# Prepaid card or the like that prevents cash withdrawls? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156 "2016-06-23T16:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/1 "2016-06-23T16:10:52Z")
My folks are quite elderly and my Dad has moderate Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, his case of this disease has somewhat amplified his desire to play Lotto and lottery scratch-offs, but this issue is hugely exacerbated by the fact that he can’t remember that _he just paid for a bunch of scratch-offs_ so he thinks he hasn’t bought any yet so the loop just continues on! On the other hand, my Mom is wheelchair-bound and has little choice but to require my Dad to buy groceries and the like, and of course when he does, he plays the lottery every time in the same loop. Because of the lotto binging, my Mom was forced to take my Dad off all the bank accounts and credit/debit cards and became his Social Security Representative Payee. The problem now is: When my Dad goes grocery shopping or whatever, _how can we provide him with a way to pay without simultaneously giving him a way to obtain cash from it to play the lottery anyway?_ I’ve looked into quite a few prepaid debit cards, but as far as I can tell, they \*\*\*all \*\*\*freely permit cash withdrawals (indeed, it’s a major selling point). How can we find a way to give him a payment method that forbids cash withdrawals? Thanks for brainstorming this with me, my fellow Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/2 "2016-06-23T18:17:46Z")
Many store specific gift cards exclude lottery ticket purchases. I would check out the gift cards for the grocery store your Dad is visiting to see if they have this restriction. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/3 "2016-06-23T18:46:10Z")
I gave a friend a Walmart gift card once, for somewhat similar reasons. I could reload it when needed, and he had a wide array of things he could buy, including food. I don’t know if lottery is specifically excluded, but I’m pretty sure he couldn’t just get cash, at least. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/4 "2016-06-23T19:19:08Z")
Would a better solution be to provide your mother with a way of purchasing basic needs? Amazon and other companies do grocery deliveries. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/5 "2016-06-26T01:14:14Z")
In Wisconsin you cannot use credit cards to by lottery tickets. Check out your area. Get a low balance bank card that does not allow cash withdrawals. [from here](http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/buy-lottery_tickets-credit_card-1273.php) > [@](#): > > Lottery ticket sales are banned by law in many states and even where you can buy them, credit cards are often forbidden as a way to buy them, either by state law or by the banks themselves. Just 17 states allow lottery purchases with credit cards. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/6 "2016-06-26T12:46:31Z")
You should try to make some more permanent arrangement. How much longer do you think your father will be allowed to drive? Even if you find some stopgap it will not last for long. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/7 "2016-06-26T23:29:13Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > In Wisconsin you cannot use credit cards to by lottery tickets. Check out your area. Get a low balance bank card that does not allow cash withdrawals. [from here](http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/buy-lottery_tickets-credit_card-1273.php) Your suggestion is exactly what the OP is asking about. He wants a bank card that allows his dad to buy groceries but doesn’t allow cash withdrawal. **ambushed** , have you considered giving him a regular Visa Check card from the bank, but keeping the PIN a secret from him? He would be able to use it everywhere like a credit card, but would be unable to make cash withdrawals without the PIN. Seems like an easy solution. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/8 "2016-06-26T23:30:52Z")
Or, for that matter, _any_ prepaid card would offer similar functionality with the desired limitations. Unless I am missing something, one cannot make cash withdrawals without the PIN. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-card-or-the-like-that-prevents-cash-withdrawls/758156/9 "2016-06-27T01:43:13Z")
The credit/debit card, I’m not sure about, as someone said, you can’t by lottery tickets with plastic (at least around here), however, you can take a cash advance from one. So the OP would have to be careful with setting it up. On the one hand, (if I were him (him?)), I’d put it in my name with a card in dad’s name. OTOH, Some social hacking (hi, customer service, I need to reset my PIN…yes, but it’s the one with MY name on the card OR I need some courtesy checks sent to me) he might be able to get the PIN, also, and probably more importantly, as someone very protective of my credit, I wouldn’t want another person, especially in his position to be using a credit/debit card attached to my credit report. I’d go with what the others said. Find out where he shops and get him gift cards. A grocery store and Target would probably cover most of the bases. Maybe Kohls and/or Amazon for good measure. The only thing I’d make sure of is that the grocery store won’t let him use it for lottery tickets.