Pre-loaded pre paid credit cards?

[CaraNicole]

My brothers birthday is coming up and I do not want to give him cash or a gift card so I was thinking this was the solution. The only problem is I know nothing about them, or where to get one. Has anyone used one before?

[texmati]

do you mean like an american express or visa gift card? These work just like a gift card but can be used anywhere.

Here a link, I just typed in american express gift card in google. I would shop around at visa and master card as well. I know discover will let you pick a design for the card.

http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif...1,16130,00.asp

[kalisis]

Check the fees. I know you can buy them at the grocery store around here.

[oneKnight]

IME they used to be really hard to use. Example Cingular would give out a $50 "debit" card with the money already loaded, you'd scan it at WalMart and the machine would ask for a PIN instead of a signature.
Really pain in the rear because they didn't issue a PIN, they wanted you to sign like a regular CC, but try to convince the little card machine that there is not a PIN.

I do not know if they have arrived at a solution for that little glitch because I haven't used one in a couple of years. I do know that they are becoming popular, so maybe they're easier to use now.

[Tradd]

At my annual office party in January, everyone was given a $100 Amex gift card (I used mine towards an iPod Nano ). It worked just fine when I used it on the Apple website. The back DID say that you couldn't use it at gas stations.

[homemademomma]

i've gotten visa gift cards and it

[CaraNicole]

Originally Posted by oneKnight

IME they used to be really hard to use. Example Cingular would give out a $50 "debit" card with the money already loaded, you'd scan it at WalMart and the machine would ask for a PIN instead of a signature.
Really pain in the rear because they didn't issue a PIN, they wanted you to sign like a regular CC, but try to convince the little card machine that there is not a PIN.

I do not know if they have arrived at a solution for that little glitch because I haven't used one in a couple of years. I do know that they are becoming popular, so maybe they're easier to use now.

Oh that was probably your cashier, we had lots of problems with them at my store, the csms couldn't figure them out. Me and one of my co-workers did and they worked fine *for us* Nothing ever gets handed down at those dang stores! :

[wonderwahine]

Originally Posted by oneKnight

IME they used to be really hard to use. Example Cingular would give out a $50 "debit" card with the money already loaded, you'd scan it at WalMart and the machine would ask for a PIN instead of a signature.
Really pain in the rear because they didn't issue a PIN, they wanted you to sign like a regular CC, but try to convince the little card machine that there is not a PIN.

I do not know if they have arrived at a solution for that little glitch because I haven't used one in a couple of years. I do know that they are becoming popular, so maybe they're easier to use now.

my fil just used one from visa on vacartion, it had a pin

[SusannahM]

Just wondering, why don't you want to give him cash? When you get these types of cards, you always have to pay an extra fee for them besides the face value, and the fee just seems like throwing money away to me.