Independent Prepaid Advisory
Before you sign a prepaid deal, get a second opinion.
We review prepaid programs, issuing partners, processor proposals and commercial terms for the side of the table that is paying for them.
Reply within one business day · Confidential · NDA on request
- 300+
- Programs reviewed
- $4B+
- Annual load volume assessed
- 40+
- Issuers and processors covered
- 10 days
- Typical review turnaround
Illustrative summary. Each review ends with a written recommendation and the specific terms we would renegotiate before signature.
Teams we have supported across program, treasury and payments functions
Why prepaid.finance
Expensive prepaid decisions are often made with incomplete information.
Providers know their products. You need someone focused on whether the deal actually works for you.
01
Economics
Understand the complete cost structure before committing.
02
Partner Fit
Know whether the provider actually fits the program.
03
Flexibility
Identify commitments that could limit future options.
04
Structure
Make sure the operating model works before implementation begins.
What We Do
Independent review before the commitment.
Program Review
For companies preparing to launch or restructure a prepaid program.
- Program structure
- Use case
- Funding
- Issuing
- Processing
- Sponsor bank requirements
- Operations
- Implementation dependencies
Output
Executive Program Assessment
Proposal Review
For companies comparing processors, sponsor banks or program managers.
- Pricing
- Minimums
- Implementation
- Capabilities
- Revenue share
- Support
- SLAs
- Contract structure
Output
Normalized Provider Comparison
Commercial Review
For companies preparing to sign or renew.
- Transaction pricing
- Monthly minimums
- Volume commitments
- Term
- Renewal
- Pricing increases
- Termination
- Migration rights
Output
Negotiation Priorities
Partner Selection
For organizations deciding who should support the program.
- Sponsor bank
- Issuer processor
- Program manager
- Network
- Fraud
- KYC / KYB
- Ledger
- Supporting infrastructure
Output
Partner Recommendation
The Second Opinion
Know what to question before you commit.
Prepaid.finance independently reviews the economics, structure, providers and commercial commitments behind your prepaid program.
Cardholder experience
Load, spend, servicing
Program manager
Fees, revenue share, SLAs
Processor
Auth, settlement, reporting
Issuing bank / BIN
Sponsorship, liability
Scheme
Interchange, rules, licensing
We review each layer independently, then show where the terms in one layer quietly price the layer above it.
Anatomy Of A Program
Every prepaid card sits on a stack of decisions.
The plastic is the easy part. The value, and the risk, live in the layers underneath it.
Program economics
Interchange splits, load and spend fees, FX margin, breakage and the revenue that actually reaches you.
Issuing and BIN structure
Sponsorship, scheme licensing, settlement flows and where liability sits when volume grows.
Commercial commitments
Minimums, exclusivity, term length, exit rights and the clauses that decide renegotiation leverage.
Program Economics
Follow the money before you sign for it.
Every prepaid proposal looks competitive at the top line. The answer sits in the waterfall underneath it.
Where the revenue actually lands
We model the full waterfall from scheme interchange to the balance that reaches your P&L, not the headline rate in the proposal.
What the fee schedule hides
Per load, per transaction, per card, per FX leg. Small unit costs compound into the largest line in the program.
How the split moves with volume
Tiers, minimums and revenue share thresholds decide whether growth improves your economics or the provider's.
We rebuild this waterfall with your real volumes, then show which terms move it most in renegotiation.
How We Work
Four steps from documents to decision.
01
Submit
Send the proposals, pricing, contracts or program materials relevant to the decision.
02
Review
We analyze the program across commercial, structural, operational and partner considerations.
03
Prioritize
Material findings are separated from items that do not materially affect the decision.
04
Recommend
Receive a concise executive recommendation and clear next actions.
No provider relationships
We take no referral fees, revenue share or placement from issuers, processors or program managers. Our only client is you.
Operators, not analysts
Our team has built, priced and run prepaid and issuing programs inside banks, processors and fintechs.
Written, defensible output
Every engagement ends in a document your board, credit committee or counterparty can read and act on.
What You Get
Clear findings. Clear priorities.
Independent Program Review
Sample findings extract
Findings
- 01HIGH
Minimum commitment should be revisited against the expected Year 1 launch ramp.
- 02HIGH
Migration and termination rights require clarification before final commitment.
- 03MEDIUM
Implementation scope does not fully define responsibility for operational exceptions.
- 04MEDIUM
Optional services should be separated from required program costs.
Verdict
- Commercial position
- Renegotiate
- Program structure
- Sound
- Partner fit
- Sound
- Contract flexibility
- Renegotiate
Engagements
Scoped, fixed fee, and sized to the decision.
Every engagement is quoted up front against a defined scope, so the cost is known before the work starts.
QUICK REVIEW
A focused second opinion on one decision.
- One proposal, contract or pricing sheet
- Prioritized findings memo
- 60 minute readout call
PROGRAM REVIEW
Most usedA structured review of the whole program.
- Economics model rebuilt on your volumes
- Structure, partners and operations assessed
- Executive assessment and negotiation priorities
PARTNER SELECTION
Compare two or more providers on one basis.
- Normalized provider comparison
- Capability and responsibility mapping
- Written recommendation with rationale
ONGOING ADVISORY
Support through selection, negotiation and launch.
- Negotiation support at the table
- Implementation and vendor governance
- Standing access to the review team
Not sure which fits? Send the decision and we will scope it.
Built for teams making prepaid decisions.
Fintechs
Launching or restructuring card and prepaid programs.
Banks
Evaluating prepaid infrastructure and third-party program relationships.
Enterprises
Using prepaid for payouts, incentives, rewards or benefits.
Program Managers
Reviewing providers, economics and program infrastructure.
Investors & Operators
Evaluating prepaid businesses and infrastructure dependencies.
Common Questions
Before you get in touch.
If your question is not here, send it with your review request and we will answer before any work begins.
How independent are you really?
We hold no commercial relationship with any issuer, processor, program manager or scheme. We are paid only by the client commissioning the review, and we disclose any prior work with a provider before an engagement starts.
What do you need from us to start?
Whatever exists today: proposals, pricing sheets, draft agreements, volume forecasts or a description of the decision. Programs at the idea stage are fine, we work from the framework questions on the review form.
How long does a review take?
A focused second opinion takes three to five business days. A full program review typically runs two to three weeks depending on how many providers and documents are in scope.
Will you speak to our provider directly?
Only if you want us to. Many clients use the written findings themselves, others bring us into negotiation calls with the issuer, processor or program manager.
Is anything we send confidential?
Yes. Materials are handled under confidentiality, stored privately, and shared only with the reviewers on your engagement. We can sign your NDA before you send anything.
What does an engagement cost?
Pricing is fixed and quoted up front against the scope, so there are no hourly surprises. Most focused reviews and full program reviews are scoped after a short intake call.
Start A Review
Before you sign it, understand it.
Send the proposal, the contract or just the decision you are facing. We will tell you what we would question before signature.
- Reply within one business day
- NDA signed before you send anything
- Fixed fee, scoped up front
- No processor affiliation or paid placement