Welcome to the ALTO MasterCard® prepaid card

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On these pages you will find everything that you need to apply for and operate the ALTO card, brought to you by Unity Trust Bank.

Developed specifically for credit unions, the ALTO card has been designed to give your members complete control of their money. The ALTO card is a prepaid card, not a debit or credit card, so your members only spend the amount loaded on it.”

  • Convenient — it can be used at over a million ATMs in over 210 countries. And it can be used like a debit or credit card with no point of sale fee to make purchases on-line, over the phone, by mail order or wherever you see the MasterCard Acceptance Mark.
  • Affordable — it costs £6, is valid for three years, there are no monthly fees and top ups are 50p. Depending on usage, it can be one of the most affordable prepaid cards currently available. For a full list of our fees see here.
  • Secure — the ALTO card is a safe* alternative to carrying cash. Plus, if the card is lost or stolen, your members can stop it from being used by text, web or phone call (office hours only).
  • Flexible — you can top up your members' cards electronically.
  • Easy to apply — your members can apply directly through you, even if they don't have a bank account, and there's no need for any credit checks.

From here you can download:

  • A series of videos to help you when using your card
  • application forms to allow you to supply the ALTO card
  • application forms for your members to complete
  • a summary box outlining the fees and charges applying to the card
  • a set of frequently asked questions for credit unions and a user guide for your members

Forms for your organisation

Whilst there are unavoidable costs involved in issuing and managing any type of payment card, we have sought to ensure that our pricing is amongst the most competitive of any prepaid card currently available. That is why the ALTO card has:

  • no monthly fee
  • no annual fee — it's valid for 36 months
  • low top-up fee

This is because in the pricing of the ALTO card, we see the benefits it brings to help tackle the insidious effects of financial exclusion faced by so many of your members.

* The Prepaid Card is an electronic money product and although it is a product regulated by the Financial Services Authority, it is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This means that in the unlikely event that Newcastle Building Society becomes insolvent your funds may become valueless and unusable and as a result you may lose your money. However, Newcastle Building Society ensures that once it has received your funds they are deposited in a secure account, specifically for the purpose of redeeming transactions made by your Prepaid Card so funds that you have loaded which have arrived with and been deposited by Newcastle Building Society are protected against the claims made by creditors.