How does a prepaid credit card work?

A prepaid credit card works just like a standard credit card in making every day purchases. You can make a utility payment or online service payment, complete online or auction purchases, rent a car, reserve a hotel room, and pay for dinner all with your prepaid card. Anything you can do with a standard MasterCard or Visa you can do with your prepaid credit card. Online, you will find a number of lenders who offer prepaid MasterCards or Visa cards that look exactly like the regular cards. No store clerk or utility employee will be able to tell the difference.

When you want to apply for a prepaid card, go online and search for offers that appeal to you. Fill out the online application and you will be instructed to set up an account for you card. The account you establish is the money from which you draw each time you make a purchase or a credit card payment. You credit limit is determined by how much money you initially deposit in the account. For instance, deposit five hundred dollars, and you will have five hundred dollars available credit on your card. You can always go back and add to your account balance and have more money on your prepaid credit card. Usually, after a year of good standing, you can qualify for a standard credit card from the same lender.

Drawbacks

While prepaid cards a good idea in theory, they can be expensive to establish. You may be charge a set-up fee of $5 to $50 when you make your opening deposit. Also, an additional fee is charged every time you add more money to your account. When you take these fees into consideration in addition to the money you have to put up to get the card in the first place, the total output of money can be prohibitive to someone on a tight budget.

When you apply for a standard credit card, you can find a deal where you are not charged a set-up fee or an annual fee. However, if you cannot qualify for such a deal, the only option you have to establish a line of credit is the prepaid credit card. Lenders are aware of this and may take advantage of your situation by charging you hidden fees once your account is up and running.