Walmart and Green Dot Unveil First National Prize-Linked Savings Program

15 Dic 2016, 15:52 PM EST

With the Help of Commonwealth, an Innovative Savings Group,
Walmart MoneyCard customers Win When They Save

BENTONVILLE, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As recent research highlights, there is a savings crisis in America – in
fact, 90 percent of households have less than two percent of their
disposable income savedⁱ. In response, Walmart and Green Dot
today announced the introduction of “Prize Savings,” a prize-linked
savings incentive program available to the millions of Walmart
MoneyCard-holders.

“Prize Savings” is the first national and first retail offered
prize-linked savings (PLS) program. With this new offering, Walmart
MoneyCard customers can now enter a monthly sweepstakes that awards
hundreds of cash prizes just by saving up. It happens in three easy
steps. Here’s how it works:

To play, users simply log into the Walmart MoneyCard app or website
to transfer money from their Walmart MoneyCard balance into a separate
MoneyCard Vault, a free savings feature within their account.
Each dollar a customer saves in their MoneyCard Vault equals one entry
in that month’s national drawing.ⁱⁱ
The sweepstakes will award 500 cash prizes every month, including a
$1,000 grand prize. Cash prizes are deposited directly to the winners’
Walmart MoneyCards.

Customers always come out on top – there is only an opportunity to win
prizes. No money is ever lost for participating.

“According to The Federal Reserve Board of Governors, nearly half of all
U.S. families can’t cover a $400 emergency with their savings. That’s a
reality we don’t want our customers to have to live with, and we thought
we could help,” said Daniel Eckert, senior vice president, Services,
Walmart U.S. “Using our size and scale to take on issues that are
affecting our customers is at the core of what we do. Along with Green
Dot and Commonwealth, we think ‘Prize Savings’ can help drive change and
address an important issue in a new, innovative way.”

Prize Savings, which officially launched in August, has already made a
difference. Since the launch, usage of the MoneyCard Vault is up more
than 130 percent. MoneyCard Vault users are, on average, saving 35
percent more. Fifteen hundred customers have won cash prizes.

“Prize Savings” is fully-integrated into the Walmart MoneyCard prepaid
debit card and allows customers to save money through the Walmart
MoneyCard Vaultⁱⁱⁱ.

“Millions of Americans have come to the Walmart MoneyCard to get control
of their money, avoid overdraft fees, and not have to worry about a
credit check to get a card,” said Steve Streit, chairman and chief
executive officer of Green Dot Corporation. “‘Prize Savings’ introduces
an opportunity for these customers to get even better control of their
finances, encouraging them to build a safety net to protect themselves
when they need some emergency funds and save for the future. By working
with Walmart in this effort, we’re giving millions of our customers
tools, and cash-prize motivation, to make that happen.”

Walmart and Green Dot enlisted the help of Commonwealth, formerly known
as D2D Fund, a national organization that has led the creation of
prize-linked savings (PLS) products and policies in the United States to
create “Prize Savings.” Commonwealth’s PLS innovations have generated
over $153 million in savings by more than 75,000 Americans—many of whom
were first-time savers.

“Saving is the first step to ensuring financial opportunity and
security,” said Tim Flacke, executive director, Commonwealth. “Prize
Linked Savings programs have a proven track record of helping
financially vulnerable Americans start and build savings and we are
thrilled to collaborate with Walmart and Green Dot to expand the power
and reach of PLS across the country.”

Consumers can learn more about the “Prize Savings” sweepstakes,
including the Official Rules, and pick up a Walmart MoneyCard for just
$1 at any Walmart store or at www.WalmartMoneyCard.com/PrizeSavings.

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save
money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online,
and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 250 million
customers and members visit our 11,462 stores under 71 banners in 28
countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2015
sales of nearly $486 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million
associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on
Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and
on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.

About Green Dot Corporation

Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT), along with its wholly owned
subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, is a pro-consumer financial technology
innovator with a mission to reinvent personal banking for the masses.
Green Dot invented the prepaid debit card industry and is the largest
provider of reloadable prepaid debit cards and cash reload processing
services in the United States. Green Dot is also a leader in mobile
technology and mobile banking with its award-winning GoBank mobile
checking account. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, TPG, Green Dot is
additionally the largest processor of tax refund disbursements in the
U.S. Green Dot’s products and services are available to consumers
through a large-scale “branchless bank” distribution network of more
than 100,000 U.S. locations, including retailers, neighborhood financial
service center locations, and tax preparation offices, as well as
online, in the leading app stores and through leading online tax
preparation providers. Green Dot Corporation is headquartered
in Pasadena, Calif., with additional facilities throughout the United
States and in Shanghai, China.

About Commonwealth

At Commonwealth we believe lasting social and economic prosperity
requires that everyone have wealth ? of opportunity, of tools, of
financial assets. Too many people in the U.S. today lack the financial
stability essential to pursue their full potential. Commonwealth
strengthens the financial opportunity and security of financially
vulnerable people by discovering ideas, piloting solutions and driving
innovations to scale. We collaborate with consumers, the financial
services industry, policy makers and mission-driven organizations to
build solutions that make people financially secure. Examples of
nationally recognized Commonwealth innovations include: SaveYourRefund,
a tax-time savings campaign; and SavingsQuest,
a gamified savings app. For media inquiries, please email info@buildcommonwealth.org.

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ⁱ	According to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, 2015; Bureau of Economic Analysis
ⁱⁱ	Entries are based on the average amount saved each month. Customers can earn up to 500 entries per month.
ⁱⁱⁱ	Funds credited to a customer’s Walmart MoneyCard are held at an FDIC insured custodial account at Green Dot Bank.