How to Get Cash From a Prepaid Debit Card using Gmail and Google Wallet

You have noticed this by now: brands and retailers issue Prepaid Visa or MasterCard debit cards for rebates instead of checks. The brands surely get a kickback, because I'm sure the card issuers are scraping a fee for each swipe of the debit card.

I understand the thinking by the businesses. But it stinks. The consumer usually loses in this scenario, because it's really hard to use up those last few dollars. Add on fees for keeping a balance beyond a year or 6 months, and it's easy to see how the consumer typically never quite gets the complete rebate for which they were entitled.

Another thing that bothers me about these prepaid debit cards is that the majority (if not all) online retailers will not accept them as a form of payment. I'm assuming this has something to do with mailing address verification or something along those lines. Additionally, most online retailers are unable or unwilling to perform split payment transactions, where a portion of the total price is paid with one form of payment (in this case, the prepaid debit card) and the balance with another form, such as a typical credit card.

All of this is to say that prepaid debit cards are a pain.

But I'm here to provide a solution. Or at least a solution that worked for me. Therefore, YMMV (your mileage may vary).

We'll be using two of Google's finest products, Gmail and Wallet. Wallet is Google's financial transaction application, akin to Paypal. You are able to add credit cards and bank accounts, then use Wallet to make payment at online and brick-and-mortar stores, send money to people, and withdraw funds. The best part is, there is no fee for sending money to another person via an email address! At least not for now. I don't know if that will change in the future.

So what follows are steps to follow. Disclaimer: These steps worked for me. They may not work for you. I am not liable if following these steps send your prepaid debit card balance into some sort of financial limbo. I actually tried this with $1 before I did the remaining balance. I suggest you do the same, just to be on the safe side.

Now then: 

1. Add your activated, prepaid debit card (in my case, Visa) as a credit card in your Wallet account.
2. In Gmail, compose a new email to the email address tied to your Wallet account, but with a + filter. Essentially, you can add +whatever to the end of your name to create an alternate email address. It is still your account and still comes back to your email inbox. So, if your email address is joe.blow@gmail.com, just use joe.blow+wallet@gmail.com
1. I found that Gmail/Wallet will not allow you to send money to yourself. This is a workaround.
3. Enter whatever you like for subject and body, although these are probably not required.
4. At the bottom of the compose window, hover on the plus sign to see the expanded menu. Click the Attach Money option, indicated by a currency symbol.
5. In the window that appears, enter the full balance of the prepaid debit card in the Amount field.
6. Choose the prepaid debit card from the funding source dropdown list.
7. Click Attach.
8. There may be a verification or confirmation step or two. Accept those and send the email.
9. In just a few short seconds, you'll receive a couple emails: you sent money and you received money! Open the email saying you received money and click the Claim Money button.

You should now see a balance at the bottom of the left column in your Wallet account. You can simply use this as a payment source when making purchases online or you can simply transfer it to a bank account.

Also, you may be able to accomplish all of this from directly within Wallet, by clicking the Send Money button. I did not try this, but it seems to have the same send money dialog as in Gmail.

Test with a small amount first and good luck!