Help - which PrePaid cards to use for paypal?

[tal]

i've just signed up with ebay and paypal and they ask you to put a debit card on file to which they make a charge to, this gives you a 4digit code, which you can then put into your paypal account to remove the paypal limit of £1200 a year, is there any prepaid debit cards that also allow online viewing of the the transactions so i can see the charge paypal make to the prepaid debit card

 

want to shop online with the peace of mind of knowing that the card or any other prepaid card isn't linked to my main bank account, i've had money taken out of my bank account when i used a my banl card in the past, so i don't want to use a card linked to my bank account, but want a pay as you go prepaid debit card, i can use on ebay and paypal

[gni03349]

Prepaid cards are neither credit or debit cards. A credit card I hope doesn't have to be explained, but a debit card is associated with a bank account. Pre-paid cards could be classed as "credit" cards, but the creditor is the person who buys the card to use, and the limit is the amount loaded onto it. I occasionally use one for internet purchases and I've never had any problems. I have also used it on ebay and PayPal without problems.

 

The one I use is called IDT Prime (a true Mastercard). There is a charge of between 50p and £1 for purchases, and the maximum charge kicks in at around £25 or more.. I can never tell lol. That is the maximum charge though, so even if you spent £500 thats not bad at all IMHO.

 

There are lots of others to choose from, but the fees they charge for using them can become quite expensive. I did a LOT of research before I decided on the IDT Prime card, and (so far) I'm quite happy with it.

 

A lot depends on how frequently you would use it, because these charges could soon mount up if you used it a lot.

 

The link for IDT Prime is

 

The one thing I would strongly suggest though is to read all the terms and conditions of any card you find, especially charges to use the card.

 

Hope this helps, and if you need any further info, just yell

[tal]

Hi gni03349

 

Will I be able to see the charge paypal make to the idt card and the 4digit code which i need for paypal? will they give a list of online transactions, showing the paypal 4digit code made to the card account?

 

is there a minimum spend on the card?

[gni03349]

Hmmm well, initially what you will see is just a debit made on the card, plus the charge (50p up to £1). It's usually after an update that you will see the payee, in your case Ebay/PayPal.

 

Just having checked the Ebay/PayPal transactions, what you see on your online (only) statement is...

 

Date, Transaction Type*, Merchant**, Debit Amt, Credit Amt, Balance.

 

* = Settled Transaction, Transaction Fee etc

**= This section for Ebay/PayPal shows the Ebay seller, which is usually the username.

 

There is no 4 digit code anywhere that can tie up the transactions to a PayPal transaction, just the sellers Ebay name.

 

I can only stress that I have never had any problems using this card at all, other than the slight (for me at least) inconvenience of waiting for details to update. It will show immediately that a debit has been made until the update. Once the update is done, it's easy enough to reconcile, but then as I said in the previous post, I use it fairly sporadically anyway. If you will be having a lot of transactions, I can see why you would want that 4 digit code.

 

There is no minimum spend, but remember your minimum charge would be 50p.

 

Thats all I can tell you on that.

 

A couple of the other cards I researched and was happy with are

 

PixPay - They do a monthly charge and then no extra charge for purchases card which is good if you will use the card a lot, and also, a pay-as-you-go, which has a charge for each transaction. This is a true Mastercard.

 

Splash Plastic - I actually have this too, but never used it. It runs along the lines of the IDT Prime card, but with the advantage of a printed name and chip and pin, if you wanted to use it out and about (sorry, I forgot to say that the IDT Prime doesn't have chip and pin and it doesnt have a name on it either... you actually buy it from shops). Splash Plastic is a Maestro card.

 

I mention "true" in the card type, simply because if you see a Visa prepaid card, they are going to be Visa Electron, and are not as widely accepted as a "true" Visa card, which I havent been able to find.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Regards...

