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Best Business Prepaid Cards 2020: Netspend vs. PEX vs. Bento

Business prepaid credit cards help handle employee expenses and also have fewer qualifications than normal business credit cards. We looked at a range of business prepaid cards and found the top 3 to become Netspend, PEX, and Bento for Business. Read the buyer’s guide for a side-by-side comparison of the 3 and our top recommendation.

Best Free Business Prepaid Card: Bento

Bento is the best free prepaid card alternative for small business owners because they offer you the initial 2 cards free. We also discovered that Bento can be the most inexpensive alternative for companies that will have more than 20 cardholders. They do not demand a personal credit rating and acceptance can take only a couple of minutes.

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Best Business Prepaid Card for Small Firms: Netspend

Netspend is our choice as the ideal company prepaid card of 2017. The business prepaid card lets you load up to $25k to your accounts per day and lets employees spend around $5k daily per card. You can load your funds utilizing direct deposit, check, ACH/wire move, or via a physical reload station.

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Business Prepaid Cards Table: Netspend vs. PEX vs. Bento

 

netspend business prepaid cardsNetspend

pex business prepaid cardsPEX

bento for business business prepaid cardsBento for Business
Monthly Fee

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$9.95 for first card,
$1.95 for cards two – 10
$7.50 per card
(waived if you spend $50k per month)
$0.00 – $149 per account
(initial two cards free – payable if you pay $20k+ per month)
Maximum Number of Cards

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10 cards 100+ cards 20+ cards
Minimum Balance

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None None None
Maximum Balance

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$25k per account Endless Endless
Daily Load Limits

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$15k – $25k per accounts $25k per trade
(infinite amount of transactions)
$25k per account
(infinite amount of trades )
Daily Spend Limits

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$5k per cent No limit $25k per card
How to Collecting Money

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Immediate deposit, assess,
ACH/wire transfer,
reload station
ACH or wire transfer from existing bank account ACH or wire transfer from existing bank accounts
Money Withdrawals

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Yes No Yes
Time to Approval

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Instant
(card received in 7 – 10 business days)
1 – 3 business days
(card obtained in 7 – 10 business days)
Immediate
(card obtained in 7 – 10 business days)
Obligation No personal liability
(no credit rating )
No liability
(no credit check)
No personal liability
(no credit rating )
Provider Visa or MasterCard Visa MasterCard
Learn More Visit Netspend Visit PEX Visit Bento for Business

Best Company Prepaid Card for Smaller Firms: Netspend

netspend business prepaid cards

We advocate Netspend as our very best business prepaid card since it’s the cheapest and the very flexible when loading funds. It also offers a money and check-free way to distribute tips to employees and give bonuses and commissions. The accounts even lets you accept client credit/debit cards, one of the few to offer you that.

Netspend charges $9.95 a month for the first card and $1.95 per month for up to 9 cards. This means that the most you’ll pay is $27.50 for a 10-card account, or $2.75 per cent. On the other hand, the PEX card costs $7.50 per card and Bento for Business offers the initial 2 cards making them better options for 1- month and 2-card accounts.

The Netspend Business prepaid card is the only card on our list that offers 4 methods to load money. Specifically, funds could be loaded by depositing a test, initiating an ACH or wire transfer, in a participating reload station, or perhaps via direct deposit. By comparison, the other two cards can only be loaded via an ACH or wire transfer.

But, Netspend has a $15k — $25k daily load limitation. They also possess a total account limitation of $25k and a $5k daily limit per cent. Alternatively, the PEX card provides unlimited daily loads and does not have some spending limits. Bento for Business offers a higher total account limit and the exact same daily spend limit at $25k per card.

Like most of the cards on our listing, since the Netspend card is a business prepaid card, there is no private credit check. This means that business owners do not have to worry about personal liability. The acceptance time is instant and you can receive your very first card in 7 — 10 business days.

Visit Netspend

Best Business Prepaid Card for Scalability: PEX

pex business prepaid cards

The PEX company prepaid card is the best card for scalability. This is only because PEX provides among the highest number of employee cards per account at 100. Further, PEX offers an unlimited number of daily loads and trades. But, there’s a monthly fee of $7.50 per card, payable if a account spends $50k/month.

