Visa Electron - Any banks in Ireland?

nick_fontaine wrote: »

Up until three weeks ago MBNA offered the MBNA giftcard which was basically a visa electron prepaid card. It worked for avoiding CC fees on Ryanair flights. These giftcards have been cancelled citing 'the cards cause too much hassle for us' as the reason from MBNA.

So close yet so far. Sick of this CC fee on flights.

Hello there... i came here to check if there was such thing as a Visa Electron in ireland and as far as I understood there is not... well, I have good news for you guys.

If you happen to go to Italy for some reasons, you might be happy to know about this card:

http://www.poste.it/en/bancoposta/carte/postepay.shtml

I don't know whether you can get it even if you don't have an Italian address (proof of it). On a website I read the reply of a British fellow who said he had got a postepay because he travels a lot to Italy, so I suppose that you CAN get one just walking in an Italian post office. Or you might be able to ask an Italian friend to get one for you. It's a rechargeable card with no linked bank account. You can fill it up to €2000 and it costs only €8 to buy. It normally runs for 4 years. Now, my card has run out in 2007 and I didn't renew it and shredded it so I can't check. In this website http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=920455 they say that it doesn't have a CVV number but I do remember of having seen it. I used it many times to book flights with Ryanair and my sister has booked flights with Ryanair recently with it. There is no government fees on cards in Italy so after having spent the fee to buy it (8 euros as I said) ad the one to fill it up all the time (1 euro per fil up) you are all right. You can fill it up with €2000 and use it slowly, but you must unfortunaterly do it only in Italy so it's convenient only if you like going to Italy once in a while, or if you have a friend there who can top it up for you.

Another option would be the British Halifax easycash account. You need an English address to have it, but their criteria for that account are milder, because it's an account that even people who just arrived to the country can have. You can get one if you have an English friend who is happy to write a letter to the halifax saying that you live at their address and provide an utility bill as a proof of HIS address. After the first time you put money in it, you can change the account's address to your Irish address and be able to receive statements and all. You can even use it as a normal current account, so you can make an international payment from your Irish bank and put money on your Halifax easycash account. Not bad!

More info here:

http://www.halifax.co.uk/bankaccounts/easycash.asp

benifa wrote: »

Another option would be to open a current account with Lloyds TSB Spain.

Residents of Ireland can open such an account. Apply online and they send out the documents for you to sign, to your home address in Ireland. You also need to send back photocopies of your ID (utility bill / passport).

The current account is, of course, in Euros and comes with a Visa Electron card. Transfers into the account from an Irish bank is simple enough (also free and online if your bank in Ireland is AIB). Or, if you bank with Ulster Bank, they charge 57c or something like that, for transfers within the EU, but you have to go into the branch to do it. Not sure about other Irish banks charges / procedures for transfering to another Euro account within the EU.

IIRC, Lloyds TSB Spain charge a fee of €3 per quarter if you maintain >€600 per month in the account, otherwise the fee is €6 per quarter.

this doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Have u done this yurself?

snubbleste wrote: »

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/jump1?catId=19300207&mediaId=26800661

What is the catch with this pre-paid card that you can top up online?
It says it costs nothing to pre-load it with € if it's a euro card

If I'm not wrong, if you get a Euro denominated card, you have to top up in Sterling anyway. That is, the Post Office will charge your "topping up" source in pounds, which is then converted to Euros and added to the card's balance.

For Irish residents topping up with, say, and Irish Mastercard, this means a euro-pounds-euro conversion. No doubt money will be lost in conversion fees.

Faith wrote: »

Sorry to bump this thread, but it came up in a search and I can be of use. The easiest thing to do is get an entropay card (http://www.entropay.com). Sign up for it but you MUST pick GBP as your currency. Then just select "Visa Electron" on Ryanair. There's more info here: http://bargainsireland.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/avoid-the-credit-card-charge-when-booking-with-ryanair/ .

Thanks Faith, but are you sure about this? I've had a look at that site and it looks like a pre-paid Visa Debit card to me, rather than Visa Electron.

Frequent Flier wrote: »

They seem to have no difficulty with non-resident card holders.

Already tried them. They will allow non-residents if he is in Germany, otherwise it's Austrian residents only. Irish residents are not allowed.

madmoe wrote: »

Has anyone actually gone down the Lloyds TSB Spain option and gottena Visa Electron card?

Yes. I opened a current account at Lloyds TSB Spain by post (I didn't have to go to Spain to visit a branch). It's a pain. Lots of documents to get certified and submit.

But, worth it:

Here's my Visa Electron card:



Here's my latest Ryanair booking:



Internet banking with my Lloyds TSB Spain account is good. Can even transfer money online, to overseas accounts (i.e., to an Irish bank account).

Note that charges I have incurred are €22 for Certificate of Non-Resident (for tax purposes) and €9 for the cost of the Visa Electron card issuance.

Have just applied for one of these. Howe long did it take for you to get it after you applied?

Cheers,
M

madmoe wrote: »

Have just applied for one of these. Howe long did it take for you to get it after you applied?

Cheers,
M

A couple of months, tbh. It's like this:

• Receive the forms.
• Go to the Garda station with your documents to have them authenticated.
• Send documents back to Spain.
• Wait for the account to be opened.
• Wait to be contacted by your account manager.
• Lodge funds (IBAN transfer).
• Receive some more forms (internet banking contract, and Certificate of Non-Tax Resident).
• Return forms.
• Have your account manager tell you that you have to visit a branch in Spain to collect your Visa Electron card.
• Persuade him that you want it sent to you in Ireland, even if it costs €35 to DHL it to you (I'm serious!).
• Receive Visa Electron card.
• Receive PIN.
• Book flights!

Not the simplest of procedures. In fact, it's nearly not worth it. Depends how much you use Ryanair I guess!

Narrowback wrote: »

Wow. Reading Benifa's explanation of what he had to do to get the card from Spain I'm glad I never tried that. I would never have been that persistent.

I can't remember what the downside to Entropay is, but I'm glad I opted for that. I got my card - online - within 20 minutes. Another 10 minutes and I'd bought my return 10c return flight.

Yes, Entropay is a good alternative. The downside is the 4.95% charge on fund loading, and paying for EUR transactions in GBP. But, you don't have to spend a penny on envelopes, photocopying, postage, tax resident cert (€22) or the actual card (€9).

Weighing it up now, depends entirely on how much you use Ryanair. Entropay is certainly a good method for many reasons.

Hi Guys ,
A couple of questions about Entropay :
1. Can you open an account/top up by bank transfer only if you do not have a Credit card?
as it says credit/debit card but i only have the mickey mouse laser maestro card!

2. The site state that "merchants can only debit what you have loaded on to the card"
I assume they mean the merchant can only take to the value of the transaction not literally what you have loaded on it?

Also, on another irish site it was mentioned that you have to give a uk address- But i didnt see it mentioned here, so is this not the case?

Thanks in advance:-)