NetSpend
Reviews and Complaints

I have been a loyal NetSpend Customer for years. On 6/23/2025 I called in and spoke with a Agent named Alvin. I questioned an unauthorized transaction, and Alvin admitted to it that it was a fraudulent transaction. Red flag, how would Alvin have known right away that the transaction was fraudulent? That tells me that NetSpend is very aware of the fraudulent activity that's going on behind the scene. As soon as I questioned Alvin about the fraudulent transaction, Jengal Tallin, he admitted it was a fraudulent transaction and Alvin ended the call! Those thieves should not be in business and robbing customers. I'm happy that I did not add a larger amount of money to my NetSpend card.

Waiting for my direct deposit to hit to finish Christmas. I simply called customer service to see if it was in the account they end up locking both of my cards on the same account now money sitting in it no way of getting it they blocked both cards block any kind of transfer said the card i have to use won't be here until 3 days after Christmas. I spent total of around 10 hours on the phone people telling me your accounts not locked we can transfer the money to your new account to transferring until someone actually hangs up they are not respectful at all and will not help u. Getting to talk to a supervisor will not happen they continue to tell u anything just to get u off the phone do let this this company hold any of your money you will loose access to it if show any kind of of being upset or feed all they have to say is suspicious activity and your locked out until they decide otherwise it don't matter if give them all your information from SS number to where u where born I been through the process atleast 20 times in the last two days I recorded the conversations and told them I was recording they will tell u they can transfer the money tomorrow well tomorrow never comes they will tell u the missed resolved and it isn't when u get off the phone they will tell you they express a card to for 25 dollars but they will not it's all to get u off the phone please don't trust this company or you will end up like me broke and begging for there help and you will here other people in the background laughing at jokes and cutting up while u are desperate

I personally really enjoy having netspend. I have had several times where my account has been hacked. Netspend has made it right every single time. I would not have known right away if it weren't for them flagging my account. They really do pay attention to what is right on my account and what is not. They have always reimbursed me when my account has been hacked. Just today I had a company charge me the same thing twice. That company stated they could only see the one transaction. They asked for my bank to be on the line to verify. I got Netspend on the line and they verified that there were 2 of the same transaction. Netspend declined the 2nd transaction and refunded my money back immediately. I love that you get paid before the actual pay date. I don't like the fee for the ATM, as the ATM's charge a fee and then Netspend charges a fee. I love how even transactions that are pending have already come out of the available balance immediately. I have overdrawn several banks for this alone. All in all, I've had Netspend for 5 years and I don't plan on leaving them anytime soon!

I've had a Netspend account and now an Ace Flare account for several years: my ssa and chase annuity are both direct deposited and come two to three days early! Never had a problem.

I think this is a great set up for the irresponsible, you do pay 9.95 a month to keep this card, but it a lot cheaper than banks overdraft fees. You put money on the card, and the card quits working when your out of money, no worry.

I been banking with netspend all my life but someone hacked into my account so i call them and did a despite on my money that was unlawful took out of my account next thing the following week they closed my account dont know why and when I call them to ask the only thing they saying cause I did an dispute for fraud and it's my money I'm the victim but netspend will have you looking like the crook about your own funds I do not recommend anyone to them and they never gave me my money back of 2500. 00 cash that someone looking out of my money so I was scam both ways it's not fair to the clients!

It's great until the point of 30$ overdraft fee adding another 30 without any notification. Would be nice if I know what is going on as well the pending don't get delayed. And it happens twice. I'm starting to question myself on going on a different account.

Used this card for purchases over the course of two years, Card works exactly as described as a high fee debit card. Never had issues with card being declined because it was not accepted by a vendor. I think a lot of people have trouble using the card because they view it as a disposable gift card not a actual financial institution debit card.I give it 3 stars due to the high fees

My SIGNIFICANT OTHER and I both had NetSpend cards in HIS and MINE name. He has since deceased. They now have put holds on both cards Wich we're in totally different social security numbers and names. Now I'm sapposed to prove my own carnacy by sending copies of my ID and social security number! Which is very inconvenient when it's my money in the first place. Never strust them again.

