You can often find prepaid debit cards at checkout lanes when you’re at the supermarket or at retailers like Walmart, typically next to gift cards. When you get a prepaid debit card in-store, you’ll often incur a card opening fee. As a cheaper alternative, opt to get a card online, which is often free.

Most prepaid debit cards charge monthly maintenance fees that can be similar to checking account fees. But you may also pay a fee to open your prepaid debit card. You can also expect to incur an ATM fee, reload fee and foreign transaction fee with many prepaid debit cards.

While there's typically no minimum balance requirement, you could get stuck paying a monthly fee regardless of your balance. Make sure you're familiar with your card's terms of service and reach out directly to your card issuer for more information.

You can load money onto your prepaid debit card in a variety of ways, including:

• Direct deposit
• Cash at the register at participating retailers
• Transfer from checking or savings accounts
• Mobile check deposit

You can check your account balance online, via your card issuer's mobile app or over the phone.