Mark Carolin

Posts Tagged ‘Spending Habits’

The Discover Platinum Gas Card is another credit card that offers gas rebates, as well as rebates on other purchases. You can use this credit card to earn cash back at any gas station anytime. Every purchase you make with this credit card qualifies for cash back.

They claim a “Full 5% Cashback Bonus

Normally, when making an application for the usual kind of credit card, you undergo a credit search which will determine your credit limit. Once this transaction is validated by the credit card issuer, you will be able to use your credit card to make your purchases. And as is the custom, you will receive a credit card statement at the end of each month. If you pay off your outstanding balance every month, you will not be charged any interest. But if you fail to pay off the balance, then you’ll be obliged to pay interest on that very balance that has been carried forward to the following month.

But this is not the case with a prepaid Master Card which you load up with money when making an application. The beauty of having a prepaid Master Card is that a credit search is simply waived aside because your prepaid Master Card is already loaded with money. Not only this, but you don’t have to worry about clearing your outstanding balance and you won’t even receive a credit card statement at the end of each month.

Your prepaid Master Card, unlike the humble credit card, will be your magic wand that guarantees acceptance and opens doors at all participating outlets throughout the world. And as its name suggests, the Master Card will make you the master of your spending habits, knowing full well that you cannot go over the prepaid limit unless you top it up with more money.

As it is with a credit card, your prepaid Master Card dispenses with the idea of carrying large amounts of cash on you. And in the event of a theft, you can be rest assured that you are well protected because of your PIN number which no one should have access to.

If you are sold on the idea of acquiring a prepaid Master Card, here’s how you can procure one. You will have to pay an application fee to obtain a prepaid Master Card. Some prepaid Master Cards issuers may charge a monthly fee while some others may charge an annual fee. Each time you use your Master Card on your transactions, you will be levied a handling fee. Your prepaid Master Card can be topped up either online or through your bank. If you don’t have a bank account, then you can always top it up with ready cash, at Post Offices, shops and garages, throughout the UK.

When thinking about credit cards many people focus solely on the advantages of being able to pay for goods and services now and not having to repay the money until much later. While this can come in handy and will give you the confidence that you will always have something to fall back on when unexpected events happen there are also some disadvantages to having traditional cards. If this type of consumer credit is not used properly or responsibly a person can end up in serious trouble with more debt than they could ever repay. This will not only hurt their budget, but can negatively impact their creditworthiness or in the worst cases end up with legal proceedings.

Introduction of Prepaid Cards

To help consumers prevent these bad things from happening there is a solution that is being issued by many banks in the form of prepaid visa cards. The way this usually works is that your prepaid card is connected to your bank account. This means that the only money that you are able to spend is the money that you already have, this will solve the problem of incurring debt. A prepaid visa credit card can be used like the more traditional cards with the only difference being that the money that you spend today is taken out of your bank account and not something that you will need to pay back later. This means no monthly bills, no interest payments, or late fees.

Being Conscious of Your Finances

One of the major advantages of a prepaid visa card is that you will focus more on your spending habits. This can make you a much more responsible person when it comes to your budget. Your prepaid visa card will allow you to truly look at what you are spending, and because it is connected to the money you have now you will spend it more wisely than if you had a more traditional credit card. This type of card will prevent you from splurging too much on unnecessary items, and will let you truly think about where you can cut your spending. It will also help you think more seriously about items that you want that can be purchased at a later date.

No Additional Fees

One of the best things about a prepaid visa card is the lack of extra fees. Since the money you are spending comes directly from your bank account there are no monthly statements. This will keep you out of debt, and the monthly reminder about how much you are overspending on products and services purchased with more traditional credit cards. Just like using a more traditional card there is a right way and a wrong way, but a prepaid visa credit card is much easier to master than a more traditional card. The consequences for misusing your prepaid visa card will not affect your credit score like making a mistake with a real card. As long as you keep an eye on your money and cut out some of your overspending you will be able to keep your budget completely under control.