American Express Prepaid Cards can help keep your money safe, help you budget, teach kids about money

The holidays are around the corner and using our main account for online shopping isn't always safe. I know that for a fact, because we had our account cleaned out one Christmas while placing an order online.

When Mom Central asked if I would like to take part in the American Express Prepaid Card Blog Tour, I was both excited and afraid. I have never used American Express, so I wasn't familiar with them or their policies.

After going to the the American Express site, you just click on "Get a Card" and follow the instructions to order an American Express Prepaid Card. I found it easiest to connect it to my bank account and preload it with $25. In order to do this, you have to be able to do without that money a couple weeks while you are waiting for the card to arrive. I got mine today.

The reason it takes so long to get the card, is the approval process. The first thing the company did after I applied, was subtract two under $1 amounts from my bank account. Then I had to verify those amounts to prove it was my account.

I opened an online account showing $25 on my prepaid card. I now have my card. I can use it to budget what I spend, or I can use it when I want to be careful ordering something online and I don't want to use my bank account.

So far the only negatives are that it took a couple weeks to go through the process. And I was leery of giving out some of the required information. And, I don't like the one ATM withdrawal monthly, thereafter a fee of $2 per withdrawal is accessed against the balance on the card.

But, the positives outweigh the negatives. I didn' get the card for withdrawals. This would be a great card to provide a child to teach them about money. It would be wonderful gift from grandparents that could be refilled on special days. And it would be beneficial for a college kid, or a babysitter.

I think I will continue to use the American Express Prepaid Card for a long time. You should check it out.

Disclosure: “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”