I'm currently a student and I'm not qualified to have credit card or checking account I just don't want to screw myself up I don't want to give out any personnel info... as you know there are a lot of scam-meres out there looking to get people who don't know too much, like students etc. Lets get to the point... is there any type of prepaid credit card I can easily get just like a prepaid cellphone?

Hello d:

Sure. I think you can get them at Walmart.

excon

Um... I believe the correct term for a "pre-paid credit card" is gift card. They sell them all over. You can get one from mastercard, amex, or visa. Probably others companies too that I'm forgetting. Some of them have an activation fee. And then if you want to put more money on it, you have to pay to do that. And some even have monthly fees if I recall correctly. Basically, they're one of the biggest rip offs I can think of. And working as a cashier I hate them because people try to pay with them and if the balance is even a penny less than what they're paying us, the computer reads it as $0 on the card and I have to sit there with the person guessing just how much money is left on their card to override it.

Now why can't you get a checking account even? How old are you?

When my son went away to college, I gave him his first credit card, a Visa card with a $300 limit. It was technically my card, and I had listed him as an authorized user. He was allowed to buy clothes, books, and toiletries with his card. I paid the balance (and watched the bills to make sure he wasn't misusing the card). The card gave him some freedom, and I didn't have to keep sending him spending money. Once he graduated, we switched the card over to his name only.

You can get a pre-paid credit card for, say, $300 or maybe even $500, but you will have to keep very careful track of what you buy with it.

What are Prepaid Credit Cards?

I too wonder why you can't get a checking account.