Ticket To Mind Takes The Worry Out Of Gift Giving With Prepaid Packages

Ticket To Mind takes both the stress and fun out of giftshopping, with their prepaid program. Gift givers simply pick a prepaid package for the special person they're hoping to woo and the rest of the hard work is done for them.

I'll be honest; a part of me sees the innovative nature of the business. It's certainly a convenient option and there's a market out there for it. There are plenty of male and female consumers who have an impossible time choosing a present, or remembering the special occasions that require their purchase.

 They offer four plan types, ranging in frequency of shipment and quality of product for 20-70 BRL per month. The Basic, Plus, Advances and Express packages offered include the stereotypical consumerist gifts like flowers, chocolate, toys, cosmetics, and potentially items of the X-rated variety.

While I have no doubt that Ticket To Mind will grown into a successful business, in Brazil, and potentially beyond, once they release a multi-lingual version of the website I can't help but have some reservations about the business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 To me, the thought and love that goes into searching for and selecting the perfect gift, is far more important than the gift itself. I guess I'm a believer in the "it's the thought that counts motto" but not in the interpretation that infers it's a bad gift. I do also enjoy occasionally receiving chocolate, flowers, or a cute and cuddly stuffed animal; but I think that half the fun of gift giving (other than the ‘thought process' mentioned above) is the creative aspect. But, that being said, just because not everyone supports it, doesn't mean it's a bad business idea.

College on a Dime: Do not get a prepaid debit card!

AOL Money & Finance writer and editor Zac Bissonnette is a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an expert on getting a great education without going broke. Got a college question? Leave a comment and he'll get back to you!

The Wall Street Journal recently took a look(subscription required) at the aggressive marketing of prepaid debit cards on college campuses.

What is a prepaid debit card? It's just like a regular debit card, except that it isn't hooked up to a checking account. You have to transfer money to it from a bank account, and there are hefty fees for activating the card, withdrawing money from ATMs and, get this, not using the card regularly. Fraud protection tends to be limited and, unlike a credit card, you can't establish a credit history to help qualify for better rates on student loans or a mortgage.

All of this raises an interesting question: why would anyone get a prepaid debit card? I can't even imagine.

The only advantage would seem to be that you can't rack up credit card debt or overdraft fees, but it's also possible to avoid those two things by not spending money you don't have. Either way, the insane fees far outweigh any benefit and the reason these are being pushed is that so many colleges have kicked credit card companies off campus.

Maybe it's time to give prepaid debit cards the boot too.

Labels: Cheap Prepaid Phone Cards, prepaid, prepaid cards, Prepaid College Tuition, prepaid credit cards, prepaid debit cards, prepaid internet, prepaid legal services, prepaid mastercard, Prepaid Packages

Cheap Prepaid Phone Cards - TheRichCom.com

TheRichCom.com website is a website that sells prepaid phone cards for you to call international destinations, ranging from Asia to Middle East and Europe. Customers can use their web site to search for best phone card to call from United States to virtually anywhere in the world with much cheaper rates than from large companies like at&t, sprint, etc...

Registering with TheRichCom.com is free. It will only take a few minutes to get your free account with them, then within minutes, someone from THERICHCOM.COM will contact you to activate your account. After your account is confirmed and active, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to purchase a phone card from them.

TheRichCom.com is a nice service that makes the process of buying and choosing of prepaid phone card easier for you .... In a simple and easy 3 steps you may buy phone card or calling card online through their site .... 1- Choose the best phone card for your calling country .. 2- Check out .. 3- Get PIN for phone card and access numbers for the card online & email instantly!

RichCom International (RCI) headquarters is located in Oklahoma. It is one of the industry's emerging leaders in providing affordable Pre-Paid calling cards.

Tips for switching to prepaid cellphone plan

As the recession deepens, more Americans are cutting back on their cell phone spending and many more are planning to if the economic downturn continues as expected for another six months, according to a survey for theNew Millenium Research Council.

As I reported in a WalletPop story in February, more people are changing to prepaid cell phone plans as a way to save money from a contract plan. The prepaid plans, such as offered by Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint, sell unlimited calling, text, Web use and walkie-talkie use for $50 a month. There are also plans that charge by the minute, usually around 10 cents for a call or 5 cents to text, or $1 a day with unlimited calls on weekends.

