Pre-Paid Credit Cards
#1
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Thread Starter
Pre-Paid Credit Cards
Not sure which sub category to post this on. This board has the most shopping smart members i know of so.......
I am thinking about getting a pre-paid Visa/MC. Are there any pitfalls to be aware of with using those on the net?
I am thinking about getting a pre-paid Visa/MC. Are there any pitfalls to be aware of with using those on the net?
#2
Senior Member
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
I remember reading on the Paypal site at one time that they could not be used to fund Paypal transactions. I want to say that they warned that using one could really cause some goofyness such as the $ being debited from the card but not credited to the transaction. I don't know if anything has changed with this, so use extreme caution before trying to use one with Paypal.
#3
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
I have used pre paid cards at several online retailers, including Amazon. These have been the cards that many rebates now come as, as well as cards you can get at retail stores, like the Vanilla Visa type cards. No real issues that I have run into. One thing I do not like about the ones you get from a retail store, is the activation fee. Usually around $5 or $6. One potential issue that I have not yet run into, is if the retailer puts a hold on the card prior to actually charging it. Could potentially cause the charge to not go through if the card is not loaded with enough money, just like a regular card if you go over the limit. Possibly makes using the entire balance of these cards a little difficult. I have not had a problem using the remaining balances to buy a virtual gift card on Amazon, and then just using that credit the next time I buy something there. I do like using the prepaid cards for stuff that I don't necessarily want ties to, or on sites that are questionable. For instance, I used a prepaid card when I bought a hockey jersey from a user on Ali Baba. Found out the total then bought a card for that exact amount.
#4
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
I've had varying degrees of luck using pre-paid cards on websites. Even after I have registered the cards, some sites don't recognize them. I recently tried to buy 2 Twilight Time titles from Screen Archives. The pre-paid didn't work on their site, but did work on Twilight Time's site. Also, I found that you can't make a partial payment with a pre-paid card. Let's say you have a $50 pre-paid card and want to order $60 worth of merchandise. You can't use the $50 card and then use a second method of payment to make up the difference.
#5
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
Yeah, partial payments if your total is more then the card has always been a pain for me with these kind of cards. Especially online.
I'm not a fan, and don't really see a reason to use them unless for some reason you don't have a regular credit card or extremely anal about security.
I'm not a fan, and don't really see a reason to use them unless for some reason you don't have a regular credit card or extremely anal about security.
#6
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
Or, as I mentioned, got them from rebates or even as gifts. I agree, using them is a bit of a pain, but I have had luck using the smaller ones, $10 rebates etc, at brick and mortar stores. Stores can run the card for the total amount, then the next and so on. I have done it numerous times, at several different stores.
#7
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
Or, as I mentioned, got them from rebates or even as gifts. I agree, using them is a bit of a pain, but I have had luck using the smaller ones, $10 rebates etc, at brick and mortar stores. Stores can run the card for the total amount, then the next and so on. I have done it numerous times, at several different stores.
#8
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Pre-Paid Credit Cards
True. Could be any number of reasons I guess. Could be a security thing, or a credit rebuilding thing. He doesn't specifically say that it is for himself, so I guess it could be a gift as well.