I think these type cards have two main advantages over ‘full blown’ credit and debit cards. I also think they are in no way intended for business use.
The first advantage is that there are a lot of people who, for whatever reason are not accepted as ‘credit worthy enough’ to be issued a credit or Visa debit card.
This and other pre paid cards allow non credit card holders to shop online and not to have to carry cash all the time when they may not feel safe doing so. I have several friends who whilst they have a bank or building society account ‘only qualify‘ for an ATM card that cannot be used on the net or over the counter.
The second group of people to whom this type of card will appeal is to those that do have access to full credit and debit cards but do not want to carry them around all the time. I have several Mastercards and Visa cards however I have applied and received the O2 card as I will use it in situations such as using it to order from an internet site I have never used before or if I go out in the evening, especially in a new area.
In either of the two above situations if it all goes t*t’s up, and the card is lost and used by someone else before I have noticed or is cloned, all I have lost is my money loaded onto the card and not my bank balance and credit limit!
I know banks and credit companies will refund if proved the card has been used fraudulently and the card was canx in a reasonable period, but why take the risk in the first place ?
And no, I don’t work for O2 Money, this is just a general reply to some of the posts.