Can anyone tell me an alternative to paying for stuff with a credit card online? I don't have a credit card and dont know anything about paypal. My friend told me you can buy temporary credit cards from stores that work like gift cards, you pay the amount you want to set on it, then after you use it, its useless (like a gamestop card) but i don't know if he's joking when he says this.

You can use a debit card, in the UK at least. How old are you ,you should be able to get one if your over sixteen or maybe even younger nowadays ,then just put money in your account and when you buy it comes straight out.Simple!! Might be different in the US though. Paypal is good ,I use it for ebay but they do charge you for every transaction ,but you will be covered if anything goes wrong which is handy,especially on e-bay.LOL

DEBIT???? SWEET I HAVE ONE OF THOSE! Ill ask around and look into it. How much are you charged for paypal tho? I use amazon so im guessing thats way more secure than ebay

You can use your debit card as a credit card all over the internet. I use mine to buy Wii/DSi points all the time.

Also, I have never been screwed over on Amazon but I heard if it happens they bend over backwards to make it right.

@DaDun I think paypal charges vary depending on how much you spend,working on a percentage basis (again this is on e-bay) check out there website for more info on that. I use amazon all the time with my debit card and have never had any problems. I'd just use that if I were you ,like JayArr said Amazon will help you out if anything does happen.

@JayArr You don't get taxed for buying wii points directly to the consolelike you are taxed when buying the cards retail do you?
@Luigi78 Do you need a visa debit card or can u use a bank debit card?

I use my checking account

You could get taxed for buying points from the Wii Shop depending on where you live.

at stores like walmart u can get a prepaid visa card, which is like a gift-card that you can use almost anywhere online

YA YA YA thats what my friend was talking about, tell me about it? u just go to walmart and ask can i buy a prepaid visa card?

I use my checking account for Amazon. But Pay Pal is good for ebay and stuff.

yea, it's usually nearby the register, just pick one up and the cashier will ask how much money u want on it

it's just like buying a giftcard, but it's for urself lol

@Dadun

i've been thinking about getting a card for this same purpose myself lol

Be careful -- I think what most people here are referring to as a 'debit card' may actually be a check-card (with the Visa or Mastercard logo; it can be run as a credit card for stores that take credit but not debit). Lots of people get them confused, because plain old debit cards are kinda rare nowadays, and you can run a check-card as debit, though it is not just a debit card per se.

As for your friend's idea, you can totally do that, but when it runs out of money, you should be able to reload it no problem. There's plenty of cards that are like that... just read the fine print on whichever one you pick up next time you go to Wal-Mart. You know you can usually reload gift cards people give you, too, right?

That'd be incorrect. You're only charged a fee when selling an item, never when buying.

What should the fine print say? Reloadable credit card? i have no idea
AND
REALLY? You can reload gift cards!???? WHAAAA? how does that work?

you just go up to the register of the place you got it from -- say, Target or Wal-Mart -- and ask to reload the card. you should be able to use cash or debit (i don't know if they'd allow you to reload it via credit card) but the only place the gift cards would be useable is the store they're for, which is a drawback to doing that, kinda.

and yes, it should be a Reloadable Prepaid Card that you're going for. If you get a Gift Card on accident (a Visa Gift Card, for example), it won't have as much functionality as the reloadable prepaid card, which you can link to direct deposit, you can get cash from an ATM, and you can pay your bills with online if you like. be aware, though, that you must be at least 18 to purchase the reloadable prepaid card, a restriction which does not exist for the gift card, and there may also be slight fees involved in using the service. :3 read the fine print on the card's packaging to find out exactly what's up.

hey dragon do you know whether it matters if i use a prepaid mastercard instead of visa to buy on amazon? Can i use these cards on itunes as well?

I don't think it matters (Amazon takes both, I'm sure), and since the prepaid cards work like credit cards for purchase both online and off, you should be able to use them on iTunes as well.

THANKS