Pre-Paid credit cards?
Discussion
Yes, I'm a pikey, no I cant get a "real" credit card. etc etc.
Has Anyone got one?
It's not often I need one as the debit card normally does the trick, but for stuff like work expenses and the latest problem, hiring a car, I need to get a credit card.
Any ideas if the pre-paid ones really are as good as a "proper" credit card? will the pre-authorisation stuff that car hire places do for your deposit work with one provided there is the balance to cover it?
Also, what about the security of the cash I pre-pay onto the thing! any ideas?
Cheers
Has Anyone got one?
It's not often I need one as the debit card normally does the trick, but for stuff like work expenses and the latest problem, hiring a car, I need to get a credit card.
Any ideas if the pre-paid ones really are as good as a "proper" credit card? will the pre-authorisation stuff that car hire places do for your deposit work with one provided there is the balance to cover it?
Also, what about the security of the cash I pre-pay onto the thing! any ideas?
Cheers
Cashplus and Eclipse are both prepay Master Cards, sure there are a few more as well. Google them to find thier sites and it will explain charges but basically with Cashplus you can choose to pay a flat fee of £4.95 each month for unlimited purchase transactions or a fee each time you make a purchase - think it is about 95p.
Both can be topped up at the Post Office or by debit card etc.
Beware that if hiring a car some hire companies may pre-authorise an amount in excess of the hire fee as a guarantee. This could case a problem if you don't have a large enough balance loaded onto the card.
Have used both CashPlus and Eclipse with no problems.
Both can be topped up at the Post Office or by debit card etc.
Beware that if hiring a car some hire companies may pre-authorise an amount in excess of the hire fee as a guarantee. This could case a problem if you don't have a large enough balance loaded onto the card.
Have used both CashPlus and Eclipse with no problems.
Phoenix said:
Cashplus and Eclipse are both prepay Master Cards, sure there are a few more as well. Google them to find thier sites and it will explain charges but basically with Cashplus you can choose to pay a flat fee of £4.95 each month for unlimited purchase transactions or a fee each time you make a purchase - think it is about 95p.
Both can be topped up at the Post Office or by debit card etc.
Beware that if hiring a car some hire companies may pre-authorise an amount in excess of the hire fee as a guarantee. This could case a problem if you don't have a large enough balance loaded onto the card.
Have used both CashPlus and Eclipse with no problems.
Thanks, I came across a couple of comparison sites, they are apparently quite popular as an alternative to travellers cheques or foreign cash when on holiday, you can get one loaded with foreign currency and dont get charged transaction or currency conversion fees.Both can be topped up at the Post Office or by debit card etc.
Beware that if hiring a car some hire companies may pre-authorise an amount in excess of the hire fee as a guarantee. This could case a problem if you don't have a large enough balance loaded onto the card.
Have used both CashPlus and Eclipse with no problems.
Virgin do one too, not the best deal, but I probably feel a bit more comfortable bunging a couple of bags of sand into what ammounts to a bank account run by a firm I've actually heard of rather than the cashplus and others who just seem to remind me of pre-paid calling card companies!
Most pre-paid credit cards wont allow you to hire a car, because the hirers reserve a large amount, usually in excess of £500. Cash+ will, I believe, but you have to enable the feature and ensure that you have sufficient credit.
I use a Cash+ card for internet purchases / PayPal. Im twice shy; having been bitten once...
I use a Cash+ card for internet purchases / PayPal. Im twice shy; having been bitten once...
Only just seen this thread but might be able to be of help;
Most car hire places will not clear PPC. it's not to do with the limits, they will identify the cards as pre-pay via their payment system and may have put a restriction in place. This certainly was rapidly becoming the case with the majors up to about a year ago.
Beyond that, PPC are taken in virtually all places that take any other cards.
There is no substantial difference between Visa and MasterCard branded cards or indeed Maestro either.
All cards have at least some charges somewhere. IDT Prime certainly used to be the cheapest generaly but I am a little out of date on the charges so may be different now.
If anyone has any questions about this area happy to help as I was Head of Biz Dev and Stratagy for the largest and most succesful pre-paid card in the UK at the time. I helped develop the products and have since consulted in this area. And yep, Prime was the main card I worked on so while I may be biased I know it used to be the most cost effective for many of the target customers as I was also on the team that made sure that was the case!
HTH
Most car hire places will not clear PPC. it's not to do with the limits, they will identify the cards as pre-pay via their payment system and may have put a restriction in place. This certainly was rapidly becoming the case with the majors up to about a year ago.
Beyond that, PPC are taken in virtually all places that take any other cards.
There is no substantial difference between Visa and MasterCard branded cards or indeed Maestro either.
All cards have at least some charges somewhere. IDT Prime certainly used to be the cheapest generaly but I am a little out of date on the charges so may be different now.
If anyone has any questions about this area happy to help as I was Head of Biz Dev and Stratagy for the largest and most succesful pre-paid card in the UK at the time. I helped develop the products and have since consulted in this area. And yep, Prime was the main card I worked on so while I may be biased I know it used to be the most cost effective for many of the target customers as I was also on the team that made sure that was the case!
HTH
I have one, having moved to the US permanently. Given the market, I was told this is the way to go in order to build up a credit history here,as I have none right now. I'll use it for pretty much everything, but pay it off each month, as my interest rate is a shocker. Everyone takes it if they take Visa, though no idea about the intricacies of something like hire car clearing..
Apparently after using this frequently, showing a payment history, my bank will offer me a 'real' one in a few months.. I'll let you know..
Apparently after using this frequently, showing a payment history, my bank will offer me a 'real' one in a few months.. I'll let you know..
I got one when i just moved to the UK as no credit- adress-, & banking history stopped me from getting a normal one.
It was this one i believe : http://www.titaniumcashplus.co.uk/default2.html and it worked fine for the months. Only put money on it when i needed to pay something with creditcard. Simple, easy and no interestrates or anything to worry about.
Medic-one said:
I got one when i just moved to the UK as no credit- adress-, & banking history stopped me from getting a normal one.
It was this one i believe : http://www.titaniumcashplus.co.uk/default2.html and it worked fine for the months. Only put money on it when i needed to pay something with creditcard. Simple, easy and no interestrates or anything to worry about.
That's what I ended up going for, except mine is gold, the only difference being the colour!It was this one i believe : http://www.titaniumcashplus.co.uk/default2.html and it worked fine for the months. Only put money on it when i needed to pay something with creditcard. Simple, easy and no interestrates or anything to worry about.
Hiring car IS possible with the cash-plus card, but you need to ask them nicely to turn the feature on.
I dont need it till Jan so I havent called yet, I'll update this thread when I do.
I plumped for .99p per transaction fee rather than a monthly "rental" for the card, I'm unlikely to use it more than a couple of times per year.
davido140 said:
Medic-one said:
I plumped for .99p per transaction fee rather than a monthly "rental" for the card, I'm unlikely to use it more than a couple of times per year.
Yea i did the same. Think i only just the card a handfull of times so didn't fancy a monthly rental charge.Gassing Station | Finance | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff