Why is it that the websites that have the best game deals don't accept a pre-paid credit card as payment? I missed out on the bundlestars bundle and the last groupees bundle because of it, and now gamersgate has Alpha Protocol for $2.99 and they don't accept prepaid cards either.

The only places I've found that do accept them are Amazon and Steam... Are there any others?

11 years ago*

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Is that the same as a debit card?

Or do you mean something similar to the visa gift cards?

11 years ago
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It's a visa gift card

11 years ago
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You should be able to use Visa gift cards anywhere where Visa is accepted. Paypal usually accepts them

11 years ago
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i use paypal with my prepaid :)

11 years ago
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Mine isn't accepted (I've assumed because the cards I buy lack identifying information), which means I'm limited, and pissed off when sites claim to accept Visa (meaning I'll spend NZ$30 to grab a new card), then take me to a PayPal account creation when I try to buy something.

11 years ago
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PayPal may take them but it doesn't mean you can use them for everything. Take Netflix for example. The misses wanted her own Netflix account and doesn't have credit to get a credit card. She bought a pre-paid and used PayPal to setup her account. It didn't work and when she called Netflix and asked why. They flat out told her they scan for pre-paid cards and are setup with PayPal to only take payments if the account holder has a real credit card on file.

Why is this, because they need to know that the money is going to be there on your account while also having your real billing information in case needed for something like fraud or damages to their services caused by you the user.

My question is, why are you wasting money on pre-paid. You should just get a real card, have it co-signed if need with a limit of $100 or $200. This will allow you to get the things you want and at the same time build your credit rating up for bigger things later on. That's what I did, and I got a score now that up in the 800 range and I'm only 24 years old. Got approved for both my car loans. My 1st car a year ago I waited a day for it to be approved. And just a few months back I got a brand new fully load jeep wrangler 4x4 4 door sharha unlimited and was approved on the spot. Guy said it could take 2 hours for the back to approve me and that he don't think they match the interest rate for me that was offered by another bank. 5 mins later he calls me and saids your approved and they will match the rate, keys are here waiting for you.

So my point is, forget pre-paid, go with a real one, even if you got to get a low limit and a co-signer. Only use it when you can pay cash for what you are buying. And always put the cash back onto the card before the bill comes out. You will never pay interest this way and will build up a good credit score for the furture.

11 years ago
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Not everyone wants a credit card, for various reasons. In my case, I simply don't trust myself to not suddenly buy everything I want and get in loads of debt.

11 years ago
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That's why you set the limit really low.

11 years ago
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You don't know me. I'll get in debt somehow.

The fact that a couple of years ago, I stopped paying my internet bill for a couple of months so I could buy more discounted games around December / January shows that I have a problem, and I will do nothing that will let me spend money I don't have.

11 years ago
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even 200$ can be much if you don't have the money to pay you're debt. You're missing the point here..NOT everyone knows how to handle debts and pay their dues on time. Thats where the pre paid card is a lifesaver as you will never have to worry about being in debt with a institution runned by money sharks

11 years ago
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imo the whole point of pre paid is not to have a real cc. A cc is basiscly a loan and not evryone is ready for that...even if they have co-signers

11 years ago
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paypal certainly does not. I have tried. they tell you you entered an invalid number bill the card they "couldn't find" $1 for each attempt and then delete your emails when you contact support about it.

11 years ago
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Yeah, it sucks, I get my purchases with a Visa gift card and I'm limited in the same way.

And now I'm also like you in that I want Alpha Protocol. :P

11 years ago
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i dont know i use Paysafecard with Steam at sales, best way to spend your remaining cash :D

11 years ago
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The problem is most of the sites don't have that payment option. I buy with Paysafecard too but only in Steam.

11 years ago
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Well i tend to use paypal as the main payment proccesor but when i select paypal, i just add that credit card to my paypal account and that works like a charm. If you're over 18yr you can try out "neteller.com" wich is like paypal but allows you to create a virtual cc wich in my case works on every shop i ever went. Again, if you choose paypal to pay, and just add a cc to paypal there should'nt be any problems

11 years ago
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never tried it before but it should be manageble to "add funds to neteller" with that visa, and then pay with the virtual mastercard that neteller creates for you

11 years ago
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You'd think they'd treat them the same as normal credit cards.

:/

11 years ago
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DRM:DRM Free
Not for Steam?:(

11 years ago
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Use it with paypal, problem solved.

11 years ago
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I tried that... from paypals site "You can't link a gift card, prepaid card, or one-time-use card to your PayPal account."

