Report to the Congress on Government-Administered,
General-Use Prepaid Cards, July 2014 - Accessible Version
Figure 1. Proportion of government-administered payments made through prepaid cards in 2013
Millions of dollars, except as noted
Program |
Total Payments |
Prepaid Cards |
Other Payment Types |
Prepaid Cards (%) |
Total |
1,054,384.01 |
142,498.36 |
911,885.64 |
13.5 |
Social Security |
810,684.19 |
25,820.61 |
784,863.58 |
3.2 |
SNAP |
74,963.50 |
74,963.50 |
0.00 |
100.0 |
Veterans Administration |
65,847.10 |
693.01 |
65,154.09 |
1.1 |
Unemployment |
34,602.88 |
20,578.44 |
14,024.44 |
59.5 |
Child Support |
15,669.63 |
6,142.51 |
9,527.12 |
39.2 |
Payroll |
9,475.06 |
43.92 |
9,431.14 |
0.5 |
Disability |
5,498.50 |
5,053.28 |
445.22 |
91.9 |
Tax Refund |
4,554.58 |
427.26 |
4,127.31 |
9.4 |
TANF |
1,039.09 |
960.30 |
78.79 |
92.4 |
WIC |
952.38 |
943.38 |
9.00 |
99.1 |
Section 8 Housing |
8.26 |
0.51 |
7.75 |
6.2 |
Energy Assistance |
0.74 |
0.74 |
0.00 |
100.0 |
Prisons/Corrections |
0.48 |
0.21 |
0.26 |
44.4 |
Disaster Relief |
0.25 |
0.17 |
0.08 |
66.4 |
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Figure 2. Issuer revenue by fee type
Millions of dollars, except as noted
Fee Type |
Revenue |
Percent |
Interchange |
327 |
65 |
Cardholder |
175 |
35 |
ATM |
101 |
- |
Customer service inquiry |
26 |
- |
Account servicing |
24 |
- |
Penalty |
18 |
- |
Other |
6 |
- |
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Figure 3. Cardholder Fees
Millions of dollars, except as noted
Fee Type |
Revenue |
Average Fee ($) |
ATM |
100.8 |
1.19 |
Customer service inquiry |
26.5 |
0.42 |
Account servicing |
24.0 |
6.01 |
Penalty |
17.6 |
1.29 |
Overdraft |
2.0 |
2.54 |
OTC |
1.4 |
3.79 |
Purchase transaction |
1.0 |
0.19 |
Routine monthly |
1.0 |
2.78 |
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Note: Data values for figures are rounded and may not sum to totals.
Last update: August 4, 2014