Ruby card - prepaid Mastercard

LDFerguson

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I note the recent launch of Ruby card, a pre-paid Mastercard. According to the website the issuer is Newcastle Building Society but this launch is to the Irish market. Website is [broken link removed]
 
Re: Rubycard - prepaid Mastercard

I like their Exchange Rate calculator because according to that withdrawing 100£ will mean I get charged 100€ plus 2.00€ per withdraw. However if I withraw 100€ in France it is going to cost me 108.53 € plus 2.00€ per withdraw.

What are these people doing? Launch a UK product in Ireland that they than host with a web developer, where half of the website actualy points to that web developer (http://ruby.tux.dev.textor.com) instead of their site and where T&C are not available

But not only that, it's important to remember that if NBS goes bust your money is gone as this card does not fall under any goverment guarantee scheme.

Charging 1€ a minute to contact customer service is another reason not to go with this card.

As much as I hate halifax , if you need a debit card other than Laser/Maestro getting a current account with a visa debit card is way safer and cheaper than getting this product.
 
Re: Rubycard - prepaid Mastercard

Hi DublinTexas - thanks for your reply. It's Mike here from [broken link removed]. Firstly - thanks for pointing out the issue with the calculator! We've taken this off the site while it's being fixed.
With regard to the url - I think you saw that at a time when we were making changes to the site, it should display as normal now.

We understand your concerns with the call cost - we are currently in negotiations on the costs of this. Just to let you know, you can access your balance and move funds by SMS and any enquiries online are free.

With regards to the NBS comment - you're right to point this out and we're going to change this on the site. Your funds are fully protected if NBS or Tuxedo go out of business. We're going to make this more customer friendly and prominent on the site.

Thanks again for your feedback - it's much appreciated!
 
Re: Rubycard - prepaid Mastercard

i applied a few days ago. i want to try this product out. i like the way you can pay via sms. i have payzone and ryanair too. i must say i am angry with ruby though. i HAD to ring customer service twice and was charged 18 euro (mobile) for each call. i was in a queue for several minutes. they probably like keeping people waiting. i hope i don't have to ring them again anytime soon. who would? can the ruby card be loaded easily lads? anyone out there who has done it yet? where's the best places in dublin cc to do it? i keep thinking i'm going to run into trouble loading it as some staff don't understand. i will load it via bank transfer at a later date. cheers for any comments.
 
Re: Rubycard - prepaid Mastercard

they are now sending me spam promoting the card.

I would avoid any supplier who behaves like this.
 
For any issuer to make an decent return from a prepaid offering, they have to charge massive fees, particulary in such a small market as this one.
 
Sorry for bumping an old thread, but does anyone know of these problems have been sorted out? I'm considering getting a Ruby Card, or a better alternative if one is suggested?
 
You should go for Neteller Prepaid Mastercard. They have a pretty slick operation, and the physical card is accepted by Ryanair for no card fees.

They offer both Virtual and Physical Chip+Pin cards, but there was a problem with the Virtual Card not being recognised by RyanAir, not sure if this is now fixed.

You can use it for POS transactions for free, but ATM wthdrawals cost €4.

Fx costs 2.95%.

You can fund it from your Bank Account for no fees, and other ways by paying fees.

There is no Dormancy fee, i.e. if not used in any month some cards charge you :eek:

There are damaged card replacement and cancellation fees, €15

So, if your careful, you can use this card for zero money on fees.

But, this is important:

NETELLER Inactive Administrative Fee

Question
Is there a fee for not using my NETELLER account?

Answer

If you do not use your NETELLER account for 14 months you will be charged an Inactive Administrative Fee up to $30 USD. This fee will be charged annually until you use your account or the account balance reaches zero. Account use is defined as any deposit, transfer to or from a merchant, withdrawal or Net+ Card purchase.
Your NETELLER account will not go into a negative balance. If you use your account prior to the 15th of the upcoming month the fee will not be charged.

So, use it at least once in a 14 month period.

I have bought RyanAir flights, with no fees, so it works.

Also, I fund it from my Current Account for no fee.

BTW, don't think Irish Revenue can charge Stamp Duty on the Neteller Card.
 
Rubycard seems to work fine for me now. Site seems ok, top-ups haven't caused me any problems and works with Ryanair.
 
Rubycard seems to work fine for me now. Site seems ok, top-ups haven't caused me any problems and works with Ryanair.

Not so sure regarding the potential costs associated with this card as compared to Neteller:

How much does my Ruby MasterCard® Prepaid Card and eccount cost?
The Ruby MasterCard Perpaid Card costs only €12.95 if paying by a credit/debit or laser card. €15 by SMS.

What tariffs are available?
PAYG and Pay monthly tariffs are available.

PAYG
No monthly fee. Purchases 2.95% (min 75c, max 2.00) in Ireland, 2.95% (min 75c, max 2.00) abroad. ATM withdrawals €2 in Ireland and €3.50 per withdrawal abroad.

Pay Monthly
€6 per month. Purchases are FREE and Unlimited in Ireland and abroad. ATM withdrawals €2 per withdrawal in Ireland and €3.50 abroad.

Where can I find a list of the fees I will be charged?
Click here to view the full list of fees within the terms and conditions.
And, from that wierd link "http://ruby.tux.dev.textor.com/terms.html" in the above quote:

1. FEES AND CHARGES
1.1 All Fees and Charges relating to the prepaid card are detailed in the Fees Summary. These Fees and Charges form an integral part of these terms and conditions.
1.2 At the point of card purchase you can select a tariff to suit you; fees apply to all tariffs, see Fees and Charges for details.

· if no tariff is selected the default tariff will be Pay As You Go;

· if you are on the Pay As You Go tariff and your card isn’t used during a calendar month, your card will be charged €1 admin fee per month;

· if you wish to change your tariff a fee applies, see Fees and Charges for details.
· if you select the Pay Monthly tariff and in the event that you do not have funds on your card balance to cover the monthly fee, then your tariff will automatically default to Pay As You Go.

1.3 The €5 Stamp duty will be taken from your first load in relation to the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999. The Stamp duty will be liable for each financial year the card is active, the stamp duty will be taken from the card balance or first 1st load received in each year.
Personally, I feel the Neteller Chip + Pin Prepaid is a no-brainer.
 
The Neteller Net+ Prepaid MasterCard® was
recently awarded Best Gaming Prepaid card by Prepaid365, the UK's leading
prepaid card comparison site.

Read about this and all other cards, go to http://www.prepaid365.com/
 
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