I'm a working dad of 2 twin girls. And I can't for the life of me understand one thing NETSPEND does for a customer that is beneficial in any way, unless your INTO STEALING FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS THAN THIS WOULD WORK FIOR YOU Knew saying could be " NETSPEND.

WE KEEP THE POOR PEOPLE POOR "WITH A FEE EVERYTIME YOU USE YOUR CARD"... Another lesson that stings, and somewhere some net spend scumbag is getting rich and keeping people poor you should be in jail do not under and instance use this card they are the worst.

0 stars across the board. enjoy my last fee you scumbags.

I have been contacting Netspend since October 2022 in regards to a refund check they were supposed to issue me for the social security backpay that was deposited in my account around that time. After sending in all necessary documents to them, speaking to supervisors, receiving a[pprovals and promises to expedite mt check, they continue to give me the run around and will not send my check to me, I updated my address with them months ago and now the reason they wont send is because I need proof of address. I went through a lot of trouble changing my address in the first place and the same document I used for them to update is the same one I used for proof which they now are refusing. I spoke to a supervisor/ csr June 18th, 2025, and she told me all my documents were APPROVED and she was escalating my issue to the higher department so they can issue the refund check. 06/20/25, I called again because I hadn't received it, the rep told me the check was processed, put me on hold, then said that Im missing documentation. I kept telling them I got everything approved on the 18th and before that on the 9th of June, they still refuse to issue my refund check. I am in a financial disaster now and am looking to find someone to help me with this matter because I really need my funds. Im under the impression they just dont want me to have it at this point and they keep giving me the run around so I can give up and stop calling. I am also going to contact the social security administration to see if there is anyway they can help me retrieve my refund check from NETSPEND.

I am the legal, financial agent for my mother. We established a Power Of Attorney document in Texas in 2006. With this authority, I opened an account in her name with the HEB prepaid NetSpend card. I have been using this account to send my mother an allowance that comes every few weeks.

This account was opened in Texas sometime in 2016. I used what ever address she had there. Since then, we moved her to Washington State where I reside. Initially, She lived with me, but as it became apparent that I was unable to provide her care, we moved her to an Adult Family Home (6 residents) and then to an assisted living facility (80+ residents). it is imporant to understand that my mother has schizophrenia and unspecified dementia. She frequently doesn't understand the customer service representatives when we have spoken with them, and they will not allow me to advocate for her.

Recently, We received an email that says there is fraudulent activity, but because it is in her name they will not allow me to help her, despite the fact that she has been with me and spoken to her, we have emailed and used their online portal to upload documents. They say they cannot open the account because no matter what I send them, the addresses do not match the account.

This experience has been infuriating to say the least. The "locked" account is still pulling the regular allowance from the main bank account that I use. I feel like they are stealing the money because they won't turn off the transfer, and they won't allow us access to the account.

Fraudulent transactions from Africa. Total $5,000. Transaction was 01/14. savings deduction followed by two fraudulent transactions. Have been without funds since.

Initially fraudulent savings deduction followed immediately by two transactions debit for total of $5,500. Immediately denied transactions by me. But transactions processed. Contacted customer service immediately. But to date no update.

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/netspend_stipulated_order_for_permanent_injunction_and_monetary_judgment_3-31-17.pdf

I will call you one more time for access to my account, my funds as well as my personal and financial data be made available to me as per this FTC injunction. If not I will file a Law Suit immediately!

https:www.ftc.govsystemfilesdocumentscasesnetspendstipulatedorderforpermanentinjunctionandmonetaryjudgment3-31-17.pdf

VII. RECORDKEEPING IT IS FURTHER ORDERED - (for 20 years after judgment)

C. records of all consumer complaints, whether received directly or indirectly, related to access to funds, which shall include, but not be limited to, available consumer contact information, date of complaint, source of complaint, category of complaint, and the outcome provided that this Subparagraph shall apply only to consumer complaints related to Page 21of26 Case 1:16-cv-04203-AT Document 41 Filed 033117 Page 21 of 32 to funds received directly or indirectly from a consumer, a federal or state agency, the Better Business Bureau, State Attorneys General, as well as any consumer lawsuit

