Why Get a Prepaid Mastercard or Prepaid Visa?
In my opinion, there are only two reasons to get a Prepaid Mastercard/Visa card:
- You can't get a credit card, but need to make some purchases that require a Mastercard/Visa Credit Card
- You have a credit card, but want to make a purchase 100% anonymously, or pseudo-anonymously.
The Muchmusic Prepaid Mastercard is the kind that you need to fill out an actual application for, and you get a Mastercard that has your (teen's) name on it.
I also believe that prepaid Mastercard/Visa "credit cards" don't really teach someone how to use credit responsibly, since they're basically debit cards where you deposit money that you have to spend to get back.
Now, if you ask me, for most purchases, one should just use a debit card, except for online stuff, where you pretty much need a Mastercard/Visa card. If you can get a credit card (they're not hard to get these days from your usual bank or MBNA), use that, unless you need the anonymity.
Details about the MuchMusic Prepaid Mastercard:
- Costs $34.95 (ya, I know, steep!) which can be paid through Interac online or other methods
- Valid for 24 months total. They charge you another $9.95 on the first day of month 12
- A $5 fee for the first time you load your card
- Must be at least 16 to get your own (if you're 18/19, you should be able to get your own credit card, but I understand if you choose not to)
- If you're 13-15, you can get one, but your parent/guardian must buy "the card and takes financial responsibility for the Card. This is called a "Sponsored Card". The adult is the primary account holder and must pass the mandatory identity check but has control of the account. The card is personalized with the teen's name on it."
- $1.50 fee each time you want to load the card
- Can be loaded through online bill payment, another Mastercard, money order or pre-authorized debit
- It is possible to end up with a negative balance on the card, if a purchase isn't processed by the store/merchant right away
- Parents can monitor their kids' spending on the cards if they have the"Sponsored Card"
- A 35cent charge when you check the balance over the phone, but free when done online
The Bottom Line on the Muchmusic Prepaid Mastercard
If you keep the MuchMusic Prepaid Mastercard for 2 years, and load it up 5 times, you'll pay just over $55 in fees.
So, my opinion? Don't get this card if you don't have to. Don't get it just to say that you have a Mastercard. Just use your debit card properly. If you're of age, get a credit card with a low credit limit (you can call in to get it reduced if it gets too high), or just plain use your parent's/brother's/sister's credit card when you need to buy stuff online.
Still need to have some kind of Prepaid Mastercard or Prepaid Visa?
If you still must get a prepaid "credit card" (ie: prepaid Mastercard/Visa), try to get the BMO Mosaik Prepaid Credit Card, which I've reviewed along with other Prepaid Visa/Mastercards for Canadians. It costs just $9.95, is available from BMO, which is a bit easier to find a branch for than whichever bank MuchMusic deals with, lasts for 3 years and more. The only problem I can think of is that there might be a minimum age for it.
Media interview
Hi there
i am looking to speak with someone who is either:
a) a parent - got their kid a prepaid credit card
b) uses/has used a prepaid credit card themselves for budgeting reasons/credit
This is for a national Canadian newspaper. Please be a Canadian resident.
Thanks!
Uhhhh...
As the journalist here commented anonymously, feel free to leave a comment, even anonymously. If you leave your email address, I will forward it to the journalist (but it will not be posted publicly).
You can now only load it from
You can now only load it from BMO. BMO has a cheaper prepaid card - that you don't have to pay excess fees to load if you have their bank account. The choice seems obvious.
Suddenly I have a new muchmusic card in the mail, and an alert '3 days late' telling me my old card (good for another year) has been deactivated. I don't want to activate this new one. I tried to do a debit transfer for it before and was told I NEEDED a pre-printed check to do so. Since this card is somewhat aimed at youth... how many keep a pack of pre-printed checks? Very unhappy.
OLD FUNDS NEVER TRANSFERED
When the new card came in the mail did not reflect the 158 dollars I had in my old card.
Now they are telling me I have to prove I had 158 dollars in it!!! This is outrageous, this is a fraud, they should be sued, can you imagine pocketing 158 from every card owner?
problem with much music prepaid card
Okay , so i used the Online Interact option and ordered my card but it timed out, but it took the money from my bank
has this happened to anyone else ? did you recieve your card ?
$1100 missing... *poof* gone.
