OK, so you’ve done your research, you know
what prepaid credit cards are and
how they compare to regular credit cards. You may have even selected
the best prepaid credit card for you. Congratulations! These are great steps towards a safer, more flexible and more convenient way of paying.
Now, how do you make sure you’re using your prepaid card in the safest possible way? Read on to find out. Or have a look at the safe prepaid credit cards we offer here:
See all prepaid credit cards
If you’ve chosen to use a prepaid credit card as a payment method, you’re probably planning to use your card online at some point.
For example, if you have some money that you want to use for online payments. Or, if you want to make safe payments on (luck-based) gaming, dating or other websites.
If that’s your situation, you’ve probably chosen a virtual prepaid credit card such as
CASHlib or
Neosurf. This means you only have a code that represents a certain amount of money, rather than a physical card. Regardless of the provider you’ve selected, the safety tips we have for you later are the same.
What if you’ve chosen a physical prepaid credit card to use online AND in the good old brick-and-mortar shop? Good news! The safety tips for online prepaid credit cards also apply to you. Only, there’s an extra one to keep in mind. We’ll get to that in a bit.
Every time you make a payment online, you’re potentially vulnerable to data breaches, or to unethical merchants. Not to mention the countless scams that are coming at you from every angle - email scams, cloned websites, Trojan horses. After all, your life isn’t complete until you’ve been contacted by an exotic prince who wants to trust you with their fortune in exchange for your banking account details.
Will a prepaid credit card save you from all these scams? No. Luckily, though, it can help you minimise your risk. Especially if you use the following tips when using your card.
Indeed, before we even get to using the card safely, you need to make sure that you’re buying it at a legitimate place. Don’t be tempted to buy prepaid card codes from online forums, from previous owners of the code or any other platform that offers a deal that seems too good to be true. That way, you’re vulnerable to scams.
Make sure you use an online service that offers safe and secure payment, as well as reliable customer service, so you can always fall back on that in case of questions or issues.
www.mobiletopup.co.uk offers a strong selection of prepaid credit card codes in the UK. We’ve specialised in making your purchase fast, safe and simple, so you don’t have to worry about anything.
Get your prepaid credit card
This starts with knowing your options.
When you’re buying a prepaid credit card, some providers offer you the option of making an account with them. In order to do so, you’d need to provide an address, phone number and, often, banking and identification documents. That’s perfectly fine. However, before you go ahead and do it, ask yourself if you’ll actually be making use of the account or e-wallet functionality you get in return. If the answer is NO, then you could minimise the details you share and keep using a prepaid card without an account.
Examples of prepaid credit cards that work perfectly well without an account are:
.
Please note: Making an account with a prepaid credit card provider doesn’t constitute a safety risk. Most prepaid card providers offer secure platforms and are closely regulated in terms of data protection and privacy. Our tip has more to do with deciding whether making an account fits your needs, before opting for it automatically.
This should go without saying. When you buy a code that represents an amount of money and is not directly connected to your bank account, that’s convenient. However, it’s not only convenient for you. If you share your code with someone else, they can use it just as easily as you can. So, make sure it’s kept safe.
How to keep your prepaid credit card safe?
When you buy your prepaid credit card code from
www.mobiletopup.co.uk, you’ll get it in your inbox within seconds. To minimise the risk of your code being misused, make sure you’re using an appropriate email address to receive it. What’s appropriate? Let’s say that using a work account or a shared family account wouldn’t be a great idea, because other people have access to the account as well.
Apart from considering who has access to your email account, consider also your email provider. Big providers can be an attractive target for hackers and are sometimes involved in data breaches that result in passwords leaking. This obviously doesn’t happen every day, but if you want to be on the safe side, it’s worth doing some research on the safest email providers and making an account that you only use to receive your prepaid credit card codes.
And, since we’re on the topic of safety, let’s mention the obvious, just in case. You may be using the safest, most private account in the world. Still, if your password is auto-filled on your computer, you could be vulnerable to misuse when you lose your computer or just leave it out of sight in a public environment. It’s a good idea to remember your password rather than save it, as well as to make sure you’re changing your password once in a while.
To avoid unnecessary risks, make online payments only from home or from a trusted secure network. Public networks have security gaps which allow anyone with enough knowledge and bad intentions to get into your phone, tablet or laptop.
Are you unsure whether you’re using an open (and potentially unsecured) network? These are some of the warning signs:
- The network has a generic name (e.g. Free Wi-Fi)
- No password is required to join the network
- You’re asked to pay to connect to the network. This may be legitimate (e.g. on airport networks) but often it can be a way for scammers to get your payment details. So for example, if you’re browsing away in your local coffee shop and you see a request for payment before you connect to the Wi-Fi, double-check with staff to make sure you aren’t in for a scam.
This must be one of the biggest questions on the internet - what is a legitimate website? A general rule of thumb when making payments online is to make sure that the payment process URL starts with HTTPS (as opposed to HTTP). That indicates that your data are transferred over a secure connection.
Note that HTTPS in the URL doesn’t always guarantee that a website is reliable, but its absence almost certainly means you’re dealing with a dodgy website.
This being said, when it comes to prepaid credit cards, there’s an easy way to know if a website is legitimate. If it’s listed as a partner of your prepaid card provider, then you can use it without worrying.
Some prepaid credit card providers could even offer you assistance in resolving a dispute with a partner website, or help you get your money back in the unlikely event of a purchase gone wrong. Check out the long list of partner websites that
CASHlib and
Neosurf have. These lists keep growing, too, so you’ll always have a reliable website to get your favourite service from.
To make sure you don’t fall for a scam, always double-check the partners list on your card provider’s website before purchasing anything. If you come across a website that claims to be a partner but isn’t on the list, always inform your card issuer and hold off on your purchase until you clarify the situation with them.
When it comes to physical prepaid credit cards, the same precautions as above still apply. However, there’s an extra element to keep in mind. It’s simple - anything that is physical can be lost.
Say you’re abroad and your wallet gets stolen. Or you’ve stayed true to your clumsy self and lost it. What happens to the money on your prepaid credit card? The good news is, most providers will be able to block your card and prevent you from losing the money on it. They may deduct a small fee for the service but you should be able to get most of the money transferred to another account of your choice.
To make use of this service, though, you need to act fast. If your card has been used up before you informed your issuer of the loss or theft, it may be too late to save your money. That’s why it’s a good idea to save the customer service phone number of your prepaid credit card provider in your contacts (especially if you’re travelling in a country with unreliable internet service).
Good to know is that some prepaid credit card providers offer a similar blocking and money transfer option for online prepaid cards as well.
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Ready to start paying safely, conveniently and discreetly? Get your prepaid credit card
in just a few clicks.
Disclaimer
Note that mobiletopup.co.uk only provides a platform via which you can buy a prepaid card, offered by different issuers. The terms & conditions of the issuer always apply to the product bought via mobiletopup.co.uk. We do our best to provide accurate information, however, we accept no liability for the accuracy of the information as for instance circumstances may change and information that was accurate at the time of posting will not necessarily remain so.
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