Question for those who don't use credit cards

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

What do you do if you must purchase something online that requires a credit card? My college ds keeps being required to purchase online info for classes and we have to buy it for him with our card. There must be another way. We really don't want him to have a card on his own till he is no longer a dependant.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I use my debit card.

[Daisy]

Wouldn't a prepaid Visa work? You can get those at any Walmart/Target store.

[BikeBookBread]

Would one of those credit card gift cards work? If he tried to use it and there was no money left on it, it would decline, so he wouldn't accrue any credit debt. I think...

 

Just an idea!

[wulfbourne]

A prepaid debit/credit card with X amount of dollars on it might work for your son.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Ok, I didn't know you could get prepaid credit cards, I'll have to look into it. Thanks.

 

He has a debit card but it needs a pin number, can you use one of those online?

[eternalknot]

In college I would just give someone cash, and "borrow" their card - usually my parents' or a sibling's. I still do this for things like hotels and car rentals to avoid having a hold placed on my debit card. It's not a big hassle, and they don't seem to mind :) most online purchases can be done with a debit card so long as it is backed (Visa/MC), they just run it as a credit card so no pin is required.

[Daisy]

I think to use a debit card it has to be something like a Visa check card. It still only comes out of your bank account (NO CREDIT) but it has the Visa logo.

[inactive]

Ok, I didn't know you could get prepaid credit cards, I'll have to look into it. Thanks.

 

He has a debit card but it needs a pin number, can you use one of those online?

 

Does his card have the "Visa" or "Mastercard" logo on it? If so, it is a debit card and can be used online just like a credit card.

 

If it does NOT have one of those logos, it is probably an ATM card that only works in an ATM machine -- with a pin.

[justamouse]

We use a debit card and we have an amex. (We have other cards, we just pay off anything we put on them immediately)

[QueenCat]

You can get him a credit card with a low limit. That way he has it for needed online purchases and emergencies. Or get your credit card company to give you an additional card, and make him an authorized user. Both will help him establish credit, making it easier for him to get things like car loans later. We added our son to our card when he was 16. That way, things like road side emergencies didn't have to worry me. Nor his canceled flight in Denver when he flew to Salt Lake City. Sometimes things come up, and they NEED money. Or access to credit. Credit does not have to be some evil thing if used wisely.

[OnTheBrink]

If you have a paypal account, you can set up either a one-time use only mastercard payment or you can set up a mastercard account that is used at only one site. So, if your son has to use a CC to buy things from one source, many times, this can work, too.

[NavyWifeandMommy]

We don't have credit cards and if we buy online we use our debit card because of the visa/mastercard logo one the card. We have to just save up until we have the cash for what we want purchased. Once we save up the amount needed we buy with the credit option. The key is to save up for the expense so you are not surprised.

[skaterbabs]

We've never had a major credit card, but for the past few years have had a debit card with a VISA logo from our bank. It can be used as a CC anywhere VISA is accepted, as long as we have the funds in the bank to cover the charge.

[SonshineLearner]

Can't you do paypal? I thought that they gave a number....

[IsabelC]

Do you have internet banking? Some places will let you transfer money directly from your account to theirs.

[emzhengjiu]

A friend used her debit card for a large online purchase a few months ago. The company made a mistake and a much larger amount was taken out of her checking account. She had several checks bounce because of the error. That company corrected all the problems and paid the fees for the checks that bounced but my friend had to spend a lot of time and stress dealing with it all.

 

A year ago, I opened a free checking account dedicated to Paypal and debit card purchases online or otherwise. I pay cash whenever I can but still use my debit card for somethings. I transfer only the amount of money I need for a week or so from my primary checking account. Of course, free accounts may not be as available as they used to be.

 

Ann

[Dawn in OH]

I think to use a debit card it has to be something like a Visa check card. It still only comes out of your bank account (NO CREDIT) but it has the Visa logo.

 

This is what I use. It's tied to my checking account. That's all I have had for the past 4+ years. I think mine actually called a check card, but it has the Visa logo on it.