All UK Prepaid Cards

Last Updated: 22nd March 2011 - Compare Prepaid Credit Cards UK fees online - What Prepaid Card

The following table compares all of the UK’s top prepaid cards, ordered by the card product type, full MasterCard or Visa CHIP first, Maestro/Electron Mag only last, and then by aprox usage cost. This estimated cost may be higher or lower based on your intended use and selected prepaid product type. It is just a guide to enable a more informed selection.

All Prepaid Cards | Cards for under 18's | Prepaid Gold Cards | Prepaid Business Cards | Prepaid Travel Cards | Pay As You Go Prepaid Cards | Bank Accounts with No Credit Check

Prepaid Card Issuer	Card Type	Card Issue Fee (inc. Postage)	Reload Fees	Monthly Fees	Max Balance Allowed in Account	Other Fees	Key Benefits	Approximate monthly fees, based on one £250 reload per month and 3 purchase's each week
CashPlus Gold MasterCard PAY MONTHLY	Chip and Pin	£9.95 £4.95 (50% off)	Free	£4.95 3 months for free	£5,000	ATM Fee (uk) = FREE 3 months then £0.99 Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99%	-FREE UK ATM Cash Advances -Purchase Protection Included -Can add Creditbuilder and improve your credit score -Top-up at the Post Office and epay	£4.95
ClearCash Pay As You Go Prepaid Mastercard	Chip and Pin	£4.50 (£5 via SMS)	Post Office = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = 3.00%	Free	£5,000	ATM Fee = 75p (UK) ATM Fee = 1.50p +2.75% (non UK) Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.75%	-Full online bill payment facility -Purchase Protection, Price Protection and Extended Warranty package -Access to superb Budgeting Tools -Standing orders and bank transfers available	£6.25 (Based on a spend of £250 per month)
Orange MasterCard	Chip and Pin	£5.00	Debit card, Orange shops and bacs loads are Free - Paypoint and Post Office £1.50 and Credit card top up is 4%	Free	£5,000	ATM Fee (uk) = 2.95% Foreign Transaction Fee = 5.7%	Contactless MasterCard -Earn points everytime you use -No monthly charges and No transaction chages -Pay as you go MasterCard	Free
Virgin Prepaid Visa Card (PAY AS YOU GO)	Chip and Pin	£9.95	Post Office = Free Debit Card = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = 2.75%	free	£3,500	Per Use Fee (UK purchases) = 2.95% ATM Fee = 2.95% (UK) Foreign Exchange rate Fee = 3.5%	-PAY AS YOU GO -Accepted at 28 Million Locations -Top-up at the Post Office, PayPoint and by Debit/credit card - Access to the Virgin Discount Network	£7.37
MeCard Prepaid MasterCard	Chip and Pin	Parent card Free and Teen card £9.99 (but £10 free load)	Paypoint – 3% Bank & Wage Payments – Free Debit cards = £1.00	Free	£5,000	UK ATM Fee = £0.75 Foreign Transaction Fee = Free Per Use Fee (purchases) = Free ATM fee £1.50 (non UK)	Free adult card Complete control of your money 24/7 with full parental control - Pay £9.99 for Teen Card but get £10 loaded on your card for free.	Free
Blue Sky Prepaid Pay As You Go MasterCard	Chip and Pin	£9.99 £5.49 (50% off)	Post Office = £1.99 Wages = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = 3%	Free	£5,000	Per Use Fee (purchases) = £0.66 UK ATM Fee = £1.5% Foreign Transaction Fee = £2.5% ATM fee £2.00 (non UK)	-£0.66 UK ATM Cash Advances -Purchase Protection available -Can add Creditbuilder and improve your credit score -No Monthly Fees	£7.92 (if loaded by BACS)
Virgin Prepaid Visa Card (PAY MONTHLY)	Chip and Pin	£9.95	Post Office = Free Debit Card = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = 2.75%	£4.75	£3,500	ATM Fee = £1.50 (uk/Int) Foreign Exchange rate Fee = 2.95%	-Accepted at 28 Million Locations -Top-up at the Post Office, PayPoint and by Debit/credit card - Access to the Virgin Discount Network	£4.75
CashPlus MasterCard Gold PREMIUM ACCOUNT	Chip and Pin	£29.99	Post Office – Free Bank & Wage Payments – Free Authorised Retail Network – Free	FREE	£5,000	UK ATM Fee = £0.99 Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99% Per Use Fee = FREE	-Free Purchase Protection -No purchase Transaction Fees -No Monthly Fees	£0
Kalixa Pay As You Go MasterCard	Chip and Pin	£4.95	Wages = Free BACS Payment = Free Giropay = 1.95%	Free	£9,000	Per Use Fee (purchases) = Free UK ATM Fee = £1.75 Foreign Transaction Fee = Free ATM fee £2.25 (non UK)	-100% acceptance guaranteed, -You don't need a bank account -Low cost for occasional users -You can pay your wages directly onto your card	Free (if loaded by Wages)
Neteller Prepaid MasterCard	Chip and Pin	Free	Ukash and some named direct bank transfers = Free Wages = Free BACS Payment = 1.75% Credit card and debit card = 1.75%	£2.99	£3,000	Per Use Fee (purchases) = Free UK ATM Fee = £3.00 Foreign Transaction Fee = £2.95% ATM fee 2.95% (non UK)	- Get a virtual prepaid card account for free - Up grade to a prepaid MasterCard for Free -Accepted at over 28 Million Locations	Free based on ukash top up
