To the point
STACK has sent an email to STACK account holders informing them of the imposition of fees effective December 1st, 2022.
Bad news for STACK prepaid cardholders! Significant fees will be imposed as of December 1, 2022.
However, if a cardholder spends $350 or more per month, this fee will be reimbursed by STACK. For those who applied for a STACK account between October1st and November 30, 2022, these new fees will only be imposed on them starting January 1st, 2023.
The costs
Here are all the details on the new fees announced by STACK.
| Type of expenses | Fee amount |
| STACK access fee | $ 7.99/month |
| Electronic transfer load (for each transaction) | $ 0.99/transaction |
| Outgoing E-transfer out performed by a customer service agent (administration fee) | $ 9.99/transaction * |
| Domestic ATM fees | $ 1.99/use |
| International ATM fees | $ 2.99/use |
| Cash load fee | $ 1.99/use |
* If a STACK cardholder spends at least $350 CAD net during the calendar month, these fees will be reimbursed except for E-transfer.
In the same email, STACK also notified its customers that a card could be deactivated and an account closed without notice in the event that the balance is $0.00 or negative, and no transactions have been made for 120 days.
Of course, you can refuse these changes and cancel your account and card by contacting STACK at 1-877-782-2501. You can also do this by sending an email to info@stack.ca.
Our take
The STACK Mastercard prepaid card was recognized at launch as a prepaid card with no monthly fee, no ATM withdrawal fee and no conversion fee. Unfortunately, we see that this is no longer true.
It could be attractive for its foreign currency fee rebate on expenses of $350 to $1,000 monthly. However, several credit cards have no conversion fees and minimum spending requirements. And there is also an alternative to prepaid cards: the KOHO Mastercard Prepaid Card.
As a result, the announced changes will certainly not appeal to casual card users, if only for the $7.99 per month to continue accessing the services, or nearly $100 per year!
Of course, those who spend a minimum of $350 per month will not be affected by these changes. But they will still need to remain vigilant and ensure that they meet this minimum threshold each month.
The alternative
If you have an account with STACK, this announcement might make you want to switch to a different prepaid card.
The KOHO Prepaid Mastercard could be an interesting option since it offers you cash back on all your purchases and has no annual fee. However, you will also be charged a $2 to $3 withdrawal fee at ATMs abroad.
KOHO also offers an Extra version of this card with a $9 monthly fee in exchange for benefits such as:
- No conversion fees on foreign currency transactions
- Up to 2% cash back (including at Costco and Walmart)
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
