The CFPB received 6,352 unverified complaints about prepaid cards from October 2025 through September 2026, against 6,521 the year before. The most common issue was a problem with a purchase or transfer, 2,279 complaints, up from 1,717.
2,135 complaints were about trouble using the card (down from 2,933), and 1,085 about getting a card or closing an account. The companies named most often were Block, Inc. (919), Comerica (868), InComm (643) and American Express (634). The product covers general-purpose prepaid cards, gift cards, payroll cards and government benefit cards, so the list mixes consumer card programs with companies that issue or run benefit and payroll cards.
California had the most complaints, 1,049, followed by New York (454) and Texas (446). Per resident, the District of Columbia was highest at 4 per 100,000 people.
What these numbers are
These are complaints, not findings. The CFPB does not verify every claim, one person can file more than one complaint, and the issue is the category the consumer picked. Complaint counts also move with awareness of the CFPB and with how companies route customers to it, so a change in the count is not by itself a change in how companies behave.
Complaints by issue
| Issue the consumer chose | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Problem with a purchase or transfer | 2,279 | 35.9% |
| Trouble using the card | 2,135 | 33.6% |
| Problem getting a card or closing an account | 1,085 | 17.1% |
| Unexpected or other fees | 749 | 11.8% |
| Advertising | 73 | 1.1% |
| Problem with overdraft | 31 | 0.5% |
Companies named most often
| Company, as named in the database | Complaints | Year before |
|---|---|---|
| Block, Inc. | 919 | 768 |
| Comerica | 868 | 735 |
| Incomm Holdings Inc. | 643 | 636 |
| AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY | 634 | 1,522 |
| Netspend Corporation | 388 | 296 |
| Conduent Incorporated | 336 | 164 |
| U.S. BANCORP | 262 | 322 |
| Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. | 258 | 209 |
| FISERV FINXACT CORE | 247 | 301 |
| Chime Financial Inc | 218 | 152 |
| Paypal Holdings, Inc | 213 | 119 |
| FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION | 208 | 17 |
| BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | 207 | 406 |
| ADP Inc. | 106 | 91 |
| Newport Intermediate Inc. | 74 | 70 |
A complaint names the company the consumer chose. A count is not a finding against the company and is not adjusted for how many cards it has. n.a.: not among the companies the database listed for the year before.
Complaints by state
| State | Complaints | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| California | 1,049 | 2.7 |
| New York | 454 | 2.3 |
| Texas | 446 | 1.4 |
| Florida | 402 | 1.7 |
| Georgia | 253 | 2.3 |
| New Jersey | 227 | 2.4 |
| Pennsylvania | 222 | 1.7 |
| Illinois | 216 | 1.7 |
| Michigan | 205 | 2.0 |
| Ohio | 189 | 1.6 |
| North Carolina | 164 | 1.5 |
| Arizona | 159 | 2.1 |
| Tennessee | 156 | 2.2 |
| Virginia | 150 | 1.7 |
| Washington | 132 | 1.7 |
| Massachusetts | 117 | 1.6 |
| Indiana | 114 | 1.6 |
| Maryland | 114 | 1.8 |
| Missouri | 113 | 1.8 |
| Alabama | 112 | 2.2 |
| South Carolina | 102 | 1.9 |
| Mississippi | 92 | 3.1 |
| Oklahoma | 92 | 2.2 |
| Louisiana | 87 | 1.9 |
| Nevada | 85 | 2.6 |
| Colorado | 84 | 1.4 |
| Oregon | 74 | 1.7 |
| Wisconsin | 69 | 1.2 |
| Arkansas | 66 | 2.1 |
| Kentucky | 64 | 1.4 |
| Minnesota | 64 | 1.1 |
| Connecticut | 59 | 1.6 |
| Iowa | 44 | 1.4 |
| Kansas | 35 | 1.2 |
| Utah | 33 | 0.9 |
| New Mexico | 31 | 1.5 |
| District of Columbia | 30 | 4.3 |
| West Virginia | 28 | 1.6 |
| New Hampshire | 25 | 1.8 |
| Idaho | 23 | 1.1 |
| Delaware | 20 | 1.9 |
| Nebraska | 19 | 0.9 |
| Hawaii | 13 | 0.9 |
| Rhode Island | 12 | 1.1 |
| South Dakota | 9 | 1.0 |
| Alaska | 7 | 0.9 |
| Montana | 7 | 0.6 |
| North Dakota | 6 | 0.8 |
| Maine | 5 | 0.4 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 0.7 |
| Vermont | 3 | 0.5 |
50 states and D.C. 66 complaints had no state or a territory or military address, so the state rows add to less than the total. The rate per 100,000 residents is our calculation using Census 2024 ACS one-year population.
Source
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, product "Prepaid card", date received October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, queried through the public API on October 16, 2026. U.S. government data in the public domain. Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates (B01003). Our tables are available under CC BY 4.0. Credit "My Credit Guide (mycreditguide.org)".
Steven Reynolds, "Prepaid Card Complaints," My Credit Guide, October 16, 2026, https://mycreditguide.org/data/prepaid-card-complaints/.