Sunday, September 21, 2008

Choosing Your Prepaid Visa Travel Card

Author: John Bush

The prepaid Visa travel card is the newest convenient tool for travelers. This is the closest you will ever get to immediate spending that is also safe and secure. Here's what you need to know about finding a card provider.

Visa Benefits

In general, you will get similar major card benefits wherever you get it. When it comes to the benefits of Visa, all vendors are more or less equal. Here's what you can expect from a Visa TravelMoney card:

- The travel card from Visa eliminates the need for cash on hand. This means you reduce the risk of misplacing your money or losing it to pickpockets. You can use your Visa travel card in ATMs and establishments that accept Visa in any country.

- As a cardholder you also enjoy the safety and security guaranteed by Visa. Your signature and PIN are your first lines of defense. You can also rely on the U.S. Bank Zero Liability. When your card is stolen or lost it can be replaced and you can even get your balance back. A secondary card option is another way to protect yourself if you lose your card.

- Since the card is prepaid, you don't need to put all your monetary assets in one account. You can load your card with just the right amount for your trip. If you do run short though, this card offers you the option of reloading.

- With Visa, you have extra perks. You can take advantage of travel and emergency services or reimbursement of lost luggage.

Vendor Differences

Card providers can't just make changes in the prepaid Visa travel card benefits. Even with equal benefits though, there may be some points you can use to help you determine the best card provider.

- Of course, there will always be fees to obtain a card before you can even use it. Among some providers, fees are higher if you obtain a card and you are not a regular client of the bank. You might be able to save cash if you obtain the card from a provider with which you also maintain an account.

- Other fees also vary across providers. Some of the fees that you would have to look at include processing fee, shipping cost, enrollment fee, reload fee, card personalization fee and secondary card cost. Some providers do not charge their regular clients a preliminary enrollment fee.

- The prepaid cash values are not the same. In most cases, there is a reload cap of $5,000 but different providers have different minimum values.

- Although there are many vendors, not all of them present the product in the same way. You would probably have a better experience if you buy from a vendor who takes pains to provide you with comprehensive product information as well as customer assistance.

Traveling for business or leisure should always be worry free. That's why you should get yourself a prepaid Visa travel card. Ask your provider now for more information on this fabulous card.