When to reload and when to get a new card

Both options put money on a card. The difference is whether you keep the card you have.

Reload when

• Services already charge the card. Subscriptions, ad accounts and app stores keep working because the details do not change.
• You want to avoid the issue fee. A reload only carries the 15% load charge.
• The card does one job well. For example, one card for streaming, topped back up each month.

Get a new card when

• You want a separate budget. A second card keeps, say, work tools apart from personal subscriptions.
• You want a fresh number. If you think the details may have leaked, a new card gives you new details. Tell us in a ticket and we can freeze the old one.
• The card cannot be reloaded. Frozen or closed cards, or cards with a refund request open, cannot take a reload.

The cost side

A new card costs the amount, the load charge and the $5.00 issue fee. A reload costs the amount and the load charge. On $10.00 to $5,000.00, the issue fee is the only difference, so keeping fewer cards and reloading them is usually cheaper.

A simple setup

Many people keep two or three cards, each with one job written down: one for subscriptions, one for one-off shopping, one for work. They reload each card on a fixed day of the month.