D. all records necessary to demonstrate full compliance with each provision of this Order, including all submissions to the Commission

E. a copy of each unique advertisement or other marketing material created, produced or approved by Defendant and F. records of blocks that restrict consumer access to Prepaid Products requests by consumers to activate and register Prepaid Products, when submitted directly to Defendant or when records of such requests are available to Defendant requests by consumers to lift blocks on Prepaid Products requests by consumers for closure of Prepaid Product accounts and any subsequent disbursements of funds to consumers;

I am PUBLICLY demanding that you provide me IMMEDIATE access to my funds, my prepaid account, that all restrictions are lifted and that ALL data and all of my complaints be forwarded to the FTC in compliance with this injunction.

You are also required to report ALL complaints about people not having access to their accounts, prepaid balances as well as their personal and financial data to the BBB AND FTC. So let's get to reporting because I have!

I have turned ALL of my requests over to the BBB as well as the FTC. I would suggest that you comply with this order immediately.
Desired outcome: IMMEDIATELY remove ALL restrictions from my prepaid card account, IMMEDIATELY give my access to the funds in my available balance and IMMEDIATELY comply with the FTC Injunction

I've had a NetSpend prepaid card, account ending 3490, since 201. I added my wife as a secondary account holder. My wife has her SSA benefits directly deposited, and has received them directly deposited to the same NetSpend account.
Then out of the blue, my wife checking our online account noticed that her card was just eliminated, deleted, erased; without any notification.
The card was not expired, she had already gone through the entire verification process submitting identity verification, which was successfully received, verified and approved.

So she contacted NetSpend CS receiving the automated system, she entered her card number, and the automated response was "Invalid card number", so she had to enter her SS number to access our joint account. The response from the automated system was "if you'd like to request a replacement card press ...", so she did.

Within a week, I received a second card in my name, so I sent a text through netspend's application, explaining the situation, and asking for information on who had deleted my wife's card And that the card they sent me was not requested, that in fact my wife still needed her replacement card

The response message I received stated that they couldn't send me another card because I already had two cards
I responded again through netspend's application message center, that the replacement card should've been for my wife.

She finally received a new NetSpend card, but it was for a new account, so my wife still has no access to our account

Two days later, in 9/4/24, my access was also denied, we could not access our account by phone, or online. This was extremely unusual because in the past NetSpend would always send a text message or email whenever there was an issue. And once we submitted whatever information NetSpend was requiring, we would receive a confirmation email, or text stating the account issue has been resolved. "You may now access your account"

When we called the NetSpend CS center the rep sent me a text message with a link to help me verify my id. I had submitted all the documents a dozen times within two weeks, before I received an email stating that all my documents had been received, verified, and approved, and that we were to contact NetSpend CS to get instructions on how to unlock our account.

So when I contacted NetSpend CS, I was informed that I still needed to submit my documentation So I forwarded the email that I received from netspend support, to NetSpend, stating that all my documentation had been approved , and no other documents were required, and I've called NetSpend CS rep at least four more times;each time I explained that we had received confirmation that all the required documentation had been received, verified and approved, but they just keep repeating that I need to resubmit my documents.

It's been nearly a month, since we've had access to our account My wife's SSA benefits is the only funds we have, and NetSpend states in their policies that they will not accept direct deposits for anyone who does not have a card for the account the direct deposit is made.

We are both disabled seniors, I have a terminal condition. We live in a rural area, which does not have public transportation. We have no vehicle, and we are now completely out of food. Are power is at risk of being shut off if we do not make our agreed monthly payment, as we will be two months behind this week.

I tried to pay our utility bill in Sept by purchasing two gift cards, not realizing they were both associated with NetSpend. I activated both cards successfully, and the available balance was confirmed online.

However, I have tried numerous times to pay the utility bill, and each time my payment is declined.
Please advise.

