Visa Prepaid Refresh card

It’s a total lie that this card is foolproof or that you can't go into the negative. I learned that the hard way when they double-charged me for a single transaction. Naturally, Wells Fargo let my balance drop below zero because of their own mistake. Now I’m the one stuck dealing with the headache of getting my money back. So much for "no overdrafts allowed." Just like any other bank, they leave you hanging while you waste your time, your nerves, and your cash.

Can I use this card to grab movie tickets through the AMC Theatres website?

Yeah..

thanks

So, here’s the deal. I need to get an international transfer landed onto my Visa Prepaid Card that’s linked to my PayPal account. Up until now, everything has been smooth sailing—I’ve used this card to buy stuff on eBay and all sorts of other sites without a hitch—but I’ve never actually had someone send money *to* me from overseas. Now I'm wondering if I need to go digging through my PayPal settings to flip some switch or something? Since this is my first time dealing with an incoming international payment, is there some specific protocol or extra paperwork I should be worried about?🤷To make matters even more annoying, I actually got told that the funds might not hit my account until the very last day of the month just because it's my first time receiving an international transfer like this...

You won't be able to receive payments on this card. Transfers are only possible via the Virgin Islands.
The only thing you can receive on this card is a refund from an eBay purchase.

Melissa Phillips4 said:You won't be able to receive payments on this card. Transfers are only possible via the Virgin Islands.
The only thing you can receive on this card is a refund from an eBay purchase.

So, let me get this straight—if I buy something online using this Visa Prepaid Card and then decide I hate it and want a refund, I'm just stuck? Because they'll want to send the money back, but the card won't accept it? Is that really how this works??

I do have a Bank of America account, but it's useless for anything online.😠

It sounds like the easiest—and cheapest—move would just be opening a foreign currency account over at JPMorgan Chase, right?

It won't let you accept incoming payments, but it'll definitely handle a refund just fine. Basically, the money just flows right back onto your card like it never left.

Sent...

Daniel Watson7 said:It won't let you accept incoming payments, but it'll definitely handle a refund just fine. Basically, the money just flows right back onto your card like it never left.

Sent...

Does it matter if we're talking about eBay or some other retailer?

driftinggardener15 said:So, let me get this straight—if I buy something online using this Visa Prepaid Card and then decide I hate it and want a refund, I'm just stuck? Because they'll want to send the money back, but the card won't accept it? Is that really how this works??

I do have a Bank of America account, but it's useless for anything online.😠

It sounds like the easiest—and cheapest—move would just be opening a foreign currency account over at JPMorgan Chase, right?

Actually, it’s not really the card itself that receives payments—it’s more about the account linked to it. Back in the day, you could actually transfer money directly into the account tied to these cards (I mean, I used to do it all the time!), but things changed—probably due to some banking regulations or whatever—and now those direct transfers don't work anymore because the account numbers didn't follow the standard rules for electronic transfers. But hey, don't sweat it! The merchant can just void or "reverse" the specific transaction, and when you check your statement, you'll see it show up as a negative amount, which basically acts like a refund.

vividranger8 said:Actually, it’s not really the card itself that receives payments—it’s more about the account linked to it. Back in the day, you could actually transfer money directly into the account tied to these cards (I mean, I used to do it all the time!), but things changed—probably due to some banking regulations or whatever—and now those direct transfers don't work anymore because the account numbers didn't follow the standard rules for electronic transfers. But hey, don't sweat it! The merchant can just void or "reverse" the specific transaction, and when you check your statement, you'll see it show up as a negative amount, which basically acts like a refund.

Ah, okay, that clears things up a bit.

One more thing—$8.25 when you set this card up, is the initial fee really the only cost for the three-year lifespan of the card? I mean, there aren't any sneaky maintenance fees, service charges, or commissions lurking in the background?
And regarding those $33 setup fees—is it possible for the balance on the card to drop down to $0.00 during regular use, or what happens if I want to close the account entirely—is there a fee for that?

