Prepaid Credit Card for Teen's Overseas Travel

[Claire&TheBoys]

My son is going on a trip to London with his high school band in a month to march in the New Year's Day parade. The information from the travel company and the director indicates that there is no reason to take any currency, that almost every place is cashless. He'll have a restaurant card for most of his meals and a subway card, but of course he's going to want money for extras and souvenirs. What is the best way to give him funds? They suggest a prepaid credit card, but most of the ones I see in stores are not for international travel. We bank with a credit union and they charge higher transaction fees. I read about a prepaid borderless card called a "study buddy" but I thought I'd ask here for personal experiences before I make a decision.

Thanks!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I would think a regular credit card with his name on it mostly because from what I understand the best exchange rates are found through credit cards. Other benefits are you can easily keep tabs on spending, easily cancel if it is lost and dispute any issues. If if is prepaid it could just be lost or stolen and that's that plus the whole exchange rate thing. Maybe open a separate card just for this purpose instead of mixing it up with other things?

 

[Moliphino]

Do you have any credit cards (preferably with 0% foreign transaction fees) you could add him as an authorized user on?

 

[plutolovr]

I opened a SoFi checking account for travel purposes. It comes with a debit card that has 0% foreign transaction fees and ATM withdrawls. It's linked to another account that I can transfer funds over from within a day.

I used it in London this summer and used it for everything. I had it loaded into my Apple Wallet and almost never had to take the card out to use. I used Apple pay just about everywhere.

 

[Jangles]

Try Revolut. It’s a pre paid card. You can set up a shared account and top it up as he spends. Also, it has a vault facility and is easy to freeze if necessary. Can also be used at ATMs. No currency exchange or transaction fees.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Try Revolut. It’s a pre paid card. You can set up a shared account and top it up as he spends. Also, it has a vault facility and is easy to freeze if necessary. Can also be used at ATMs. No currency exchange or transaction fees.

I agree Revolut is very popular in Uk and Ireland, huge amounts of people use it for international travel, as its a lot safer than just using normal bank cards.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I would think a regular credit card with his name on it mostly because from what I understand the best exchange rates are found through credit cards. Other benefits are you can easily keep tabs on spending, easily cancel if it is lost and dispute any issues. If if is prepaid it could just be lost or stolen and that's that plus the whole exchange rate thing. Maybe open a separate card just for this purpose instead of mixing it up with other things?

no you are wrong. Using a pre paid card for international travel is a lot safer than using normal bank cards. I have been using one for many years when I travel to America. I load mine with US Dollars, its on the Mastercard system and I use it in restaurants shops etc with no issue. If it gets stolen its only the amount of money on it. I can call the help line, they will cancel it and transfer my money to a new card.

 

[Sykes]

As you noted, a lot of prepaid debit cards will not work properly for international transactions so use caution when going down that road.

Revolut works well. I'd also look at opening a Capital One Money Teen Checking Account. They have similar controls to other teen cards but don't have any foreign transaction fees.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Thank you so much. I will look into Revolut. I haven't heard of that one. I knew people on the DIS would have the answer!

 

[HeatherC]

My daughter just came back from a two month backpacking trip in Europe. She used ApplePay almost exclusively on her IPhone. She is an authorized user on one of my Visa’s so she also had a Visa (same one that was loaded to ApplePay) in her name to use as a backup. We just called the credit card company before she left to let them know she was traveling.

 

[Katiebird]

Get a capital one credit card and add him as an authorized user. No foreign exchange fees and it'll help build his credit history, too.

 

[mikehn]

I had my southwest credit card issue a separate card in my son's name. No transaction fees. He's been using it all over Europe since September. Best of all, I see every single purchase he makes, LOL!

 

[pweyl36]

I opened a SoFi checking account for travel purposes. It comes with a debit card that has 0% foreign transaction fees and ATM withdrawls. It's linked to another account that I can transfer funds over from within a day.

I used it in London this summer and used it for everything. I had it loaded into my Apple Wallet and almost never had to take the card out to use. I used Apple pay just about everywhere.

I am going to Poland in June will it work there?

 

[kdonnel]

I just added my kids as authorized users onto a couple of my credit cards.

 

[LuvOrlando]

no you are wrong. Using a pre paid card for international travel is a lot safer than using normal bank cards. I have been using one for many years when I travel to America. I load mine with US Dollars, its on the Mastercard system and I use it in restaurants shops etc with no issue. If it gets stolen its only the amount of money on it. I can call the help line, they will cancel it and transfer my money to a new card.

But why risk the amount on it if you can risk nothing? With a credit card there is zero risk so is there another bonus?

I am just going off of what DH did for years and years of traveling internationally

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

But why risk the amount on it if you can risk nothing?

becuase I only put a small limited amount on a pre paid card. Having a regular credit or debit card stolen when travelling internationally opens you up to credit card fraud and is hugely stressful when you are not in your own timezone. The banks put a hold on your card,and you have to get a new card, which then you need to change payment details on bills and other things.

A prepaid card which is linked to nothing else, is far less risky and far less stressful if it gets stolen.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Many travel credit cards offer no foreign transaction fees. Do you have one that you could make him an Authorised User on? I would also steer clear of bank/debit cards internationally. Also be aware that certain cards like AMEX are not universally accepted throughout Europe.

 

[mjkacmom]

Most of my kids are authorized users on one of our cards, dd20 just got back from a week in Spain with no issues. It also helps them build credit in addition to having their own cards.

 

[RedHead0186]

becuase I only put a small limited amount on a pre paid card. Having a regular credit or debit card stolen when travelling internationally opens you up to credit card fraud and is hugely stressful when you are not in your own timezone. The banks put a hold on your card,and you have to get a new card, which then you need to change payment details on bills and other things.

A prepaid card which is linked to nothing else, is far less risky and far less stressful if it gets stolen.

Don't you have to do the same thing if the pre-paid card gets stolen? Regardless of how the card is funded, if it's stolen and/or compromised you have to get in touch with a financial institution to have a new card issued.

I do agree that with a credit card, if you have it tied to any auto-payments then you have to change those. But you do usually that after the trip, not during.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Don't you have to do the same thing if the pre-paid card gets stolen? Regardless of how the card is funded, if it's stolen and/or compromised you have to get in touch with a financial institution to have a new card issued.

I do agree that with a credit card, if you have it tied to any auto-payments then you have to change those. But you do usually that after the trip, not during.

yes, but its far less stressful with just a prepaid card. Its not leaving you in a foreign country with no access to funds. Its not putting your bills and other payments at risk while you are away from home. Also its not going to put you at risk of your entire bank account being cleaned out before you get the cards blocked.

I have had my bag stolen in my home city, the stress of that and having to sort out my bank cards when I was at home was hard enough. I do not want that stress amplified when travelling.