In place of dollars, a cool change

Prepaid debit card targets the fans of pop sensation

Cash has never been so cool.

Usher Raymond IV, the 25-year-old R&B singer who has been dubbed the king of pop, launched the Usher Debit MasterCard late last month. The sleek black card, which features the artist's face, has been passed out to concertgoers during his nationwide ''The Truth Tour." The card is also available through a website, ushermc.com.

The Usher card is a debit card, not a credit card. It allows people to prepay or store cash in an account, which can then be accessed to make purchases at stores, and to get money from ATMs. The minimum amount that can be placed on the card is $10, and the maximum is $2,500, according to BankFirst, the Sioux Falls, S.D., company that issues the card.

Prepaid card issuers tend to market to people with low incomes who don't qualify for credit cards or who don't have bank accounts, according to David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, an industry newsletter published in Oxnard, Calif.

In this case, the target audience for the Usher card appears to be his fans. Usher cardholders get discounts on the artist's merchandise and concert tickets.

''Usher's cool; I would activate it," said Jonathan Ferbert, 17, of Bridgewater. ''It's convenient; my mom can put money on it, and I can use it when I need it."

MasterCard and BankFirst would not comment on the terms of the deal but said they have a licensing agreement with Usher.

Usher is not the first singer to appear on a debit card. Elvis was. Who will be next?

Ann Chin can be reached at achin@globe.com.