Alot of the banks in the US are now offering these cards for use with checking accounts.
Yes. There are also the ``secured'' credit cards where one deposits X dollars into the issuing bank and is allowed 1.5 * X in credit. Many of these will promote to ``real'' credit cards after a year or some specific amount of charging that's been paid back on time (usually about $1000). These are a godsend for those who've gone bankrupt; as such I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the issuers didn't even bother to do a credit check until the card promotes, if at all. If this is the case, what's to stop someone from filling out the application under a pseudonymous identity with a mail drop as the contact address?
I think they should. If they would is another matter. It would be similar to having a 'secret' Swiss bank account that can be accessed from anywhere in the world, converted to cash at cash machines, transferred to others, etc.
It's a great idea - at last year's Siggraph convention I needed to stay in contact with an associate 24 hours a day if need be. I discovered that in the Kinko's in the Orange County Convention Center there's a cellular phone rental machine, but it took credit cards and the people at the desk wouldn't let me rent one without one - even though I offered to leave my ID and a sizable deposit. I'm technically not old enough to get a credit card, and regardless of that fact when I spoke to someone at Barnett Bank about getting one and listed my occupation as 'Consultant' she laughed in my face. Solution: I got a secured card from a bank in Vermont. They have $500 of my money in an account, and I have a card with a $500 limit in my father's name.
If there was an Anonymous Visa debit card I'd defiantly go for it. It would certainly keep those marketing types from tracking my spending patterns.
Without a doubt. I wonder, again, if the issuing bank even _cares_ who you are if you get one of these secured cards. There was discussion here about debit/secured cards some time ago - anyone remember the upshot of the discussion? -jon ( --------[ Jonathan D. Cooper ]--------[ entropy@intnet.net ]-------- ) ( PGP 2.6.2 keyprint: 31 50 8F 82 B9 79 ED C4 5B 12 A0 35 E0 9B C0 01 ) ( home page: http://taz.hyperreal.com/~entropy/ ]---[ Key-ID: 4082CCB5 )