Prepaid Marketing for Online Success

08.02.2012 – Prepaid365, one of the UK’s leading and dedicated prepaid card comparison websites, announced the call for entries for the fourth edition of the Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards 2012 with an entry submission deadline of 22nd February, 2012.

Now in their 4th year, the Prepaid365 Awards continue to generate significant interest around the UK and the globe with an ever increasing number of entries from within the UK and abroad. The Prepaid365 Prepaid Awards continue to be one of the only, if not the only, awards where the results are determined solely by consumers in a majority of the categories and hence, the awards provide an excellent endorsement and genuine consumer appreciation for the efforts of prepaid card providers in launching and running these truly stellar programmes. The awards also highlight a few worthy runners ups in each category, shining the light on up and coming superstars within the prepaid industry.

Based on consumer and industry feedback, the Prepaid365 Awards team have maintained the award categories from 2011 with Awards due to be handed out in 22 different categories including 2 business categories for programme managers who have excelled in serving big business and small business.

Over the next 10 weeks, subject matter experts at Prepaid365 will work in conjunction with consumers to determine the winners across the 22 categories from votes gathered via online surveys and social media votes with the aim of researching, reviewing and collating consumer choices across prepaid cards and prepaid card providers across the UK and beyond.

Amit Sharma, CEO and Senior Consultant at Prepaid365 commented, “The response to the first 3 editions of the Prepaid365 Awards was truly exceptional. It is often seen with trade circles that it is quite easy to get providers excited about awards but the Prepaid365 Awards are truly unique as we have had enhanced consumer engagement with each edition of the awards and we expect the 4th edition to raise the bar even higher.

In fact, it is with this in mind that we have introduced an even more robust voting process this year and decided to engage providers and their existing consumer base to greater effect to make the awards even more representative of the people who really count – consumers!. I have previously stated that the awards seem to grow bigger each year and the entries fly in from further afar than before and we expect 2012 to be no different. Here’s to the biggest consumer prepaid awards night of 2012. I am extremely pleased to announce the call for entries for the fourth edition of the Prepaid365 Prepaid Awards in 2012”.

Divya Sharma, Marketing and PR Director at leading prepaid marketing consultancy Emotion Associates stated, “Prepaid365 is widely recognised as the leading prepaid card portal in the UK serving the needs of customers and the industry. 2011 was an exceptional year with the launch of the dedicated Prepaid365 Business listings which provide an excellent opportunity for prepaid stakeholders to interact with each other and find a business partner or supplier or client. Our independent care reviews are trusted by consumers and we work extremely hard to ensure that content is regularly updated and is current. In 2011, the social media competition that we ran alongside the Prepaid65 Awards was great fun and we are doing the same again but with even more jazz and pizazz than last year and consumers are going to be the big winners all through out. Leading Payment industry specialists recommended Prepaid365 as the “reference site and industry resource with prepaid” and we are well on our way to establishing the Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards as the consumers voice and consumer awards “free of commercial bias and an excellent opportunity for prepaid card providers to gauge and reference success against the one opinion that really counts – CONSUMERS”.

Previous winners at the Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards include industry leaders such as Virgin Money, Cashplus, Splash, Caxton FX, White Eagle, Neteller, O2 Money, TSYS, Payment Card Technologies, Secure Trust Bank, Think Banking, Prepaid Financial Services as well as newcomers such as Phones4u, Clearcash and Kalixa. As always, you need to be in it to WIN it!

Call for Entries for the 2012 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards sponsored by Transact24- www.t24prepaid.com

Have you got a prepaid credit card programme that has been recently launched or has performed exceptionally well over the last 12 months? Have you submitted your entry into the Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards? Well, download the entry form and details below and submit your entry before the deadline on 22nd February, 2012.

• Word Format
• PDF Format

For further detail, please refer to the Prepaid365 Awards 2012 Call for Entries brochure here – Prepaid365 Awards 2012 Call forEntries Brochure .

Remember the entry deadline is 22.02.12 and the award winners will be announced on 31.05.12. No entries accepted beyond that deadline day. No really – we mean it this time!