The PEX company prepaid card also charges a one-time installment fee of $49. This makes the card costly for small companies with just a couple of card consumers. But should you expect to get over 10 cards that this is a better choice than Netspend. Furthermore, if you expect to spend $50k a month it’s better than Bento for Business.

PEX also supplies the most flexible loading and paying limits compared to the other two on our listing. The PEX business prepaid card enables $25k per load along with an unlimited number of everyday loading transactions. The card also offers boundless daily card spending. This is in contrast to both the Netspend and Bento cards that restrict daily trades.

Like Netspend, the PEX business prepaid card doesn’t call for a personal credit rating or a personal guarantee from the company owner. It requires between 1 — 3 business days for approval and 7 — 10 business days to receive your first company prepaid card.

Stop by PEX

Best Free Business Prepaid Card: Bento

bento for business business prepaid cards

The Bento business prepaid card is the best free alternative for small business owners. This is because Bento is one of the only company prepaid card providers offering the initial 2 cards free. Bento for Business can also be one of the only providers that fees on a set fee per account instead of per card.

Specifically, the Bento business prepaid card account Provides the following pricing structure:

  • Two Cards: Free
  • 3 — 10 Cards: $29/month
  • 11 — 20 Cards: $69/month
  • 20+ Cards: $149/month
  • These charges are waived if you invest $20k+ per month

This is compared to Netspend and PEX, each of which charge a monthly charge for your initial card as well as a fee for extra employee cards. This makes Bento for Business the only free alternative on the list. Additionally, it may be the most inexpensive card for companies with more than 20 cardholders, depending on the amount of cards.

However, though the Bento for Business doesn’t limit the amount of cards, it does limit daily load transactions and everyday card transactions. For instance, you may only load $25k per day to your account and cardholders can only spend $25k daily. This makes it less scalable than the PEX company prepaid card.

The Bento company prepaid card doesn’t require a private credit check and does not hold the business owner personally accountable for trades. The opportunity to approval can be instantaneous and you may get your first card (for free) in as little as 7 — 10 business days.

Stop by Bento

In-Depth Review: Netspend vs. PEX vs. Bento

Monthly Fee

Virtually all business prepaid cards have a monthly card charge. Some will also have a monthly administrative fee or a one-time installment fee. The normal cost of a business prepaid card is around $7.50 a month. Additionally, there are other fees, which may consist of cash withdrawal, balance inquiry, PIN purchase, and overseas transaction fees.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend business prepaid card charges $9.95 per month for the initial company prepaid business card and $1.95 a month for company prepaid cards 2 — 10. There is a maximum limit of 10 cards per account, which means that the most you’ll pay is $27.50 per month.

But, Netspend also includes a $2.50 ATM withdrawal fee and a $0.50 ATM balance inquiry charge. There are no foreign trade fees and all PIN purchase fees are included as part of the monthly plan.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card charges a flat monthly fee of $7.50 per card also provides up to 100+ cards each account. There’s also a one-time installment fee of $49. However, if your accounts spends a total of $50k+ per month PEX will subtract all of your card charges, making it great for larger businesses.

In addition to the monthly charges, PEX also costs 1.5percent for all foreign transactions. But, there are no domestic trade or load charges. You can’t withdraw money using the PEX business prepaid card and there’s therefore no money withdrawal fee.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento business prepaid card is the only card on the list that charges tiered pricing. By way of example, Bento for Business delivers the first 2 company prepaid cards at no cost. Accounts with 3 — 10 cards pay $29 per month while accounts with 11 — 20 cards pay $69 per month. Large accounts with 20+ cards pay $149 monthly. These fees are payable if you spend $20k+ per month.

The Bento company prepaid card is also the only card on the list without additional fees. The monthly fee you pay for your account covers such penalties as transaction, new card issuance, setup, or load fees.

Maximum Number of Cards

The entire number of allowable business prepaid cards per account will often dictate the provider for your business. This is due to the fact that the number of cards collections widely depending on the particular kind of account. Some suppliers limit the number of cards to 10 while others offer unlimited cards. The entire number of cards often dictate the monthly fees.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend business prepaid card limits the total amount of cards each account to 10 cards. This usually means that you can have a card to yourself as the business owner and up to 9 employee cards. These employee cards are called”subaccounts.”

