You can send money with a prepaid card by linking it to a peer-to-peer payment app, using your card issuer’s built-in transfer feature, or purchasing a money order. The method that works best depends on whether your card is a reloadable prepaid card or a non-reloadable gift card, since gift cards have significantly fewer options.
Reloadable vs. Non-Reloadable Cards
This distinction matters more than anything else when you’re trying to send money. A reloadable prepaid card (like those from Netspend, Green Dot, or Bluebird) functions almost like a bank debit card. It’s registered in your name, has a routing and account number in many cases, and can be linked to payment apps or used for direct transfers. You can reload it at retail locations or through direct deposit, and the card issuer typically gives you an online account with money-management tools.
A non-reloadable prepaid card is essentially a gift card with a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express logo. These are designed for making purchases at stores and online, not for sending money to other people. Most gift cards can’t be used at ATMs, don’t support transfers to bank accounts, and run into restrictions when you try to add them to payment apps. The card company itself doesn’t offer any transfer functionality. If you’re holding a Visa gift card and want to send that balance to someone, your options are limited, but not zero.
Sending Money Through Payment Apps
The most common way to send money with a prepaid card is through a peer-to-peer app like Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App. Cash App supports most standard U.S.-issued prepaid cards from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. The process works the same as adding any debit card: enter your card number, expiration date, and security code, then send money to another user’s account.
One important catch: while you can typically send money from a prepaid card through these apps, withdrawing money back to the card may not work. Cash App specifically notes that withdrawals to prepaid cards are unreliable. So if someone sends you money on Cash App and your only linked card is prepaid, you might need to add a bank account to actually access those funds.
Non-reloadable gift cards are harder to use with payment apps. Venmo, for example, generally doesn’t allow you to move a gift card balance into your Venmo account for transfer. Some users have had success adding gift cards as a payment method on certain apps, but results are inconsistent and depend on the specific card issuer and app. If you’re trying to send a gift card balance to someone through an app, test it with a small amount first before assuming the full balance will go through.
Using Your Card Issuer’s Transfer Feature
Several prepaid card providers offer a built-in way to send money directly to other cardholders on the same network. Netspend, for instance, has a “Send Money” feature available through its mobile app and online account center. To use it, open the menu under “Move Money,” tap “Send Money,” select a contact, and confirm the details. The funds transfer once you verify the information. This is often the simplest option if both you and the recipient have accounts with the same provider, since there’s no need to involve a third-party app.
Not every prepaid card program includes this feature, so check your card’s app or website to see what’s available. Some issuers also let you transfer funds to an external bank account using your card’s routing and account number, which gives you another path to move money out.
Buying a Money Order
If digital methods don’t work for your situation, you can use a prepaid card to purchase a money order at many retail locations, including grocery stores and post offices. You’ll typically need a PIN for the transaction, and the retailer may charge a small fee (usually a few dollars). Once you have the money order, you can mail it or hand it to the recipient, who can cash it or deposit it at their bank.
This approach works for both reloadable prepaid cards and, in some cases, non-reloadable gift cards, though not every retailer will accept a gift card for money order purchases. Call ahead or check the store’s policy before making a trip.
Getting Cash to Send Another Way
When other options fall short, especially with a non-reloadable gift card, converting the balance to cash gives you the most flexibility. Reloadable prepaid cards with a PIN can be used at ATMs, though you’ll likely pay an ATM fee from both the machine operator and your card issuer. Some also allow cash back at checkout when you make a purchase at a retailer, which often avoids the ATM fee entirely.
Non-reloadable gift cards generally can’t be used at ATMs. One workaround is to use the gift card to buy something you were already going to buy, then use the cash you saved to send to the person instead. Another option is to use the gift card to load a reloadable prepaid card or a payment app that does accept it, creating a two-step process that ultimately gets the money where it needs to go.
Fees to Watch For
Sending money with a prepaid card can involve fees at multiple points. Payment apps sometimes charge a small percentage when you fund a transfer with a card rather than a linked bank account. Your prepaid card issuer may charge a transaction fee for certain types of transfers. ATM withdrawals typically cost $2 to $3 from the card issuer, plus whatever the ATM operator charges. And money orders carry their own purchase fees.
Before choosing a method, check both your card’s fee schedule (available on the issuer’s website or in your account) and the payment platform’s pricing. Linking your prepaid card’s routing and account number to a payment app, when available, sometimes lets you avoid the card-based transaction fees since the app treats it more like a bank transfer.