Karenblyth,

It appears now that a lot of these pre-paid card companies are a shambles and shouldn't be allowed to trade in the financial market.

If you still feel the need for a pre-paid card then I still recommend Cashplus by Broadcastle bank who operate through the 'Money Shop', previous known as 'cash-a-cheque' I believe, retail outlets.

I often load £200-£500 in cash through their local branch onto my card and it is available for payments within 20-30 mins without fail so far and I have had a card with them for nearly 2 years now.

If you read my previous post after my similar experience to yours with crewcard, then you can see how well I have got on with cashplus so far in comparison.

Applications can be made on line without the need for any postal/fax etc documentation to be sent as, like the passport office said, your identitiy can be confirmed purely through the passport number. This was how I applied and had my card up-and-running within 10 days and used it the same afternoon I received it.