During an emergency, the government, aid agencies, and the people they help need funds immediately–not in a few days, not in a week, but right now. In situations that require immediate action, a prepaid program can make a world of difference.

Prepaid programs are cost-efficient, flexible, and can be customized to accommodate the specific needs of your department or agency. Prepaid cards cut down on needless paperwork and administrative costs while offering greater transparency of payment processes and better control of fund distribution. The closed-loop option for cards provides the ability to restrict purchases to specified locations, and customized reporting allows for proper maintenance. Government services and humanitarian organizations need to be streamlined, because lives are at risk. This is why more and more government programs and aid agencies are turning to prepaid as the preferred method of payment.

The Help You Need. The Way You Need It.

When disasters strike, aid agencies must be able to provide essentials like food, water, and shelter to those in need. These organizations must embrace the technological advantages available in order to efficiently provide aid to disaster-affected communities. A prepaid program provides both staff and beneficiaries safe, secure, and instant access to emergency funds. Prepaid solves the logistical and security issues that come with payments via cash or cheques. The programs also streamline registrations, and unlike other forms of payment, any unused funds can be returned to the organization to be redistributed to other in need of assistance.

Prepaid payments can be made instantly, unlike labor-heavy and convoluted payments like paper cheques, which can often be delayed. The cards are reloadable via secure online network, which eliminates the costs associated with producing new cheques or reissuing lost cheques, which can also be costly to the end user. The days of using expensive cheque-cashing services are a thing of the past. Cards can be set with a fixed amount that can be used at POS, online, or withdrawn as cash from ATMs worldwide.

It’s a lot of work to pick up the pieces after a disaster. Personal belongings must be replaced, families fed, lodgings found, and jobs potentially put on hold. Those suffering from the effects of natural disasters don’t want to waste time and effort jumping through hoops to get their much-needed funds, nor do they want to deal with the stigma attached to social benefits cheques or vouchers.

Prepaid programs save time and money, and in time of disaster, that means lives.