Prepaid Cards: Can They Help You Build Credit?

Prepaid cards are the newest addition to the plastic card family. Just like its other counterparts, prepaid cards provide benefits that are truly hard to miss. In fact, for many, prepaid cards have become the consummate alternative to carrying huge wads of cash.

While prepaid cards look just like credit or debit cards, they have one thing that sets them apart from the rest—they are not connected to any bank accounts. As the name implies, money has to be loaded onto the card first before it can be used for any purchase transactions or ATM withdrawals.

Since prepaid cards are not linked to any bank account, you can’t run up debts on them. In other words, your spending and withdrawals will be limited by the balance available in the card. As soon as the balance has been depleted, the spending stops automatically.

For those who love shopping online, prepaid cards can be a truly wonderful alternative to credit or debit cards. Since your prepaid card has no credit capacity, in the event that it is compromised, fraudsters will be limited to the balance available on the card and will not have access to your bank accounts. If anything, that’s a security feature many people just can’t resist.

Over the years, prepaid cards have become quite popular and have shown no signs of slowing down. However, not many people are truly aware of what their prepaid cards are capable of and how they maximise its use. Below are some of the prepaid card basics you need to know.

Can prepaid cards help me build credit?

As mentioned earlier, prepaid cards are not in any way connected to bank accounts. More importantly, when you use your prepaid cards, you are not borrowing or repaying money. That being said, using your prepaid card won’t be able to help users build credit.

In essence, to build credit, you need to borrow money and repay it back. The creditor will then report your payment record to credit reporting agencies. With prepaid cards, you will be using money that’s available on the card. In other words, all your transactions (purchases and withdrawals) will be deducted upfront from your card’s balance.

Is it easy to obtain prepaid cards?

One of the many things people love about prepaid cards is they are very easy to obtain. Why? Unlike credit cards, prepaid cards don’t come with any credit capabilities. In other words, they pose no financial risk whatsoever to the issuer.

Those who want to obtain prepaid cards won’t have to submit any financial documents or any personal and confidential information. In addition, you won’t also be subjected to any stressful and time-consuming background checks. In essence, obtaining a prepaid card is basically effortless!

Where can I use my prepaid card?

Typically, network-branded prepaid cards also carry the logo of the financial institution they are associated with. That said, it is often accepted and honored at any merchants, establishments, and ATMs where the financial institution it is associated with is honored. In addition, prepaid cards are also honored by most merchants and sellers online.

For many, the ability to do purchase transactions online cannot be overstated. If anything, it will save you a significant amount of time, effort, and even money. That means you won’t need to get dressed, spend money on gas for your vehicle, brave the traffic, and deal with grumpy sales clerks and fellow shoppers.

However, more than anything, it’s the peerless ease and convenience of online shopping that makes it endearing to most people. Come to think of it, all you need to do is visit the website you want to purchase from, pay with your prepaid card, and just wait for your purchase to be delivered to your doorsteps. Now that’s ease and convenience you can’t find anywhere else!