How to Put Money on a RushCard

RushCard is part of the Visa brand electronic payment family. Although it works much like a bank account debit card, RushCard is a prepaid debit card for which you can carry a maximum balance of up to $10,000. Instead of linking to a checking account, you put money on the card directly through a direct deposit or ADH transfer from a financial institution, or by loading cash or a check. Once loaded, you can use the card to pay bills and shop, but you can't spend more than the current available balance.

The direct deposit option for loading applies to a paycheck, a benefit payment such as a Social Security check or a tax refund. To enroll, you include the following information on a direct deposit request: JPMorgan Chase as the bank, 021409169 as the routing number and your 16-digit card number as the account number. According to the cardholder agreement, there is a limit to how much you can add via direct deposit. For an employer-issued payroll, the limit is $5,000 per check; for a benefit check, the limit is $2,000 per transaction. The tax refund limit is $9,999.99.

If your bank offers electronic fund transfers to outside institutions, you can transfer up to $10,000 from a bank account to your RushCard. Initiate the transfer in person or from your bank's website, using your card number for the account number and 021409169 for the routing number. In most cases, a bank transfer takes one to three business days to complete.

You can load a card with up to $1,000 cash in any 24-hour period at a number of retail stores including Walmart, CVS Pharmacy, the Dollar Store and Kmart. You can also load your card at any Western Union or MoneyGram location. Although RushCard does not charge a load fee, third-party load partners often charge a fee for using their services. Funds from a cash load become available to spend from one hour after loading up to the next business day.

If you have a mobile phone, download the RushCard mobile app from Google Play or the App Store and snap a picture of most types of first-party checks. With this option, funds are not available until the check is approved. It can take up to 10 days if you choose the no-fee option. However, for a fee ranging from 1 percent to 4 percent of the face amount, you can request expedited approval and have funds available within one hour.

With this method, RushCard suggests you cash a preprinted payroll or benefit check at a participating Walmart and then load up to $1,000 cash onto your card. However, you pay a fee of up to $3 to cash your check and another fee of up to $3.74 to load the card.