through the bank or another way (3) can it be used everywhere. I'm leaving for school in italy in a few months. thanks so much for any help
Personal Finance - 4 Answers
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1 :
they have them in a stand at cvs/walgreens. They will load money there, but they charge 5 dollars. Also, amscott does the same
2 :
You need a bank debit card on your checking account at your bank. Prepaids won't work overseas.
3 :
Do you know what you really need? That's a credit card. Ask your parents to make you an authorized user on one of their cards You will get a credit card in about 10 days in the mail. There are a couple of companies that are good for traveling outside the country. Capital One offers a card that has no foreign transaction fee. This fee can be as high as 3% of every purchase you make. It may carry and annual fee - which I'm against, but worth looking into. Also discount brokerage firms offer credit cards that waive this fee. No annual fee. Ask your parents if they have such an account and ask them to apply for a credit card and make you an authorized user on it. Do not use Amex or Discover to travel overseas. These are not accepted everywhere. You never know if these silly debit cards will work in other countries. Some don't even work at some stores. /
4 :
1. You can purchase anything sold by a merchant that accepts Visa. 2. A TRUE debit card draws from the balance of a checking account. You DON'T put money on the card. You deposit it into the checking account. There are PRE-PAID visa cards available. Read the terms on the card or call the customer service number printed on the back for instruction on adding funds. Some cards are preloaded for a fixed amount and you can't add more. 3. Same as answer 1. You can use a Visa card wherever Visa is accepted. If in doubt, contact the card issuer in advance. Come banks may consider overseas usage 'suspicious activity' if you don't normally use the card overseas. It can't hurt to let them know before hand that the charges will be legitimate. EDIT: ibu guru: The merchant contract used by Visa International requires merchants that accept Visa to accept ALL Visa cards. If they don't accept prepaid Visa cards, they can't accept ANY Visa cards.
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