Credit/debit card or refillable charge card?

Live forum: http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=58009

rush340

27-03-2007 20:55:54

What method do most use to pay for their offers their personal credit/debit cards, or do they get a refillable charge card?

How common are problems with places making false charges to a card?

I don't want to have one of the offers overcharge me and overdraw my checking account, as I only have a debit card.

laurelwm

28-03-2007 04:51:40

I personally would NEVER EVER use my debit card.

What I use is my PayPal debit card, intentionally NOT backed with any other funding source. I keep a low balance in my PayPal account (only enough to work on offers), so that way if my number is compromised, they can only get what I have in my PayPal, and PayPal does not charge me a fee for declined attempts.

Laurel

dmorris68

28-03-2007 06:06:18

I use a regular credit card. I agree you should never use your regular bank account debit card. There's too much risk and too many shady or over-aggressive offer sponsors out there to risk your grocery and bill-paying money. Using a CC, you're protected from bogus transactions and can easily dispute them without impacting your cash flow.

With my Citi Mastercard I can generate Virtual Numbers for online purchases that can be limited in funds and cancelled or shutdown with a few clicks, which gives you a little more protection against surprises. Fortunately I've not had a problem so far.

manOFice

28-03-2007 06:35:04

I used a credit card and my bank card and my paypal virtual debit, never once had a problem...But then again I research an offer for awhile before I do it.

cubbieco

28-03-2007 21:39:23

I could be wrong but I seem to remember reading somewhere that they don't like a prepaid debit in the TOS of one of the freebie sites. I would stick to paypal debit or your credit card. If you don't cancel in time but depend on the funds not being available then they can just go after you another way.

skepticalcynic

10-04-2007 12:50:08

I don't really understand why some of the sites frown on prepaid cards. It seems to me that it shouldn't make a difference as long as the money is there. It seems to me that the only ones that should have a problem with it are the ones who would try to overcharge you or double charge you or otherwise want to take more money than you agree to. Can someone explain this to me?

frediggy

10-04-2007 13:32:23

[quotea5cb9e08ed="skepticalcynic"]I don't really understand why some of the sites frown on prepaid cards. It seems to me that it shouldn't make a difference as long as the money is there. It seems to me that the only ones that should have a problem with it are the ones who would try to overcharge you or double charge you or otherwise want to take more money than you agree to. Can someone explain this to me?[/quotea5cb9e08ed]

I believe this is because they usually have a recurring monthly charge and don't want to worry about it not going through every month.

laurelwm

10-04-2007 14:23:41

[quote360c9f9aec="skepticalcynic"]I don't really understand why some of the sites frown on prepaid cards. It seems to me that it shouldn't make a difference as long as the money is there. It seems to me that the only ones that should have a problem with it are the ones who would try to overcharge you or double charge you or otherwise want to take more money than you agree to. Can someone explain this to me?[/quote360c9f9aec]

Actually, I use to run a couple of websites with a merchant account processor, and the problem is that most prepaid cards do not show your billing address as the card address like a real credit card does, and thus they flag the security restrictions. Some of the better prepaid cards offer you the option of "registering" your card, which then attaches your billing address to it and helps greatly.

Laurel

givmea1032

10-04-2007 17:12:09

Don't use your personal debit card, made that mistake and as David said, i got charged lots for stuff I didn't order and had to beg for money from my family to get groceries for my family....

I signed up for a card as an offer, and just use that. I know nothing will be on there except freebie stuff and then I'd pay it at the end with my paypal balance from getting greens.

topbillin1

10-04-2007 20:19:09

https//www.www-card.com/Screens/Issue/IssueCard.aspx

If you really really need to use a prepaid then try that one out, it's virtual but remember that you're liable for charges if there isn't enough money on the card and also, as stated before some offers won't work because virtual cards aren't attached to your home address..

I prefer to use a regular credit card and just monitored the transactions daily.

skepticalcynic

11-04-2007 06:53:11

Thanks for the info and advice. It sounds like it will be easier to just use my credit card, but I'm just really nervous about putting that number out there - especially when some of the companies ask for the 3 digit security number. Am I over-worrying this?

dmorris68

11-04-2007 07:26:53

[quotede6eaa1c8f="skepticalcynic"]Thanks for the info and advice. It sounds like it will be easier to just use my credit card, but I'm just really nervous about putting that number out there - especially when some of the companies ask for the 3 digit security number. Am I over-worrying this?[/quotede6eaa1c8f]
I'd say yes, you're being overly worried. You're protected 100% from fraudulent CC charges, and can dispute any charges that are bogus without impacting your bank account balance. Aside from some subscription-based services that have been less than effective at processing cancellations, you shouldn't have a problem. And personally I've never had an unwanted recurring charge, but then again I take steps to minimize the likelihood.

One recent offer had a supposed "security breach" that compromised CC#'s and resulted in a lot of bogus charges, but it was caught and charges were disputed. That's pretty much an exception though. The majority of offer sponsors are legitimate businesses that could not remain in business if they committed CC fraud.