Desperately Frustrated

I sent my identity I formation like my Oklahoma State id and check stub and proof of address sent it email Gmail text and i was sent a text to my text message and went through the text and I took a front and back of my state gov id and on my end when I sent it it was good on my end but on NetSpend end they didn't get it but I was done with y'all info y'all send us to give y'all my information and I been going through this for the past 7days straight trying to get my card unlock so I can get access to my money that I work for my check goes into my account every week and I work for HCCCO construction company out of Tulsa Oklahoma building water treatment plant and I been with y'all for over 8 yrs and all suddenly I can't get my NetSpend card unlock I sent my information email and Gmail and I sent them to yalls documents @Netspend.com to and sent it to phone number and text messages to

I added money to one of their cards and cannot access it. They are telling there is fraudulent activity on but can't tell me what the activity is? They are requesting the copy of my identification they link they sent won't take a picture, now I have to email a copy of the info and what 4-6 business days for them to verify my information. I need my money; I have surgery scheduled and cannot pay for my services. I requested to speak with supervisor and was put on hold for 1 and no one has returned to the call. I was added back to the queue. Horrible product, I definitely would not recommend. They won't even provide info on how I can file a complaint.

Netspend has charged overdraft fees - illegally... When card was stolen, they assigned a new account and routing number, vs replacing the card, enabling them to keep illegally charging overdraft fees 3 in one day! Also, during the stolen card, given virtual card - charges made that were disputed... They didnt give provisional credit, as stated, when I called back, they claimed I had 3 accounts open! All of which they are charging monthly fees for,.

They have hung up on me 3 x. Whom ever they off shore the customer service too, their english is very broken and unable to understand,

They owe me over 160... I just spoke with them again... They sent another card, not activated and told me I had this for 2 months an there are monthly fees. This is a racket and they are preditors.

So all of a sudden I got locked out of my account after trying to transfer money to my PayPal. They say they can't let me back in my account because they can't verify my address even though I've sent them eight documents with my address on it.. I even sent them a copy of my lease agreement for my apartment which obviously has my address and my name on it. I have sent them my electric company account information, which shows my name and address I've also sent a picture of the front and back of my state ID. Out of the eight documents I sent them they only acknowledge two of them. Then told me that the one from my electric company is not needed, but why is it not needed when it has my address on it. I have given them my social security number my birthday and answered every single security question correctly. They say it's because they can't verify who I am, but yet they want all of my personal information. Out of the few years I've been a customer with them now all of a sudden they can't verify my address.. I have explained to them many times that the town I live in doesn't have a mail delivery service everybody has a PO box, so how the hell am I supposed to verify my address when I don't get mail delivered to my address and they don't accept PO boxes.!?! This is the stupidest company I've ever dealt with in my life, and the representatives are just as bad. when I told one lady to give me my money now, she laughed and told me "no" and then hung up on me. And yes I did get upset and yell but what gives them the right to keep my money for me cuz they don't know me. They sure didn't have a problem letting me put the money into my account but now they don't want to let me take it out.. also I was having an issue on the 20th with my account and then I got the code and everything I needed for all of that to verify my account and then it worked one time then the very next time I tried to transfer money is when I get locked out. I have done everything they've asked and they are still not giving me my money. Please somebody help me and tell me what I can do or if I have to go the legal route what kind of lawyer I have to find. They are preventing me from feeding my children by not letting me have access to my money in my account on the app that I log into with my fingerprint.! I am just beyond livid right now and I need to figure out what I can do to get my money back.

My account was hacked today. My entire paycheck from my employer is gone. How did you allow someone to change my phone number to a phone number that is not even from the State I live in? Netspend states the following:

"Netspend uses modern technology and tools to protect customers' money from scams. One of the primary ways Netspend protects its customers is through real-time transaction monitoring. This allows Netspend to take action in real-time to protect customers' money in the case of suspicious activity.

If suspicious activity is identified, Netspend can place a temporary hold on the card until the customer can verify that the transaction isn't fraudulent. Keeping your information safe from fraud is our biggest priority and we use various tools to ensure a hold on your account is quickly addressed."

