Now that its retail partner Costco has moved on to different credit cards, AmEx is apparently looking for some new customers who are a little downmarket from their old ones. Like its pal Bluebird, the card is reloadable and can even accept direct deposits from your employer. It offers one extra thing as an incentive to go prepaid: cash-back rewards like a credit card.

While the Serve card costs $6 per month for the privilege of carrying it, it also offers 1% cash back on purchases, theoretically meaning that customers could earn all of their fees back by shifting as much shopping as possible to the card. The company estimates that the average American could earn up to $400 in cash back by doing so, which would outweigh the $72 in fees that cardholders would have to pay.

The cash back, of course, is subsidized by the fees that merchants pay when customers use their cards.

New American Express Serve® Prepaid Debit Account Earns Rewards [American Express]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.