[gni03349]

There is some more information from some previous questions about prepaid cards.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general/133526-prepaid-credit-cards.html

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-knowledge/115227-prepaid-credit-debit-cards.html

[tal]

There is an automatic limit on the amount of money I can transfer with paypal of £1100. When this limit is used up, the account is frozen. The only way I can lift this limit is by fulfilling PayPal's Verification procedure. I've done most of this, but the final condition is linking a credit card to the account. Problem is, I no credit cards that i can use, since i am reclaiming my charges back on those accounts and will close them down, once i have been refunded. I don't want any credit cards linked to my bank accounts, as i've been in over £8000 debt, its easy to spend Which is why I want a prepaid card, control my spending and use for paypal.

 

"Get another credit card" I hear you say: yeah, but due to a poor credit rating, that's unlikely. Besides, I don't particularly WANT another credit card, and don't see why I should be forced to get one, just because PayPal want to tick a box on their website.

It occurred to me that I don't actually need another physical credit card, all I need is a number to type into PayPal's website, which they give when they charge the card and give a 4digit number, this number i then use in paypal to remove the limit.. So I was wondering if it was possible to get a "token" credit card issued in my name, for a nominal credit limit of say £5.00, a card I'd never actually use, just so I can get the number to fill in on PayPal's webform? Has anyone heard of such an arrangement?

[gni03349]

I had a look at your initial post again, and was wondering why you would need this 4 digit number more than once. It appears to me thats its just a one-off process to lift that limit, so you can spend however much you like, BUT, it has to link with the card details that you supply.

 

Personally, I wouldn't advocate another credit card, and I can't speak for anybody but my myself, but I think many people that come here for help would feel the same, especially if it was credit cards that got them (me included) into the mess in the first place.

 

It's been a while since I used PayPal and I have to remember my username lol (too many logins for everything).

 

 

If you already have an account, it might be prudent to ask if you could register a prepaid card to lift that limit, but I don't see why not as I can pay using my prepaid card, so if it's kosher for them, I should be able to lift my limit.

 

I know you can have 2 PayPal accounts.. one basic, and then either one enhanced or one business account, but as far as I can remember (without checking) you need to have different card details for each account.

 

Because you have to link the account with a card, your idea, although I can see what you are saying, wouldn't be much use IMHO.

 

One other thing about prepaid cards. You are usually allowed a maximum load of anywhere between £3500 and about £5000, with a maximum that you are allowed to spend in one year (don't know why this is, but I didn't check it out because I don't intend spending what their yearly limit is anyway). The PixPay cards that I mentioned I think have a limit of £6000 on the card at any time, and they are introducing even higher limits too, although I don't know if its happened yet (it was something like £10,000 and then £15,000).

 

Regards...

[tal]

gni03349, I think you understand it, since you have ebay and paypal:)

 

Its a one-off process to check the 4digit code paypal put into your card account, which you use to lift your paypal limit, however which card would allow you to check what the 4digit code is which paypal put into the card account?

 

PAYGO is better for me, I can control my spending this way

 

Cant open a business account, only a personal account, just want an easy to get card, without any credit checks, that you can buy over the counter

[gni03349]

All my research pointed to the IDT Prime card as one you could buy over the counter. There were others, but the charges and fees were more than this one.

 

I've never lifted my limit, but one suggestion might be to get a prepaid, register it, and then further down the line, when you want to go over the limit, request it. You would have a history of using the card, and so any 4 digit code would apply to that card... unless of course you wanted to buy something straight away for £1101!! lol. I'm pretty certain you dont have to ask to lift the limit straight away, and unless it will take very little time for you hit that limit, I would wait, and while you are spending your dosh and getting closer to it, you could enquire as to how to it works. Of course, if they say you have to have a different card, then for the sake of £3 to buy the piece of plastic (plus initial "top-up" on it), it would be worth thinking about.

 

My point is, if they see you have a spending history with them, and its regular, or for large amounts, or both maybe, then it "should" just be a straightforward formality. I honestly don't think there would be a problem getting the amount lifted. It's always worth checking with them though.

 

I've never heard of Paygo... I'm off to read up on it...

 

Regards

[gni03349]

Doh!!... Paygo... Pay as you go.. lol.. ok

 

I'll wake up soon.. honest (or else fall asleep again lol)