Blue Sky Prepaid Card (PAY MONTHLY)	Chip and Pin	£9.99 £5.49 (50% off)	Post Office = £1.99 Wages = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = 3%	£4.45	£5,000	ATM Fee = £0.99 (uk/Int) Foreign Exchange rate Fee = 2.5%	-100% acceptance guaranteed, -You don't need a bank account -You can share cash instantly using your mobile phone -You can pay your wages directly onto your card	£4.45 (if loaded by Wages)
Freedom Prepaid Card	Chip and Pin	£5.99	Paypoint load fee = 3% Payroll load (BACS) = Free	Free No late fees or overdraft fees	£5,000	ATM Fee = 1.5% (uk) £2.50 (non uk) Per Use Fee (purchases) = £0.50, (uk) / 2.75% (non uk) Foreign exchange Fee = 2.75%	Guaranteed Bank Account -No Credit Checks -Pay your wages in to your bank account and seperate funds on to your prepaid card	£5.95 (Assuming £250 spend per month and 1 Wage Payment Load)
CashPlus MasterCard Gold DELUXE ACCOUNT	Chip and Pin	£4.95	Post Office – Free Bank & Wage Payments – Free Authorised Retail Network – Free E-pay = £2.00	£9.95	£5,000	UK ATM Fee = FREE Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99% Bill Payments = FREE Adnl Cards=FREE	-Free Purchase Protection -Add Cashplus Creditbuilder for free to improve your credit score -Cashplus Pay Day Loan available up to £200 per month	£9.95 (but you earn cashback)
Card One Banking (Guaranteed Bank Account)	Chip and Pin	£12.50	Free	£12.50 No late fees or overdraft fees	£5,000	Per Use Fee (purchases) = Free UK ATM Fee = £0.50 Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.75% ATM fee £3.00 (non UK)	Guaranteed Bank Account -No Credit Checks -Pay your pages in to your bank account and seperate funds on to your prepaid card	£12.50
The BREAD Card	Chip and Pin	£7.50	Post Office = Free PayPoint = 3% (max reload £500) Standing Order/Payroll BACS = Free (max reload £3,500) Debit card or SMS needed to apply	Free	£3,500	UK Purchase per use fee = 2% UK ATM Fee = £1.50 Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.75%	-Very low reload fees -Low cost ATM Withdrawal fees -Accepted at over 28 Million Locations	£5.00 (if loaded by BACS or Post Office)
Sterling Prepaid MasterCard	Chip and Pin	£9.95	Free	£5.95	£5,000	ATM Fee (uk) = £1.50 Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99%	-Purchase Protection Included -Can add Creditbuilder and improve your credit score -Top-up at the Post Office and epay	£5.95
CashPlus MasterCard Gold Pay-As-You-Go	Chip and Pin	£9.95	Free	Free	£5,000	UK ATM Fee = 99p Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99% Per Use Fee (purchases) = £1.00	-Accepted at 28 Million Locations -Purchase Protection Included -Low cost for occasional users	£12 (£1 per transaction)
Freedom Prepaid Card	Chip and Pin	£5.99	Paypoint load fee = 3% Payroll load (BACS) = Free	Free No late fees or overdraft fees	£5,000	ATM Fee = 1.5% (uk) £2.50 (non uk) Per Use Fee (purchases) = £0.50, (uk) / 2.75% (non uk) Foreign exchange Fee = 2.75%	Guaranteed Bank Account -No Credit Checks -Pay your wages in to your bank account and seperate funds on to your prepaid card	£5.95 (Assuming £250 spend per month and 1 Wage Payment Load)
Tuxedo Card	Chip and Pin	£9.95	Free	No monthly fees No late fees or overdraft fees	£5,000	Per Use Fee (purchases) = 2.95% UK ATM Fee = 1.5% Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.95% ATM fee £2.25 (non UK)	Guaranteed Bank Account -No Credit Checks Choose a price plan to suit your needs	£6.50
Secure Trust Bank ( Guaranteed Bank Account)	Chip and Pin	£12.50	Wages = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = £2.00	£12.50	£5,000	Per Use Fee (uk purchases) = Free ATM Fee = £0.50 (uk) Foreign Transaction Fee/ATM = 2.75%	-The first guaranteed bank accounts -No credit checks --100% acceptance guaranteed	£12.50
Freedom Prepaid Card	Chip and Pin	Card issue Fee: £5.99	Post Office = 2% Paypoint load fee = 3% Payroll load (BACS) = £1.00	£3.95	£650.00 (non verified product). £3000 (verified customer with personalised card.)	ATM Fee = 1.5% (uk) £2.50 (non uk) Per Use Fee (purchases) = £0.50, (uk) / 2.75% (non uk) Foreign exchange Fee = 2.75%	Guaranteed Bank Account -No Credit Checks	£7.00 (Assuming £250 spend per month and load at bacs)
ClearCash Pay Monthly Prepaid Mastercard	Chip and Pin	£4.50 (£5 via SMS)	Post Office = Free BACS Payment = Free PayPoint = 3.00%	Free	£5,000	UK ATM Fee = £1.50 Non UK ATM Fee = £2.00 Forzeign Transaction Fee = 2.75%	-100% acceptance guaranteed, -Can add Credit Repair and improve your credit score -Top- by cheque one of the few companies available -Complete control of your money 24/7 via website or SMS	£9.99
Splash Plastic	Chip and Pin	£5	Bank Transfers/Wage Payments = Free Post Office/Paypoint = £0.30 per £10 loaded Credit/Debit Card = 2.5% - min. £1.50	Free	£3500	Per Use Fee (purchases) = £2.5% Annual Fee = £4.95 (payable on first reload) UK ATM Fee = £1.50 (+ 2% for withdrawals above £50) Foreign Transaction Fee = Additional 1.00% Gambling or betting transactions = Additional 1.00%	-Accepted on gambling sites -Pay By Text Message -Great for under 18's, and available to persons aged 10 and over. -Accepted at 9 Million Locations -Choice of plastic design	£6.25 (if reloaded by bank trfr/wages)

