The Western Union MoneyWise and Gold Card Visa prepaid cards (1) provide consumers with the convenience of a prepaid card without many of the fees - such as monthly maintenance, purchase transaction and customer service fees.

The Western Union MoneyWiseTM and Gold Card Visa prepaid cards incorporate all the benefits of a reloadable Visa prepaid card and offer consumers increased convenience and ease of use, including adding money in four convenient ways:

Benefits:

• The ability to use the cards anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted including online and at ATMs (2)
  
• The cards are protected by Visa's zero liability policy (3) (details at usa.visa.com)
  
• No credit check or bank account required to sign up for either card
  
• The ability to manage your card account both online and over the phone

Adding Money:

• Reload money in-person at any of the over 46,000 participating Western Union Agent locations in the U.S.
  
• Online using a bank account
  
• Using Direct Deposit through an employer; and
  
• The ability to load a Western Union Money Transfer transaction directly onto the cards.

Consumers can sign-up for the fee-friendly Western Union MoneyWiseTM and Gold Card Visa prepaid cards by simply visiting WesternUnion.com. Both cards are also being merchandized through various channels, that include direct mail and over the phone.

"When you take into account activation, maintenance and transaction fees - among other costly additions - the typical reloadable prepaid card user can be charged upwards of $200 in fees over the course of a year," said Tim Sloane, vice president client services and director Prepaid Advisory Service for Mercator Advisory Group. "Western Union's new reloadable prepaid programs finally deliver the value proposition consumers have been long waiting for in this market."

We invite consumers to compare our fees to those of other cards in the industry. "We've heard from consumers, during these economic times, that they want a financial tool to manage their money without paying excessive fees," said Michael Hafer, vice president, U.S. Product Management, Western Union. "Our new fee-friendly prepaid cards provide consumers with the freedom to spend without building debt while giving them control of their finances."

Western Union recently piloted the MoneyWiseTM Visa prepaid card as part of its Overnight Home Delivery service in Kansas City and St. Louis. The service will be offered soon via westernunion.com and over the phone.

1) The Western Union MoneyWise Visa Prepaid Card and Western Union Gold Card Visa Prepaid Card are issued by MetaBankTM pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. MetaBank, Member FDIC

2) ATM withdrawals are subject to a fee of $1 per use plus applicable ATM operator fees apply. ATM withdrawals limited to $500/day.

3) Visa's Zero Liability policy covers U.S.-issued cards only and does not apply to ATM transactions, PIN transactions not processed by Visa, or certain commercial card transactions. Cardholder must notify issuer promptly of any unauthorized use. Consult issuer for additional details or visit www.visa.com/security.