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> Loretta Taylor, who lives in the southern-Illinois town of Mount Vernon, started using a Walmart MoneyCard when her local bank branch closed late last year, forcing her to drive 45 minutes to make a deposit. A registered nurse, she has lately been working as an in-home caregiver, and sometimes gets paid in cash, which she can put onto the card (for a $3 fee) at a nearby Walmart. “I’m not making much money right now,” she told me recently. But in early January she decided to put $23 in the card’s Vault—and won a $25 prize. Taylor has kept her traditional bank account, and she sounds slightly skeptical of Walmart’s motives. Still, she has continued to use the Vault; she had saved $75 when we talked in early February, including the $25 prize. EDIT: updated comment one is forced to drive over an hour all in all, or pay $3 (not even counting $1 to get the card, $5 a month fee on low balances and $2.50 to even take money out of the card) and have further dependence on megacorp. original comment, for integrity (thanks to the child posts, ajdlinux and greeneggs): a 45 minute drive and the associated time and money wasted (not to mention car depreciation), on top of a $3 fee. oh, drove 45 minutes? might as well buy something, lest that time be wasted. oh, and you're going to have to drive 45 minutes back. all in all, an hour and a half wasted in addition to $3 (not even counting $1 to get the card, $5 a month fee on low balances and $2.50 to even take money out of the card) and further dependence on megacorp. if you read this and your first thought is: 'hey, most people aren't 45 minutes away from walmart', then my point is already lost on you.
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