ANCHOR LEAD:
YOU'VE PROBABLY BOUGHT A GIFT CARD OR TWO OVER THE PAST YEAR, BUT ANOTHER KIND OF PREPAID CARD IS EXPLODING IN POPULARITY...AND IT'S HELPING OUT CONSUMERS WHO HAVE NO REAL CREDIT HISTORY TO BANK ON...OR WHO JUST WANT TO CONTROL SPENDING! HERE'S ______________________ WITH A HEADS UP! ON THE FINANCIAL PLUSES AND MINUSES.

TRACK ONE Length: 07
CONSTRUCTION WORKER MATTHEW GOODRUM SAYS HIS HARD EARNED CASH FLIES OUT OF HIS HANDS...THE MINUTE HE CASHES HIS PAYCHECK!

SOT
KEY @: 08 Matthew Goodrum, Construction Worker
"I get the money; I'm going to spend it because it's accessible."

TRACK TWO Length: 21
TO HELP STOP THE BLEEDING, MATTHEW DECIDED TO TRY A RELOADABLE, PREPAID DEBIT CARD. IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A TRADITIONAL DEBIT CARD... BUT IT'S NOT LINKED TO A BANK ACCOUNT. HIS LIMIT IS BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY HE LOADS ONTO THE CARD.

SOT
KEY @: 22 Matthew Goodrum, Construction Worker
"I can use it just like a credit card, pay my bills."

TRACK THREE Length: 05
IN FACT, YOU CAN USE THE PREPAID PLASTIC ANYWHERE DEBIT OR CREDIT CARDS ARE ACCEPTED.

SOT
KEY @: 30 Bertrand Sosa, NetSpend
"It becomes an easier way for you to carry your money. "

TRACK FOUR Length: 10
THESE CARDS ARE ISSUED BY BANKS AND PRIVATE COMPANIES. BERTRAND SOSA IS WITH ONE OF THEM, NETSPEND. HE SAYS THIS TYPE OF PLASTIC IS BECOMING A POPULAR WAY TO SET LIMITS.

SOT
KEY @: 46 Bertrand Sosa, NetSpend
"There are people that are buying it because they want to give it to their teens, their kids in college. There are people that are buying a prepaid debit card for controlling their spending. "

TRACK FIVE Length: 12
NOTE TO CLIENTS: For more information on Visa and MasterCard in relation to prepaid debit cards, please see the source information below.
THE PREPAID CARDS ARE BRANDED WITH VISA AND MASTERCARD LOGOS AND CARRY THE SAME PROTECTIONS AS THEIR TRADITIONAL DEBIT AND CREDIT CARDS. YOU CAN PICK ONE UP AND LOAD IT AT A VARIETY OF RETAIL AND FINANCIAL LOCATIONS NATIONWIDE.

SOT
KEY @: 1:05 Bertrand Sosa, NetSpend
"So if you bought a card in say in Austin, Texas, and you're traveling to California, most likely there's a convenient location near you in that state".

TRACK SIX Length: 07
BUT WHILE THE PREPAID CARDS MAY BE CONVENIENT...GAIL HILLEBRAND WITH CONSUMERS UNION WARNS...THE FEES TACKED ONTO THEM CAN REALLY ADD UP!

SOT
KEY @: 1:20 Gail Hillebrand, Consumers Union
"You're going to pay to get that card, or you're going to pay every month to hold it, and you're going to pay when you use it."

TRACK SEVEN Length: 16
FEES VARY DEPENDING ON THE COMPANY AND THE PLAN YOU CHOOSE. MATTHEW PAID 9-95 TO ACTIVATE HIS CARD...AND SHELLS OUT ANOTHER 9-95 PER MONTH FOR UNLIMITED TRANSACTIONS. THERE MAY ALSO BE RELOAD FEES, ATM FEES, AND POSTAGE FEES. IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

SOT
KEY @: 1:41 Gail Hillebrand, Consumers Union
"If you do qualify for a bank account, you might compare the cost of this product to the cost of a bank account and see how much it's going to cost for you."

TRACK EIGHT Length: 07
BUT FOR THOSE WHO DON'T QUALIFY, LIKE MATTHEW, A PREPAID DEBIT CARD CAN BE A CHEAP AND EASY SOLUTION.

SOT
KEY @: 1:53 Matthew Goodrum, Construction Worker
"Everybody I know pretty much uses them 'cause it's convenient."

ANCHOR TAG:
RELOADING YOUR CARD IS EASY. JUST HEAD TO ANY AUTHORIZED LOCATION...AND HAND THE CASHIER YOUR PREPAID PLASTIC...ALONG WITH WHATEVER CASH YOU WANT TO LOAD. THE CASHIER WILL SWIPE YOUR CARD...AND YOU'RE GOOD TO GO! THE MONEY IS THERE INSTANTLY.

SOURCE INFORMATION:

Bertrand Sosa
Co-Founder and Vice President of Advertising
NetSpend
Omni Hotel Building
8th and Brazos
Austin, TX
www.netspend.com
Media Contact: Denise Gorzell
Phone: (512) 542-2857
E-Mail: DGorzell@gcigroup.com
Bertrand Sosa leads the planning, development, and execution of the company's advertising and branding strategies that, to date, have contributed to the delivery of economic citizenship for hundreds of thousands of unbanked Americans, processed transaction volumes in excess of $1 billion, and earned NetSpend the 2003 NASBIC Portfolio Company of the Year Award. Mr. Sosa is responsible for all consumer and corporate positioning of products and services, provides keen insight on the markets served, as well as leads the planning and execution of the public relations strategies for the company. Prior to founding NetSpend, Mr. Sosa amassed a thorough understanding of product positioning, marketing, and mass markets from his sales and marketing experience at MCIWorldCom and Whitehead and Associates, P.C. In 2004, he was awarded the regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Mr. Sosa studied Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin.

Gail Hillebrand
Consumers Union
1535 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 431-6747
Gail Hillebrand is a Senior Attorney with Consumers Union.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND/SOURCE INFORMATION:

TRACK FIVE:
We confirmed with both Visa and MasterCard that these prepaid debit cards carry the same protections as their traditional debit or credit cards. For more information, please contact:

Kaitlin Jaxheimer
Public Relations
MasterCard
Phone: (212) 445-8261
According to MasterCard, prepaid and stored value card transactions could reach $257 billion by the end of 2009.

Alexa Waltz
For Visa USA
Phone: (415) 318-4110
E-Mail: waltza@fleishman.com
According to Visa, prepaid products continue to demonstrate exceptional growth, posting an increase of 109 percent year over year.