Orange Cash Card (Prepaid Mastercard) service shuts down 23.59 September 30th

The_ICT_Engineer

planteria wrote: »

sorry to learn you are struggling with the service from these companies..
why are you using them anyway though? not better to use Contactless on DebitCard like TSB, where you can earn Cashback, or use a Creditcard, like Amex Cashback?

Clearly you not had the misfortune to have had a card cloned. In 2001 my TSB debit card was cloned while I was away in Norway for a month. On my return I found that my account had gone from £2500+ to overdrawn by over a £1000. My deposit account was raided by TSB by transfer of funds to cover the debits from the cloned card (TSB T&C's permited this). It took more than three years to sort out.

Since then like many people, I use a prepaid card to keep the crooks at arms length from my accounts.

The Orange Card was good, for the last four years it's rewards have paid for all my moblie calls.

eDicky

They sent me an email this morning:


"Welcome to OPTIMUM. You've just received your new card but before you can use it you need to activate it.... etc etc."


Perhaps the card arrived - I'm away.

CL30

Still haven't received my card. Phoned up yet again and before even asking me, my previously issued card (if it ever was) has been cancelled and a new one ordered so I am back to square one waiting for a card. I am furious!!!!! In the last few weeks, I have never received such conflicting information or appalling customer service (I have 3 different dates for when my card was issued and 4 different timescales for when I have should have received it). To top it off, I still have a healthy balance which I can't use

tnbonyot

Thanks for every other informative site. Where else may I get that type
of info written in such an ideal approach? I have a venture that I’m just now working
on, and I have been at the look out for such info.

alanq

Still no card here. Nor a wlecoming email. I can't see any message sending facility on my account web page. I don't think that I'll bother ringing them. It is getting to the stage that I am now doubtful whether I would want the card if it did arrive. I am glad that I had the foresight to reduce my balance to £0.

If the Orange customers who intended to stay are having these issues I wonder how those who wanted out and requested a refund cheque are doing.

CL30

I'm going to look for a new supplier. If this is how they treat new customers before the card' s even received, imagine trying to get something like fraud/misuse etc sorted out. Has anyone got any recommendation for a new (reliable) supplier?

alanq

CL30 wrote: »

I'm going to look for a new supplier. If this is how they treat new customers before the card' s even received, imagine trying to get something like fraud/misuse etc sorted out. Has anyone got any recommendation for a new (reliable) supplier?

Not wishing to pay monthly fees or % of spending I looked closely at Pockit. However, seeing some of the reviews on Trustpilot I have decided against it. The theme seems to be "great" when things are working but "hopeless" if one needs to contact customer services.
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.pockit.com

eDicky

CL30 wrote: »

I'm going to look for a new supplier. If this is how they treat new customers before the card' s even received, imagine trying to get something like fraud/misuse etc sorted out. Has anyone got any recommendation for a new (reliable) supplier?

My Optimum card arrived sometime while I was away and I am able to use it with no problem so far. But seeing that there is a £1 charge to call their CS, a 20p charge to change my PIN, and no free way to load cash I will use up the credit then discard it.

I already have a 'Talk Home CAT' card, which works as a true debit card and does not incur the fees from some merchants for using a credit card, as most prepaids do. Although it costs a fiver I can recommend it:

https://www1.talk-home.co.uk/CATCard/

alanq

eDicky wrote: »

no free way to load cash

There is....if you have a bank account.
"Standing order/bank top-up Free Top-up – debit card Free"
http://www.myoptimumcard.co.uk/costs/

eDicky

alanq wrote: »

There is....if you have a bank account.
"Standing order/bank top-up Free Top-up – debit card Free"

True, but I meant 'cash' cash. You can no longer pay in cash at the EE shop, and:

Top-up – Post Office branch £1.50
Top-up – PayPoint £1.50

CAT card top-up with cash is free at PayPoint.