Can anyone answer about a prepaid Mastercard?

Shorty2U · ‎03-09-2010

Has anyone ever gotten a prepaid MasterCard gift card as a gift? If so do you know if you can use them ONLINE to shop at various stores?

I know its very early but we shop early for Christmas (Not yet but by 2 more months..lol) so Im just putting my ducks in a row (so to speak).

Anyway I had said that I just cannot spend the usual 200 to 250 on each of my kids and grandkids this year so I am going to get each one a very nice gift to open and then 100 dollar gift cards for each.

So my grandkids were saying what gift cards they would want and the one said a mastercard so she can buy things online at different places instead of a card for one store or the mall.

We had gotten mastercard gift cards before ourselves but we used them in person locally so Im just wondering ahead of time because maybe I will just give her cash if not.

PS Its unreal how bad I feel cutting back. I shouldn't feel bad because that's not the reason for the season AND everyone gets a lot of gifts due to a big family, but I do because my kids give DH and I beautiful gifts each year. I told them to please cut back also so I hope they do.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make~ The Beatles

raven-blackbird · ‎06-03-2010

you can use them as you would any card........even online..............................raven

We're not in Kansas anymore ToTo

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

As Raven said, I've never had a problem.

Watch for deals. I just got an offer from AMEX for $20 off the purchase of a $200 gift card.

Sister Golden Hair · ‎03-09-2010

Check with your bank to see what they carry. Check with them where the card can be used. Our bank carries ""Mastercard"" and I have been very happy with the results.

Disneylandfan · ‎03-10-2010

I do know that if not used within a certain amount of time some of the cards deduct fees.

Qwackertoo · ‎03-11-2010

I did a pre-paid Visa several years ago for daughter for a school trip. Never. Again.

Fees. If you check on balance a fee. If you do this a fee. If you do that a fee. They may have changed, probably have changed & improved . . . but I'd rather give away crisp one hundred dollar bills than those pieces of plastic!

gidgetgh · ‎03-09-2010

On 7/13/2014 Qwackertoo said:
I did a pre-paid Visa several years ago for daughter for a school trip. Never. Again.

Fees. If you check on balance a fee. If you do this a fee. If you do that a fee. They may have changed, probably have changed & improved . . . but I'd rather give away crisp one hundred dollar bills than those pieces of plastic!

Yes,things have changed. You can check balances online, no expirations, no fees for the recipient. I use and give gift cards all the time (mostly AMEX) and no one I've ever given them to has ever had a problem with them and I haven't either. I used a Visa gift card at Target the other day. Send all those unwanted pieces of plastics my way. I'll take them!

Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?

muttmom · ‎11-28-2012

The one problem I've encountered it, if you have a $100 card and the item is $110, you cannot use it then pay the balance if you are shopping online.

Frequently balances go unused, for this reason.

Luv2Decorate · ‎03-12-2010

On 7/13/2014 Qwackertoo said:
I did a pre-paid Visa several years ago for daughter for a school trip. Never. Again.

Fees. If you check on balance a fee. If you do this a fee. If you do that a fee. They may have changed, probably have changed & improved . . . but I'd rather give away crisp one hundred dollar bills than those pieces of plastic!

Our kids got home from Europe on a school trip just a few weeks ago and they had an awful time with the Master Card. Unbelievable! I can't go into it because I would type for hours and I'm not exaggerating.

I'd use prepaid Visa or AX card over Master Card any day of the week.

I should have gotten the kids AX cards, my mistake.

Qwackertoo · ‎03-11-2010

On 7/13/2014 Luv2Decorate said:
On 7/13/2014 Qwackertoo said:
I did a pre-paid Visa several years ago for daughter for a school trip. Never. Again.

Fees. If you check on balance a fee. If you do this a fee. If you do that a fee. They may have changed, probably have changed & improved . . . but I'd rather give away crisp one hundred dollar bills than those pieces of plastic!

Our kids got home from Europe on a school trip just a few weeks ago and they had an awful time with the Master Card. Unbelievable! I can't go into it because I would type for hours and I'm not exaggerating.

I'd use prepaid Visa or AX card over Master Card any day of the week.

I should have gotten the kids AX cards, my mistake.

Yep. Don't leave home without it.

For a trip like that . . . I'd just get extra cards on my regular AmEX account with their names as authorized users imprinted upon the card, that way I could notify the company of the dates & countries and IF they were pick-pocketed I could report it stolen. Seems we mostly use Visa on our European trips. For both charging and cash advances in the proper currency, of course usually Euro's except for Francs in Switzerland.

Same thing with Visa. I'd just get extra cards with their names as authorized users. Of course then they'd have the same credit limit as you do, only downside I can think of at the moment, but IF I was trusting them to go to Europe without me, I'd trust them to not go crazy with it.

Glad they have made it home SAFELY!!!!