You get a Prepaid credit-card application and there's all this small print. Want to know what it's really saying?
Experts say that if you're smart, you'll do the same kind of comparison shopping for a prepaid credit card that you do when you're looking for a mortgage or a loan. This is a good idea because the choices you make can save you money. The process is not a simple one - here are some tips that should help you get started:
1. Do some research - There are plenty of places, both online and offline, where you can read about prepaid credit card offerings and even get credit card ratings,
The good thing is that rates and plans change do not change that often they are usually fixed, if the branded issuer does change the price plan it will be displayed on most of the top comparison sites and on their website. It can also be a good idea to call the branded issuers you're interested in to confirm the information and to see if there are other plans that might work for you.
A reliable resource is the Visa, MasterCard. Also, Maestro any cards issued will usually be displayed on their websites but not always. If you are unsure email us and we will check it out.
2. Secure website . Ensure that the prepaid credit card issuer has a secure site- You can tell the difference between a secure and non-secure website by looking at the website's address (URL):
A non-secure site will read “http://www.websitename.com”
A secure site will read “http s ://www.websitename.com” – notice the “ S ” after http.
Keep in mind that the majority of websites will be non-secure until the point where you have to insert payment details. So only look for the HTTPS once you are prompted to insert your credit card details or any other personal information.
3. Make a list - Make a list of pre pay credit card features that fit your financial needs and rank the features according to how you plan to use the card this way you can work out how much it is going to cost you and you can see the plan that works for you.
4. Review the plans - Review all of the information you've gathered on different plans. Pay special attention to the transaction cost - if you are going to use the card on a regular basis, ATM cost if you are going to withdraw cash on a daily or weekly basis. Reload cost – how many times you are going to top up your card and what is the cheapest way to do this.
5. Check out credit protection - If you are concerned about card security then check out the cards offering card protection, not all prepaid credit cards offer this
6. Discounts / Special offers / cashback - Some pre paid credit cards offer promotional or marketing discounts, like cashback when you first reload your card, cashback when you shop online through their network of retailers. This could out way some if not all of the charges if the retailers are ones that you use on a regular basis.
7. Compare plans - If you already have a pre paid credit card, be sure that you're making a good move before you swap cards. If you are a current cardholder and you are not sure is you are getting the best value for money check to see how your card compares with others
No matter what kind of card and plan you choose, you should plan to get a card that suits your needs and to compare one card to another:
- Application Charges in dollars and as an annual percentage rate (APR)
- ID Required – Most reloadable cards require ID – Passport but there are non reloadable cards that do not
- Charges – get a card that suits your monthly expenditure, by working out your monthly spend you can choose a card right for your needs
- ATM – How many times are you going to be withdrawing cash from atms
- Top up charges , what is it going to cost to reload your pre paid card on a regular basis, what free reloads to they offer
- Card Protection - If you need card protection,
- Discounts / Cashback , Look at discounts and cashback services you could cover all your charges and earn money if used on a regular basis.
Listed through our site are some of the prepaid Visa & Mastercard credit / debit and Maestro cash cards that are available to those in the UK and US and (worldwide) irrespective of whether you have any bad credit or not.
Be wary of prepaid credit / debit card issuers who are offering anonymous prepaid reloadable credit / debit cards with unlimited load amounts without any ID checks. We would be very suspicious of organisations making claims about such prepaid credit / debit cards. Unless otherwise stated, all of the prepaid credit / debit cards we list require some form of ID check and have limits on the amount that can be loaded onto their prepaid credit / debit cards. If you are unsure about a prepaid credit / debit card issuer send us an email with their details and we will check them out and verify the company. email us