Tesco grocery online why are they not accepting pre-paid Mastercard now

[JG1965]

I usually use a pre-paid Mastercard to pay for my groceries online at Tesco but now I get the message at check out that they do not accept this card, when did this happen?
Thanks in advance.

[starone]

What is a pre-paid Mastercard? I have a Mastercard but don't recognise the Pre-paid bit. As I shop with Tesco online it interests me.

[Jemisa]

I always shop with Tesco on line but use my Visa/Debit card.
I suggest you phone them & get an answer they're always most helpful.

I thought only students are issued Pre-paid Mastercards. My nephews mum always gives him a £100 one when he goes back to Uni

jem

[starone]

Oh I see, it is a card with some money already on it. Didn't know they could do that Jem, thanks.

[Buenchico]

SB1:
Pre-paid cards are basically debit cards but they're available to anyone, even though they might not have a bank account. (The user pays to get the card and then tops it up with credit. If you're familiar with London Transports Oyster Cards, it a broadly similar concept).

JG1965:
Tesco seem to be looking to save every penny on what they pay in bank charges. They've recently stopped offering 'cash back' at their tills (presumably because of the charges they face for doing so). Your post indicates that they've also decided that they're no longer prepared to pay the charges associated with accepting pre-paid Mastercards (which, unlike normal Mastercards, always require electronic approval before a transaction can be processed).

Chris

[Postdog]

they make handy gifts for birthday cards etc....

[karenmac60]

They're also handy for buying things online - if someone gets access to the number they can only spend what's on the card rather than going mad with it and running up huge bills.

[craft1948]

Interesting that Chris because a nice man from Tesco HQ assured me by phone the other week that Tesco have not stopped cash-back.

[starone]

Thanks Chris. You have come to my aid again!

[craft1948]

But I was surprised to see on their website that they haven't accepted cheques for the last 3 years!

[Buenchico]

Craft:
All I know is that:
(a) Tesco till staff no longer offer me cash back ;
(b) their 'fast lane' tills no longer provide a 'cash back option ; and
(c) someone recently posted on here about the fact(?) that Tesco were no longer giving 'cash back'.
I might be wrong but, if Tesco still provide 'cash back', they're doing their best to keep it a secret!

[craft1948]

Chris it was me that posted about not getting cash back, which was why I emailed their head office to complain, and the nice man rang, apologised, and said I should get cashback.

[Buenchico]

Craft (again!):
Most big stores ceased accepting cheques several years ago (around 2007). Asda was the first big supermarket to do so, with Argos, Boots, Debenhams, Next, Sainsbury's and WH Smith all following a similar policy around the same time. Tesco joined the list in 2008, with most other supermarkets quickly following their lead.

Now that the cheque guarantee system has been discontinued, no retailers (other, possibly, than a few independent traders who personally know their customers) will accept personal cheques.

[Buenchico]

Craft (yet again!), re 'cash back':
I read the post you refer to only a few hours after using the 'fast lane' in a Tesco store, and being surprised not to be offered 'cash back'. The next time I used a 'fast lane' I remembered to check whether the option was actually there (thinking that I might simply have not noticed it on the previous occasion). It definitely wasn't there then, and it's not been available every time that I've used the 'fast lanes' since then.

Odd!

[heathfield]

The reason stores offer cashback is to reduce the amount of cash they hand over to their banks. Since the banks charge the stores a fee for depositing cash it's in the stores interests to keep the amount of cash handed over as low as possible so as to keep these fees as low as possible. I had that from a retired bank manager.

[nextqueen]

i was told that you can get cashback if you ask but they dont tend to ask now as it holds up the queue more, think this was in Sainsburys though.

[JG1965]

Was not asking about cash back, just wondered if anyone else had had problems using a pre-paid Mastercard at Tesco Grocery online, I have been able to use it at Asda Grocery online to pay for my grocery shopping.

[Old_Geezer]

This is an interesting thread as I've never seen the benefit of deliberately paying in advance so someone else has your money. Seemed madness to me; but I suppose there can be good reasons after all.

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe there is a difference between offering, and grudgingly giving if asked ?

Hmmm the thread has wandered off topic, but I guess no one else uses pre-paid cards ? ?

[heathfield]

I use that old-fashioned stuff called cash. Gets me through the checkouts a lot more quickly than some others who fumble around with Chip and Pin cards, trying to figure out which way up they go, and what their pin number is.

[Mamyalynne]

Heathfield the poster is trying to shop online.