If you have any questions about the 2012 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards or would like to enquire about Sponsorship Options with the Prepaid365 Awards 2012, please email Amit Sharma at amit@prepaid365.com or call on +44(0)78347 26087

The efficient management of business expenses is one of the challenges which most corporate and small businesses face in the global marketplace. Business travel is one of those business expenses which can be quite costly if not managed properly. This is even more important in the current economic climate where each expense needs to be scrutinised even more carefully whether they are the travel expenses of Members of Parliament or the business professional working on Fleet street.

This is where business prepaid cards are playing a major part as organisations turn to corporate expense cards and business travel cards with an ever growing number of organisations issuing such prepaid cards to their employees as expense cards, per diem cards and travel cards to be used in a number of situations such as making business purchases, business expense payments and managing travel costs within the UK and abroad. Read the rest of this entry »

Prepaid365, one of the UK’s leading prepaid card comparison sites and the organiser of the annual Prepaid365 prepaid awards, recently launched enhanced business listings channel for prepaid card providers and brand new prepaid supplier directory.

Established in 2008, Prepaid365 is widely regarded as the UK’s leading consumer comparison site for prepaid credit cards and provides a comprehensive FAQ section dealing with all things prepaid. The portal has been lauded by senior industry experts as “the most informative and useful website seen for our industry” and “a mandatory bookmarked site” for everyone in our industry.

Amit Sharma, CEO of Prepaid365 commented “Prepaid365 is a consumer comparison portal and will continue to stay true to its core values of providing honest, independent and unbiased prepaid card comparisons and reviews to customers who are looking to purchase prepaid credit cards – whether they are prepaid MasterCard, Visa prepaid cards or non-scheme branded prepaid cards. However, over the last 2 years, we have played a significant role in providing a platform for organisations and individuals looking to launch prepaid card programmes to meet with prepaid card providers and prepaid stakeholders and we wanted to enhance our role even further with the creation of the business listings” Read the rest of this entry »

Escape Travel Money – Keeping MP’s in Check

Politicians jetting off on holiday this summer can learn a thing or two about budget management from prepaid card provider EZPay – the name behind the Escape Travel Money cards.

While Chancellor George Osborne might be a friend of the banks in his day job, even he faces a range of rip-off fees when using his plastic for spending when he’s away in the US. Greedy banks grab an average 3% in charges on overseas spend made on UK-issued debit and credit cards. Worst of all is the whopping £5 ‘cashpoint tax’ levied on large ATM transactions. Read the rest of this entry »

BaBeeCard, the prepaid card designed especially for mums, mums to be and families was celebrating a hattrick of wins at the 2011 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards, after winning the “Best Online Shopping Prepaid Card” and “Best Prepaid Card Design” categories as well as scooping up the runners up gong for the “Best Gifting Prepaid Card”.

The annual Prepaid365 awards recognise best in class prepaid card propositions and providers voted for by consumers and Prepaid365’s subject matter experts with the awards being based on various factors including application process, card design, fee structure, features, functionality, added value and feedback from customer, customer services and the prepaid industry. Read the rest of this entry »

Wins for Prepaid Financial Services and programmes managed by Prepaid Financial Services including the PCS MasterCard and Camden C-OOL Youth Prepaid Card

• Winners of the Best B2B Provider – Small Programmes
• Recognition in the Best Prepaid Card Innovation for South African Rand Travel Card

Widely recognised as one of the most innovative prepaid service providers PFS provide a wide range of solutions including B2B products, travel products, corporate expenses, payroll, commission payouts and social and benefit payments.

Noel Moran, CEO of Prepaid Financial Services Ltd expressed his delight with the results commenting, “We are delighted to have been recognised with these two awards. We are particularly proud that we have been recognised in two fields which have been our key focus from day one. Since its inception PFS has strived to offer corporate clients flexible low cost entry into the prepaid market. Our purpose built prepaid software platform is constantly tailored to improve our offering and meet the requirements of our clients. Read the rest of this entry »

Winner of the Best International Prepaid Card

The team at PCS rounded off an impressive few months with recognition at the 2011 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards by winning the Best International Prepaid Card category. The first of its kind in France the product has received widespread media coverage and consumer interest since its inception.

