The following table compares all of the UK’s top prepaid cards. It's ordered by 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.
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 |
|

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) |
|

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) |
|

Chip and Pin |
£4.99* Pay £9.99 initially and £5.00 is added back once you've loaded £100 in 90 days |
Phones 4 U Stores = Free
Wages = Free
BACS = Free
PayPoint = 3% |
Free |
£5,000 |
Per Use Fee (purchases) = Free
UK ATM Fee = £0.99
Foreign Transaction Fee = Free
ATM fee £2.00 (non UK) |
- Earn cashback and free phone credit when you use your card
-Complete control of your money 24/7 via website or SMS
-No Monthly Fee |
Free (if loaded by BACS or at Phones 4 U stores) |
|

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 |
|

Chip and Pin |
£29.99 |
Post Office – Free
Bank & Wage Payments – Free
Authorised Retail Network – Free
E-pay = £2.00 |
FREE |
£5,000 |
UK ATM Fee = £2.00
Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99%
Per Use Fee = FREE
|
-Free Purchase Protection
-No purchase Transaction Fees
-No Monthly Fees |
£0 |
|

Chip and Pin |
£9.95 £4.95
(50% off)
|
Free |
£4.95 3 months fww free
|
£5,000 |
ATM Fee = 99p (uk)
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 |
|

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) |
|

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) |
|

Chip and Pin |
£29.99 |
Post Office – Free
Bank & Wage Payments – Free
Authorised Retail Network – Free
E-pay = £2.00 |
FREE |
£5,000 |
UK ATM Fee = £2.00
Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99%
Per Use Fee = FREE
|
-Free Purchase Protection
-No purchase Transaction Fees
-No Monthly Fees |
£0 |
|

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) |
|

Chip and Pin |
£7.95
|
Card to card transfer = Free
Wages = Free
BACS Payment = Free
PayPoint = £2.00 |
£2.99 |
£3,000 |
Per Use Fee (purchases) = £0.75
UK ATM Fee = £1.50
Foreign Transaction Fee = £2.00
ATM fee £2.50 (non UK) |
- Can be linked to payday loan as ID for payments
-Complete control of your money 24/7 via website or SMS
-Accepted at over 28 Million Locations |
£11.99 (if loaded by BACS) |