Prepaid cards vs Giftcards
Problem:
It appears that most prepaid credit cards require you to open up a bank account and link it to the prepaid credit card. In the past, you were able to purchase a prepaid credit card without any conditions. This allowed you to make purchases on obscure web-sites to limit sharing your primary bank or credit card information.
Gift cards are available but from what I have seen these cards cannot be used on web-sites.
In summary, are you aware of:
1. Any prepaid credit cards that do not have to be linked to bank accounts.
2. Gift cards that can be used on retail web-sites.
Thank you,
George
Terry Says
You are confusing prepaid credit cards with “SECURED” credit cards. The latter are traditional Visa or MasterCards with a limit that is defined by the amount of your deposit at a bank. They report your payment habits to credit bureaus, helping you build a good credit score. They are best used for those just starting out who do not have a credit history. Read this:
https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/building-credit/secured-vs-unsecured-credit-cards/
Gift cards are everywhere! You can purchase them at merchants like WalMart, or online at Amazon, or there is even a website dedicated to allowing you to purchase giftcards from a huge number of retailers.
You pay for the card immediately on YOUR credit card — and can send an actual giftcard to the recipient, buy a bunch and send them to yourself to give out — OR send the card “virtually” by text message to the recipient.
These do not impact your own credit, since you are paying for them on your own credit card.