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card offers up to 100 cards each account. For accounts with over 100 cards it is possible to contact PEX right for particular conditions.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento company prepaid card has a tiered offering which allows for over 20 business prepaid cards. In fact, if you’ve got over 20 cards you can potentially have your monthly fee waived by the supplier. You are going to have to phone them directly since they only offer this to certain businesses.

Minimum Balance

It’s not unusual to find business prepaid cards with minimum balance requirements. When this is the case there will often be a monthly fee for accounts which dip below this minimal threshold. But, it is rather easy to find business prepaid cards without a minimum balance or equilibrium fees. All 3 cards in this buyer’s guide do not have minimum balance requirements.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend business prepaid card does not have a minimum balance requirement. However, to be able to fully activate your account, you will have to load it with funds. You can load up to $25k per day based upon your business classification.

Netspend also has a maximum account balance of $25k. This means that you can not load more than $25k on your accounts at any 1 time. This is the only card on our list using a maximum equilibrium cap.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX business prepaid card also does not have a minimum balance requirement. However, if you invest at least $50k a month you are able to waive all of your card fees, incentivizing you to maintain a high balance it is possible to access with regularity. Like Netspend, you are going to need to load your account to activate it.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento company prepaid card, such as the 2 previous cards, does not have a minimum balance requirement. Additionally, like another 2 cards on this listing, you’ll have to load the account to activate it, but there is not any minimum load amount necessary.

Maximum Balance

It’s not uncommon to see company prepaid cards with maximum limitations too. This sets a cap on the total amount you may load on your account, restricting the amount you are able to spend across all of your cards. Normal maximum balances are about $25k but you can find cards with unlimited balances. 2 of the 3 cards on this list do not have a max balance.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend company prepaid card includes a maximum account balance of $25k. This means that you can’t load over $25k on your accounts at any 1 time. Here is the only card on our list with a maximum balance cap.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card doesn’t have a maximum balance. And as you’ll see soon, PEX also doesn’t limit the quantity you can load daily. This makes it the best card for large purchases or several daily purchases.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento company prepaid card, like the PEX business prepaid card, does not possess a maximum account limit. However, because you’ll also see under, Bento for Business restricts the volume it is possible to load to $25k daily. However higher loads are available on request.

Daily Load Limits

Virtually all business prepaid cards have daily load limits. This sets a limit on the amount of cash that you could load on your accounts every day, restricting the possible amount you can spend across all of your cards. It is common to see business prepaid cards with daily load limits between $15k — $25k or longer.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend business prepaid card lets you load as much as $15k daily if you are an unverified business and up to $25k per day if you’re a verified business. Firms can undergo Netspend business confirmation directly through their account portal. Netspend also caps the entire dollar amount per account at $25k.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card lets you load an unlimited quantity of money onto your account daily. However, PEX puts a $25k cap on individual load transactions. Still, the number of daily load trades is unlimited, allowing you place as much cash in your accounts as you need.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento company prepaid card limits the daily load sum to $25k per account. But, there is no maximum balance cap such as with the Netspend company prepaid card.

Daily Spend Limits

Company prepaid cards typically cap daily transactions at a level dollar amount per cent, typically between $5k per day. This is not the same limitation from any maximum balance limitations. The daily pay limitation is on a per card basis while the highest balance limit is on a per account basis. Some providers do not have daily spend constraints.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend company prepaid card includes a daily spend limit equivalent to $5k each cent. Remember that there will also be a maximum balance limit of $25k per account, limiting the total amount which may be spent as well.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX business prepaid card is one of the few company prepaid cards without a daily pay limitation. This means that you and your employees can pay an infinite amount per card as well as per accounts.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento business prepaid card includes a daily spend limit equivalent to $25k per card and the card provides an unlimited maximum equilibrium like the PEX company prepaid card.

