Pre-paid cards have become something we’re seeing more and more of recently, and for good reason. Unlike a credit card, there’s no way with a pre-paid card to run up any debt, and you don’t need to have a credit check done in order to get one. What you do get, is the ability to shop with all the safety and security that you get with a credit card particularly as many pre-paid cards are backed by Visa or MasterCard.

Pre-paid cards come in many types. Some are best if you’re planning on shopping mainly in the UK or on the internet, while others are designed to be more useful when you travel abroad and so offer you good exchange rates. Some have fees each time you make a purchase, others don’t charge you per purchase, but you pay a monthly fee instead.

Here are some of the best offers around at the moment:

O2 Money Manager Card
This card costs nothing to purchase, there is no monthly fee, it is free for transactions made in the UK, and free to make withdrawals at UK ATM machines. It is also free to load money on via debit card, SMS and Paypoints. The card is backed by Visa.

Kalixa Card
This card normally costs £9.95, but is currently reduced to just £4.95 to purchase. There are no monthly fees, it is free to make transactions in the UK, but withdrawing money at an ATM machine will cost you £1.75 per withdrawal. It is free to load money on via internet banking, cash deposit, or direct from your company. The card is backed by MasterCard

Bread Card
This card costs £7.50 to purchase, and there are no monthly fees. Transactions cost just 2% regardless of their size, and it costs £1.50 to make a withdrawal from a UK ATM machine. The card can be loaded for free at any Post Office, via BACS transfer, or standing order, and also direct from your wages. The card is backed by MasterCard.

Obviously, with all these cards, there are other methods of adding money, and those do cost, there are also differences in the maximum amounts you can spend per day, and the maximum amounts you can load onto each card. However we think these three cards are particularly good value and worth looking at currently.