Exactly. They were never meant to replace credit cards. They were meant for Grubs who can’t get credit. So they can still flash their Visa card around.
New products often find themselves in a grey area within the law and the companies will exploit that for as long as it takes for awareness, outrage and legislation to stop them.
Also, Respect to Jim for inventing them.
[zoidburg]now how about lending your old pal essell a few bucks, Mr Millionare[/zoidburg]
We’ve never paid any extra fees using these things. The up-front purchase cost is it, period. I can check the balance online free, no service charges, no fees for international use. For $5 I have a card that doesn’t have any connection with my bank nor any personal information whatsoever and that my kids can use to discover that plastic isn’t magic. Also great for internet sites that want a CC# before giving you 20 free mp3’s (or whatever)
Apparently some aren’t as user-friendly, but we’ve had no problem with them. I maybe am just amazingly lucky (or maybe spending a half-hour reading the fine print on all the different options paid off) but I can assure you that not all of them have hidden charges for one time users.