Of course using your own money to buy things doesn't sound much like paying by credit card, but credit cards are about more than just upfront access to cash and these days a credit card is more of a necessity than a luxury.
Since you are spending your own money and you can only spend what you load onto the card in advance, APR and repayment terms are not relevant.
But that doesn't meant these cards don't have fees, and you will potentially be charged a one-off fee to buy the card, a monthly service fee, a per transaction fee when you use the card for purchases and cash withdrawals, and a fee for each month after the card has expired until you cancel it or the available cash is nil.
The Australia Post Load&Go card is a reloadable prepaid Visa card that charges a card purchase fee of $6.95, and $0.09 per transaction and in store cash withdrawal up to a maximum of $0.99 per month.
You can reload between $20 and $999 a day in store or online at no charge up to a monthly maximum of $5000, and the daily spend limit is $999.
Similarly the Woolworths Everyday Money Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard is currently available to buy at a reduced price of $4.95.
A fee of $1 is charged for reloads less than $500, they also charge a $5 cancellation fee, and a fee of $4 per month after the card has expired until you cancel it or the available cash is nil.
Prepaid credit cards are not debit cards so they are not linked to a bank account and you can keep them entirely separate from your existing banking or credit card facilities.
There's no need for credit checks or references, you don't even need to have a bank account.
If you've got friends or family visiting from overseas it's a great way for them to be able to make local credit card purchases without incurring foreign currency transaction fees, or being subject to the vagaries of exchange rate fluctuation.
Prepaid credit cards are not designed for long term use and replacement card fees plus fees after the card has expired will catch you out if you're not careful.
If you want a credit card for the long term that only access funds you already have then a debit card is a better option.
But if you are planning a weekend away shopping and you want to stick to a budget, or you are planning a longer break and you don't want to risk losing your credit cards on the beach, then a prepaid credit card is a useful tool.