I am currently in dire straits! I need my funds that i worked hard for released immediately! Not only do I need to eat, I have bills to pay. You allowed 2 very erroneous charges to go through on my card (currently in a pending state) that are fraudulent. You all sent me a text asking if one of the charges was valid. I responded "no," however the reply I received back was "we are unable to process your request at this time." I then called and spoke with 3 separate representatives. The first one was transferring me to a Supervisor. I was on hold for over 50 minutes. The 2nd one promised to not place me on hold. She stated she would place me on mute and if I needed her, to let her know. The next thing I know, I was immediately placed back into an automated queue. I then had to call back, which was frustrating because I could not validate anything due to the state of my account. The last person I spoke with did her best to help. She at least was able to waive the fees associated with ordering a new card. Since then, I have contacted the Pennsylvania State Attorney General as well as the Florida State Attorney General because the entity that stole my funds has an LLC registered in Florida.

I am being told by your representatives that I have to wait until the charges are not pending, in other words, you will give my funds to this fraudulent entity and then investigate for at least 10 business days, in which case I could be dead by then. The practice here and the accountability by your company is unacceptable. I feel that you all are not taking any responsibility for this breach. Please advise on next steps. I would like you to respond to this email, because speaking with you all on the phone is causing even greater anxiety. I've been with Netspend for several years, and I am going give you a chance to rectify this in a timely manner.

NetSpend told me they would offer a 100 dollar provisions reimbursement to my account. Today I checked m my balance and it was only 31.00. wow so you allow my money to be taken and in return give me 30 bucks out of 100?! This is Robin Peter to pay Paul.

Plus they sent me multiple cards for what? I'm going to close my account and refer this to the legal team for further review

I purchased a reloadable card for my daughter and she put $100 on it got home to activate it for her and was told I couldn't activate it because I was -$189 and I've never even used netspend before. They refuse to give me a refund. They keep telling me my account is -189, I asked if my husband could activate the card in his name and they tell me no so they now canceled the card and I'm out of $100.

On January 31, 2024 I called due to fraudulent charges from my checking account. I called immediately, same day, the fraudulent transactions showed up. At the time they were pending and I informed customer service they were not my charges and to stop the pending transactions, but the customer service representative said she would not put a stop on the charges because she claimed I had to wait until the charges cleared before a dispute could be made. I immediately put a dispute in and from then on I have not received my money, Netspend is refusing to refund me fraudulent charges that I DID NOT MAKE! I have had to put a complaint in with the Federal Trade Commission. I would like this situation to be resolved without having to bring a civil suit against the bank. I followed every protocol required by the bank.

I have made numerous, over 30 or more phone calls to resolve this. I was told that a supervisor would call me but never did. All of this is documented on recorded lines. I have kept records of all conversations.

I am a single mom whose family relies on my income only. Approximately $2000 was illegally taken from my account.

Please reach out to me as soon as possible.

I had a deposit into my account last night total was 160.00. I've been waiting for this to come for two years. So I went to the ATM to withdrawal money, and it was declined. The next thing you know my account was closed. The rep.i spoke to told me they Do not know why it's closed. That there's no notations! They said we'll send you a check! Nope I will not accept this and I told them this! One lady said they could reopen my account and said no problem after asking me personal questions that were very personal! I want my money today because they're violating very strict laws including the fact THEY CLOSED MY ACCOUNT WITHOUT WRITTEN NOTICE AND WITHOUT WARNING! This is highway robbery and if they think that I believe they're sending me a check, I do not accept this as I SHOULDN'T HAVE MY ACCOUNT CLOSED AT ALL.

I had an account with Netspend all access and my wallet was stolen in Mexico. I paused my card and changed my address to a Chula Vista CA general delivery address on my account. I found out it is the wrong address, but Netspend closed my account because I couldn't verify my ID. They said they'd send the check to the address I wanted, which was an updated Chula Vista general delivery address, but they won't send it because I can't verify my address. This is because I have nothing with the address on file on it because I can't mail anything to myself there. I can't receive mail which means I can't verify it and they refuse to sendy check, send my money to another bank account, issue me another card, etc. they're just keeping my money