Btw, I'm planning to swing by Wells Fargo later today, but getting the facts straight before I head out wouldn't hurt.
Thanks.

You can spend the whole amount without worrying about any hidden fees or extra nonsense. They’ll just shoot you a message once your card expires so you know to swing by and grab a new one.

you guys are feeding me some seriously incorrect info here...
look, when I went in to pick up my card, I was explicitly told by the bank staff that I could receive incoming transfers and make transactions from other accounts and banks—and I had a guy at the branch confirm that exact same thing again just yesterday
it’s pretty obvious you’re confusing this specific card with a gift card...

copperdriver11 said:you guys are feeding me some seriously incorrect info here...
look, when I went in to pick up my card, I was explicitly told by the bank staff that I could receive incoming transfers and make transactions from other accounts and banks—and I had a guy at the branch confirm that exact same thing again just yesterday
it’s pretty obvious you’re confusing this specific card with a gift card...

Well obviously you can accept payments from checking accounts, otherwise what would even be the point of having the card? The real headache is trying to take payments via PayPal. I'm actually looking into the same thing because I was thinking about selling some stuff on eBay, but I've just got this Visa Prepaid Refresh from Wells Fargo.

If you're trying to use a Mastercard, then PayPal isn't going to cut it.

From what I gather, PayPal only plays nice with Visa and Visa electron.

Correct me if I've got that wrong, though.

Emily Sanchez9 said:If you're trying to use a Mastercard, then PayPal isn't going to cut it.

From what I gather, PayPal only plays nice with Visa and Visa electron.

Correct me if I've got that wrong, though.

I've got a Visa Prepaid Refresh card linked to my PayPal. But I don't actually receive payments through it—only transfers from my own checking account—so I'm not really sure what people mean when they say it's "supported."

rapidraven5 said:Well obviously you can accept payments from checking accounts, otherwise what would even be the point of having the card? The real headache is trying to take payments via PayPal. I'm actually looking into the same thing because I was thinking about selling some stuff on eBay, but I've just got this Visa Prepaid Refresh from Wells Fargo.

Bumping this thread back up. Same question here—can you actually land PayPal payments onto a Wells Fargo prepaid card?

Let me answer my own question and help anyone else looking for a prepaid card for PayPal or other payments. It’s the best way to receive funds without worrying about some hacker draining your main account into the negatives...

Wells Fargo (and also OTP Bank) offer Visa Prepaid Refresh cards. You don't even need a checking account or anything else at the bank to get one. You just pay a one-time fee $17 and you're set. They look just like any other international card and work anywhere in the world or online as long as you have a balance. To link it to PayPal, you'll need a tiny bit of money on there (like 50-$$33) but Google Wallet lets you register it even with zero balance. There aren't any hidden fees either; they just mail the PIN and initial password straight to your house (you should change that initial password after your first online purchase).
To load it up, you can transfer money from any American account. If you're already a Wells Fargo customer, just move the cash from your account to the prepaid card via their app or website. If not, you just send a transfer using the bank's routing and account info—just make sure the most important part, the reference number, is the account number printed on the bottom of your card. If you need the verification code for PayPal, hit up the bank a day or two after requesting it; just ask them for a transaction history and the code will be right there on the PayPal entry. Wells Fargo customers can check their balance through the app, while everyone else can use a Wells Fargo ATM, visit a branch, or stop by a USPS location.
Hopefully, this helps someone out. Most other banks (besides OTP Bank) don't offer reloadable options like this—they usually just do those gift cards where once the credit is gone, it's gone forever.

Later.

Can someone break down how this Visa Prepaid Refresh works? If I'm planning on using it abroad... do I just load up US dollars, and then it handles everything like Euros, Yen, or whatever else? Or how does that actually work?

Obviously, the bank handles the conversion just like you're buying the currency directly