Prepaid Credit Cards UK

Carrying large amounts of money abroad can worry many people, and you can say goodbye to the need for doing this by using a travel pre-paid card instead. A travel pre-paid card works just like a regular pre-paid card in that you can top it up with money, and then use it to pay for things you buy, or to withdraw cash from cash points. The difference is, that when you load the money on a travel card, it is designed so that your UK £’s are exchanged for the currency you’ve arranged with the card issuer so that you can use it overseas when you’re travelling.

You can then travel around, and use the pre-paid card just as you would a debit or credit card, in shops and restaurants around the world, instead of carrying around a wallet or purse full of foreign notes and coins.

* Convenience & Security
It is safer to carry a card in your wallet than large amounts of cash. It works just as a credit or debit card does, so someone would need to know your pin number to use the card. This of course makes you much less likely a target for pick pockets.

* Easy to Manage your Money
If you need to budget accurately while you’re on holiday, this card can help you do so. You can load only a specific amount on to the card, and as there’s no credit facility here, there’s no risk of you spending more than you intended to. Once it’s empty, you need to re-top it up before you can use it again.

* No Credit Checks Required
Unlike with a credit or debit card you don’t need to go through any credit checks to get a pre-paid card. This means that even if your credit history is poor, you can still get one of these cards.

* Accepted Most Places
Most pre-paid cards are backed by either Visa or MasterCard which means they’re widely accepted in retailers, restaurants and cash machines world wide.

There are a few drawbacks to using pre-paid cards, one is that it’s not free. Most cards either incur a monthly fee, or charges when you shop, so to get the best deal for you, you’ll need to shop around and pick the card which will offer the best value for money for your personal situation. There can also be fees for topping up the card using particular methods, or for withdrawing cash at a cash machine.

One other thing it’s worth checking before you travel, is that some transactions that need to be pre-authorised cannot be made using a pre-paid travel card – these are transactions where the final amount is unknown and your card is used for security that you’ll be able to pay at the end, so it tends to include things such as putting food and drink on tab, or using your card as security when you book into a hotel. This doesn’t mean you can’t use the card to pay for these things, but just that you won’t be able to use it in advance to do so.

Prepaid Travel Money Cards

Prepaid Cards

Caxton Prepaid Card
Escape Prepaid Card
FairFX Prepaid Card
Kalixa Card
MyTravel Card
Babee Card
O2 Money Card