Prepaid cards
Compare the best prepaid cards with MoneySuperMarket and find the right deal for you - whether you're spending overseas,
looking to improve your credit rating, or simply want to earn cashback and rewards.
Everyday prepaid cards - Ordered by cards which incur the lowest first year costs for an upload of
£500 with eight transactions of £37.50 each and four ATM transactions of £50 each, includes any
special or introductory offers.
Monthly fee
Free —
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- FREE UK ATM Withdrawals, FREE Purchases, NO Monthly Fee
- Instant online approval. No credit check to apply
- iDraft up to £250 and £1000 Direct Debit cover available – subject to approval
- You must be a UK resident aged 18 or over
MoneySuperMarket customers receive £10 upon first load of £50. This offer is only available through MoneySuperMarket.com. T&Cs apply.
Monthly fee
Free —
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- A great way to manage your everyday spending, with budgeting, savings pots and real time spending notifications
- You can load this card for free, using a debit card, credit card, bank transfer or Revolut transfer
- You can use this card abroad with no fees in over 130 countries
- You can only withdraw the equivalent of £200 per month in cash. If you withdraw more than this you'll be charged a 2% fee
UNTIL 31 AUGUST, MONEYSUPERMARKET CUSTOMERS CAN RECEIVE A FREE REVOLUT CARD (WORTH £5) BY FOLLOWING THE ADJACENT LINK, ENTERING THEIR MOBILE NUMBER ON THE PAGE AND FOLLOWING THE SIGN-UP TEXT.
Monthly fee
Free —
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- Contactless Card. No Credit Checks* or usage fees. Up to 10% Cashback with top UK retailers.
- FREE to pay in by bank transfer. Only 99p to pay in with cash at PayPoint
- FREE to pay in wages and benefits with your unique account number and sort code
- Customers without a verified UK address will be offered a lower limit card
- You must be aged 18 or over
Prepaid Euro cards - Ordered by biggest saving to customers based on current exchange
rate with a €1000 load making 10 purchases of €50 and five ATM transactions at €100 each.
Exchange rate
Rate updated
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- Perfect mid-market rates (0% fee) on first seven day swap for Moneysupermarket customers
- No ATM fees for withdrawals over €200
- You get £35 travel money free when you make a first load of £500 or more
- You must be a UK resident aged 18 or over
- After the first 0% fee seven day swap, commission of up to 2% is charged, depending on how quickly you ask WeSwap to complete your currency swap.
As a MoneySuperMarket customer, get a free 7-day swap when you join and an extra £35 free travel money when you load £500 or more. This offer is only available through MoneySuperMarket.com. T&Cs apply
Exchange rate
Rate updated
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- Free card when you load more than £50 onto the card.
- As a FairFX customer, you automatically earn 3.5% cashback every time you spend at selected high-street brands in the UK
- There is a fee of 1.75% when card is used out of the Eurozone
AS A NEW FAIRFX CUSTOMER APPLYING THROUGH MONEYSUPERMARKET, YOU’LL GET £30 WHEN YOU LOAD £500 OR MORE. OFFER ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH MONEYSUPERMARKET.COM. T&CS APPLY.
Exchange rate
Rate updated
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- A simple and convenient way to manage and spend your travel money in Europe
- Buy currency and manage spending. Hold euros, US dollars, sterling or any available currency, check balances and transactions, and top-up using Caxton's app
- Competitive exchange rates and no hidden fees
- Avoid using your card for security deposits, automated petrol stations, toll booths, car rentals and hotel room deposits
- Always choose local currency when using your Caxton Card if you're given the choice of paying in either euros or in sterling
- If you use your card at ATMs and at point-of-sale in the UK, a £1.50 fee will be applied. Outside the UK, fees do not apply.
MONEYSUPERMARKET CUSTOMERS RECEIVE £30 CASHBACK ON LOADS OVER £500. THIS OFFER IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO NEW CUSTOMERS THROUGH MONEYSUPERMARKET. T&CS APPLY.
Prepaid Cards Guides
Guides
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Prepaid Cards
Prepaid cards work a little differently to other types of plastic. Although you can use them to make purchases or withdraw cash in the same way as a debit or credit card, the key difference is that they need to be loaded up with cash in advance – and you can then only spend the balance on the card.
There are a number of benefits to using a prepaid card, so it pays to compare your options carefully and select the right one for your needs.
Advantages of prepaid cards
Prepaid cards usually fall into two categories – pay monthly and pay-as-you-go. Pay monthly prepaid cards charge a monthly fee, but in return you pay lower transaction fees than you would with a pay-as-you-go card, and often, you will also be given rewards or cashback on your spending.
Pay monthly prepaid cards are more suited to those who regularly spend on their card, while pay-as-you-go options are more suited to those who only make a handful of transactions on their card each month.
Because you can only spend the money you've pre-loaded onto your prepaid card, they are a great choice for those on a budget, for parents who want to keep an eye on their children's spending, or even for businesses.
But another benefit of prepaid cards is that they don't require a credit check and, as a result, they are easier to get hold of than credit or debit cards. This means they can be a good option for those with a poor credit score or no credit history at all. Some prepaid cards will also allow you to add a 'credit builder' service to your card which will help you to improve your credit rating.
What's more, certain prepaid cards can even be used as an alternative to a bank account, allowing your salary to be paid onto them.
Prepaid cards can also be a handy addition to your wallet if you're holidaying abroad. This is because a number of cards allow you to pre-load them with foreign currency and then side-step the expensive fees charged by many debit and credit cards for use overseas.
Disadvantages of prepaid cards
Prepaid cards can be riddled with fees, so it's important to read the small print carefully.
In particular, you should watch out for monthly fees, charges for loading funds onto your card, fees for withdrawing cash or spending on your plastic, and inactivity fees – which kick in if you don't use your card for a number of months.
Finally, unlike credit cards, prepaid cards are not covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. This protects credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000 against a retailer going bust, or your goods arriving faulty or damaged. This protection was extended up to £60,260 under the 2011 Consumer Credit Directive.
How our site works
We want to show you prepaid cards from as many companies as possible, so you can choose the best one for you. But some companies don’t want to be included on comparison websites, so we can’t promise to show you cards from every single company. We’ve ranked the cards from the lowest cost to the highest cost, based on a hypothetical scenario. You can find out more about how we work here
Prepaid cards are not eligible for protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme