Debit cards for insurance pay outs are beginning to surface. This week Hartford Financial Services Group unveiled a stored value VISA card to give policyholders the option of receiving their claim settlement in the form of The Hartford Insurance VISA Claim Card. The pre-funded debit card can be used at ATMs as well as to make purchases anywhere VISA is accepted. The Hartford is piloting its program in 25 states and expects to make it available countrywide later this year. Initially, the claim card will be offered to policyholders of the company's homeowners coverage, with expansion to automobile and other personal insurance customers planned for the near future. Last month, WildCard Systems' ClaimCard division signed a deal with Amica Mutual Insurance Company to offer stored value VISA cards to Amica policyholders. The WildCard ClaimCard will be distributed by Amica when an adjuster arrives to meet a claimant, giving claimants instant access to insurance dollars in the field without waiting for banks to open or checks to clear. The cards can be used to access cash at ATMs, pay for temporary housing expenses, begin the rebuilding process by serving as the payment mechanism for contractors, and pay for other covered losses in such a way that the claimant is not forced to go out of pocket for expenses.