Advertiser Disclosure
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Bankrate.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and the likelihood of applicants' credit approval, also impact how and where products appear on this site. Bankrate.com does not include the entire universe of available financial or credit offers.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.
The Brink’s Armored™ Account can be helpful in a financial pinch for people who are unbanked or who can’t open a traditional checking account. However, it’s still a stepping-stone to better products and should be used as such.
Written by India Davis
Edited by Courtney Mihocik
/ 7 min
The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict,this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for andhow we rate our cards.The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.
Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money.
Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU — the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a stricteditorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Snapshot
Bottom line
The Brink’s Armored™ Account is a decent starter card that offers rewards like a credit card, but carries a few fees to consider. However, if used correctly, it can be handy in a bind and help people financially establish themselves before graduating to checking accounts and secured credit cards. It’s not a long-term option, but is a great short-term solution.
Brink’s Armored™ Account
N/A
N/A
Intro offer
Intro offer is not available for this Netspend credit card.
N/A
Rewards rate
Rewards rate is not available for this credit card.
Variable Monthly Fees
Annual fee
N/A
Regular APR
On This Page
On This Page
- Current offer details
- Brinks Armored Account pros and cons
- Reasons to get this card
- Reasons to skip this card
- Brinks Armored Card vs. other starter cards
- Is this card worth getting?
Brink’s Armored™ Account overview
If you’ve decided a prepaid debit card is the perfect payment choice but you might not use it often enough to justify a monthly fee, then the Brink’s Armored Prepaid and its pay-as-you-go plan could be a great fit.
The Brink’s Armored prepaid card is issued by Netspend and carries Mastercard benefits. However, Visa cards tend to offer more perks on base cards than Mastercard credit cards, and the Brinks Armored Prepaid is also missing common perks, like virtual card numbers. However, there are a few solid perks that can make up for this, such as the optional overdraft protection and additional savings account option.
While the Brink’s Armored™ Account is a solid option, you can find better rewards and fewer fees with other prepaid credit cards or a debit card.
Rewards
- 1X points on signature purchase transactions; additional points on select limited-time merchant offers
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysisRates and fees
- Monthly fee: $0 to $9.95 (depending on plan option)
- Card purchase fee: $0
- Purchase transaction fee: $0 to $1.50 (signature and PIN)
- Over-the-counter cash withdrawal fee: $3 (At network reload locations: 2.75 percent with $4 minimum)
- ATM cash withdrawal fee: $2.50 per transaction ($0.50 for ATM balance inquiry)
- Card reload fee: Up to $3.95
Expert Appraisal: Weak
See our expert analysisOther cardholder perks
- Early direct deposit
- Additional savings account included with 5 percent APY on up to a $1,000 balance
- ID Theft Protection & Purchase Assurance
- No-cost ATM Withdrawal
- Optional overdraft service
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
130,000+ locations in the Netspend reload network
Pay-as-you-go plan offers flexibility with individual purchase fees instead of monthly fees
Shares valuable Netspend benefits, like a $10 courtesy cushion and high-yielding savings account
Cons
Long list of fees make pay-as-you-go expensive
Easy for the fees to eat into the rewards
Doesn’t build credit and offers no additional security measures
Why you would want the Brink’s Armored Account
The Brink’s Armored Account debit card may not be the best option for long-term use, but it’s good for setting up for the future. For people starting out with any cashless case and wondering what to do, the Brink’s Armored Account has a few perks worth taking a look at.
Benefits: A solid suite of perks
As a standard Mastercard, the Brink’s card offers $0 liability for unauthorized purchases and other fraud monitoring services. The card also offers two-day early direct deposit and a decent portfolio of handy Netspend benefits if you’re a Brink’s Preferred Benefits cardholder.
Prepaid cards operate like debit cards in that you can’t spend beyond your card’s balance. But if you’re a Brink’s Preferred Benefits cardholder, the issuer may give you up to a $10 negative balance as a courtesy, offering some wiggle room if you’re in a pinch.
Monthly fees: Deposits work in your favor
With debit cards, one fee you need to be aware of is the monthly service fee, also known as a maintenance fee, that adds to the balance. There’s a growing trend of banks getting rid of them, but that’s not always the case. With the Brinks Armored Account, your monthly fee is waived when you deposit a minimum of $500 each month. If you plan to use this card as your main debit card, you may be able to reach this requirement easily. Plus, you can receive your money two days earlier when you sign up for the card’s direct deposit option.
