Pre loaded cash cards

[katiec68]

We take a bit of cash and use our nationwide credit and debit cards.

We already have our holiday spends, whack stuff on the CC and pay it all off when we get home.

We travel abroad 2/3 times a year and have never had an issue and never have to worry about losing cash etc.

Customer service is second to none.

Katie

[tspill]

We use credit cards for everything. We take around $100 cash, but that will last us several trips.
For those eligible for credit cards, I never understand why anyone would want to hand over all their cash to another company. Why not spend someone else money and pay it when you get home. Better protection. If you have the cash, get some interest in a savings account and not having a residual balance on a card.

[Bal]

Best rule of thumb is don’t top too much on them, as others have said no protection. Treat them like cash in your pocket. Topping up is easy, and far more convienient than finding a free ATM to withdraw cash usually. If it’s stolen, chances are it’s gone. Only saving grace is that if it’s stolen or lost, you may have a window of opportunity to deactivate.

[yorky]

Originally Posted by Darwen Bird

I agree that’s it’s only when things go wrong that you find out how good (or otherwise) something is - however my experience with prepaid cards reinforces my positive opinion. As I posted last week, my prepaid card was cloned and the account cleaned out while I was still on holiday. I had been checking my balance and spending on it regularly so was surprised to have it declined. I was able to ring a 24hour toll free US number (so no expense to me) explain the situation and set about reclaiming the money. I received an email telling me my money had been refunded to my e-account within 36 hours of me reporting the fraud. I had the secondary card to the account with me, which I activated using the toll free phone number so was able to access the money on my card.

Incidentally, my eldest daughter has an Amex Card for work expenses - the only country she’s had problems using it is in the US.

Any card can be cloned, it’s not just an issue with prepaid cards, the important thing is how it is dealt with by the card provider and if you have the means to access your funds if something does go wrong. For me, the prepaid travel card I use works well.

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Sadly though as i’m sure you are aware that service is not the norm for the average problem with pre paid cards. Until everyone receives a service that’s quick and safe it’s difficult to justify the small amount saved in my view. I would also add 36 hours is not that quick if you are desperate.