11 years ago
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This explains why I can't use the cards.

Unfortunately, that means I'm still left with begging friends if I want something not on Steam or Amazon. Lucky I have some awesome friends.

11 years ago
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That's odd, maybe it's a regional thing or something because there are people who claim they can use prepaid cards with their paypal.

11 years ago
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i have, mastercard though...But i'm from EU so maybe that has something to do with it

11 years ago
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I've also used a prepaid mastercard with paypal. (Canada)

11 years ago
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paypal certainly does not accept prepaid cards. I have tried. they tell you you entered an invalid number, steal $1 from the card they "couldn't find" for each failed registration attempt and then delete your emails when you contact support about it.

Locked my account when after 6 months and 7 ignored emails I provided proof(transaction history on my prepaid card clearly showing paypal billing) and demanded they either acknowledge the card exists or give me back my $3(it was the principal not the $3 itself really), and still not even an acknowledgement email back from support for it, just suddenly locked.

edit- prepaid american express

11 years ago
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they do not "steal" 1$...its simply a measure to see if the card belongs to you. I've done it a dozens of times with my neteller virtual mastercard(only 1week lifespan after wich you have to generate a new one for free) and to charge your cc but they give back your money. Its not their fault you use a card on wich they cannot do refunds ;) Thats why you should use either a debit card(linked to a real bankaccount) or a online wallet like neteller where they can refund that 1$

11 years ago
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fine, so borrowed without permission(or notification) and every intention of giving it back....only they didn't/
(instead they entirely ignored emails to support(even though the locked account proved they read them) asking(politely, the whole theft/"Demand for my $3 to be returned" thing didn't happen until the very last one and that was only to make a point and see if maybe they'd reply to that at least) why the card didn't work even though they could clearly bill it which was all I wanted to do anyway(this was before they added that line about gift cards) and then locked my account(incidentally making me lose my $30 ebay giftcard I had already linked(ignored that message too)) and having to start a new paypal if I wanted to use their service(i don't obviously since if anything ever goes wrong I know what to expect) ever again in the future. the $3 wasn't the point at all)
same difference :shrug smiley that I don't know of:

11 years ago
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what you do is "pay as a guest" through paypal. works like a charm!

11 years ago
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Was the card activated when you bought it? You might need to visit the card's site and activate it.

11 years ago
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Yeah, I've already activated it, not really sure why some of these sites won't accept it... Should be able to use it anywhere that accepts visa, keep getting payment declined errors though.

11 years ago
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I've used prepaid Visas many times and they say on the card "Valid only in the US", so I think it's because they are outside of the country.

11 years ago
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You should call the number on the card and ask them to link the card with your address so you can use it online. I've bought about a hundred of these cards and only some had this problem.

11 years ago
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Sites that don't accept them likely have a reason for it. Believe it or not, people can scam very easily with those cards. Also, a lot of those cards have restrictions that are not easy to work around which is why so many stores online have to say no to their use. The support can be a pain in the ass indeed. Take it from someone who does billing support for an online service, we hate prepaid credit cards because they often don't work and often have stuff that has to be done to get them to work.

Ask your bank if they provide a debit card with a checking account and see if you can go that route. Many banks provide debit cards for free that are treated like a credit card but withdraw money from your bank account. I have one with my bank and use it for almost everything I buy online. Like another person mentioned, getting a credit card that isn't prepaid also may not be a bad idea. These days you do have to have credit for most anything and a low limit card used to buy stuff and paid off right away is a great way to build up some credit. That can help you later with getting a job, buying a house, car, etc. Seriously, if you are over 18 and don't have either a checking account or credit card, it is something you should try to get and start building your own credit.

11 years ago
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OP, what sort of gift card is it? I know I have a vanilla visa card, and I have figured out how to get that working just about everywhere.
Get your zip registered, and once you have that, you spam it in every field that you can. To use it in places other than amazon, steam, etc, use paypal, and then "pay as a guest". it shoudl work from there.

11 years ago
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I have one prepaid visa that works and one that doesn't. Maybe if you get one issued by a major bank? That's the only difference I can think of with the two I have.

11 years ago
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You have to buy the pre paid cc that is reloadable and where you have to register. It works like a real cc, but no credit as you can only spend what you put on. BMO in Canada has a travel visa or mc that allows this. Just search for pre paid cc and your country and you will likely find a website with a lot of information on how to get something.

11 years ago
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Closed 11 years ago by KevMan.