Product Snapshot
The Power of Crystal Prepaid MasterCard® cards provide an exciting new method to spend cash and share money.
They are available to anyone*, anywhere, and with no credit scores or bank account required, the Crystal Prepaid MasterCard® makes it easy for everyone to own their own account.
Crystal is like a virtual wallet allowing you to only spend what you load and also lets you shop online or over the phone! Accepted in over 25 million outlets, you can withdraw with your card from ATM machines all over the world. Added benefits of FREE membership which allow great discounts with top Brands.
The Good
A good card design, the Crystal prepaid MasterCard can be topped up at high street bank branches of HSBC and Barclays Bank. It is also available in three currencies which makes it a worthy product to use on your travels. Ownership of the Crystal prepaid MasterCard card gives you membership of the Crewise Network which gives you excellent discounts on a whole range of travel and shopping products. You also enjoy the standard benefits of having a MasterCard branded product which means you can use your card at over 25 million worldwide locations that accept MasterCard and to withdraw money at over 1 million ATM's around the world.
The Not so Good
The fees whilst competitive are not the best in the market and one could find similar products with lower fees especially with regards to card reload fees. Whilst the Crystal Prepaid card team provide many reload options, there are costs associated with these options and it is advisable to choose the most cost effective ones.
|
|
Application Process  
The Crystal application process is excellent and you can make an application online or by post.
- Apply online - if you have the right to reside in the UK, have a valid passport and a mobile phone then you can apply online. Your card will arrive in 10 days
- Apply by post - you can apply using an application form on the Crystal Prepaid card Website.This is excellent for applicants who have not been in the UK for long. It can take up to 10 working days for the cards to arrive
|
|
Card Features
- Available in 3 currencies - GBP, EURO, USD
- Low 10p POS/Online transaction within the UK
- Membership of the Crewise discount network for travel and shopping discounts
|
|
Card Design
At this stage, only one card design is available. It is quite an attractive card though.
|
Card Fees
- Card Issue Fee - £9.99
- Monthly Fee - £2.99
- Transaction Fee UK - £0.10
- ATM Withdrawal Fee UK - 1.75% per withdrawal (min £1.25)
- Reload Fee - 2% via bank transfer (min £1.00) , £1.00 via debit card online/SMS
|
|
Online Account Management and Self Servicing
You can service your account on the Crystal website or via an interactive voice response (IVR) facility. You can also use your mobile phone to manage your prepaid card account and move money between your cards. You can view your balance, recent transactions and change your personal details.
|
|
Using Abroad
The Crystal Prepaid card is available in GBP, USD and EURO's. A POS transaction abroad will set you back £1.00 or equivalent in USD/EURO and an ATM withdrawal will cost you 2.25% with a min. fee of £2.00 or equivalent.
Using a GBP card in a USD/EURO currency territory or vice versa will incur a 3% foreign exchange cost but with three currencies to choose from, you should be able to avoid this fee.
|
Reload Options
Funds can be loaded on to your Crystal Prepaid Card in a number of ways:
- Using Cash at any Payzone outlet - 3.5% of load amount
- Using cash at participating high street bank - 3.5% of load amount
- Bank account transfer - 2% of load amount
- Internet/SMS top up using your debit card - £1.00
- Internet/SMS top up using your Credit card - 2.7%
Quite a vast array of options exist and you should choose the most cost-effective ones.
|
Customer Service
There are a couple of ways you can get in touch with the Crystal Customer Services team.
- By Email:nct@crystalmastercard.com
- By Telephone : 0870 803 2421 - Free for Cardholders
- Lost and Stolen Cards: +44 (0) 207 127 0009 - Standard Network rate
|
Complaints Procedure
The Crystal Prepaid MasterCard card team promise to respond to all complaints within 48hours and aim to investigate and resolve all queries within 5 days after which a director is assigned to the investigation. They also provide a full moneyback guarantee to all card applicants within 14 days of card application. You can use the ‘Contact Us’ facility on the Crystal Prepaid card Website to get in touch and detail your complaint.
You may be able to take unresolved complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR. Telephone: 0845 080 1800 or +44 (0)20 7964 1000 (for calls from outside the UK) and e-mail: enquiries@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
|
Awards
We are awaiting details of any award wins at this stage.
|
Overall Card rating
An exciting new product to carry cash on a card
|
|
|