Why you would not want the Brinks Armored Account
The Brink’s Armored Account delivers the same opt-in Payback Points rewards program as other Netspend prepaid cards, but Brink’s program is called Brink’s Money Payback Points. The redemption options can be valuable, but the point values and higher-yield reward opportunities are a bit foggy unless you already have an account.
Rewards: Too low to stand up to fees
You’ll earn 1 Payback Point per dollar on signature purchase transactions (just select “credit” on the keypad at checkout), minus your purchase fees. However, you may be able to earn bonus points at a higher rate if you take advantage of additional limited-time, merchant-specific offers in your Online Account Center. Luckily, these reward opportunities can easily fit into your regular spending since they are personalized around your purchases. These additional offers are similar to card-linked reward programs, similar to Amex Offers or Chase Offers.
Because the Payback Points program’s terms are a bit vague, it’s difficult to tell the exact point value. If you plan to redeem points you earn with your rewards card for cash back, you typically want your points to be worth at least 1 cent apiece. Considering the fees attached to this card, the cost of using this card can easily eat up the value of any rewards you earn.
Rates and fees: Costs pile up quickly
If you choose the pay-as-you-go plan, it’ll be hard to use this card without tripping over a fee. Each purchase costs $1.50, but the $9.95 monthly plan may save you money, depending on how often you use your card. The best move is to accept the reduced monthly plan as a Brink’s Preferred Benefit member, which requires $500 in qualifying direct deposits each month. This feature drops your monthly plan to $5 — a fee similar to other prepaid cards.
Unfortunately, the cast of fees that usually come with even the best prepaid cards will constantly nibble into your balance. There’s no upfront card purchase fee, but you’ll have to pay up to $3.95 just to reload your card’s cash balance. You’ll also experience a $3 over-the-counter (OTC) cash withdrawal fee at financial institutions like banks or a 2.75 percent fee of the total withdrawal at in-network reload locations (or $4, whichever is greater), only waiving the first withdrawal fee every month.
It’s hard to steer clear of these fees, especially considering the list of situational costs like a 4 percent foreign transaction fee, $5.95 90-day inactivity fee and even a $4.95 fee for a custom picture on your card. Unless you’re dedicated to a prepaid card, alternative options like one of the best checking accounts might be cheaper.
How the Brink’s Armored™ Account compares to other starter cards
Besides its laundry list of fees, a few other key considerations deserve your attention before choosing the Brink’s Armored Prepaid.
But a debit card is an all-around better (and cheaper) starter card and there are a few checking accounts that reward spending like the Discover Cashback Debit Account. Furthermore, there are better prepaid cards that can truly help you establish financial security and provide avenues to graduate to products like the best secured credit cards.
Brink’s Armored™ Account
Bankrate Score Rating: 0 stars out of 5 0.0
Annual fee
Variable Monthly Fees
Intro offer
N/A
Rewards rate
N/A
Recommended Credit Score
N/A
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
$0
Intro offer
Cashback Match™
Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There's no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Rewards rate
1% - 2%
Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
No Credit History
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Bankrate Score
on Self's secure site
Annual fee
$25
Intro offer
N/A
Rewards rate
N/A
Recommended Credit Score
No Credit History
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Who is the Brink’s Armored Account right for?
In general, the Brink’s Armored Account may not have the best long-term value. Still, there are a few instances where this card can come in handy.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Brink’s Prepaid card worth it?
The Brink’s Prepaid is only worth it in very specific situations, like if you can’t open a traditional banking account. In those cases, the Brink’s Prepaid Mastercard is a solid prepaid credit card that offers a bit more flexibility than some competitors with its pay-as-you-go plan and $10 negative balance cushion. However, its rewards program is confusing, and, like most prepaid cards, it poses a few fee-harvesting traps. As such, your money may go a bit farther with a debit or credit card.
Compare the best cash back credit cards
Written by
India Davis
Editor, Credit Cards
Read more from India
India Davis is an editor specializing in credit cards and updates. She believes in putting the reader first and carrying out a brand’s voice to its fullest potential. She has lived and worked in three different countries and hopes to explore more of the world post-pandemic.
Edited by Courtney Mihocik
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
Up next
Read moreCash Back