay a bill, $0.75 for a monthly Direct Express card statement mailed to you each month, $4 to replace a lost or stolen card each year, and $13.50 to replace it with overnight delivery. $1.50 to transfer funds to a US bank account and $3 plus 3% of the transaction to withdraw funds from an international ATM.

How to get the Direct Express card There is a toll free number, 1-877-212-9991 or an online registration site at http://www.USDirectExpress.com. You can also call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday and a representative will help you. For the hearing impaired: 1-800-325-0778.