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 |
£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) |
|

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 |
£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 |
£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 |
|

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 |
£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)
|
|

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) |