Heres a good one, since they changed to DC I have loaded $1100 to my card via online banking, and seven days later the money is not there. Where is it? Its left my bank. I called much music paid $1.95 to speak to a human and she said 'nothing I can do'. Asks me to send an email, and suprise suprise noone replies to emails. after 3 days nothing, my money is gone and I dont know how to get it back. GREAT customer service Much Music (note the sarcasm) I have been robbed.
Also very dissapointed
I didn't even get advanced notice of this payment provider change - I just logged in to check my balance and saw a big red message! I check the details and lo and behold I can now no longer load money via bill payment, because I bank with TD Canada Trust!! I am enraged with Much Music over this, and I'm signing up for BMO Prepaid mastercard as we speak!
I'm very annoyed by this as
I'm very annoyed by this as well. They (much music) could have at least given us a bit of a warning. I didn't find out until after I had tried to load money onto my card. A few days after that I received an email telling me to go log into my account to read an urgent service update. I would NEVER advise people to get this card now. I applied for the BMO prepaid card as well, exactly 10 business days have passed now, so hopefully I'll get it on Monday. This card seems ideal, almost perfect, after having the much music one. A bit iffy on the having to load at least $100 but with a bit of paying attention so that I don't find myself short a few bucks, it should work out.
Good luck to everyone out there looking for a simple prepaid. My only advice: Stay far away from Much Music Prepaid.
i can't log in to account
well maybe this is why i haven't been able to log in for the last few days ...well now what happens to the money thats in there?????
Terribly Disappointed
As of January 10, 2010 there is only one single bank you can use to load this card via Online Bill Payment Reload.... being Bank of Montreal. They just switched payment providers to DC financial. Yesterday I could load via Royal Bank, today I am out in the cold because I don't bank at the Bank of Montreal. There was no advanced warning of this, just an email that same day essentially notifying me they no longer online bill payment reloading as an option (unless you happen to have an account with the Bank of Montreal).
Muchmusic Mastercard customer Service has NO idea if or when any other bank will be added to the current list of one single bank that can currently handle online Bill Payment Reload. So calling customer service was a complete waste of time.
MasterCards
Black history card is a prepaid master card through this you can check your balance online on also on phone , Its very easy process to control your money.
http://blackhistorycard.com/
MuchMusic Card
I really want to get the much music card but the only problem is i cant add them as a payee with my bank. The BMO card I could. If I could find a different way to add money to my much music card, I'd get one like that.
I agree that the much music
I agree that the much music card is a little steeped in price, but I went to try and get a prepaid card from BMO and they wouldn't let me, I have to be 18 on the dot for them to let me get it. I am 17, turning 18 in a few months. It's rediculous they won't let 16+ have the card, it's not like we can go into debt with it, it's a secure and safe card.. but apparently they do a credit check on you, and you have to be 18 for it. Completely stupid, credit has nothing to do with the prepaid card.
So I decided to get the much music card. It's been 2 weeks and I still don't have it...
eh...
im 13, and i want a BMO mosaik prepaid card, can i get one? because im turning 14 soon, and im getting a job, so i need somewhere to put the money i earn, and i can use online or in stores. Can my parents come with me to the BMO place and get a card for me?
You can't get the BMO Mosaik
You can't get the BMO Mosaik card yourself, but your parents can. I'd imagine it would have to be in their name though, not your own.
I tried to order 2 BMO
I tried to order 2 BMO prepaid cards .. and neither of them were sent to me! Not the best place to get one from in my opinion.
Call them and figure out
Call them and figure out what happened!
I'm getting this card =)
Well I am 15 and I just ordered this card in the mail. The fees are very reasonable compared to other cards. The Bmo card has a minimum load of $100... Such a rip. If you load $100 and then you find out you want to buy something for $102, you need to add another $100. The much music card has a minimum of $5 which is way better than $100. Get the muchudic card it's a great value!
prepaid cards
These prepaid cards are a rip off!!! You shouldn't have to pay any fees because it is your money not the banks or who ever. I don't feel sorry for the banks going belly up simply because they have been ripping people off for years!!!!!!
Rip Off PLUS
They charge $35 to get started, plus more fees when you add money, AND (I just found out, when I tried to cancel my account, they want $15 cancellation fee.)
Talk about greed, and rip off! They want a fee for providing service that's so bad it makes me want to cancel? Go figger.
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