Overview 

A leading national tax preparation services company wanted to improve how it delivered refunds to clients. 

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Historically dependent on slower, traditional channels like cheques and delayed bank deposits, the firm sought a faster, more secure, and more convenient solution that would also work for underserved or unbanked populations.

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Partnering with Berkeley Payments, the company launched a General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) prepaid card program with support for both physical and virtual cards, mobile wallets, and multiple disbursement options. 

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The program accelerated refund delivery while also reinforcing the company’s brand as an innovator in client experience.

The Challenge

Tax season is the most critical and busiest time of year for this particular company, with thousands of clients expecting accurate filings and fast access to their refunds. 

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For many people, especially those without traditional bank accounts, a delay of days or weeks can cause significant financial stress. 

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The main challenges that the company aimed to address were:

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• Long delays with cheque and EFT refund delivery
• High operational burden during peak tax season
• Need to serve unbanked and underbanked clients
• Desire for a branded, digital-first solution that could scale nationwide
• Complex regulatory requirements for KYC, FINTRAC, PCI, and banking compliance

The Solution: A Branded Prepaid Card Experience with Instant Issuance & Digital Access

Berkeley orchestrated a turnkey solution that brought together a new issuing bank, processor, card printer, KYC provider, and fully white-labled digital interfaces. 

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The program offered two core refund use cases:

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1. Refunds issued immediately onto a prepaid card during the client appointment. 
2. Clients defer payment of their filing fees until their tax refund is processed, at which point the balance is loaded onto their prepaid card. 

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The key features and benefits of the solution included:

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• Choice of physical or virtual cards with digital wallet enablement, giving customers immediate, flexible access to their funds in the format they prefer.
• Linked DDA accounts to receive CRA payments directly, ensuring refunds are deposited quickly and securely without relying on traditional cheques.
• ATM withdrawals, Interac e-Transfers, Visa Direct push and pull payments offer multiple ways to move or access funds, enhancing convenience.
• Bill payment capabilities directly from the card allow clients to use their refund immediately to cover essential expenses.
• Mobile-first, branded onboarding app and website simplifies account setup while reinforcing the company’s brand identity and trust. 
• CDIC insurance on balances provides peace of mind by protecting client funds up to the insured limit. 

Implementation & Rollout 

The company was on a very tight time-schedule with the goal of rolling out in time for tax season. Berkeley succeeded in launching the program on time with full compliance and brand alignment. 

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The rollout included:

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• Biometric onboarding and secure email/SMS provisioning
• Branded card design to match the company’s visual identity
• Corporate and franchise location readiness across Canada

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The full launch happened within nine months from the project kickoff.  

Results: Peak Season Success

The new program was operational for the first time during the February - May 2025 tax season and delivered impressive adoption and usage:

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• $100M+ in real-time refund loads
• 50,000+ cards were issued
• 139x growth in volume from November 2024 to February 2025

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And the customer experience wins were no less impressive:

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• Reduced onboarding from 10-15 minutes to 3-5 minutes
• Instant access to funds via card or mobile wallet
• Flexible disbursement options (push payments, Interac, e-Transfer, EFT)
• Seamless brand experience from tax filing to refund spending

Lessons Learned & Continuous Improvement 

Initial assumptions of a fully frictionless process were tempered by compliance realities, which required some manual activation steps. In response, Berkeley created virtual cards that could be delivered by email or SMS, providing faster, paperless refund access while still maintaining compliance.

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Future phases of work together will focus on:

• Expanding virtual card adoption to further reduce branch workload
• Increasing year-round card use as a reloadable financial tool beyond tax season
• Leveraging transaction data to enhance customer engagement

The Winning Formula: Speed, Compliance, and Customer Trust

Integrating Berkeley’s instant issuance capabilities with a fully branded, reloadable prepaid card system allowed the company to transform refund delivery from a back-office process into a core brand differentiator. 

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Clients now leave their appointments with immediate, secure access to their money, whether they choose a virtual card, physical card, or mobile wallet. 

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This program is a clear example of how enterprise-scale payment modernization can deliver measurable operational gains, regulatory compliance, and stronger customer loyalty. 

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If your organization is ready to streamline disbursements, enhance customer experience, and launch a compliant payment solution in months, not years, Berkeley Payment Solutions is the partner to make it happen. 

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