Prepaid Visa cards?

[FirstTimertoDiz]

Anyone have any experience with these? I had made a suggestion on the transportation board that I was planning on pre-purchasing gas cards to use on the drive to WDW next year. Somebody suggested that I buy a prepaid VISA instead, so that I can use it on other items besides gas.

Has anyone ever done this before? Did it work out well for you? Also, where do I get these cards, and do they expire?

Thanks for your help!

Lisa

 

[ibleedblue]

My aunt has given me a prepaid Visa card instead of a gift card for Christmas the last two years. They worked great for me! Since it has the Visa logo, you can use it anywhere Visa is accepted. These cards were issued by Bank of America and were good for one year from the date they were issued. There is a charge when you buy the card, but it varies based on how much money you put on it. Other lenders might offer different terms and fee schedules. Here's the link to the BoA Site.

 

[celtick8]

I bought everyone on my holiday list a pre-paid Visa card from my bank, and as long as you have an account at the bank it doesn't cost anything. It has a Visa logo and can be used anywhere.

 

[peacefulgirl]

They are hard to find... but AAA sells them and there is no hidden fees in them. If your a AAA member, they are cheap.

http://ww1.aaa.com/scripts/WebObjects.dll/AAAOnline.woa/4000?association=aaa&club=240&page=clubconfig54&sessionRedirect=1107222395920

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=deptheader colSpan=2>A A A P l a t i n u m P l u s ® V i s a ® C a r d</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><HR align=left noShade SIZE=1></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle width="85%" height=2></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>

Up to a 5% GAS REBATE FOR
"PAY-AT-THE-PUMP" PURCHASES §
The more you use your card, the greater your rebate will be!
​

<TABLE class=bodycopy height=83 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="52%" height=71><TABLE class=bodycopy cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=3 width="95%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR align=middle><TD width="4%" height=26>
</TD><TD align=left width="96%" height=26>Apply Online Today!</TD></TR><TR align=middle><TD width="4%" height=26>



</TD><TD align=left width="96%" height=26>Online Account Access
Track charges and payments, review recent statements and more! </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD vAlign=top width="48%" height=71></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><HR noShade SIZE=1></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=2><TABLE class=bodycopy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="95%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="4%" height=45></TD><TD width="96%" height=45>As of August 1, 2004, gas rebate calculation includes all monthly retail transactions</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%" height=45></TD><TD width="96%" height=45>Rebate is 5% of gas purchases made at the pump, but not to exceed 2% of total monthly retail volume (total of gas and non-gas purchases)</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%" height=37>

</TD><TD width="96%" height=37>Introductory 2.9% APR† on cash advance checks and balance transfers*</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%" height=27></TD><TD width="96%" height=27>No Annual Fee</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%">

</TD><TD width="96%">Absolute fraud protection against unauthorized use, online and offline.</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%"></TD><TD width="96%">Credit limit up to $100,000</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%"></TD><TD width="96%">24-hour fraud detection</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%"></TD><TD width="96%">Lost or stolen card protection</TD></TR><TR><TD width="4%"></TD><TD width="96%">Common carrier travel accident insurance</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

​

† For rate, fee and other cost information, or to apply, click on the link above to refer to the disclosures accompanying the online credit communication.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://ww1.aaa.com/scripts/WebObjec...ge=clubconfig54&sessionRedirect=1107222395920

 

[Savin4Disney]

if you have aol you can get one through your username. I am planning on getting one for our trip. So I don't have to carry as much cash.

 

[cuterlt]

Just one warning - on the webcertificate that I have and on some other pre-paid cards I've had - I have not been able to use them for gas at self service pumps. The other issue is that some companies will put a hold on them (just like regular credit cards) like hotels, restaurants, etc.
They are otherwise just great!
Good luck with them!

 

[Imzadi]

if you have aol you can get one through your username. I am planning on getting one for our trip. So I don't have to carry as much cash.

How do you do this? Is there a link for this?

 

[bianca]

Be real careful when you purchase these, as they can end up costing you a lot more than you think. I purchased these for my kids from our bank before our last vacation. There was a $5 "initiation fee" for each card. If you wanted $150, then you had to "activate" 2 separate cards, as they came in denominations of $50, $100 and $250. The really bad feature of these cards (and one that nobody hardly ever points out) is that if you have not used the entire card within 6 months of initial purchase, it starts deducting $2.50 per month as a "maintenance" fee. Also, if you purchase something from a store with your card and then find a problem with it and return it ...... your card is charged an additional $15 for the hassle. There were even other charges stuck in there that I don't remember now. I told my kids this would be a one-time thing (as I had already gone through the hassle of filling out all the papers) and in the future they would be using CASH!

 

[Taja]

Although the card may be convenient, I would go with Traveler's Cheques. Or at least part of your funds in TCs, in case of problems with the card. It sounds as though some of the kinks haven't been worked out yet--and of course, VISA and the financial institution want their cut!

 

[mcmom]

We have prepaid Mastercards that we just reload at Riteaid or Radio Shack. It is $4.95 to reload up to $500 with a max amount on the cards of $2,500. We use one for things that will probably have a hold placed on them (car rental, hotel) and the other for gas, food, and anything else. They have our names on them. One for me and one for my husband for each account. We have had them for 2 years. It is great way to budget because you see where you are blowing your money at each week (or in our case where my husband is blowing it at!!! does he really need to spend that much for coffee???) We don't want to do the chredit card thing so this is a way to be abled to have one without the monthly bill.

