No Fees for Oregon U.S. Bank ‘ReliaCards’ under New Agreement

Oregonians who get jobless and child support payments via ReliaCards will be able to receive free and unlimited point-of-sale, bank teller and U.S. Bank ATM transactions, under a new fee structure announced Tuesday by U.S. Bank and Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler.

As of Nov. 1, about 230,000 people in Oregon were receiving unemployment and child support benefits through electronic payment programs, half of which chose to have their payments posted to the reloadable prepaid ReliaCard.

Under the revamped fee schedule, cardholders will:

• have free and unlimited withdrawals from US Bank-branded ATMs, a significant improvement from the current contract, which allows cardholders two free ATM visits a month;
• be allowed unlimited cash withdrawals from bank branch teller windows (over-the-counter cash withdrawals);
• continue to make point-of-sale purchases and receive cash back with no charge, like any debit card, at any merchant that accepts VISA-branded debit cards;
• continue to have two withdrawals a month from non-U.S. Bank-branded ATMs, without U.S. Bank charges.

The new terms were reached as part of ongoing negotiations over the Oregon's electronic payment card services, which have yet to be finalized. A full fee schedule will be available after the contract is final. The current contract is set to expire Dec. 31.