How to Satisfy Money

Business prepaid cards offer you a variety of methods to load funds onto your accounts. The most frequent ways to load funds would be to make an ACH or wire transfer or go to a participating load channel like a convenience store or gas station. But, there are sometimes more suitable ways available, like via direct deposit or check.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend company prepaid card is the most adaptable on our list when it comes to loading funds. This is due to the fact that the card provides 4 methods to load funds on your account, which includes ACH/wire transfer, engaging load stations, direct deposit, or depositing a test online. This makes it very simple to maintain your account loaded with cash.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card only allows you to transfer money via ACH transactions or wire transfers. This means that it will take between two — 3 times to load money onto the card and may cost a wire transfer charge.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento business prepaid card is similar to the PEX card so that you can just load funds through ACH or wire transfers. This induces a 2 — 3 day delay when you are loading funds into your account and might cost you a commission too.

Money Withdrawals

While business prepaid cards are backed by cash, not all business prepaid card suppliers let you draw cash at an ATM. This makes prepaid cards which allow for ATM transactions potentially more convenient than other alternatives. However, it’s possible that you might incur an ATM withdrawal fee.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend company prepaid card is just one of those prepaid business cards which enables you to withdraw cash from ATMs. However, Netspend costs a $2.50 fee per trade. Additionally, third party ATM operator fees may also employ, typically approximately $2 — $3.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX business prepaid card does not allow you to withdraw money at the ATM. This is not rare but can make the card an inconvenient choice based on your bandwidth requirements.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento company prepaid card is like the Netspend card so that you can withdraw money from ATMs. Contrary to the Netspend company prepaid card, there aren’t any cash withdrawal fees, making it a fantastic choice if your employees need access to money.

Time to Approval

Since company prepaid cards have been backed by money and doesn’t call for a private credit check.  And while approval isn’t guaranteed, the acceptance process is fairly quick. You can get approved for an accounts instantly. However, to activate the account, you will usually first must add funds to the accounts, which may take 2 — 3 days. Cards are typically obtained within 7 — 10 business days.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend company prepaid card offers instant approval. It requires two — 3 days to load your accounts and your initial prepaid business card has been obtained within 7 — 10 business days.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card includes a longer approval process between 1 — 3 times. This is most likely the case since they offer up to 100 cards per account and need to review applications more carefully. Once approved, it takes about 2 — 3 times to load your account and 7 — 10 business days to receive your initial card.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento business prepaid card, such as the Netspend card, provides instant acceptance. Your account will take 2 — 3 times to fund initially and your initial card is received within 7 — 10 business days.

Added Features/Benefits

In addition to the features and advantages we’ve already listed, business prepaid cards may offer unique and individual advantages. Some of these additional advantages include the ability to accept client credit/debit cards, disperse bonuses and tips to workers, as well as the ability to utilize the card for other needs such as gas and gasoline.

netspend business prepaid cards

Netspend — The Netspend company prepaid card offers the most additional features and advantages on our list. For starters, it is possible to accept customer payments anywhere with ProPay. You may even deposit checks into your account using the Netspend mobile app, a exceptional feature for company prepaid cards.

Further, you can use your own Netspend accounts to disperse cash-less tips to employees also check-less bonuses. Eventually, your Netspend account incorporates with all of the leading accounting software services such as Quickbooks and Xero.

pex business prepaid cards

PEX Card — The PEX company prepaid card offers an API which allows companies use the PEX platform to power any financial management or business payment software. This helps businesses produce a seamless and often automatic payment experience for their users. PEX also integrates with the top accounting program.

bento for business business prepaid cards

Bento for Business — The Bento business prepaid card offers itself as an alternate to expense-specific cards like fuel cards or fleet cards. This is because it may be used in any gas station (not only engaging ones) and can enable/disable spending categories in real-time. This allows you to limit card purchases to automobile repairs, gas, car rentals, and more.

Bottom Line

Company prepaid cards are great for businesses that want to manage their expenses. They’re also great for business owners who can’t be eligible for a normal business charge card. The very best business prepaid cards include offers from Netspend, PEX, and Bento for Business.

We recommend Netspend as the very best business prepaid card for smaller companies. You can get up to ten cards per account and restrict daily trades on a per card basis. There’s a maximum account balance of $25k.

Visit Netspend

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