Pre-Paid Cards: Use Them?

Have you ever needed a credit card and for some reason couldn't or didn't want to get a major bank type card?  There were a couple of times where I wanted to give my daughter or even my father a card that could be reloaded without all the drama behind bank credit cards?  I have looked several times in the past and never actually took the step because they seemed like more work than I wanted.  I did find one that peeked my interest.  It's the Green Dot credit card since it's a card that you can use any place that takes Visa or Mastercard debit cards.  This is a great way to carry money without actually carrying cash.  I thought this would work out great for my parents.

I also found having another card to purchase products online is probably a good idea.  This way, if someone tries to process something you didn't bargain for, if the balance is low, it won't go through.  Reoccurring transactions sometimes trip me up too.  If I had something like this, I might be able to control it better as I would keep my balance lower versus coming straight out of my checking account.  I definitely see many conveniences in having one and giving one.  I know my college aged daughter would benefit as well with being able to have members of her family give her money here and there to help support her education.

During the holidays, I usually send money to my family because it's the one thing they truly need.  I don't like sending checks and I definitely don't send money.  I like gift cards but I also feel they are restrictive on the receiver.  I want to give them the gift that they can use however they want.  I feel like it's the way to go and even the Treasury Department launched a pilot program to use Prepaid Cards.  With the holidays fastly approaching, I think I will ditch the boring checks and send them prepaid cards that I can reload when I want for each occasion and give them something to smile about.  I also like the fact that if I want to give them something unexpected, I can just throw some extra money on it and surprise them later!

Have you used pre-paid cards?  If so, what do you recommend?