Best online payment cards?

silverpanther6 said:Actually, you can use a Citibank Maestro card, provided the merchant accepts Maestro and they have the Visa Secure system set up.

And honestly, their new card design is absolutely stunning.

All high-end electron cards work fine. If you ask me, the smartest move is to open a foreign currency account where you can hold the specific currency you need for your purchases. That way, the exact amount is debited without those annoying extra conversion fees creeping in.
If you're just paying in US dollars, then a standard USD savings or checking account works perfectly.

And besides, does that card even work on PayPal? Or eBay? Or Amazon? Nope. So basically, it's useless.

silverpanther6 said:Actually, you can use a Citibank Maestro card, provided the merchant accepts Maestro and they have the Visa Secure system set up.

And honestly, their new card design is absolutely stunning.

All high-end electron cards work fine. If you ask me, the smartest move is to open a foreign currency account where you can hold the specific currency you need for your purchases. That way, the exact amount is debited without those annoying extra conversion fees creeping in.
If you're just paying in US dollars, then a standard USD savings or checking account works perfectly.

darkmaker94 said:And besides, does that card even work on PayPal? Or eBay? Or Amazon? Nope. So basically, it's useless.

Let’s not be quite so narrow-minded by equating the entire internet with just PayPal or eBay, shall we?
The card DOES work on various sites, and the number of merchants accepting it is steadily growing. In cases where it isn't accepted, there are several alternatives I've already mentioned.
Is there really such a thing as a "perfect" card that is accepted everywhere in the world by every single merchant? I think not.
Besides, if we want to discuss PayPal and its ecosystem, we have a dedicated thread for that specifically.

Look, 99% of people asking about online payment cards just want them for PayPal. Since Maestro is accepted at such a tiny handful of places, there’s really no point in even bringing it up—you can't actually use it anywhere. It's the same deal with Diners; sure, it works online, but only on maybe every fiftieth site you visit.

By the way, Visa and Mastercard are accepted by basically every single online shop that takes cards, so those are your actual "supercards." 🙂

And not all Visa Electron cards work for online shopping. 😉

I’m trying to figure out which card I should grab from them if I want to shop online at places like eBay or Amazon... I'm looking for something strictly for payments—nothing involving credit lines or overdrafts. The main draw here is their supposed speed; apparently, I can get approved right after my first paycheck hits (which I actually received a few days ago), whereas my current bank is dragging its feet and demanding six months of pay stubs. Which option carries the lowest fees?

Thanks

Here’s a bit of a stupid question, but I think I’m in the right place:

I was trying to book some rooms at a hostel, and now they’re asking me to provide my credit card number just to confirm the reservation... hm, let me think. Since I’ve never actually used a credit card for anything online, I’m wondering if there's any chance they could somehow use that number to rob me blind or something (I'm 99.999% sure they won't, but still, you know...)

Also, is that the 16-digit number on the front of the card?
And if all I have is a standard Maestro debit card from Wells Fargo, does that count as a credit card, or do I need to go out and get an actual credit card or something?

Thanks...

Jose Lee5 said:Here’s a bit of a stupid question, but I think I’m in the right place:

I was trying to book some rooms at a hostel, and now they’re asking me to provide my credit card number just to confirm the reservation... hm, let me think. Since I’ve never actually used a credit card for anything online, I’m wondering if there's any chance they could somehow use that number to rob me blind or something (I'm 99.999% sure they won't, but still, you know...)

Also, is that the 16-digit number on the front of the card?
And if all I have is a standard Maestro debit card from Wells Fargo, does that count as a credit card, or do I need to go out and get an actual credit card or something?

Thanks...

yeah (though you probably need the expiration date too, I guess)

Jose Lee5 said:Here’s a bit of a stupid question, but I think I’m in the right place:

I was trying to book some rooms at a hostel, and now they’re asking me to provide my credit card number just to confirm the reservation... hm, let me think. Since I’ve never actually used a credit card for anything online, I’m wondering if there's any chance they could somehow use that number to rob me blind or something (I'm 99.999% sure they won't, but still, you know...)

Also, is that the 16-digit number on the front of the card?
And if all I have is a standard Maestro debit card from Wells Fargo, does that count as a credit card, or do I need to go out and get an actual credit card or something?

Thanks...

yeah (it's 16 digits, give or take)

Jose Lee5 said:Here’s a bit of a stupid question, but I think I’m in the right place:

I was trying to book some rooms at a hostel, and now they’re asking me to provide my credit card number just to confirm the reservation... hm, let me think. Since I’ve never actually used a credit card for anything online, I’m wondering if there's any chance they could somehow use that number to rob me blind or something (I'm 99.999% sure they won't, but still, you know...)

