I want to order something online for my wife but I want it to be a total surprise. We have only one credit card, and my wife looks at charges every couple of days. I want a way to charge something. Can I purchase a pre paid debit card of some type and use this online?
You can purchase a pre-paid Visa Gift Card that can be used online. They are available for purchase online and also from many retailers like supermarkets and drugstores.
I picked up one of those prepaid Visas at Walmart about 6 months back. They charge $3 to load it, unless you deposit a whole paycheck onto it (in which case it’s free). And they’re reusable.
On the credit statement it would just appear to be a Walmart purchase. Or at least, it did for me.
Some don’t allow for online purchases, so be sure to find out about specific cards before you purchase them.
I can vouch for the Walmart MoneyCard. I’ve used it as my primary checking account for almost 3 years now, and it will indeed just show up as a Walmart purchase on your statement. I assume any store/drugstore who offers them works the same way.
ETA: And as a bonus, if you go the in-person route, you get a temporary card immediately that you can use online. Better know about how much you’ll need though, as the temporary cards are not reloadable.
Careful with the pre-paid credit cards. If you’re just using it as a one-time thing to conceal a purchase then go ahead. If you use these pre-paid credit cards regularly you are probably paying much more in “service” charges than necessary. My wife sells these at her job and almost universally they are a bad deal to the consumer.
Charge to load the card and a monthly charge to use the card are unacceptable to me. I will admit, the pre-paid cards do have some advantages (namely the anonymity from a SO of purchases). However, to a person using a pre-paid credit card over a regular credit card… you’re getting screwed.
Thanks for the tip. It is certainly worth a one time premium for the surprise aspect. And I guess long term use would be worthwhile for constant porn purchases. I will figure out exactly how much I need and load it with as close to the exact amount as I can.
Perhaps the way that most people are using them, but for me it’s a wash. Mine, at least, doesn’t charge a fee to have something direct-deposited onto it, and as long as I load at least $1k/month on there, there’s no monthly fee, either. If I need to add money in person, it’s only $3.
Still much, much cheaper than my irresponsible self running up $20 overdraft charges :smack: