pre-paid cards for Disney?

[disneymom]

Does anyone have any experience of these cards which you can top up with cash rather than using a credit card? with all the identity fraud I dont want to use my debit or credit card out there

[Tink]

I don't have direct experience, but if you are talking about something like a prepaid Visa I would be very careful. There are many reports of those cards not working well at all. I've been in a shop and seen first hand how they won't work sometimes. Plus, even though they didn't work in the given store, the amount appears as a deduction and sorting it out can be a huge mess.

I know identity theft is a real issue, but I'm not convinced the prepaid cards are safe either (in other respects).

[Taja]

Apart from what Tink said, my understanding of prepaid VISA/AMEX cards is that you have to know your card balance when making a transaction. That means you have to keep your receipts and may have to keep of the balance manually. I'm not sure if it prints on the receipt or not--I've never used one.

If you're concerned about identity theft, I would use Traveler's Cheques over the prepaid cards until they manage to iron out some of the wrinkles. And save a debit/credit card for emergency use or paying for your room, etc.