Posted by We’re excited to welcome guest blogger Niclas Aarestrup from Denmark. He is a travel writer and he uses his Net+ card everywhere. Follow him on Twitter today (http://twitter.com/niclasaa) and keep up with his latest travels.
As a travel writer, I need to book numerous hotels, sightseeing tours and tickets depending on where I’m traveling. Like many of you, I end up paying for all of these with credit and debit cards.
Protect your cash and pay with plastic
From a consumer standpoint, it is better to use plastic to pay, since you’re usually better protected than when you pay with cash or use a wire transfer service. Also, many hotels require a credit card upon check-in, though some will accept a cash deposit instead. But having your fun money tied up in a costly deposit may limit daily excursions or the number of times you dine out.
In most cases you’re not punished for paying with plastic, however, in some European countries like Denmark, Sweden and the UK, customers can be charged for paying with credit or debit cards, regardless of the issuer. National laws in these participating countries require stores to clearly display the added fee and are limited on how much extra they can charge. Rest assured, tourist-friendly stores rarely add any fees.
So what do you do if you aren’t able to get a credit card, or like me, don’t feel entirely safe spending on a card that comes with a high limit and interest charges?
Benefits of a credit card minus the risk
This is where the Net+ physical and virtual prepaid cards come in handy. For one, the physical prepaid card is accepted worldwide and protects you with chip and PIN secure technology. Plus, I have first-hand experience that NETELLER does indeed keep an eye out for suspicious transactions and thus minimizes credit risk even further. It also gives you the same benefits as a credit card that you would use in the “real world” to buy airline tickets, shop or book hotels.
The Net+ virtual prepaid card has added security in that it generates a one-time use number that can never be used again. That means your virtual card number is always protected and it becomes unusable or worthless to anyone who attempts to intercept your information online.
Traveling and transacting with my virtual prepaid card
I’ve really been enjoying the convenience that my Net+ virtual prepaid card offers me. For instance, it works well for reserving hotel rooms, although its expiry date means it’s only valid for around a month.
It’s also great to pay for tickets and tours online, but be careful as you may be required to show or swipe the physical version of the Net+ card you used for payment when picking up your tickets. The virtual card also works well for buying guidebooks online that you might want for your next big trip.
First class acceptance
I have used the Net+ prepaid card to buy several airline tickets and have had absolutely no problems. With that said, you should be able to buy tickets anywhere else the card is accepted. Hotels are more than happy to accept the card, as are most stores and ticket vending machines for public transit that you might come into contact with as a tourist.
Why cash is still good
Using a credit or debit card on your holiday can almost eliminate the need to carry cash, but not completely. The main reason is that not every store, restaurant or office accepts credit or debit for payment. For example, in Denmark some merchants won’t accept international credit cards, only the national DanKort.
When it’s time to make a payment, some online payment systems that handle credit card transactions may be temporarily offline. Again this has happened a few times in Denmark, as well as in other places, so always have some cash on-hand. With that said, still feel safe with your Net+ card in your wallet, knowing it’s a widely-accepted, secure method of payment and will enable you to carry less cash.
Tell me where you have used your Net+ physical or virtual prepaid cards.
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#1 by Sebastian on November 4th, 2009
Well, Net+ physical card is handy indeed but… Try to pay it at Frankfurt’s airport. Impossible. I tried several times on different occasions, was always refused, while other Mastercard went through without any problems.
Also limits which Neteller doesn’t publish anywhere. If your flight ticket or hotel bill is exceeding 2250€, you can forget about paying using this card.
So be careful. I looked like an idiot many times when this card was simply refused. Later on after making some complaints to Neteller, they wrote me what the real limits are per transaction and per day.
“Game” should be fair and rules clear since beginning, don’t you think Neteller?
#2 by Prepaid Game Cards on November 8th, 2009
Great post. Thanks for sharing this.
Looking forward to read more from you.
#3 by Chris on November 24th, 2009
Unfortunately, we can not explain why your card would not work at Frankfurt airport as it should work wherever MasterCard is accepted. It could be a variety of reasons (I.e. a merchant authorized an amount that was larger than your purchase and the funds were still on hold.etc) As for our “rules,” we try to be as transparent as possible with all our products and services. In the future if you ever need clarification, please check our product Terms & Conditions, online FAQs or contact us directly and we’ll be glad to be of assistance.
#4 by Dallas Shredding on July 6th, 2010
It is more convenient to make use of debit or credit cards, especially you are in the road. But you would still cash during your travel. Either way, you have to be careful for you will never know when fraudulent people will strike and access your credit account. This is why it is important for all of us to safeguard our private information against identity theft. You may shred your ATM and credit card receipts as a preventive measure. These ill-minded people have a crafty way of getting information of people for their own advantage.
#5 by WZ on July 17th, 2010
I have been using my Net+ card more often lately. Unfortunately my card was declined on several occasions at a super market and train station in The Netherlands.
The card did work when I was shopping at the Internet.
#6 by Travel Shop on August 24th, 2010
I think it would be good to have discounted capped hotel rm offers to encourage the travel industry to pick up.