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 30 APRIL 2019, 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 —
- Your salary, bank transfer or benefits can be paid in directly to your Pockit account by sharing your account number and sort code with your company or benefit provider. You can also pay in cash at over 29,000 PayPoint stores across the UK.
- You'll get a Contactless Mastercard that you can use to shop in-store and online where Mastercard is accepted. When you use your card you can save up to 14% when you spend at cashback retailers.
- Keep track of your spending and manage your money with instant notifications on your phone.
- Pockit is a prepaid card, not a bank. Prepaid cards are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
- You'll need to be a UK resident and aged 18 or over to open an account.
- You will need to pay a fee of 99p to pay in cash, withdraw cash, to make national and international transfers and there will be a 99p monthly membership fee.
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 —
- 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.
Exchange rate
Rate updated
Card fee
Free —
Transaction fee
Free —
UK ATM fee
Free —
International ATM fee
Free —
- Spend abroad with no fees in over 130 currencies, with free international ATM withdrawals (£200 monthly allowance)
- Easy to use: sign up and start using in 60 seconds, with free load and unload with debit & credit card or bank transfer
- Buy crypto in one tap, send and receive from other users, split bills, manage your spending with budgeting tools, lock and unlock your card in one tap
- ATM withdrawal limit of £200 or local equivalent per month. Further withdrawals attract a 2% fee
- Outside of FX market hours (Saturday and Sunday), 0.5% fee applied to exchange rate to cover rate fluctuations. Specific fees apply for some smaller currencies - see revolut.com/fee-schedule for details
UNTIL 30 APRIL 2019, 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
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.
More prepaid cards options
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