Prepaid "DEBIT" card

leboof

Hi, is there such a thing as a prepaid debit card?

i.e. To use as a debit card not a creadit/visa/mastercard etc.

I don't want to use my bank account debit card.
This would get around charges for using a credit card for holidays etc.
Aslo for example, Lidls accept debit but not credit cards.

Please, I do not want to use my Bank Account debit card, please don't tell me to or ask why I don't.
Yes, I know some companies charge to load a card, but others don't.

reclusive46

All of the prepaid cards in the UK are basically processed as credit cards.

[Deleted User]

leboof wrote: »

Please, I do not want to use my Bank Account debit card, please don't tell me to or ask why I don't.

OK... I won't ask, but here's a slightly different solution that might work, depending on your reasons.

You could open a basic bank account with either your own bank, or if needs dictate, a different bank, purely for spending on. Send a Faster Payment from your main bank account to the basic account, make the transaction, and the basic account will be back at zero.

If, in addition, it's a paranoia of fraud thing, some banks can arrange to send you free SMS alerts for transactions over a certain value - set these up for anything over £0.01 and you'll get a text whenever the card is used, so you'll know if anything goes awry.

Could that work?

grumbler

All prepaid cards are Visa or Mastercard. And all charge for something.

guesswho2000

grumbler wrote: »

All prepaid cards are Visa or Mastercard. And all charge for something.

Not true that they're all Visa/MC, there are Maestro prepaid cards about too, http://www.splashplastic.com for one (I know Maestro is a brand of MC, but it's the debit card arm).

I haven't found a prepaid card that doesn't charge in one way or another though, you're better off with the basic bank account suggestion mentioned above.

leboof

billbennett wrote: »

You could open a basic bank account with either your own bank, or if needs dictate, a different bank, purely for spending on.
[...]
Could that work?

Thanks billbennett, but I tried my own bank {First Direct} and they said I couldn't do that. If I opened another bank account would they not require some sort of monthly income? Normally your wage would need to be deposited every month.

rb10

leboof wrote: »

Thanks billbennett, but I tried my own bank {First Direct} and they said I couldn't do that. If I opened another bank account would they not require some sort of monthly income? Normally your wage would need to be deposited every month.

First Direct do not offer a basic bank account. However, all the big six banks do offer one.

leboof

rb10 wrote: »

First Direct do not offer a basic bank account. However, all the big six banks do offer one.

So are you saying I could go elsewhere and get a basic account that I do not need to transfer money in monthly and get a debit card that way?

rb10

leboof wrote: »

So are you saying I could got elsewhere and get a basic account that i do not need to transfer money in monthly and get a debit card that way?

Exactly.

However, it is just a standard debit card, and (depending on which bank you use) it may well be exactly the same as your FD Visa Debit card. So it really depends on the reason why you can't/won't use your existing debit card.

leboof

rb10 wrote: »

Exactly.

So it really depends on the reason why you can't/won't use your existing debit card.

Basically I have had a fraudulant transaction before and as this is my main Bank account with both my wife and I's wages going in. I am therefore reluctant to use my debit card for this account. Therefore another account at FD would have been ideal, but not possible, so I was looking for another way of doing this with only a nominal amount in the account. For those that say, but you'll get your money back... you've no idea what I had to go through to get it back the last time.

leboof

First one I looked at, HSBC, requires at least £500 paid in per month! Do'h.