I'm considering taking a pre-paid Visa card with me on my European trip next month. Has anyone out there done this? Thoughts?
Pre-paid Visa?
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 2 days in Venice- where to stay –What to do- Help please!
- 2 If you could go anywhere in Italy......
- 3 Bus from Sorrento to Naples Airport
- 4 Santorini-Nafplio-Delphi-Athens Help
- 5 Netherland -> belgium -> Germany (Rhine Valley)
- 6 Alsace question. Itterswiller or Riquewihr, where to stay?
- 7 2 weeks in Copenhagen-Helsinki-Stockholm
- 8 Slovenia/Northern Croatia in mid-August - hotel and other advice?
- 9 The Adventure Begins.. Sarge56 in Italy
- 10 Italy - Business+Pleasure - 12 days - driving tips and places to see
- 11 Where to take parents in Italy?
- 12 Which tour company would be best?
- 13 London Itinerary Advice 6-10 September
- 14 Rome: Avoiding the long Colosseum ticket line/queue: Palatine Hill ticket office locations
- 15 Where to eat and visit in Barcelona + Venice June 2013
- 16 florence hotel
- 17 One way car rental Lisbon to Bordeaux
- 18 Renfi for Rail Europe
- 19 Conil de la Frontera, Spain
- 20 10 day honeymoon in Italy in Nov
- 21 Cell Phone for Italy travel
- 22 Local Living Rome- G adventures
- 23 Train - rental car - Cortona
- 24
My Journey Through Europe
- 25
TR Provence, Israel, Switzerland, Italy..April 16 a day of AA infamy
Why are you considering this? For what benefits are you hoping that you wold not have by using your own credit card or ATM card?
It is my understanding that you will incur extra fees far beyond those for using your own cards. Therefore it will cost you more to use such a card.
These cards are a terrible idea. There are numerous fees involved and the bank has the use of your money until you aactually pull it out. The only thing worse than this is travs checks - which no one will want to cash. This card is usable - but is probably the most expensive way to pay for anything.
Schwab bank no fee atm. Chase chip and signature no fee credit card. Don't forget to call them to let them know when and where you'll be travelling.
Besides the expense of fees, my grandson's prepaid card never did work in '09 and I had to spot him cash for snacks and souvenirs. His parents insisted on sending it with him even though I told them......
Why are you doing that, you don't say. Are you unable to get a credit card or what's the deal. Do you not have a bank account and thus you want to use it for the ATM? Those are my thoughts, wondering why you would do it.
I have credit cards. I was wondering about it. Saw it as a way to have a specified amount of cash just for the trip and I wondered if others had done it. It had occurred to me as I posted that among other things if it were lost I'd be screwed. Really just wondering...I've had my credit card number stolen in Europe on a previous trip. Not the card, just the number, so I was looking at ways to minimize damage should that happen again.
I don't think I understand what you intended to do, it almost sounds like you didn't intend to take credit cards, just the prepaid Visa. That is a very bad idea and I can only guess it is because you don't trust yourself to not buy a whole lot of things on your credit card as you have spending problems, so this will limit you.
Because your last sentence doesn't really make sense as you could bring more than one credit card, so if you lost one or one got stolen somehow, you would have another one. I always have two ATM cards and 3 CCs when I travel, just in case. I've never needed them (but twice I've had problems with one particular CC not being usable because that network was down), but it's just a backup.
And you don't have any damage when your CC number is stolen on any CC I've ever known. YOu report bogus charges when you see them on your account, and the card takes them off (and investigates). Besides, your CC number can be stolen anywhere and is probably more likely to be stolen over the internet than on a trip to Europe, and that doesn't stop you from having one.