... in response to Prepaid debit cards, posted by Nathan on Mar 27, 2005I have been experimenting with something like this, since it's so expensive to wire money and so slow to mail it.
The main problem is that she has to travel some to get to an atm that is on the right network. Apparently some towns favor MC, some favor VISA, and some atms are only on one network, none of which are on the back of the debit card. But it seems to be working. I tested the cards personally while I was there, so I knew which one to send her. I can add money here, and tell her how much is available. She tells me how many pesos she got out, and I double check with the bank for how many dollars it was. It's cumbersome but seems to be working.
I have been warned by others on this forum that if the atm machine keeps the card, good luck getting it back. It doesn't have her name on it, because she would have to sign a signature card to get on the account with me.
Also there is a limit to how many pesos can be taken at one transaction, but it appears that multiple transactions can be done till you get the amount of cash needed. P4000 was the limit on the machines I used.
BEWARE: some banks charge a lot extra for international use. My CREDIT UNION does not charge any extra. But WASHINGTON MUTUAL sucks. They took a $15 charge at the end of the month for international use...this is their "free" checking account. Did I mention that Washington Mutual sucks?
