Prepaid Credit Cards
Learn About Prepaid Credit Card
Prepaid credit cards also called stored value card can be ideal for individuals who are unemployed, have bad credit or difficulty obtaining an unsecured credit card. Prepaid credit cards are also excellent for individuals who have a hard time controlling their spending and prevent the individual from overspending and getting into credit card debt.
Prepaid Credit Cards
It is very easy to obtain a prepaid credit card because there is no credit check or employment verification since the funds you will be using are yours and not that of the prepaid credit card issuer. Prepaid credit card spending limit or credit line is the amount of money you loaded to your prepaid credit card account. Prepaid credit card carries the Visa or MasterCard logo.
The difference between a prepaid credit card and a debit card is that the spending transactions are deducted from the amount of money you loaded to your account unlike a debit card where the money spent is subtracted from your checking account and could cause Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) charges. With a prepaid card this will never happen since the prepaid card holder is not borrowing any money and can only spend the amount of money loaded to their prepaid account.
With prepaid credit card there are no interest charges because you are using your own money. To obtain a prepaid credit card requires paying a setup or application fee and may charge a fee each time you load more money to your account.
Prepaid Credit Cards Guides.
When searching around for the best prepaid credit card, the main thing to consider are the fees associated with the card. The costs associated with prepaid cards are arguably the main disadvantage.
1) Application Fees
Some providers will charge you for opening an account, some offer free accounts and some accounts can be set up for free provided you preload the card with a certain amount of money.
2) Is there a monthly fee to use the card?
Some cards are free, while others make a small charge, perhaps $10-20. If you find a card that charges a monthly fee, find out what you get for that fee. Do they provide online statements, a helpdesk, additional insurance etc?
3) Will you be charged a fee when you load money into your account?
Does it vary according to the method that you use, for example, cash, credit card or bank transfer? And if you deposit money through a bank, supermarket or post office, will they charge you a deposit fee?
4) Will you be charged when you purchase goods and services on your card?
If so, do the costs vary according to the method of purchase (online, offline etc)? What about the charges for purchases overseas or in different currencies?
5) Will you be charged when you withdraw cash from your account through an ATM?
Will this be higher for foreign transactions?
6) Other Unexpected Charges
Find out all the potential costs that will apply to the way that you intend to use the prepaid card such as how much they would cost you over the course of an average year.
You may want to check out Secured Credit Cards or Credit Card Cash guide here.