Ventra

How-to: About Ventra Prepaid Debit*

Ventra Cards come with the option to be used as a prepaid debit card, too.

If you choose to activate the prepaid debit feature (provided by Money Network) and load money into your debit account, you can use your Ventra Card to make retail purchases and online payments anywhere Debit MasterCard is accepted.

Good to know

  • Your Ventra Prepaid Debit account is separate from your Ventra Transit Account.
    • Money you load for transit won’t be used to cover any retail purchases you make with your card when using Ventra Prepaid Debit.
  • There are standard, banking industry fees associated with use of Ventra Prepaid Debit, such as if you withdraw cash at an ATM.
    • These fees do not apply to how you load or use your Ventra Card’s transit account.

Loading money into your Ventra Prepaid Debit account

There are several ways to load money into your Ventra Prepaid Debit account:

  • Direct deposit (no fee)
  • ACH transfer (such as from a bank account – no fee)
  • Western Union locations (nominal fee)
  • Load cash at retailers through MoneyPak cards (nominal fee)

Using Ventra Prepaid Debit for everyday purchases and payments

You can use money in your Ventra Prepaid Debit account for:

  • Making purchases over the counter anywhere Debit MasterCard is accepted (at the grocery store, the drug store, at vending machines, online, etc.). Tap your card at contactless enabled payment terminals or swipe at any other payment terminal.
  • For online bill payment.
  • For getting cash at ATMs.

Using Ventra Prepaid Debit to load your Ventra transit account

If you have your paycheck loaded into your Ventra Prepaid Debit account, you can use those funds to load money into your Ventra Transit Account as transit value or passes, just like you would any credit/debit card. Here’s how:

  • At Ventra Vending Machines, select either “credit” or “debit” when prompted to pay for loading transit value or a pass and then insert your Ventra Card to pay. If you select debit you’ll need to know your PIN. Online, set up your Ventra Card as a funding source for one-time or autoload transactions just like you would any other card (you can manage your funding sources in Account Settings).
  • At retail locations, if loading transit value or a pass at a retailer and they accept MasterCard for payment, you can simply tap or swipe your card to pay as your payment method when the cashier asks you to.
  • Over the phone, you can also set up your card as a funding source, like any credit/debit card, for when you load transit value or passes using our automated hotline.

Get started

The Ventra Prepaid Debit account is provided through MoneyNetwork, a major, national prepaid debit account issuer.

You can manage your Ventra Prepaid Debit account online at https://www.ventra.moneynetwork.com.

*Note: Thank you to those who participated in the Ventra Prepaid Debit Account program. Ventra Cards are now transit-only and will no longer support the prepaid debit functionality. The last day to sign up for a prepaid debit account is Nov. 30, 2017, and all prepaid debit accounts will be closed as of Dec. 31, 2017. Users currently taking advantage of this program will receive several options regarding their prepaid debit account and will be mailed a new, transit-only Ventra Card. Should you have questions regarding your Ventra Prepaid Debit Account, please call Ventra Money Network Customer Service at 1.888.824.8802.