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Can I pay an international bank card?

Courtneyclairem
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hey guys, 
I don't have a canadian bank account yet (haven't got a job here yet so not getting one, also changing states in 3 weeks so waiting then to get a bank account so this is not a solution) and tried to pay online with my Australian account but it failed twice. Can you only pay online with a canadian bank account or is there another way? 
Thanks

23 REPLIES 23


@CalgaryBen wrote:

@darlicious wrote:

There some new online bank/ cards now you can probably get....i know @CalgaryBen mentioned one of them.....lets see if his bat signal works?!!!


You're probably referring to KOHO Visa or STACK MC.  Both are like pre-paid credit cards, but no fees to reload.  You can download respective apps and apply for accounts within the app, but I think they may both require a Canadian address (they also mail you a physical card), so these might not be viable solutions.  Also, with both, the easiest way to reload them is via e-Transfer, which implies you have a Canadian bank account, so again, this makes this route a non-starter.

 

Seems like the xoom.com mobile reload or recharge.com options are probably the easiest online way to reload from anywhere, using accepted international forms of payments...


I believe you can use them with PayPal as they are also a bank account so you can move money to them for free (under certain conditions) or as a credit card, which means you can move it for .25 cents. 

Vanilla card may be cheapest of prepaid cards as it had only initial cost (I was told I never used it myself so u can't get my life on that statement) but beware myvanolla won't work

CalgaryBen
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@darlicious wrote:

There some new online bank/ cards now you can probably get....i know @CalgaryBen mentioned one of them.....lets see if his bat signal works?!!!


You're probably referring to KOHO Visa or STACK MC.  Both are like pre-paid credit cards, but no fees to reload.  You can download respective apps and apply for accounts within the app, but I think they may both require a Canadian address (they also mail you a physical card), so these might not be viable solutions.  Also, with both, the easiest way to reload them is via e-Transfer, which implies you have a Canadian bank account, so again, this makes this route a non-starter.

 

Seems like the xoom.com mobile reload or recharge.com options are probably the easiest online way to reload from anywhere, using accepted international forms of payments...

@Courtneyclairem  Yes I mentioned the fees are high. If your account is suspended because you just had a renewal your best bet is purchasing a voucher at a shell gas station to load onto your account. If you can get as close to the amount to renew your plan but having $5 extra never hurts in case you need to use an extra $1 to kick start the account into accepting your payment.  Don't worry about that its unlikely to happen but it's good to have that in your pocket. Get your plan going again then you have another month to get a card figured out. There some new online bank/ cards now you can probably get....i know @CalgaryBen mentioned one of them.....lets see if his bat signal works?!!!

Hi @Courtneyclairem 

You can go into gas station and get the voucher just to have your account back working. You can load the funds either through self-serve or by dialing 611 from your phone (even if it's suspended 611 should be ok)

I also sent you a private message with a link to another card that has no fees for loading. 

Courtneyclairem
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

**bleep**, nevermind. Just saw the card costs $15 and $3 every recharge with $3 monthly fees. 

Courtneyclairem
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Would I be able to use it online, it says this on their site:

1) In order to use your Card in stores and to access cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), you need to activate your Card and get a Personalized Identification Number (PIN). To obtain your PIN and activate your Card, call 1-844-590-8876 toll-free and follow the steps below

But I won't be able to do that until I recharge my plan (as it has expired).

Anonymous
Not applicable

@darlicious wrote:

The few prepaid cards that are accepted by pm have certain conditions associated wth them and like the canada post visa very high usage fees.


I wouldn't say usage fee per se. It's more like an up-front cost for the privilege. The beauty of them is that you don't have to register them so you can use them basically anonymously. The only other "condition" that I can think of as being anything resembling a problem is the expiry. Just like any real cc. The one I'm currently on expires in 2023. Not worried.

@Courtneyclairem  Vouchers are the best way to go until you can establish a bank account and address in canada. The few prepaid cards that are accepted by pm have certain conditions associated wth them and like the canada post visa very high usage fees. Vouchers are widely available with some retailers offering instant top ups as well. Vouchers are like cash and are easily loaded onto your account thru self serve or dialing 611. Keep in mind some vouchers take 24 hours to load and be valid for entry onto your account. Shell gas station vouchers are almost instantly valid and very convenient as they are widely available and most are open 24 hours.

Stay safe

Courtneyclairem
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks 🙂 Do the vouchers include data? 

yanzhiqiang
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

Yes, buy vouchers is the easiest way to go.


@147249238 wrote:

Yesterday I opened a new account number. I cannot use international credit cards. Hope it helps you.


That's because they're not accepted. From early in the thread, only credit cards from Canada and the U.S. are accepted.

147249238
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Yesterday I opened a new account number. I cannot use international credit cards. Hope it helps you.

iPhoneUser
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

@Courtneyclairem wrote:

Hey guys, 
I don't have a canadian bank account yet (haven't got a job here yet so not getting one, also changing states in 3 weeks so waiting then to get a bank account so this is not a solution) and tried to pay online with my Australian account but it failed twice. Can you only pay online with a canadian bank account or is there another way? 
Thanks


1. Where are you living now....Canada or USA or Australia?

2. Do you have an American credit card? If yes, what one Visa etc etc ?

3. Do you have an American and Canadian address?

4. If you are in Canada, you can buy a voucher. 

cavemantoronto
Mayor / Maire

@Courtneyclairem wrote:

Hey guys, 
I don't have a canadian bank account yet (haven't got a job here yet so not getting one, also changing states in 3 weeks so waiting then to get a bank account so this is not a solution) and tried to pay online with my Australian account but it failed twice. Can you only pay online with a canadian bank account or is there another way? 
Thanks


Bank account not an option even with Canadian account. Public doesn't allow online banking payment. Payment can come from bank account but only if you're using a Visa Debit card and you give that number to Public Mobile.

iPhoneUser
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

236A099E-D058-47AD-9C2B-F7D2730E8B0C.jpeg

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Courtneyclairem wrote:

Hey guys, 
I don't have a canadian bank account yet (haven't got a job here yet so not getting one, also changing states in 3 weeks so waiting then to get a bank account so this is not a solution) and tried to pay online with my Australian account but it failed twice. Can you only pay online with a canadian bank account or is there another way? 
Thanks


Canadian or US issued Visa, Mastercard, Amex with a Canadian or US billing address.

Visa Debit, unofficially Mastercard Debit but I'm not certain of which bank or address.

Some prepaid "credit" card gift cards. Yes the CanadaPost or Vanilla cards are known to work.

Vouchers bought in stores or online.

Stay safe

totalUser
Mayor / Maire

Not every prepaid card will work, you better search community for discussions about them. I heard myvanilla will not work, but vanilla will. 

totalUser
Mayor / Maire

You can buy vouchers in had stations. You can also use vanilla prepaid card and with that you can get autopay reward too as you can register for autopay

ChuckYeah
Mayor / Maire

No, I believe it's Canada or US address only. You can use payment vouchers or try a Prepaid Visa, a few kinds work I understand. This one should be available at your local Canada Post Office.screenshot-www.myprepaidcard.ca-2019.12.13-23_26_31.png

 

Joe_Lau
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

According the the rules during sign up, it has to be credit card to a Canadian address, 

 

However, it also says that it will accept prepaid credit cards, so I would suggest you head to a local store to purchase a prepaid credit card, and use that as part of the sign up, to qualify for automatic payment discount. 

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