Prepaid debit cards are great financial tools and may be just the financial tool you need. Here a seven compelling reasons why:

1. A prepaid debit card helps you stay out of debt because the money you spend is your own. Credit cards encourage you to spend money you don't have, thereby giving you a false sense of reality. In truth, by using a credit card what youre doing is borrowing money from someone else (your card provider) to purchase the things you want. However, with a prepaid debit card the money you spend is your own.

2. Prepaid debit cards helps you control your spending habits, because in most cases you cannot spend over the amount you have in your account.

3. A Debit card can be the perfect way to pay your freelancer if you are a small business owner. Simply issue your freelancer a card and load funds onto the card whenever you want to pay them for a completed project.

4. You can use a prepaid debit card to send money to your loved ones abroad or to your college age children away at school. Some debit cards allow you to have two cards for one account and in this case you will be able to keep one for yourself and send the second to your loved one. Once they have received their card you can loaded funds to your account and call the other person to tell them how much money they can access from the nearest ATM or POS merchant. Their money is instantly available worldwide. It's a cheaper and faster alternative to expensive money transfer companies.

5. Prepaid debit cards are a safer way for employees to receive their salaries. Statistics indicate that in the United States over 3 million payroll checks are stolen each year. However, with the use of direct deposit combined with a payroll debit card, there is no worry of that ever happening. Also, through the use of direct deposit and a payroll debit card, you will have immediate access to your wages, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - no matter what part of the world you're in. You will also save time by having your salary deposited to your payroll debit card - no more standing on long lines each pay period in the bank to cash your check.

6. A debit card is a convenient and affordable solution for the unbanked. Over 10 million households in the United States alone do not have bank accounts. In cases like these debit cards can serve as bank accounts. They can be used to access cash or make purchases at merchants such as gas stations, grocery stores or convenience stores. Additionally, debit cards can be just as useful as regular Mastercards or Visas because in many cases they can be used to purchase goods and services not only in shops but on the internet, and via mail order and to withdraw cash at home and abroad from ATMs (cash dispensers).

7. Prepaid debit cards are easier to apply for than credit cards. Often, they require no bank account, no employment verification, no credit checks and no security deposit. If you've been turned down for traditional bank issued credit cards because of poor credit, bad credit or no credit at all, try applying for a prepaid debit card. Some prepaid debit cards have a built in credit reporting feature which make it easier for people with bad credit to rebuild their credit histories by reporting their monthly payments to the major credit reporting bureaus.