Hmmmmmm

Hello everyone and thank you for reading, A couple years ago I finished my undergraduate degree in English at a reputable (top 30) university, and I was able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I took the last few years off of school to travel, and now I intend to return to the US and begin a Masters program. I am extremely limited geographically so I have only one university that I am able to attend in-person. This is not a prestigious school, but it seems like it is both easy to get accepted and easy to get fully funded (with stipends!). The other option I have is to find a distance-learning program that I could complete fully online. I have found such a program at the University of Nottingham, but it costs £7920 ($12,437) for the whole Masters. I hope to begin a PhD elsewhere in the future, and I do not want the college I choose now to be a hindrance to getting into a good university. I cannot decide whether I should pay to attend the more prestigious and convenient school, or save money to attend a less prestigious program. How important is the university's prestige from which I earned my Masters (when it comes to applying to a PhD program in the future)? All comments and advice is welcome!