Freedom Eagle Prepaid Cash Card Review

Product Snapshot
The Freedom Eagle prepaid card was the UK's first instant issue and ATM access retail Chip and PIN prepaid MasterCard and is available to purchase online and from independent retailers. It will soon be available from supermarkets, fuel stations and other networks too.

Freedom recently announced some fantastic revisions to make the card even more attractive to consumers. The new Freedom Eagle prepaid credit card is available in two tariff structures - a Pay as You Go tariff and an Unlimited Pay monthly tariff; so consumers can choose the tariff that suits them best.

The Freedom Eagle prepaid card is now available with a variety of design choices and consumers can pick from the exciting Gold Prepaid MasterCard design or can personalise their card with a design of their taste.

Other benefits of the new Freedom Eagle cash card include

• Huge range of discounts from over 20,000 UK and Ireland retailers.
• Order companion cards and use Freedom's Person2Person feature to share money.
• Use Credit Booster to help establish, improve and repair your credit rating.
• FREE 12 months Extended warranty, 30 days Purchase protection, 30 days Price Protection
• Cashback at 1,000 leading online stores like Dell, Avon, Halfords and M&S

The Good
Two price tariffs and the ability to personalise your card are a good place to start. Then there are the additional benefits of free insurance protection, Credit Booster, Cashback and Discounts. There is no longer need for ID verification and there is 100% acceptance which means everyone gets a card.

The Not so Good
The Freedom Eagle Prepaid card is available only as a GBP card so ATM withdrawals abroad are subject to a 2.75% fee. The monthly fee on the Unlimited tariff pay monthly card is a tad high at £5.95 but there are quite a number of free benefits built in for that price which includes free UK ATM withdrawals.

Application Process
You can apply for the Freedom Eagle Prepaid MasterCard online using a quick and simple online application process.

• Apply online - Order online in minutes – it’s easy and as long as you live in the UK and you’re 18 or over, you’re guaranteed to get one. There is no longer any ID verification which means that every one can get a Freedom prepaid card. All you need to apply for you card is
  • Your postcode.
  • Your mobile number (so that you can manage your Freedom Card via SMS)
  • Your email address (so that you can get your online username and password)

That's it - you can pay for your prepaid card using a credit/debit card or SMS and your card should be on its way and with you 5-7 days.

Card Features

• No need for ID verification, 100% acceptance.
• Choice of tariff; Pay as you Go and Unlimited.
• Design the look of your card with our personalisation service
  

Card Design
The choices are endless as you can pick the grand new Freedom Eagle Gold card design or for a small extra fee, you can choose to have your card personalised and design the look of your card with the Freedom Eagle personalised card service.

Fees

The Freedom Eagle Prepaid Card is available in two tariffs to suit your taste.

Freedom Eagle (Pay As You Go Tariff):

• Card Issue Fee - £5.99 (Gold Card)/ £7.99 (Personalised Card)**
• Monthly Fee - Free.
• Transaction Fee UK - £0.50 per transaction.
• ATM Withdrawal Fee UK - 1.50% (Min:£1.00, Max:£1.50).
• Reload Fee - £1.00 via bank transfer, PayPoint 3.00%, Post Office 2.00%.
  
  Tip: Pick this if you want a truly Pay As You Go option and only wish to be charged when you use your card

Freedom Eagle (Unlimited Pay Monthly Tariff):

• Card Issue Fee - £5.99 (Gold Card)/ £7.99 (Personalised Card)**
• Monthly Fee - £5.95.
• Transaction Fee UK - £0.00.
• ATM Withdrawal Fee UK - £0.00.
• Reload Fee - Free via bank transfer and Post Office, PayPoint 3.00%.
  
  Tip: Pick this if you would rather know your costs up front and want to have a fixed fee option. You know your monthly fee and your transactions and a couple of loading options are free - so you know where you stand from day one

**An additional £2 Extra is charged for all applications that are paid for via SMS.

Online Account Management and Self Servicing
You can service your prepaid account on the website and access your account online 24/7. You can also manage your account using Freedom Eagle's IVR and SMS services.

Account management functions include viewing your balance, recent transactions and changing your personal details.

Using Abroad
The card is only available as a GBP Card. Hence, usage abroad will incur an FX conversion fee of 2.75% on top of the usage fee. POS transactions abroad are free on the Pay Monthly card and cost £0.50 on the Pay Monthly card. An ATM withdrawal abroad will cost 2.75% on both prepaid card tariffs.

The Freedom Eagle Prepaid cards are Prepaid Mastercard cards which means that you can use them online, in-store and over the phone wherever MasterCard is accepted which is currently over 30 million global retailers and over 2 million ATM's worldwide for withdrawals.

So whilst you can use your Freedom Eagle prepaid card abroad, there are travel money cards which may be better if you main aim is to use the prepaid card abroad.

Reload Options
Funds can be loaded in a number of ways on your Freedom Eagle Prepaid Cards:

Loading the Freedom Eagle Pay As You Go prepaid Card

• Using Cash/Debit/Credit at any Paypoint outlet - 3% of load amount.
• Post Office - 2.00%.
• Bank Transfer - £1.00.

Loading the Freedom Eagle Unlimited Pay Monthly prepaid Card

• Using Cash/Debit/Credit at any Paypoint outlet - 3% of load amount.
• Post Office - Free.
• Bank Transfer - Free.

Choose the loading options that suits you best.

Customer Service
The Freedom Eagle Prepaid team provide you with numerous ways to get in touch. Free customer service enquiries by email are complemented with telephone support available between 9am - 6pm, Monday to Friday except bank holidays. Typically costs £0.10 per minute from BT land lines

• By Email::Customerservice@freedom-card.co.uk.
• By Telephone: +44 (0)207 147 1603.
• SMS: services please text +44 (0)778 1480 143 - £0.20 per text.
• Lost and Stolen: +44 (0)871 288 4311.
• Post: Freedom Eagle, PO Box 1294, Loudwater, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP10 9TG
  

Awards
The Freedom Eagle Prepaid MasterCard is an excellent new product and has won a few awards already.

• Best Payroll Prepaid Card - Winner - Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards 2011
• Best Card Cross-Selling Programme of the Year - Winner - The Card Awards 2009
• Best Money Transfer Prepaid Card - Runner Up - Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards 2010
• Best Unbanked Prepaid Card - Runner Up - Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards 2010