CarePortal Card Transaction Restrictions

Overview

The CarePortal Card has various restrictions placed on them as a form of protection and accountability. In this article, these restrictions are outlined and we outline some strategies for how to navigate around them and continue to help more families and kids than your church would otherwise be able to.

Intended Audience CarePortal Card holders, CarePortal network leaders Included in This Article CarePortal Card Training Video Restricted Transaction Types & Scenarios Strategies for Overcoming Restrictions More CarePortal Card FAQs

CarePortal Card Training Video

(to use or embed this video in your own resources, feel free to use this link)

Restricted Transaction Types & Scenarios

The CarePortal Card has some basic protections built-in that may present some initial limitations in meeting CarePortal requests. These limitations can be summarized by three situations:

1. The transaction amount exceeds the funds available on the card
   If you wish to conduct a split transaction (some merchants may not allow this), you must tell the merchant before swiping the card to charge only the exact amount of funds available on the Card. You must then arrange to pay the remaining balance using another payment method. Some merchants may require payment for the remaining balance in cash to avoid paying an additional transaction fee. 
   
   
2. The vendor codes the transaction as a cash transfer
   This happens for the obvious types of transactions like:
     - ATM cash withdrawals
     - Peer-to-peer cash payments (Venmo, CashApp, etc.)
   
   But this restriction may also include less obvious transaction types (depending on the vendor) like:
     - Money orders (Walmart locations tend to work)
     - Gift cards
     - Bill pay (utilities, rent, car payment, etc.)
   
   
3. The vendor places an additional hold on the card that exceeds the card's current limit/balance
   This practice is common for vendors like:
     - Gas stations
     - Hotels
     - Car rentals
     - Some grocery stores

Strategies for Overcoming Restrictions

So what can you do to avoid being limited from helping local families by these restrictions? Here are a few recommendations CarePortal recommends:

1. Establish or make use of your church donation platform to transfer specific funds for unrestricted use
   You can use your CarePortal Card to make a donation to your church on behalf of CarePortal, which will safely transfer the needed funds to a separate platform that does not have these limitations. (This will require your church to take responsibility for the transaction fees associated with this donation.) At that point, you can use your church's debit card, credit card, checkbook, or preferred cash transfer system to help the family. 
   Note: Donations made from a CarePortal Card to a church do not qualify as tax-deductible transactions for the cardholder and a church should exclude these from end-of-year giving letters.
   
2. Keep a $100 balance on your CarePortal Card if you can
   While you cannot add additional funds to your CarePortal Card that are not tied directly to an open CarePortal request, you may find that as your team uses your card to meet needs, you might spend less money than was donated. This should open opportunities for your team(s) to meet additional needs with leftover funds, but also to keep a small balance on your card that would satisfy the potential fees, taxes, or additional hold that certain vendors place on cards until the transaction is finalized. 
   
   
3. Know the limitations and plan ahead
   By knowing which types of requests and local merchants present a potential logistical barrier, you can avoid the inconvenience of getting stuck at a cash register without a way to pay for the needed items. For example, using your church's donation platform to transfer funds to an unrestricted payment method may take an additional one or two business days. 

More CarePortal Card FAQs

To view more frequently asked questions related to the CarePortal card, visit this additional article.