Quote from ARogueTrader:
Why would the card need to display Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, etc. symbol? ATM cards work at vendors because of the magnetic strip, not because of what is on the face of the card. As these pre-paid cards become more common, more and more vendors will accept them.
Nope, if the card is not part of the visa/mc franchise, the vendor has to have an agreement with the issuer. Magnetic strip is insufficient. Go abroad and try using your atm card without a visa/mc logo. Anything that is "pre-paid" is a waste of money. The only benefit is that of occasional convenience - like the example with the kids on a trip above. Example, you are renting an apartment for $1000 a month. You have 12000 in cash you don't need. Two options - prepay the rent for the year so you don't have to remember to make those monthly pmts (now, isn't that convenient?) or invest it and earn interest. Which one do you choose?
. Otherwise, I'd proudly carry it in my wallet. I wonder why BMW doesn't offer those cards? Hmmm. Could it be b/c they don't need to spur their sales that way?