The following table compares all of the UK’s top Pay As You Go 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.<i> 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 |
PAYG 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 |
£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 |
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 |
|

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 |
|

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 |
£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 |
£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 |
|

Chip and Pin |
£9.95 |
Free |
Free |
£5,000 |
UK ATM Fee = 1.50
Foreign Transaction Fee = 2.99%
Per Use Fee (purchases) = £1.50 |
-Accepted at 28 Million Locations
-Purchase Protection Included
-Low cost for occasional users |
£18 |
|
 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 |
|

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) |