Your debit card and credit cards might be fine for everyday transactions. But what if you want a little extra privacy protection for a single purchase or don’t want to bother with credit checks for the simple convenience of a credit card? Prepaid credit cards can offer some of that same convenience but with greater privacy.

Let’s look at three ways prepaid credit cards (or prepaid debit cards) can help you better protect your privacy as a consumer. read more..

Do you ever see advertisements for prepaid credit cards (also known as prepaid debit cards)? Have you considered buying one, either as a gift or for your own use? Are they really a good idea or should you stick to what you have already?

Prepaid credit cards have their positive and negative sides, so let’s take a look at some situations when they might be a good idea and other times when you’re better off going without. read more..

We’ve already talked about how credit cards can help with personal budgeting. What if you like that idea in general, but the potential for added debt concerns you? In that case prepaid credit cards might be another option to consider. Let’s talk about how prepaid credit cards can help you maintain your budget, and how prepaid credit cards have risks and drawbacks of their own.

Here is how you might use prepaid credit cards to help you get more control over your budget. But keep in mind, this assumes your prepaid credit cards can be refilled over and over again. One-time-use cards won’t work. read more..

Prepaid credit cards can have their places. For example they might be a good option to introduce teens to using the convenience of cards or they might make good gift options for someone who’s difficult to shop for. But if you think prepaid credit cards will give you convenience while helping you save money compared to traditional credit cards (and even the monthly fees for accounts with debit cards), you might not save as much as you think.

Some prepaid credit cards can even be downright costly. To figure out how much a prepaid card will cost you be sure to look at the different fees involved. Here are some examples of fees to keep a look out for, based on the terms for the VCARD and Canvas prepaid Visa card. read more..