Lori

 

[G00fyDad]

See, I want this ability. I want each of us, DW, DD10 and DS2 to each have our own cards (of course DS and DD will have to be in our names as they are too young) but most of these cards will only go to $750.00. We will need them to go to $1900.00 each.

American Express can do this for us but they will only let me get one card. Or several cards totalling no more than $2500.00. I need four cards with $1900.00 each. I guess I will have to get Travelers Cheques.

 

[Imzadi]

We have prepaid Mastercards that we just reload at Riteaid or Radio Shack...
Lori

Did you BUY them from the Rite Aid store or have to order them? How did you get your name on them? Are they called anything in particular? Any company name I should look for? If I have to order one, how long does it take to get? What is the INITIAL cost of the card?

Sorry so many questions. I want to get one of these too. Bank of America takes 7-10 days to process & send the card with a name. Hoping for something with a shorter time frame.

 

[mcmom]

Go to https://www.greendotonline.com/contents/ to get all the info. We bought the papercard at Riteaid and then called the 800 # to get the cards with out names. It took 7-10 days to get them. You can have as many cards as you like for up to $2500 each for the upgraded cards.

Here is a copy off the FAQ about minors: Anyone at any age can buy and use this MasterCard Card. However, for those underage, a parent or legal guardian must be on the phone during the account activation process in order to accept the Cardholder Agreement on behalf of their underage child.


Like I said we have had ours for 2 years and it is great for keeping us on our budget without worrying about interest of regular credit cards. I have had no problems at all with them.


Lori

 

[mcmom]

Sorry I did not answer all your questions in the last post. Lets try this again. If you want a faster turn around time you can do rush delivery for 2 day service. It is like $12 or so.

The cost of the card is $9.95 but Riteaid often has coupons for $5 off in their ads so it was only $4.95 for us then it is $4.95 to reload it. I add to it each payday for our Disney trip and the second one we use for gas, bills, and whatever else.

As for how many you can have there is no limit according to their website.

Hope this helps.
Lori

 

[got2lovedisney]

For my DD, we have a VisaBuxx card. (I have the one from Wachovia) It's basically a prepaid VISA which I've set up to re-load with a specific monthly amount. It works out great for her for those emergency things when I'm not around. I have the notifications set so whenever she uses the card...i get an email. Plus, I can look at her transactions online.

*Note...as was mentioned before...some places will place a "hold" on a charge. Like a restaurant...they might get a preapproval for the subtotal amount and then run the actual transaction including any tip added. These funds will usually be released in about 3 days but must be factored in to the balance so you don't overextend (those fees can be hefty).

The downside I see to the prepaid gas card is that you're locked in to a particular station brand. If there aren't any around...you're up the creek.

 

[JodiR]

Pricegrabber has prepaid Visa cards. The only fee I see is a $3.50 monthly fee after 6 months from issuance date. Otherwise there is a replacement card fee and statement fee (if requested). No startup fee.

 

[jenelope]

I was just doing a little research on this subject and found out that Visa makes a product called the TravelMoney card. It's a pre-paid card that has features more similar to a traditional credit card than a Visa Gift card. For instance, it is PIN protected so it's more secure and can be used at an ATM, it offers purchase protection, and it can be loaded with $250-9,999 and reloaded up to three times. It's good for two years and the monthly maintenance fee of $1.25 only kicks in after 12 months of inactivity. This sounds like an excellent alternative to traditional credit cards.

Here's a link to the information available from AAA's website about the TravelMoney card. You can get it other places, too, but AAA's info is more complete than the info on the Visa website. (Actually, it's a link to all Visa products at AAA.)

 

[G00fyDad]

I was just doing a little research on this subject and found out that Visa makes a product called the TravelMoney card. It's a pre-paid card that has features more similar to a traditional credit card than a Visa Gift card. For instance, it is PIN protected so it's more secure and can be used at an ATM, it offers purchase protection, and it can be loaded with $250-9,999 and reloaded up to three times. It's good for two years and the monthly maintenance fee of $1.25 only kicks in after 12 months of inactivity. This sounds like an excellent alternative to traditional credit cards.

Here's a link to the information available from AAA's website about the TravelMoney card. You can get it other places, too, but AAA's info is more complete than the info on the Visa website. (Actually, it's a link to all Visa products at AAA.)

Actually it is a little different than 9,999:

...The minimum card load is $250, the minimum order is $300, maximum order $1,500
There is an activation fee of $4.95.
Reloads are $250 minimum by calling ....

 

[BonSchwe]

I have used these cards many times and have always been very pleased. Our last trip down I got a $250 card for each of the kids and it was very convenient. I purchased ours at AAA for $4.95 (as members) - they are $7.95 for non-members.

 

[G00fyDad]

I went and joined AAA yesterday (for lots of other reasons) but I discussed the Travel Funds cards with her. They sound perfect if you want to use them for an amount under $850 per week. Thats the max you can use them for in one week. So they really do sound like a good idea for someone else but unfortunately I am going to have to get dual signature travelers cheques. Each of us are taking over $1500 a peice; $1500 is the max. And we each may want to spend more than the $850 limit per week. They also have a $350 spending limit per day as well.

Dont get me wrong, the Travel Funds card sounds like a wonderful idea and I encourage anyone that it fits the needs for to get one. These just wouldnt work for us. Unfortunately no travel card from anywhere will work well for us. Most all of them have the caps per day/week on them.