Anonymous Pre Paid Credit Card Help

auto79081333

Hi,

The information given on money saving expert regarding pre-paid VISA/MASTER cards doesn't give much information about anonymity, which (no offense intended to this website, because the quality of information is fantastic, and its helped me countless times) seems to be a major oversight, because I can't for the life of me see the point in one unless you are under 18 or have such a bad credit rating that you are denied a bank account.

Basically, I just want to pay for things online with the anonymity of cash (obviously not paying for anything that needs to be delivered, before you point that out). What pre-paid VISA/MASTER card services would people suggest? I would do my research myself but I'm currently out the country. I was just thinking of getting a friend to buy one for me, and email me the card details.

In the US, I've read that they have credit gift card called Vanilla that seems to be completely anonymous as you pay for it in cash. Is there anything similar in the UK? Obviously the UK is a terrible country to be born in if you are concerned about privacy, but there must be something, right?

Thanks in advance!

Plxply

auto79081333 wrote: »

Basically, I just want to pay for things online with the anonymity of cash (obviously not paying for anything that needs to be delivered, before you point that out). What pre-paid VISA/MASTER card services would people suggest? I would do my research myself but I'm currently out the country. I was just thinking of getting a friend to buy one for me, and email me the card details.

I honestly doubt you're going to find any financial product in the UK that would allow this. The country has fairly tight money laundering regulations along with other regulations that come into play when dealing with financial products. I wouldn't be surprised if the products in the US require activation which performs identity checks. It certainly seems from my quick search on Google that this is also what cards in the UK need which carries out an identity check.

auto79081333

on the contrary, I have read numerous reports of people using these Vanilla MasterCard Gift Cards completely anonymously, but they seem to be the only ones, as others require you to register. If you use something like that to pay for bitcoins anonymously, for example, then you have anonymous money you can keep indefinitely, and the only risk is subject to bitcoin devaluation (which seems sadly likely since there are numerous websites that seem to be suggesting them as an "investment". But I guess all new stuff gets speculated once)

Never mind, it's not so important, and if it stops money laundering I guess it's OK. I just don't trust the either of the major political parties as they have eroded all our civil liberties in the last 20 years, starting with the criminal justice act in 1994, and with stuff like the snoopers bill, it's just good to take some precautions about privacy while we still can. If there is one thing that every major political party in the UK believes, its that people are accountable to the state, and without electoral reform and greater proportional representation that will never change.

I never buy anything with cash anymore, and I would feel much better if I knew I could pay for some things online, like a VPN, and not have to tie my identity with it, but I guess it's impossible without going to a LOT of effort. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for taking the effort to reply, sorry for the rant. Bye.