The PCS prepaid MasterCard launched in December 2010 has been developed specifically for the unbanked and underbanked demographic however the demand for the product would indicate that online shoppers, young people and frequent travellers have quickly come to recognise the benefits of this card. The card is currently available for purchase in 20,000 merchants throughout France. Read the rest of this entry »

Leading prepaid Mastercard, the Escape Travel Money Card, has been billed as offering the ‘Best Prepaid Card Website’ according to Prepaid365, the UK’s leading independent prepaid card comparison website. www.escapetravelmoneycard.com scooped the top spot in the prestigious awards, the first major award for the eight-month old website of the Escape Travel Money Card business, part of the EZPay Ltd company.

The third annual Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards 2011 assess the cards, websites and supporting services of over 200 different prepaid cards across 22 award categories. The Prepaid365 Awards are voted for directly by consumers and the results are based on consumer votes, reviews and industry feedback, with the top performers winning the highest accolades.

Featuring clear tools to aid consumers in choosing the best value holiday spending money option, www.escapetravelmoneycard.com was praised for its total transparency in listing costs of acquiring a card. The website for the Escape Travel Money Card also carries an informative blog, daily-updated foreign exchange rates, and a clear log-in area for cardholders where they can monitor their account. Read the rest of this entry »

Wins Runner Up Gong in Best Youth Prepaid Card Category

The Camden COO-L Prepaid Card, a unique product launched by Camden Council to promote young people’s activities, was celebrating recognition at the 2011 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards by scooping the Runners Up award in the Best Youth Prepaid Card category.

The Camden COO-L Prepaid card offers young people an opportunity to spend their money on positive activities in and around Camden. Aimed at young people who are eligible for free school meals in school years 9-11, young people looked after and who have learning disabilities and difficulties.

The card is loaded with 25 pounds Sterling per month which can then be used by the cardholders to participate in fun and positive activities in their local area. Cardholders do not have access to withdraw these funds at ATMs. Instead they are restricted for use at specific merchants and service providers in the Camden area, including music lessons, theatre productions, museums and cinemas. Read the rest of this entry »

• Wins ‘Best travel prepaid card’ at 2011 Prepaid365 Card Awards

The Caxton FX Prepaid Currency Card, one of the UK’s most popular prepaid travel cards, has been announced as the winner in the Best Travel Prepaid Card category at the 2011 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards. This is the third year in a row (2009, 2010, 2011) that consumers have voted for the Caxton FX Prepaid Currency Card as their first choice of prepaid travel card.

Launched in 2007, the Caxton FX prepaid currency card was the first to make launch a free prepaid currency card, and the first to abolish ATM fees abroad.

Andrew Swailes, Head of Communications, Caxton FX: “The Caxton FX card was the first of its kind, and ever since then we have strived to continue to offer a unique product in what is now an immensely competitive field. I am delighted that Caxton FX has been recognised as the market leader. We have always tried to put the customer first and make their life as easy as possible – since the day we started the greatest percentage of card sign-ups has come through clients recommending our card.” Read the rest of this entry »

PCT are delighted to have won the award for Best B2B provider of large programmes 2011, from the respected Prepaid365 Prepaid card awards.

Ian Clowes, Managing Director of PCT commented that “the award recognises the amazing efforts of our highly knowledgeable and dedicated team who help to turn clients’ often complex visions into successful prepaid solutions.  Award wins such as this reinforce the premise that we are providing our clients with expert programme management from concept to delivery.”

Since its inception, PCT have built a reputation for the launch and management of robust prepaid card programmes.   For example, FairFX , one of PCT’s first clients, today offer one of the most successful travel cards available.  Other partners have quickly followed suit, with the first quarter of 2011 already seeing the launch of five new card schemes. Read the rest of this entry »

Optimal Payments Plc (LSE: OPAY), the leading alternative payments business, announces that its Net+ Prepaid MasterCard® has won three categories at the Prepaid365 awards, including Best Prepaid Card Overall.

Amit Sharma, CEO of prepaid marketing consultancy Emotion Associates and founder of Prepaid365 said: “The prepaid industry continues to grow at a rapid pace with close to 100 new programmes launching over the last 12 months. Each year, there tend to be one or two prepaid cards which simply stand out above the rest, and the NETELLER Net+ Prepaid Mastercard is undoubtedly one of the stand out performers of 2010-11 with a ringing endorsement in six categories from those who matter most – consumers. The title best in class is definitely apt in this case and is just reward for an exceptional year for the team at Optimal Payments.” Read the rest of this entry »

Prepaid365, the UK’s leading prepaid card comparison site, announced the winners of the 2011 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards recognising best in class prepaid credit cards and providers across different categories such as Travel, Everyday Money, Money Transfer, Payroll, Gaming, Online Shopping and Youth including prepaid MasterCard, Visa Prepaid Cards and Maestro Prepaid Cards.

