Walmart has teamed up with American Express to offer a new prepaid debit card, Bluebird, which they claim is “loaded with features, not fees.”

The move comes in the midst of ongoing tensions between consumers and banks, promulgated through arbitrary fees and the slow dissolution g of free checking. Americans considered “under-banked” has been on the rise as of late, but in a digital payment age, solutions for consumers who wish to circumvent what they deem as burdensome fees seem to be popping up left and right.

Enrollment and Setup

Enrollment with Bluebird is free if done from their website — those who wish to enroll at a Walmart store are charged a nominal account set up fee.

The allure of Bluebird rests in the fact that the American Express brand is accompanied by an unspoken connotation of being up scale, and since not everyone can qualify for one of their credit cards due to poor credit history, this gives consumers a chance to establish themselves with the company and most importantly, conduct digital transactions where Amex is accepted.

Card perks include no annual or monthly fees and the ability to withdrawal cash from more than 22,000 MoneyPass ATM machines at no cost.

Booming Market, Sour Reputation

Pre-paid debit cards have taken a lot of flak as of late, namely Suze Orman’s card which consumers say is drenched in fees and experts have called out for disingenuously claiming to help establish and build credit. Though some pre-paid cards may have a bad rap, their convenience seems to overshadow added costs for those who need them the most.