Ffrees Card

kerry87_2

Hi,


I have recently stumbled upon the Ffrees card which promises to be the same as having a current account but you can get this with no credit checks and you only have to pay £0.75 if using it in an ATM etc.


Has anyone any experience of this card at all?


Thanks

MikeBrown123

Hi Kerry,

I got some post through the door a few weeks ago actually, but looked into it and discarded it.

The main reason is that if it promises to be the same as a bank account but charges to withdraw cash from an ATM, why not just get a standard bank account!

This might shed some light as well...

http://www.lovemoney.com/news/money-saving-tips-bargains-and-freebies/shopping/18093/ffrees-saying-no-card-gives-big-shopping-discount

alanq

No experience but it doesn't look like a current account to me.

OK you can pay money in and spend it on a card or withdraw it. Does the account offer Direct Debits? Standing Orders? Cheque Books? Overdrafts? ...

To me, after a quick look, it seems to be a simple prepayment card account. I don't think that credit checks are required for any of these. This does not mean that there will be no identity checks perhaps using a credit reference agency.

Not every retailer accepts prepayment cards. e.g. ALDI (in England)

kerry87_2

Thanks for the advice guys, I do already have a basic account which I have held for the last 4 years due to bad credit but thought the Ffrees card looked quite good but I don't think I will be pursuing this any further.

InsideInsurance

alanq wrote: »

OK you can pay money in and spend it on a card or withdraw it. Does the account offer Direct Debits? Standing Orders? Cheque Books? Overdrafts?

You can do standing orders

They say Direct Debits is the next feature they are looking to add.

On the basis that there is no credit check then clearly there will not be overdrafts.

Cheques, paying in and paying out are missing but then there are overdraft/ credit issues with paying cheques out.

pmduk

The ffrees account adds nothing to the basic bank accounts offered by most banks, though admittedly at least one doesn't offer a debit card.

Anthorn

If you can only get a prepaid card this is probably your best option because in contrast to other prepaid cards it says it offers a VISA debit card. The competition offers prepaid credit cards which means you cannot use them at places which don't accept credit cards such as Aldi and Lidl.

There are rewards and you can pay a monthly fee to get an extra percentage reward but the places where you get rewards are limited.

The last problem is that it doesn't currently offer direct debits.

In conclusion if you can't get a bank account with a debit card and you don't need Direct Debits the Ffrees card on the free monthly option is probably your best bet even accounting for the £0.75p a pop ATM charge.

happygirl148

hi i currently have a ffrees card that i got for use on the internet instead of putting my debit card details online after using it afew times i have decided to close it for the following reasons

there is no credit check to open it but the downside is it does charge you 75p to withdraw at the atm and you can only withdraw £250 a day also if you dont actively pay in and use the account each month they charge you £2 for not using it also any payments sent to the account after 5pm by faster payment/ bank transfer will not get credited until the next working day also although you have a natwest account number and sort code as the ffrees account is powered by natwest you can not pay in at a natwest branch .



info from ffrees website is -

Bank Transfer/Standing Orders

Funds are paid into your account the same working day we receive them. If funds are paid in outside working hours, the funds will be paid into your Ffrees Account the next working day after we receive them.

Please note you are unable to pay into your Account by using a Natwest branch. Cash payments can only be made using a PayPoint retailer.

Mich712

NEVER EVER use this company. I have had this pre-paid card for about 5 months with a standing order set up being paid into it each month - no problem. However, this month is a totally different story.
I went to use my card on the day that I knew the money would be paid in, to find it was declined (highly embarrassing). That evening I checked my account, to find that whilst they had accepted my standing order, they had suspended my account. I called them immediately to be told they couldn't give me any information. But I did find out it was due to fraudulent action. However, since speaking to Action Fraud line and FSA, their information appears to be aimed at me. It begs the question, ow can there be fraudulent activity when nothing has come out of my account?? Anyway, 2 weeks down the line and I still cannot access my money and I have explained to them that with no money, I have no fuel, therefore can't get to work, therefore I don't get paid.
Their customer service and manager are absolutely useless!!!!
Please anyone, DO NOT CONSIDER THIS CARD!!!

paragon909

I wouldn't use this card it isn't actually a personalised account you get, you need to use a reference to topup using bank transfer.

I would suggest using


http://www.credecard.com/

paypoint is 1.50 load.
bank transfer is free

withdrawal 0.75p
3 day bank transfer from credicard to another bank is also free.
and it just costs £2 a month