Launched in 2009, this is the third edition of the fast growing annual Prepaid365 Consumer Awards with over 128 prepaid cards entries across 22 categories being voted for by over 37,000 consumer respondents and Prepaid365 subject matter experts in the business categories.

Divya Sharma, Marketing and PR director at Prepaid365 commented “The prepaid industry continues to grow and so do the Prepaid365 Awards. We had 22 award categories as opposed to 14 from last year and the consumer response has been absolutely astounding. We have always maintained that raising consumer awareness is key to increasing the adoption of prepaid credit cards as a payment mechanism in the UK and the Prepaid365 Awards are all about providing prepaid industry stakeholders a platform for that consumer recognition. Whether it is prepaid MasterCard, Visa or Maestro prepaid cards, Prepaid365 remains the consumers first resource to review and compare prepaid cards. ” Read the rest of this entry »

Orange Cash Contactless Prepaid Card Launched by Orange

Orange has announced the launch of Orange Cash, the UK’s first major contactless prepaid MasterCard card.  Allowing customers to take total control of their spending, the prepaid card is a secure alternative to carrying around cash and can be used in over 30 million locations that accept MasterCard within the UK and abroad, as well as online. The announcement follows the launch of the Orange contactless credit card in 2009 and this year’s roll out of a commercial contactless mobile payments service on Orange.

Highlights

• New, easy-to-use contactless Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard^® allows customers to make faster payments on the high street
• Orange Cash customers earn reward points as they spend, redeemable against a great range of rewards including Pay As You Go Orange texts, airtime, credit or Orange shop vouchers
• MasterCard PayPass™ Contactless card technology enables customers to quickly make purchases of £15 or under wherever the contactless symbol is displayed Read the rest of this entry »

Reading the Terms and conditions of your prepaid card can be rather boring and tedious irrespective of the product or service that they have been written for but it goes without saying, it is quite important to read the fine print before you sign on the dotted line.

As with other products, you do need to sign an agreement electronically and accept terms and conditions as set out by the prepaid card provider when applying for a prepaid card. If you are applying for a prepaid credit  card using a form, then there may be terms and conditions mentioned on that form itself.

Typically, if all else fails, you should be able to find these terms and conditions on the prepaid card provider website. Areas within the terms and conditions, that you should pay special attention to include the following.

• Card Cost: Is the card free? If not, what is the potential cost?
• Validity Period: what is the Validity period of of the card? How long before it is no longer valid?
• Monthly Charges: Is there a monthly service charge, and, if so, what exactly do you get for it? Would it be better to get a pure pay as you go prepaid card instead?
• Usage Fees: what are the fees for using your card? There are cards which charge nothing for local transactions. They might be a better choice.
• Top Up Fees: What are the fees for loading your card? Some top up and loading options are free. Use them.
• Customer Service Setup: what are the fees for contacting customer services? Some providers can charge up to £1.00 per call that you make to them. Avoid these, if possible.
• Usage Restrictions: Any clauses regarding restrictions on the usage of your card. The majority of prepaid cards cannot be used to hire a car or at certain prepaid parking lots, etc. Know the restrictions before the card fails to your embarrassment.
• Account Closure Fees: Is there a charge for closing your account?Some providers charge £10-£20 for closing an account
• Card Replacement Fee: Will you be charged for replacing the card, in the event that it is lost or stolen?
• Card Renewal Fee: Do you have to pay a fee each time the card is renewed (i.e. upon each expiry date)?

It is quite easy to assume that Terms and conditions would tend to be standard across the prepaid card industry but that is definitely no longer the case as the industry grows and there are over a 100 products to choose from in the UK market alone. That basically means that terms and conditions are still worth reading especially to ensure you are aware of the items above and are able to find the best prepaid card to suit your needs.

For free prepaid credit cards and to review and compare Prepaid Credit Cards at Prepaid365 to find the card that is right for you.