Two days ago I got a message on my phone app, while trying to obtain my balance. I was unable to sign in and was asked to call [protected]. I called and the representatives were very unprofessional. I explained, and they said that there is a HOLD on my account, but they could not tell me what. They put me on hold three times than swiitched me over to their "Risk department", where I was told the same thing, almost as if it was off the same script. They said that in order to prevent identity theft, they needed me to scan my driver's licence on a link they would text me. I told them that I was not comfortable doing that, as I have nev er been asked to do it before. Their answer was more proof of unproffesionalism with words like "Huh, what do you mean"? I followed my gut and hung up. I looked at some reviews talking about scams with the company, and they tell you to not give your social security number. I did some more reading and saw that some companies have implemented this as an extra safeguard to verify your identity (scanning driver's license). I cooled off and called back an hour later (I have heart issues, and can't let my pulse too high), after scanning it through the lin they sent. The link read: Now, expect an email from Skylight netspend on what to do next. This morning I checked my app, and NOPE, still no access. I called back and -What do you know! I just happened to speak to the same two people I had spoken with before, Anna and Rose. At this point, I asked why I still had no access, and was told that they did receive the scan of DL, but were unable to verify my identity, and now need proof of address. Now, I was livid, and demanded to speak to a supervisor (which I had to define, becase anna clearly doesn't know what one is), and the response was "Well, I don't know if there is one availble right now. I was tenacious about it, and she put me on hold for about three minutes. Then ROSE -The New Supervisor (I guess) got on the line. She told me that if i refusedd to send prrof of address, that my account would be frozen and ALL my money inaccessible for #)-DAYS! My blood pressure is going up just typinng this and thining about it. So now all my bills will be late this month, and I have no access to cash! I even hung up once and called the skyligh netspend number on the back of my card, but got the same group of people. What is super shady is that they could find a supervisor, until (I thin) they made one up, I asked for their namdss and they said they can only give their first names. I asked for their address- nope! they said they cannot provide that either. I'm Stuck. WHAT DO I DO, anyone/

On august 17,2023 there’s was a transaction that I didn’t authorized on Amazon for some kindle books for the amount of 139.18 and that same day got charged the amount but that same day I canceled the order and was told by Amazon I would get a refund for the whole amount to my netspend card I only got 10 transactions of 6.43 but I didn’t get the other half furthermore I filed a dispute for the amount and I got word last months that my dispute was denied and that Amazon had refunded me the money but I only got half furthermore netspend gave me a provisional amount for 139.18 later at the end of November they deducted 139.18 I’m not satisfied with the conclusion.

I had my card activated last wwe eek and everything was fine and today I called them because I couldn't get in to my account online and when I called them it took me straight to a rep and they tell me that they closed my account and wouldn't give me a reason why they did it and I can no longer use net spend and they are sending me a $6 check when I had about $200 in it and they want to acres me over and they have been screwing my wife over for the past 4 years and now me my wife has been with me tsp end for almost 25 years now and they wouldn't let her talk to them on the phone when I gave her permission to do it and the rep heard me giving her permission then the supervisor was nice about it and then she said I can't never use net spend anymore so for that I say [censored] NETSPEND¡!

Netspend blocked my account for no reason 2 weeks ago and I had to call customer service and find our why. The customer rep informed they reserve the right to tell u why my account is blocked. So I told em how do i open my account again and they said they will email me with instructions to open my account again and it takes 24 hours for me to receive the email. We'll low and behold the next day no email so I call again and they told me the story so I hung up now I'm taking legal action. There commuting theft

I was a rep payee for my father who passed away on 8/19/23. His social security check was direct deposited into an account I set up for him and Netspend closed the account once notified about his death, and refusing to return the funds back to Social Security. Here it is almost December, and they have not returned the funds. Phone calls to them, I have been placed on hold. and hung up on. I spoke with a supervisor and was hung up on numerous times. I am getting an overpayment letter stating I have to pay the funds back or they will take money from my mothers' social security check to recoup the payment. My mother cannot afford to pay the money back because she is on a fixed income. The fact that a real financial institution would return the funds but Netspend is just holding onto the money says a lot about this shady company.