Prepaid Credit Cards - How Can You Use The Card Most Wisely And Sensibly?

The concept of a prepaid card is simple; it involves putting cash on the card and then using it to withdraw money or make purchases. Once the cash has been spent and the balance reaches 0, the card can't be used to withdraw any money or make purchases.

Much like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone, a prepaid card is simple and easy to use. A survey by Which? Money found that three quarters of people have heard of prepaid cards yet only 3% of people own one. The research however found that 13% of people would consider getting one

One of the real benefits of these cards is that the charges associated with prepaid credit cards is not as high as those of the rates of credit cards and APRs.

Compare Prepaid Credit Cards UK fees online.

In order to use a prepaid credit card you will need to have adequate funds loaded on to your card.

Making use of the ATM feature is a very good option that you can consider. You can draw cash amounts in times of emergencies as and when required. You must go through the fine print, to get an idea if any extra amounts are charged for offering ATM facilities. You must take out considerable amount of time to go through the formal legalities, terms and conditions.

You must also enquire if any charges are levied if money is withdrawn from a bank that is not affiliated with the issuing financial institution. In that case you must know about the affiliates of the issuing bank to know about "friendly" ATMs.

The prepaid credit cards are truly assets in your wallet that can be used for renting cars, shopping, in restaurants, for withdrawing cash from the ATM. Those who are trying to cut down on unnecessary expenses truly benefits from the use of these kinds of cards for the card owner cannot spend anything extra than the total money he has.

To be able to use the prepaid credit cards sensibly you can log into the websites and develop a better understanding about the advantages associated with use of the cards.