Pre paid Credit cards

[philipmarco]

Does anyone know if its possible to buy a pre paid international credit card in China? What banks issue them. Thanks:help

[skylee]

Do you mean something like this? -> http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/12168-visa-gift-card-question

[gdbill]

No, you cannot buy them on the Mainland. They're only available in Hong Kong.

[skylee]

Does anyone know if its possible to buy a pre paid international credit card in China? What banks issue them.

China Unionpay and Travelex have jointly issued a prepaid card, but I am not sure if it is international enough.

[gdbill]

It only has the UnionPay logo so it would have limited international use, if any.

However, just because UnionPay has come up with this type of card doesn't mean you can obtain it. UnionPay is not a retailer. It's a payment processor much like Visa or MasterCard. You need to get their products via a member bank and I have never seen any UnionPay member bank offer this card -- or any pre-paid card for that matter -- on the Mainland.

[skylee]

There is also the Travelex logo on the card. But strangely it can only be bought using HKD or USD, not RMB. Surely if I want a pre-paid card I wouldn't choose it.

But why would people want a pre-paid card? I can understand that it can be used as a gift. But what else? Is it better to carry a pre-paid card when you travel to limit the loss in case of card loss?

[gdbill]

The Travelex logo isn't in the lower right hand or upper right hand corner so it is more an advertisement than an indication of where the card can be used. In any event, the CHinese description states that it can only be used on UnionPay network POS and ATM machines. These are few and far between in international locations.

I think this card has been a failure and is probably no longer available, but they just don't take the information off their website.

Pre-pay cards are often used when travelling because they are cheaper to use than traveller's checks and still provides some protection if lost. They are also used by people whose credit rating is poor and they cannot qualify for standard credit cards. Then there are those who are part of the underground economy and, for various reasons (legal and illegal) don't wish their finances to be easily known.