Is it possible to pay my mobile bills using 'PrePaid' 'Credit' cards?

They are actually 'prepaid' debit cards that you can 'load' with cash
at the post office,

see http://www.moneyexpert.com/CreditCar...editCards.aspx for
a list


One I am considering is https://www.extremecred.com

It is 'maestro'.

Can I pay my 02 bill my maestro (instead of direct debit)?

I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.

<roger.valentine@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1160746040.708365.189030@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> They are actually 'prepaid' debit cards that you can 'load' with cash
> at the post office,
>
> see http://www.moneyexpert.com/CreditCar...editCards.aspx for
> a list
>
>
> One I am considering is https://www.extremecred.com
>
> It is 'maestro'.
>
> Can I pay my 02 bill my maestro (instead of direct debit)?
>
> I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
>


It should be possible, but they will charge you extra for the privilege!
Approx. £3 per month extra!!!!

<roger.valentine@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1160746040.708365.189030@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> They are actually 'prepaid' debit cards that you can 'load' with cash
> at the post office,
>
> see http://www.moneyexpert.com/CreditCar...editCards.aspx for
> a list
>
>
> One I am considering is https://www.extremecred.com
>
> It is 'maestro'.
>
> Can I pay my 02 bill my maestro (instead of direct debit)?
>
> I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.

Why not go to www.360money.com

Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...

Fatbøy øf the Underwørld wrote:
> <roger.valentine@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1160746040.708365.189030@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> > They are actually 'prepaid' debit cards that you can 'load' with cash
> > at the post office,
> >
> > see http://www.moneyexpert.com/CreditCar...editCards.aspx for
> > a list
> >
> >
> > One I am considering is https://www.extremecred.com
> >
> > It is 'maestro'.
> >
> > Can I pay my 02 bill my maestro (instead of direct debit)?
> >
> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
>
> Why not go to www.360money.com
>
> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...


Where can I pick one of these up ?

Are they all mail order?

> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
>
> Why not go to www.360money.com
>
> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...


Where can I pick one of these up ?

Are they all mail order?
Cashplus is an alternative pre paid card and its a mastercard,
Monthly fee is a bit higher at £4.95 and the first card costs £9.95.
I opted that one because its a genuine mastercard and accepted anywhere
where visa is accepted.
All done online.

"linkuk" <link@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:kCPXg.24279$w07.13551@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
>> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
>>
>> Why not go to www.360money.com
>>
>> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...
>
>
> Where can I pick one of these up ?
>
> Are they all mail order?
> Cashplus is an alternative pre paid card and its a mastercard,
> Monthly fee is a bit higher at £4.95 and the first card costs £9.95.
> I opted that one because its a genuine mastercard and accepted anywhere
> where visa is accepted.
> All done online.

This is good to know.

I applied for one of the 360 ones and when it came, I realised that
as a maestro it was useless for most online purchases so it's now
sitting on my desk un-validated. Fortuantely this part of the process
is free.

tim

tim(yet another new home) wrote:
> "linkuk" <link@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
> news:kCPXg.24279$w07.13551@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
> >> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
> >>
> >> Why not go to www.360money.com
> >>
> >> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...
> >
> >
> > Where can I pick one of these up ?
> >
> > Are they all mail order?
> > Cashplus is an alternative pre paid card and its a mastercard,
> > Monthly fee is a bit higher at £4.95 and the first card costs £9.95.
> > I opted that one because its a genuine mastercard and accepted anywhere
> > where visa is accepted.
> > All done online.
>
> This is good to know.
> maestro
> I applied for one of the 360 ones and when it came, I realised that
> as a maestro it was useless for most online purchases so it's now
> sitting on my desk un-validated. Fortuantely this part of the process
> is free.
>

Can you name a online retailer that doesn't take maestro, anywhere that
takes mastercard should process it happily

Peter King wrote:
> tim(yet another new home) wrote:
> > "linkuk" <link@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
> > news:kCPXg.24279$w07.13551@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
> > >> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
> > >>
> > >> Why not go to www.360money.com
> > >>
> > >> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...
> > >
> > >
> > > Where can I pick one of these up ?
> > >
> > > Are they all mail order?
> > > Cashplus is an alternative pre paid card and its a mastercard,
> > > Monthly fee is a bit higher at £4.95 and the first card costs £9.95.
> > > I opted that one because its a genuine mastercard and accepted anywhere
> > > where visa is accepted.
> > > All done online.
> >
> > This is good to know.
> > maestro
> > I applied for one of the 360 ones and when it came, I realised that
> > as a maestro it was useless for most online purchases so it's now
> > sitting on my desk un-validated. Fortuantely this part of the process
> > is free.
> >
>
> Can you name a online retailer that doesn't take maestro, anywhere that
> takes mastercard should process it happily

especially as maextro is the underpinning system behind "Switch"

"Peter King" <peter.a.king@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1160799186.780785.200840@e3g2000cwe.googlegro ups.com...

