Pre-pay credit cards it's impossible to overspend on?
Discussion
Hi All,
Does such a thing exist?
My daughter (aged 8) got a Kindle for Christmas, with which she is ecstatic, but given her voracious appetite for reading, I fear she'll run up bills on my credit card faster than a teenager on his first visit to a strip joint, so I'd rather set her up with her own Amazon account with a monthly allowance transferred onto a pre-pay credit card.
The only problem with this is that I remember a piece on Watchdog or some such programme where people had got into trouble with penalty fees and the like because their card balance didn't update in real time.
Does anyone know of a card provider who will guarantee not to let her overspend?
Does such a thing exist?
My daughter (aged 8) got a Kindle for Christmas, with which she is ecstatic, but given her voracious appetite for reading, I fear she'll run up bills on my credit card faster than a teenager on his first visit to a strip joint, so I'd rather set her up with her own Amazon account with a monthly allowance transferred onto a pre-pay credit card.
The only problem with this is that I remember a piece on Watchdog or some such programme where people had got into trouble with penalty fees and the like because their card balance didn't update in real time.
Does anyone know of a card provider who will guarantee not to let her overspend?
SC7 said:
Blimey, she's only 8. Why not just make sure she can't/won't buy anything without your permission?
"Daddy, I've finished my book, can I buy this one?"
"Yes/No"
Mainly because I want to get her in to the idea of starting to budget her own money, but I still want the safety net if she screws the maths up!"Daddy, I've finished my book, can I buy this one?"
"Yes/No"
Also because it's nice for her to have the grown up feeling of doing it for herself, but again with the safety net!
ringram said:
Yeah, its called a debt card.
Nope. Debit cards are perfectly capable of letting people spend over the limit!Tonym911 said:
I thought it was called a banknote. They're available in various denominations: £5, £10, £20 etc.
Sadly, I have yet to figure out a way of making a payment for a book on a Kindle using bank notes. Apart from that minor issue, this would otherwise have been the absolutely perfect solution!Plover said:
What about using amazon gift certificates; buy from your account and she can redeem under her account ? Looks like you can set them to be emailed up to a year in advance as well, so could email them to her monthly ?
No credit card involved in her account so no limit to go over ?
Now that does look like a highly probable solution! Just need to make sure she can have an account without a credit card and that she can part use gift vouchers and this will then be the perfect solution. Thanks! No credit card involved in her account so no limit to go over ?
Kermit power said:
Hi All,
Does such a thing exist?
Yes, this: Escape Prepaid Mastercard from Phones 4 U.Does such a thing exist?
http://www.phones4u.co.uk/escape-lebara.asp
[/quote]Sadly, I have yet to figure out a way of making a payment for a book on a Kindle using bank notes. Apart from that minor issue, this would otherwise have been the absolutely perfect solution!
[/quote]
More's the pity. I'm all in favour of a parent-protecting cash-only system for impulse purchase situations like this. Amazon should bring a pay as ye go/topup type arrangement into places like W H Smith etc where you could buy e-books for download by Amazon into your own Kindle 'basket'.
OlberJ said:
Why would they though, i'm sure they make a fortune out of "kids running up huge bills".
I'm hoping that the recent Govt move to prevent Ryanair and other sharks (in my opinion/allegedly etc) from stinging people on card payments is the start of a bigger movement to stop any kind of debt-financed impulse-buying. That's surely got to be a part of getting out of the current mess. Kermit power said:
Now that does look like a highly probable solution! Just need to make sure she can have an account without a credit card and that she can part use gift vouchers and this will then be the perfect solution. Thanks!
You can part use gift vouchers as you please.I set one up on my own account to save having to enter credit card details when I buy Kindle books.
ringram said:
Yeah, its called a debt card.
This is a myth, as the transactions take time to hit the account. So you could have £1000 in your account and easily spend £900 on you debit card on half a dozen separate occasions in the same day.I used to believe that too, but recently got my 14 y/o son a debit card on his own savings account, and the lady who sorted it was keen to stress to him that he had to keep tabs on what he spent because if he did go over it would be his responsibility to repay it.
Kermit power said:
Hi All,
Does such a thing exist?
My daughter (aged 8) got a Kindle for Christmas, with which she is ecstatic, but given her voracious appetite for reading, I fear she'll run up bills on my credit card faster than a teenager on his first visit to a strip joint, so I'd rather set her up with her own Amazon account with a monthly allowance transferred onto a pre-pay credit card.
The only problem with this is that I remember a piece on Watchdog or some such programme where people had got into trouble with penalty fees and the like because their card balance didn't update in real time.
Does anyone know of a card provider who will guarantee not to let her overspend?
Cash Plus prepaid mastercard. Cant overspend, top up at any post office or Money shop.Does such a thing exist?
My daughter (aged 8) got a Kindle for Christmas, with which she is ecstatic, but given her voracious appetite for reading, I fear she'll run up bills on my credit card faster than a teenager on his first visit to a strip joint, so I'd rather set her up with her own Amazon account with a monthly allowance transferred onto a pre-pay credit card.
The only problem with this is that I remember a piece on Watchdog or some such programme where people had got into trouble with penalty fees and the like because their card balance didn't update in real time.
Does anyone know of a card provider who will guarantee not to let her overspend?
Fantastic for what you want, infact fantastic for shopping online.
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