Posts by Kevin Morris12

Tinkili said:Basically, you just need to put down a deposit and make it clear that you want the card
based on that deposit rather than your monthly income. (Maybe you forgot to mention that part).

But what’s the minimum amount required for that deposit? When I first started, I just put $1 $0.00 into that checking—or whatever they call a "savings account"—into my account... I highly doubt that's going to cut it.

$13That's actually the minimum balance required to keep the account open, or at least that's what I was told...

Keith Doyle18 said:But what exactly is your collateral besides those 20 bucks? Does that mean your total spending limit on the card is that low too? Honestly, it seems incredibly strange to me that a bank would issue any kind of credit card without real security—especially if the "security" is only worth 20 dollars.

You pay 20 dollars to get the card issued (a Visa Virtuon), and along with it, you get a checking account where you deposit exactly what you intend to spend online. If there’s no money in the account, there’s no purchase. Period. The card is designed exclusively for online transactions. It really doesn't get any simpler than that. You can find more details here

Keith Doyle18 said:Second—you can't use a Microsoft card from America for online payments.

I know I can't use it for that; I need a Microsoft card for an entirely different reason. But here's the thing: alongside this Microsoft card I just picked up the other day, I want a second card specifically so I CAN make online purchases. There is a debit card out there identical to a Microsoft card, but it's built specifically for web shopping called a Visa Virtuon. Since our local banks don't offer this, I was wondering if anyone knows of a foreign bank that would be willing to open a checking account and issue a Visa Virtuon to a foreigner like me...

Keith Doyle18 said:Thirdly—you can get a Visa Classic or a Visa Revolving card (the ones that actually work online) even if you aren't employed. You just need to open a checking or savings account (in some banks, all your funds are under one account number, just categorized by currency like USD or EUR...). To open the account, you'll need a state ID, but to get the actual credit card, some banks require a few months of history. Most will ask for collateral if you don't have a steady paycheck; usually, that means a fixed deposit that you don't touch, which the bank uses to set your spending limit (for example, you deposit 1,000 dollars, and that becomes your maximum limit).

As far as I know, you can't! You generally need a steady income for a bank to approve a credit card. My wife actually told me the same thing when we spoke at JPMorgan Chase—there's absolutely no way for me to get a credit card.

Which leaves me wondering—how am I supposed to pay for anything online? It doesn't even have to be a Visa card; I just need something that works for online payments that a student like me can actually obtain. 😕

Susan James42 said:So, what exactly tripped you up while you were out there? Do you have any other cards handy that are specifically set up for online shopping? If you already have a Blue from American Express or even a charge card, wouldn't it be worth the small extra fee just to have that extra layer of security and convenience?

zape-O 😉

I hit a bit of a snag with this virtual Visa card. In most functional economies, you don't actually need to be employed just to get one of these, right? You should be able to simply open a checking account at a bank, deposit maybe twenty bucks, and have a virtual Visa card ready to go immediately. Unfortunately, that kind of flexibility just doesn't exist here. It's frustrating when the system makes things unnecessarily complicated, isn't it?

Moving forward, my preference would be to use either Blue from American Express, a Mastercard, or even just some basic prepaid card—honestly, anything that lets me make online purchases without a hitch. But there’s a catch: those are all credit cards, and since I'm currently a student and unemployed, getting approved for one is pretty much out of the question. Wouldn't it be ideal if an American bank offered a specific type of Visa debit card designed exclusively for secure online shopping? It would be such a game-changer if any legal adult living in the States could simply walk in and pick one up, regardless of their employment status. Wouldn't that solve so many headaches for students like me?

Does anyone know of a reliable Visa debit card I could grab here in the States that doesn't require me to be employed? If you have any recommendations, please let me know! 😁

Keith Phillips3 said:At the Federal Reserve, regarding your checking account, they usually offer you an Intel or a Maestro card.
The main difference is that with the Intel card, you don't need to enter a PIN for every single purchase.
That's really all there is to it.

Honestly, I suspect my "standard Visa card" (as they call it over at JPMorgan Chase) is actually just an Intel card, and my wife was simply getting a bit mixed up... 😎

Is a foreign currency account the same thing as a checking account?

Anyway, I went into JPMorgan Chase yesterday to open a checking account, and I should have my Visa card in about ten days. The teller was honestly more confused than I was... I asked her if it was a Visa Electron, and she just kind of shrugged and said, "I'm not sure..." She even asked a colleague, who seemed to have no clue either! "It's just a Visa card you can use at stores..." she eventually told me. So, yeah, I'm really hoping it turns out to be a Visa Electron...

Now, does anyone here know how to actually get a VMware card or an internet-specific Visa for online shopping? Some European banks offer them quite easily—even banks over in Mexico (link) charge only about $20 for one—but it feels like no bank here in America has ever even heard of such a thing. Does anyone know of a foreign bank that would issue a VMware card to a US citizen online?

Hey there...

I’m looking into getting a Visa Intel debit card, but I have a few questions about the process. Is it even possible to get one if I don't have a steady job? I'm currently a student. Also, does the bank charge any kind of monthly maintenance fee, and if so, how much should I expect to pay?😕

Back when I was stuck on dial-up, I used to rely on Napster, and honestly, it delivered everything I was looking for. But now that I’ve finally upgraded to broadband, I’ve switched over to LimeWire because Napster just won't connect properly on this connection anymore—I haven't the slightest clue why that is! To be honest, though, I'm pretty frustrated with LimeWire; it feels incredibly sluggish. It takes an average of 24 hours just to grab a single movie, even when I have anywhere from 10 to 50 seeders active. It's driving me a little crazy, and I'm genuinely at a loss as to what I should switch to next...