tim(yet another new home) wrote:
> "linkuk" <link@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
> news:kCPXg.24279$w07.13551@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
> >> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
> >>
> >> Why not go to www.360money.com
> >>
> >> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...
> >
> >
> > Where can I pick one of these up ?
> >
> > Are they all mail order?
> > Cashplus is an alternative pre paid card and its a mastercard,
> > Monthly fee is a bit higher at £4.95 and the first card costs £9.95.
> > I opted that one because its a genuine mastercard and accepted anywhere
> > where visa is accepted.
> > All done online.
>
> This is good to know.
> maestro
> I applied for one of the 360 ones and when it came, I realised that
> as a maestro it was useless for most online purchases so it's now
> sitting on my desk un-validated. Fortuantely this part of the process
> is free.
>

>Can you name a online retailer that doesn't take maestro, anywhere that

I just checked a few (travel sites) that I use. None of them had the
appropriate logo (or the cirrus one on the back of the card). I didn't
get as far as typing in the number, the card has no funds and I didn't
want someone to claim I was attempting a fraud.

>takes mastercard should process it happily

Well this is far from obvious. If this is the case it is the card issuers
responsibility to tell me, not the website responsibility.

I think it is too late to try now, the authorisation number went in the
bin.

tim

"Martyn H" <martyn_hodson@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1160807975.465508.206280@f16g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...

Peter King wrote:
> tim(yet another new home) wrote:
> > "linkuk" <link@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
> > news:kCPXg.24279$w07.13551@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
> > >> > I have been with 02 for several years - I am no longer in contract.
> > >>
> > >> Why not go to www.360money.com
> > >>
> > >> Its also a maestro. No signup fees only £1.99p fee a month...
> > >
> > >
> > > Where can I pick one of these up ?
> > >
> > > Are they all mail order?
> > > Cashplus is an alternative pre paid card and its a mastercard,
> > > Monthly fee is a bit higher at £4.95 and the first card costs £9.95.
> > > I opted that one because its a genuine mastercard and accepted
> > > anywhere
> > > where visa is accepted.
> > > All done online.
> >
> > This is good to know.
> > maestro
> > I applied for one of the 360 ones and when it came, I realised that
> > as a maestro it was useless for most online purchases so it's now
> > sitting on my desk un-validated. Fortuantely this part of the process
> > is free.
> >
>
> Can you name a online retailer that doesn't take maestro, anywhere that
> takes mastercard should process it happily

> especially as maextro is the underpinning system behind "Switch"

Actually, now I've looked the American sites don't (admit to)
accept Switch either.
They don't seem to have the concept of Debit Cards and only
accept Credit Cards.

I do have a VISA designated Debit Card, but I don't know if they
discriminate against this. I've never tried to use this as a Credit
Card at one of these sites, but I *have* wrongly designated it as
a Credit Card at a European site that does differentiate and had
the purchase rejected, so they can tell (if they bother).

tim

tim(yet another new home) wrote:
> Actually, now I've looked the American sites don't (admit to)
> accept Switch either.
> They don't seem to have the concept of Debit Cards and only
> accept Credit Cards.
>
> I do have a VISA designated Debit Card, but I don't know if they
> discriminate against this. I've never tried to use this as a Credit
> Card at one of these sites, but I *have* wrongly designated it as
> a Credit Card at a European site that does differentiate and had
> the purchase rejected, so they can tell (if they bother).
>

Visa Debit cards /do/ work as credit cards for US transactions.

Within Europe (non-UK) it depends on the retailer's system: there've
been occasions where I've been charged a 'credit card' surcharge for my
Visa Debit card (wizzair.com, for example) and occasions when it's been
accepted as a debit card.

With all that said, I try and avoid using mine abroad anyway since my
bank stick a GBP1 surcharge on every foreign transaction and weight the
exchange rate to a punitive degree. The Nationwide credit card
(available in Mastercard and Visa flavours, IIRC) is your best bet when
buying from non-UK retailers, with far less rate extortion.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

"John B" <spam@johnband.org> wrote in message
news:1160828179.528792.246360@m73g2000cwd.googlegr oups.com

[snip]

> Visa Debit cards /do/ work as credit cards for US
> transactions.

On line, probably, but if you're there it's a different matter. Try hiring
a car in the US with a debit card..!

I've managed it *once* and then only with a considerable amount of
argument. The vast majority will only accept a credit card, and they
require one even if you intend to pay by cash or traveller's cheques. This
is so that should any unforeseen problem happen (like you have an accident
or whatever) they have a means of charging you for it.

Ivor

Ivor Jones wrote:
> > Visa Debit cards /do/ work as credit cards for US
> > transactions.
>
> On line, probably, but if you're there it's a different matter. Try hiring
> a car in the US with a debit card..!
>
> I've managed it *once* and then only with a considerable amount of
> argument. The vast majority will only accept a credit card, and they
> require one even if you intend to pay by cash or traveller's cheques. This
> is so that should any unforeseen problem happen (like you have an accident
> or whatever) they have a means of charging you for it.
>

I've never hired a car in the US, so I'll take your word for it. But
through several in-person transactions in the US, I've found that my
Visa Debit card works as a credit card (and is processed by credit card
machines as if it were a credit card). I'd accept that a *Maestro*
debit card is more or less completely useless over there.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org