Prepaid debit cards offer safety, security and convenience.
It really depends on your personality, but they certainly can be! Many times, parents use prepaid debit cards to control their child's spending when he or she has gone off to college. It's a good way to teach them about fiscal responsibility. They won't be flashing it around to look cool because they know when the funds are gone, the card will be declined, and nobody wants their friends to see that! Therefore, they will be careful. Then maybe by the time they've graduated on to "real" credit cards, they'll be just as careful with those, too.
Other people like to take prepaid debit cards on trips with them instead of carrying a lot of cash. After all, they look like regular credit cards or debit cards, and if they have a MasterCard or Visa logo, chances are they are accepted worldwide. It certainly is a lot safer to carry prepaid debit cards than it is to carry a lot of cash.
Still others use prepaid debit cards as a way of controlling their spending. Most credit cards come with high limits, making the temptation to spend more than you can afford somewhat irresistible. But with prepaid debit cards, you know how much you have available, and if you keep track of it as you spend, you'll avoid the embarrassment of having the card declined.
The beauty of it is, these cards are reloadable. So when your student is running low on cash, all you have to do is add money to that account. Or if you know you're going to need a certain amount on the card for a trip or a shopping spree, load it up! And when you use it, nobody can use fraud and get to your bank account information. It's a separate account, which makes it more secure. It's just another benefit of having a prepaid debit card.
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