U.S. Bank Branches Now Offer Visa Buxx

Business Wire, Dec 22, 2003

Business Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 22, 2003

Previously available only online, the prepaid U.S. Bank Visa(R) Buxx Card is now available at all U.S. Bank branches. Beginning today, parents have the opportunity to purchase, load, and reload their teen's Visa Buxx Card at any one of 2,201 U.S. Bank branches in 24 states.(a)

Pat Wesner, executive vice president of U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions said, "Having Visa Buxx available in our branches will help families who don't have web access or don't feel comfortable using the Internet."

Visa Buxx is designed for parents and teens. Parents use the Visa Buxx Card to teach teens age 13 or older money management skills and financial responsibility. Since Visa Buxx is a prepaid card, there is no risk of credit card debt. Teens can only access the funds preloaded on the card. Parents fully control the initial and ongoing funding of the card and may monitor teen spending online. Parents can even authorize family and friends to add cash gifts to the card.

"These days parents can feel a little like a human ATM, constantly handing out cash to their teens," said Wesner. "The Visa Buxx Card provides a money management structure. Parents know exactly how much is being spent and where the money goes and teens learn to limit their spending within a budget."

Teens like the flexibility the card offers. The Visa Buxx card is accepted at millions of locations, online and at 855,000 ATMs. It's convenient for handling everyday needs, travel and emergencies. The card is safer than cash or checks with protection against loss and unauthorized use.

Today's branch rollout gives current U.S. Bank Visa Buxx cardholders the additional convenience of reloading the card at a U.S. Bank branch.

U.S. Bank was the first bank to issue the Visa Buxx Card in 2000. With the branch launch, U.S. Bank now offers an unrivaled suite of prepaid cards through its branches. Other prepaid card products available through U.S. Bank branches include Secure Money Transfer and the Visa Gift Card. Customers can find the branch nearest them by going to usbank.com and clicking on the locations button.

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), with $189 billion in assets, is the 8th largest financial services holding company in the United States. The company operates 2,201 banking offices and 4,506 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. U.S. Bancorp is the parent company of U.S. Bank and is on the web at usbank.com.

(a) U.S. Bank 24-state footprint includes: WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, CO, AZ, UT, ND, SD, NE, KS, MN, IA, MO, AR, WI, IL, IN, OH, KY, TN.