Also, is that the 16-digit number on the front of the card?
And if all I have is a standard Maestro debit card from Wells Fargo, does that count as a credit card, or do I need to go out and get an actual credit card or something?

Thanks...

nope

Can I actually use my Wells Fargo GO card to buy stuff online?

I was wondering, can I actually use a Visa Electron card from Wells Fargo for online shopping?
And if I decided to go ahead and get one, what kind of account would I need to set up? Would it be a Visa Electron checking account, or is there something else I should be looking at?

Chloe Chase4 said:Can I actually use my Wells Fargo GO card to buy stuff online?

Yeah, you can. Just use it like a regular Mastercard. 🙂

Hey everyone!
I could use some advice. Like most people here, I'm looking to pick up a card that actually works for online shopping. Any recommendations on which one I should grab?
Right now, I've just got a Maestro card tied to my checking account.
Thanks in advance for the help.

Take a quick look at the checkout pages of the sites you're eyeing to see which credit cards they actually accept. Most of them—honestly, pretty much 100%—will take a Visa Classic or a Mastercard. But, if you'll permit me a bit of unsolicited advice, I wouldn't personally recommend going through with a purchase like this. Here's why: if some random person online manages to snag your card number and CVV code, you are looking at a massive headache. Personally, I stick to using American Express whenever a site accepts it, strictly because of their consumer protection. If someone decides to misuse my card online, I don't end up footing the bill. It's like having an insurance policy built right into your wallet.

In your situation, the smartest move would be to grab a prepaid Mastercard. You load it with exactly what you want to spend, and that’s it—your risk is capped. I believe you can pick one up at a local Federal Reserve branch or a similar institution, though I'm not entirely certain if they allow online use since they are bearer cards without a specific name attached. Your best bet is to give a local branch a call and ask them directly...

It’s not the Federal Reserve, it's Hypo...

rapidskipper12 said:It’s not the Federal Reserve, it's Hypo...

Actually, the Federal Reserve one has been available for about ten days now.
As for that Hypo Real Estate prepaid Mastercard, I've heard whispers that it doesn't work for online transactions, though I haven't personally put it to the test—nor have I tried the Federal Reserve Mastercard yet...

It says it’s an e-gift card, but doesn't specify the type... Still, the price is identical to what I saw at JP Morgan Chase... $8.25

rapidskipper12 said:It says it’s an e-gift card, but doesn't specify the type... Still, the price is identical to what I saw at JP Morgan Chase... $8.25

It’s a Mastercard, sure, but like I was saying before, there’s no name or surname printed on it. That makes me wonder—can you actually use it for online shopping?

I’ve been doing a bit of digging lately—mostly looking into the monthly limits on my Visa Gift Card.$500
So, here's my thought process: if I were to take that card, say, put $167 onto it, and then head over to PayPal, how exactly does the conversion to dollars work?
Do they tack on some sort of extra fee during the transfer process, or what?

If anyone out there has actually used this specific card before, please feel free to jump in and share your experiences!

Megan Ward said:Actually, the Federal Reserve one has been available for about ten days now.
As for that Hypo Real Estate prepaid Mastercard, I've heard whispers that it doesn't work for online transactions, though I haven't personally put it to the test—nor have I tried the Federal Reserve Mastercard yet...

That Hypo prepaid card works perfectly fine online—I've used it for everything from shoes to cosmetics, even booking hotels via Booking.com for Reagan, and it worked on PayPal too.
You just need to make sure there's enough cash on it for whatever you're buying.

Gerald Kern77 said:That Hypo prepaid card works perfectly fine online—I've used it for everything from shoes to cosmetics, even booking hotels via Booking.com for Reagan, and it worked on PayPal too.
You just need to make sure there's enough cash on it for whatever you're buying.

Thanks for the heads-up.
Could you do me a huge favor? When you're checking out online, what do you put down for the name and surname fields? The Federal Reserve card doesn't require one, but I'm totally lost on how to handle the Hypo one.

Hypo’s got a name and a reputation, so they're fine. As for the Federal Reserve, I haven't a clue—sounds like some new thing to me...

Megan Ward said:Thanks for the heads-up.
Could you do me a huge favor? When you're checking out online, what do you put down for the name and surname fields? The Federal Reserve card doesn't require one, but I'm totally lost on how to handle the Hypo one.

Hypo issues under a name.