Without roaming charges and other fees to pay, along with no annual contract to sign, prepaid plans are getting a boost in the down economy, said Jeff Auman, vice president of sales and distribution for Boost Mobile.

"We are a great solution to people who are looking to tighten their belt in wireless," Auman said in an interview where I was using a landline phone, not my prepaidNet10 phone.

"I think the economy has a lot do with it," he said of the popularity of prepaid plans, but added that they also transcend the marketplace and would appeal to consumers even if the economy was good.

So what should you look for in a prepaid cell phone plan that is "perfect for the times right now," as Auman put it?

One place to start, according to a SmartMoney story, is by comparing plan providers. Two sites to help compare are BillShrink.com and LetsTalk.com. Rates can vary by your city and how many minutes you use.

Also consider your coverage area. T-Mobile has great coverage in the East but is spotty on the West Coast. Boost Mobile's is great nationwide because it runs on Sprint's coverage, Auman said.

Determine how many minutes you need with a prepaid plan and figure out if it's cheaper to buy by the minute or to get unlimited minutes. If you don't call much, paying by the minute should be cheaper.

And lastly, don't forget the extra costs, such as a handset. In contract or post-pay plans, the phone is either free or very cheap. Boost Mobile, for example, requires users to buy their phones, which cost from $30 to $300.

If you're looking to stream live television over your phone, then a prepaid cell phone plan probably isn't for you. But in a recession where people are cutting back many expenses, cell phone usage, somehow, isn't one they cut back in. Except for maybe streaming TV.

What are Prepaid Credit Cards?

Prepaid Credit Cards are similar to debit cards and to credit cards, but different from them. While a debit card will use the money from your checking account, a credit card will let you spend money you do not yet have in your account provided you will make monthly payments to return the amount used. Of course in the case of a credit card there is also an interest rate that applies to the amount you use. The Prepaid Credit Card is a card that takes money from an account that you open and where you put as much money as you want.

A Prepaid Credit Card is a good options for people who are denied a credit card or people who do not have yet a good enough credit to apply for a credit card. Prepaid Credit Cards can help you apply for a credit card, and they are better because debit cards because they are safer. If you want to get such a card you should know that there is a setup fee when you open the account and then there are fees you have to pay every time you recharge the account. So the first thing to do is select which bank you want to open the account with and which prepaid card you get. Generally you have to be at least 16 years old to be able to have a Prepaid Credit Card, but some banks offer them for children as young as 13. The truth is that the bank does not risk anything since you cannot spend more money that you have in the account.

Prepaid Credit Cards can be used almost anywhere you can use a credit card as long as you have money in the account. A prepaid card can be used successfully to book a flight or to reserve a hotel room. However if you plan to make monthly payments with a prepaid card you might not be able to do it because the company you have to pay too has no guarantee that there will be money in your Prepaid Credit Card when the payment is due. Even though it might seem like a bad deal, a prepaid card is better than a debit card because it is actually safer when you do any kind of transactions. A debit card for example uses money from your checking account and savings account, and these accounts are usually the same ones where your check comes in. Thus a lot of your personal information can be gotten by hackers, and while the credit cards had fraud protection the debit cards usually do not.

As with any type of card there are advantage and disadvantages in having them and using them. The best card to have is most probably a credit card even though a lot of times people get in debt and they cannot manage their payments. A debit card on the other hand is a card that doesn’t usually let you have a negative balance, but doesn’t help you build a good credit history either. A credit card that is a prepaid card is not a real credit card since you can only spend the money available in your account, but it can be a good card in case of emergency and it is a good way to teach your teenagers how to save and spend their savings and how to use the card in a responsible way. These types of credit cards are also similar to the secured credit cards and a lot of people think they are actually the same thing. If you do not necessarily want to have a credit card a prepaid one is a good option to have your funds secured.

Prepaid phones to be outlawed in Japan

The government coalition in Japan is preparing a law to outlaw prepaid mobile phones. The reason given is that too many prepaid phones are used for crimes, e.g. the "ore ore" fraud.

The number of prepaid phones in Japan is very small, but it's not equally distributed. DoCoMo has almost no prepaid users, and has announced to abolish this service. Vodafone has about 10% prepaid users, and TuKa about 20% - so these will suffer when prepaid phones are outlawed.





Update: on 12 November 2004 the ruling coalition decided on a draft law, which will not outlaw prepaid mobile phones, but will make identification requirements more strict.