Accepted prepaid credit cards

[Kat211]

I have phoned customer service a couple times and never seem to get a direct answer. I was wondering if anyone can name me types of prepaid credit cards (preferably prepaid visa) that they have used in the past to make a one time payment to pay their bill  and that they know 100% work.  I dont want to buy some only to find out  that they dont work, as they are non refundable.  

[FidoValeska]

Hey @AnonymousUser! 

Thanks for posting  

That's a great question and I can totally understand your concern regarding this mixed information. 

We accept:

• Visa, Mastercard, and American Express (AMEX) credit cards.
• Visa, Mastercard, and American Express (AMEX) prepaid credit cards (gift cards and vouchers) for monthly accounts only.
• Visa Debit Cards for monthly accounts only. These cards must be from a financial institution. We require the following card details to process the payment:
  • The Card Number
  • The Expiration Date
  • The 3-Digit Security Code (4-digit if AMEX)

We don’t accept:

• U.S. and International prepaid credit cards.
• Prepaid Ideal Choice Master Cards.
• Prepaid Vanilla Master Cards.

Please note that with all the accepted method of payments, you are able to use them online on Fido.ca, on the app, at the store, and with a representative. 

Also, what we mean by international credit card, is that it is purchased outside of the country and has a monetary amount other than CAD. So, in your case, purchasing a Prepaid Vanilla Visa card in Canada with a monetary amount in CAD, you would definitely be able to use it as a method of payment for your Fido monthly account. 

I hope this clarifies! 

[AnonymousUser]

You referred to me in your reply as @Kat211 but I’m @AnonymousUser, nonetheless, thank you for answering my questions. Clearly, as I had suspected, answers publicacly written by Fido agents on the Fido forum can be more accurate than those given via chat/phone/site.

You provided the answers to my questions:

-purchasing a Prepaid Vanilla Visa card in Canada with a monetary amount in CAD, you would definitely be able to use it as a method of payment for your Fido monthly account. 

-all the accepted method of payments, you are able to use them online on Fido.ca, on the app, at the store, and with a representative. 

-what we mean by international credit card, is that it is purchased outside of the country and has a monetary amount other than CAD.

[AnonymousUser]

Thanks FidoValeska for editing your post to correct the name. After you edited your post, I tried to edit my post to remove the reference to you replying to someone else for my question and to correct spelling (*publicly) but I didn’t see an option to edit. Are users able to edit their posts or only moderators are able to edit their own posts?

[FidoCharles]

Hey @AnonymousUser it's our pleasure!

You can edit your post within 30 minutes after posting it

After that, it's us moderators that can do so.

Would you want us to edit your previous post as you mentioned?

[FidoAmanda]

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to update this thread with a slight correction.

You actually have 60 minutes after you post within which you can edit your post.

[Lross]

That is new information - Thank You! 

In the past, I have been told that Fido will not accept any prepaid credit cards and I did not know that had changed.

What is the reason that you won't take Prepaid Vanilla Master Cards?  That is one of the prepaid cards I see most often and I'm curious as to the reasons they are not deemed acceptable.

[FidoVanessa]

Hey @Lross!

I've moved your post to this thread, you'll be able to find an answer to your question and the solution, here.

Hope this helps! 

[Lross]

Thank you @FidoVanessa for moving my question but after having read through the entire thread I don't see an answer.  Could someone please answer why you don't accept Vanilla Prepaid Mastercard?

[FidoAnthony]

Hey @Lross,

Unfortunately, not all pre-paid credit cards are compatible with our payment system. Other than the following exceptions, (U.S. and International prepaid credit cards, Prepaid Ideal Choice Master Cards, Prepaid Vanilla Master Cards) any other pre-paid Visa/Mastercard can be used.

I hope that clarifies things. 😃

[Lross]

Thank you @FidoAnthony .  I just want to be absolutely certain I got this right:

Prepaid Vanilla MasterCard - No

Prepaid Vanilla Visa - Yes

And again thank you for answering my question.

[FidoNick]

That's correct @Lross!

[AnonymousUser]

I have the option to buy either 1) Vanilla Prepaid MasterCard or 2) Vanilla Prepaid Visa or 3) both.

Since they are non-refundable, I want to make sure they will work for paying my Fido postpaid account bill.

I asked the store selling them and they said yes, they will work anywhere that accepts either Visa or MasterCard,

I checked online and found two different answers from Fido agents on the Fido forum.

In a 2017 post, the Fido agent posted in the Fido forum that Fido does not accept any prepaid credit cards at this time.

In an April 2018 post, the Fido agent posted in the Fido forum that Fido accepts most prepaid credit cards for paying postpaid account bills except:

a) US and international prepaid 

b) prepaid ideal choice MasterCard

c) Prepaid Vanilla Mastercards

Based on this it would seem to suggest that a prepaid vanilla Visa  would work, since the list only mentions prepaid vanilla MasterCards... but I want to make sure.

So I contacted Fido via chat and asked Seifeddine (Seif). Seif suggested I contact the Fido prepaid department, so I explained that it was a postpaid account question about prepaid credit cards. Seif said that prepaid visa and mastercards were both accepted, as they are visa and MasterCard. So, I pointed out the Fido agent Forum post from 2017 and she said that it was best just to try and know for sure whether or not they would work. I then told Seif about the April 2018 Fido agent Fido forum post and she went to look for it and told me that it was correct (most except a, b, c) and she copied and pasted from that April 2018 post on the Fido forum onto our chat.

I asked if it would be possible to ask a supervisor for an updated official answer for February 2019, since it seems that the situation changed from 2017 to 2018 and perhaps it has changed now in 2019.

Seif came back after 9 minutes and told me that the same answer as in the April 2018 was confirmed by a supervisor. So I asked if that meant that a prepaid vanilla visa would work and Seif said that prepaid Vanilla credit cards were not compatible with the Fido system and she told me that the Prepaid vanillla Visa would not work either. After 27 minutes on chat, I thanked Seif for her help and we said goodbye.

However, I was thinking about it and it seems odd to me that the exceptions would specify prepaid vanilla MasterCard and not prepaid vanilla visa, so I decide to ask here in the forum as I think Fido agents may be more careful about the answers they publish publicly in writing than what they may say on chat/phone or in the store.

I would like to ask a Fido agent to please take the time to look for and find updated/current (2019) official information regarding accepted forms of payment to Fido and please confirm whether or not a prepaid vanilla visa will work to pay for a postpaid account Fido bill. If yes, I would also like to ask that they please confirm if it can be used online via the phone Fido app and/or via the Fido website and/or via the Fido store, as Seif never answered those questions. Lastly, the vanilla prepaid cards, both visa and MasterCard, that I have seen sold in Canada at BestBuy have a US address on the back and no mention of Canada anywhere on the packaging... so are they considered US prepaid cards?

I know it’s not easy for a Fido agent to answer a question or which the answer may not be easily/readily available but I think taking the time to get an updated answer rather than rushing to give a hopeful guess would save everyone unnecessary frustration, time, and money.

Vanilla prepaid cards are available at major retailers like Walmart and Best Buy as well as at 7-11 and Gas stations, so it’s not like they are obscure/rare.

Thank you.

[FidoAmanda · Accepted solution]

Hey Kat211!

Welcome to the Community!

We accept most prepaid credit cards when making payments on a postpaid account but there are a few exceptions.

Those exceptions are the following:

- U.S. and International prepaid credit cards.

- Prepaid Ideal Choice Master Cards.

- Prepaid Vanilla Master Cards.