hi i would like to ask you for an advice for prepaid cards,i have never use one. which prepaid card would you recommend me to use for paying my monthly subscription fees for web hosting(in us) please?

I would recommend the one I use.Tuxedo it is a bit more expensive to buy,but once you have it you get an instant PIN and also you can pay money on it free through Barclays.

My OH tried Idt prime and although its instantly activated you have to go through all sorts of Id processes before you get PIN if you get one at all he has been waiting 3 weeks now.

hope this helps

I’m sorry that you have experienced problems getting a PIN for your reloadable Prime Card.

You can buy a Prime Card over-the-counter with no forms or registration and start using it straight away. You don't need a PIN to use the card, as all MasterCard merchants must accept magnetic stripe cards with just a signature.

If you require ATM access (or if you want to upgrade your card to reloadable), you simply need to apply by registering your details with us. For ATM access, you will, of course, need a PIN and we will send you a PIN on successful completion of your application.

If the information you initially supply in your application is insufficient to identify you on the various national identity databases, we will have to ask you to send in further documentation.

IDT’s registration process is no more time consuming than other prepaid card providers. In fact, this is one of the only cards you can start using without any registration - giving you the option to upgrade later. This gives you the opportunity to try the card out before you upgrade or to use it for a one off purchase.

Please feel free to call our help desk on 0870 144 0280 with any problems regarding your upgrade and we will ensure all your concerns are dealt with.

Jamie King

Director, IDT Finance

Thankyou for posting a reply.

I did not have a problem with activating the card but was given the impression by the retailer i could load money on it at any time.

I registered it on the website provided all the id drivers license etc received an email congratulating me on successful upgrade and saying a PIN was in the post and should arrive in the next 10days.

When it did not arrive and I contacted your website I was told no such email had been sent(i have it)and that my passport was needed,which I was reapplying for.

I had loaded money on it and then had to wait because two petrol stations refused to take it without a PIN and despite your company saying they have to I am not going to,they don't if thet are so minded.

I have received the PIN today incidently and hope to enjoy using the card.

My wife on the other hand purchased a tuxedo card waited a few days for an activation code got a PIN straight away and pays her money on to it free via barclays bank and seems very happy with it.

That was the point I was making we are the consumers if someone asked you to recommend a card which one would choose on the basis of our experience?

Thank you for taking the time to comment on your experiences with our product. I’m sorry that you haven’t been fully satisfied with the service received so far. I hope now that you have received your pin you will enjoy using your Prime Card and have no further problems.

As a company we take customer service very seriously and make a concerted effort to ensure our customers get the benefits they desire from using the Prime Card with the minimum possible problems.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise on behalf of IDT Europe and let you know we are working hard to ensure this kind of problem does not happen again.

Hi

I have IDT Prime & the Post office Prepaid card

IDT PRIME ADVANTAGES

1. You get the card at the newsagent straight away, (no need to wait for it in the post). You can use straight away , if yo an get through to customer services.

2. You can use cash by paypoint available at most newsagents to pay onto the card immediately & its there within 30 mins (even overnight or the weekend). You can also use the Post Office , free, to put money on but it takes 2 WORKING DAYS to credit.

3. Can be used online for internet purchases , including ebay/paypal.

4. You can register your address with the card (I did this online).

5. My purchases online cost 50p per transaction.

4. You can check your balances by its webaccount online.

5. You can put small amounts as top up

DISADVANTAGES

1. No chip & Pin. So difficult to use it shops. (Also no name on the card but thats sometimes an advantage for safe purchases)

2. Post office top ups take up to 48 hrs to credit. Mega problem if youve got it for a relative abroad. I credited cash at P.O. £200 on Friday. not realising until i checked the balance , that it doesnt credit for until possibly Tuesday.

3. Customer services closes at the weekend for activating the card & in the evenings, so its not entirely true that it takes only a few minutes to register immediately.

4. You have to upgrade by contacting customer services, or writing or online, with passport details etc to make it reloadable, or increase the spending limit. Sending it required copies of passport resulted in no response whatsoever & I currently can no longer use my card to add money, so I'm looking for a new card.

I got the Post Office Travel card

This seems to have a 24hr customer service & activation line. You get the card at the Post office when you apply

Disadvantages

This can only be topped in cash up at the Post office or on the phone (not much use if you are abroad) , although family members can use the card no alone to top up.

Minimum £50 top up.

No chip & pin , but can be used in ATMs (Internationally) once activated

You need to use ID to get it i.e passport, no proof of address required but you need to provide your address.

There may be a delay in money credited to the card of up to 2 working days

Cant apparently be used on Paypal/ Ebay, its restricted for some internet use, which is what I got it for.

Cant pay by credit card/debit card onto card

No web account access to check balances

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I'm tempted to get the cashplus gold as it has alot of things that these 2 cards dont i.e debit/credit card top up

Advantages

chip & pin + web account

you can build up your credit rating if you add cashbuilder.

can be used internationally