Prepaid Cards
Compare prepaid cards with Confused.com
There are many great reasons to consider prepaid cards. We've broken the cards down so you can find the best one to suit you;
A prepaid travel card is a great way of setting yourself a holiday budget – you can load up the card before you leave, locking in your exchange rate so you know exactly how much you’ve got to spend. A prepaid card is more secure than carrying cash, and as many providers offer emergency card or cash replacements your holiday needn’t be ruined if you lose your card.
|
Foreign Transaction
Fee
|
ATM
Fees
|
Monthly
fee
|
Application
fee
|
|
|
Free
|
€1.50 or $2
|
Free
|
Free
|
|
Virgin Travel card
|
You can load your card with either Euros or US Dollars, depending on where you're travelling to. As a Virgin Money customer you'll have exclusive access to a wide range of discounts, which include Virgin Holidays, Virgin Wines and more.
|
|
|
Free
|
£1.50 Internationally
£1.50 UK
|
Free
|
£19.95
|
|
Tuxedo Travel Card
|
Tuxedo will credit you with £10 in your chosen currency when you buy your card. Cards are available in Dollars, Euros or Sterling.
|
|
|
1.4%
|
£1.00 Internationally
£1.50 UK
|
Free
|
£9.99
Free
|
|
Fair FX
|
No application fee when you apply though Confused.com. Apply for a Fair FX card in Sterling, Euros or US Dollars.
|
|
|
|
You can compare credit cards that are designed to use abroad on our credit card pages
A prepaid card is a great way of setting a budget; you’re in control of your own money, you can use it to shop online and you won’t need to carry around cash. Even better, if you don't have a credit history because you're new to UK, or you've never borrowed money, you're guaranteed to be accepted.
|
Transaction
Fee
|
ATM
Fees
|
Monthly
fee
|
Application
fee
|
|
|
Free
|
2.95% UK
+2.75% Internationally
|
Free
|
£5.00
|
|
Orange Cash
|
Earn rewards that can be exchanged for Orange shop vouchers when you spend with your Orange Cash card. If you’re an Orange PAYG customer you’ll also get free minutes, texts or credit as well. Collect 1 point for every £1 you spend.
|
|
|
Free
|
£1 UK
£1 Internationally
|
Free
|
£8.95
|
|
First Premier
|
Allows you to create a web account to manage your money online.
|
|
|
2.95%
|
2.95% UK
3.5% Internationally
|
Free
|
£9.95
|
|
Virgin Card
|
Enjoy discounts from across the Virgin range including Virgin Holidays, Virgin Wines and Virgin Experiences. Choose between either a 'pay as you go' tariff or a pay monthly option.
|
|
|
£0.66
|
1.50% UK
£2.00 Internationally
|
Free
|
£9.99
|
|
Blue Sky
|
You can easily share money with family and friends with a Companion Card for just £4.99 extra
|
|
|
|
2.95%
|
1.5%
|
Free
|
£9.95
|
|
Tuxedo Card
|
No credit checks or bank account needed.
|
|
|
Free
|
£1.75 UK
£2.25 Internationally
|
Free
|
£4.95
|
|
Kalixa
|
No top-up fees when you load money using internet banking
|
|
|
Free
|
£0.50 UK
£2.25 Internationally
|
£12.50
|
£12.50
|
|
Secure Trust
|
Get both a current account and a prepaid card for the £12.50 monthly fee. Earn cash rewards up to 4% at selected retailers when using the card.
|
|
|
Free
|
£1.00 UK
£3.00 + 2.75% Internationally
|
£12.50
|
£12.50
|
|
Card One Banking
|
Monthly fee includes use of a prepaid card and a current account
|
|
|
|
Standard prepaid cards don’t improve your credit rating as no money is borrowed or repaid – you only spend what you load onto your card. The cards below can help improve or repair your credit rating by agreeing to loan you the annual fee which you pay back in monthly instalments.
|
Transaction
Fee
|
ATM
Fees
|
Monthly
fee
|
Application
fee
|
|
|
Free
|
Free in UK
£1.50 Internationally
|
£5.95
|
£5.99
|
|
|
Freedom Eagle
|
Personalise your card for an extra £2 by uploading your own picture when you apply.
Instant instore discounts available in over 20,000 retailers nationwide.
|
|
|
Free
|
£0.99 UK
£3.00 Internationally
|
£4.95
|
£4.95
|
|
Cash Plus
|
Help improve your credit rating when you pay your monthly fee
|
|
|
|
You can compare credit cards designed to build your credit rating on our credit card pages
What is a prepaid card?
A prepaid card is a payment card that is pre-loaded with money. Once you've loaded money onto your card you can then use it to shop online, abroad or even take cash out of an ATM. Prepaid cards are similar to credit cards in that they look the same, and have the same CHIP and PIN facilities, but are different in one important aspect, there’s no credit, so you don’t need to worry about spending over your budget.
You top up a prepaid card in a similar way to topping up a pay-as-you-go phone, you can usually top them up at Payzones which can be found at over 30,000 locations in the UK, using your mobile, with a debit card or even by having your wages paid directly to the card.
What are the benefits?
There are many benefits to using a prepaid card over using cash or a credit card. Some of the most common are;
- They are a great way to shop online if you are worried about identity theft; they aren’t tied to your bank account and so limit your exposure to fraud
- You are guaranteed acceptance if they can verify your identity using your personal details
- Many cards come with a companion card, meaning you can share money with friends or family anywhere in the world
- You can limit your spending if you’re worried about going over budget on online gaming
- Some cards can be used to re-build your credit rating, they loan you the annual fee which you pay back in instalments each month. At the end of the year your repayments are reported to Experian, helping to improve your credit rating.
- If you’re planning a trip then a prepaid card is safer than carrying cash, and you can avoid foreign exchange rate fees if you buy your card in Euros or Dollars
You can view more information about prepaid cards in our article; Prepaid Cards: the safe way to take money abroad