Prepaid Visa Travel Cards
Prepaid Visa Travel Cards Benefits
A prepaid visa travel card is the safest and most secure way to carry your pocket money when traveling. It’s more convenient than carrying traveler’s checks (which many people found to be difficult to convert in many places), safer than hard cash (where you’re exposed to the risk of being robbed of mugged) and there’s no concern about counting your money in strange places (which may not be very safe). You can avoid all those issues by using a prepaid visa travel card. It gives you the freedom of having money at your disposal 24/7, so you can shop with confidence. This is a must have before you start out on your trip and you should make sure that it is valid when you travel. Prepaid visa travel cards are operational everywhere and there is bound to be a counter where you can access your money. With worldwide acceptance, you don’t even need to go to a bank; just use an ATM to collect the money.
How do Prepaid Visa Travel Cards Work?
It is essentially a loaded debit card, but specifically designed for travelers, using the widely accepted Visa name. It has the security of travelers checks and the convenience of a Visa Debit card designed especially for travelers. It’s a prepaid Visa card, which means you can spend up to the value placed on the card anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. You can shop in stores, online, over the phone, and by mail order. You can get cash at Visa/PLUS ATMs worldwide. Each time you make a purchase, the amount of that purchase is automatically deducted from the card.
You can check the balance on your Visa TravelMoney card at your financial institution’s Web site or by calling them directly. Since a merchant may not be able to tell on the spot how much money is on the card, keeping track of your balance is a sure way to know how much you have to spend.
Where can I buy Prepaid Visa Travel Cards?
You can purchase your Visa TravelMoney card at a participating provider as well as online and by phone. A prepaid visa travel card can be purchased for any amount of money. You can load your card with any amount from $100 to $10,000. Also it is very easy to reload: just a phone call away using a credit or debit card. Or you can straight go into a financial institution or bank and transfer the amount from a bank account to the prepaid visa travel card.
How much do Prepaid Visa Travel Cards Cost?
The prepaid visa travel card only costs $9.95, no matter how much you load on. Re-loading the card costs about $2.50, with unlimited reloads; the card does have an expiration date, though: it’s valid for up to 24 months. Your re-load minimum is $100; if you’re re-loading online, your maximum re-load amount is $1,500, if you’re within a brick-and-mortar reseller, your limit goes up to $3,000. Also, there are the usual ATM withdrawal fees, plus a 3% foreign transaction fee, $2.50 dormant account fee, and a $10 charge for overdraft. So initially the card is cheaper than paper travelers checks; however if you use the card at ATM’s a lot for cash withdrawals, you could easily end up spending a lot more. Terms and conditions vary by distributor, so it’s best to check with your issuer.
Prepaid Visa Travel Cards Protection Against Loss, Theft, and Fraud
Being an international card, the protection against this card against theft or loss is very high. Call your financial institution right away. They will need your card number to cancel your card and issue a new one, so make sure you’ve kept the card information in a secure place that is separate from the card. It is a must that you know the credit card number so that you can inform about the loss of the card. Immediately a stop will be put on all the transactions of the lost card and you will be issued brand new card.
You also get Visa’s Zero Liability fraud protection (100% protection from fraudulent use of a lost or stolen card), as well as Purchase Security (within 90 days of the date of purchase, eligible items purchased entirely with your registered Visa TravelMoney card will be replaced, repaired, or reimbursed in the event of in the event of theft, damage due to fire, vandalism, accidentally discharged water, or certain weather conditions - up to a maximum of $500 per claim)
Prepaid Visa Travel Card Tips
Renting a car. Your TravelMoney card is a debit card; some rental car companies may require that you use a credit card to make a reservation. But remember that your Visa TravelMoney card is always welcome for final payment.
Paying for gas. When you pay at the pump, some stations check to see if you have funds to pay for a full tank (up to $50). If your card is declined even though you still have funds, tell the attendant how much gas you intend to buy and sign the receipt for that amount so it can automatically be deducted from your account.
Making hotel reservations. Hotels will verify that your card has sufficient funds to pay an estimated bill for your stay. That amount will be “held” in your account, making it unavailable for other purchases. When you check out, the “hold” will be removed and the actual bill amount will be deducted. You can avoid having funds held by using a Visa credit card at check-in. Once again, your card is welcome for final payment.
Paying for meals. Be aware that some restaurants will verify that your card has enough funds to cover the purchase plus a 15-20 percent tip, or they’ll decline the transaction. Only the amount you sign for will be deducted, so you can leave a tip with your card or in cash.
Buying something that costs more than what is on your card. You can use a second payment method such as cash, check, or credit for the difference. Let the cashier know how much you will pay with each type of payment before you make your purchase. The downside of this is that you lose your purchase security protection, since it’s only extended to items purchased entirely with your prepaid visa travel card.
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Overall, the prepaid visa travel card is a convenient, safe way to carry cash when traveling.
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