Prepaid is close to a legacy category in Ireland now. What people search for as “prepaid credit cards” has mostly been replaced by debit cards from e-money firms and digital banks. Revolut, Wise, N26 and Monese all issue debit, not prepaid.
What is genuinely still prepaid here in 2026: gift cards, the An Post Money Currency Card, and SWIRL.
Prepaid is not credit, and will not build a credit record
A prepaid card is not a credit card. It cannot build a credit record and will not appear on the Central Credit Register, so it will not help a future loan or mortgage application. If you are searching for a “prepaid credit card” because you have been refused credit, it solves the spending problem and not the credit problem.
Protection differs too. Bank products carry deposit guarantee cover to €100,000. E-money products do not, and One4all states this outright. Your money instead sits in a safeguarded account, segregated from the company’s own funds and protected from its creditors. Real protection, but not the same thing.
The CCPC’s own warning is worth repeating: fees on prepaid cards can be higher than for the same transactions on a debit card.
What’s actually available
An Post Money Currency Card
The strongest prepaid product in Ireland. A contactless Mastercard holding 15 currencies including sterling, dollars, Australian and Canadian dollars. No card fee, no subscription, 0% commission on foreign currency loads.
The costs sit elsewhere: 1.25% on euro top-ups and euro purchases, 1.25% capped at €8 on euro withdrawals at a post office, and a flat ATM fee per currency: €2.00 euro, £1.50 sterling, $2.50 US dollars. Spend a currency you have not loaded and the conversion costs 5.75%, worse than any Irish bank card. Minimum top-up €20, maximum balance €10,000 equivalent.
Suits: someone who loads the right currency before travelling. A poor everyday card.
SWIRL Prepaid Mastercard
Issued by EML Money DAC, authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland. The clearest “no credit check, no bank account” product on the Irish market, and SWIRL says so explicitly.
It is also expensive: a 2.95% purchase fee on the value of what you buy (minimum €0.75, maximum €2.95), Payzone top-ups at €2.99 up to €350 and €3.99 above, €1.50 flat ATM withdrawals plus the operator’s fee, and the Mastercard rate plus 5% abroad. Bank transfer top-ups are free. Leave it unused for 60 days and €3.50 a month starts.
Suits: a last resort for someone who cannot open a bank account. Before paying those fees, it is worth reading the basic bank account rules: banks in Ireland are required to offer one to a consumer legally resident in the EU who does not already hold a payment account in the State, and a refusal has to be given in writing with a reason. The CCPC sets out the conditions and the documents a bank can ask for.
One4all
Ireland’s dominant gift card, from GVS Prepaid (Europe) Limited. It runs on the Visa network but is closed-loop: participating retailers only, not everywhere Visa is accepted.
No ATM withdrawals and no cashback at the till. There is a €50 per transaction limit online under anti-money-laundering rules. Buying is free online, or €2 per card in An Post, Tesco, Circle K or Dealz, waived above €1,000. A €1.45 monthly charge starts in month 19 and runs until the balance hits zero, redeeming a balance to a bank account costs €8, and a replacement €5.
The funds themselves do not expire. The date on the card is the online expiry only. Some One4all pages still say the monthly charge starts at 12 months; the most recently updated official FAQs say 18. Assume 18 and check your own card.
Me2You and AllGo
Me2You (Paynovate SA) runs a closed-loop gift card accepted at 7,000-plus Irish retailers (me2you’s own homepage gives both 7,000 and 8,000-plus), free for 12 months then €1.40 a month, plus a prepaid Mastercard free for three months then €2.00. Its site blocks automated checking, so confirm fees before relying on them.
AllGo (EML Money DAC) is an open-loop Mastercard, so unlike One4all it works anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Sold to businesses for corporate gifting: single-load, maximum €2,500, 2.75% on non-euro transactions, €3.00 a month inactivity after 12 months, €25 to redeem a balance. Ireland’s Small Benefit Exemption, worth €1,500 across five non-cash benefits per employee a year, is why so much of this market is business-to-business.
Two products people wrongly file as prepaid: Revolut Kids and Teens (a debit card, ages 6 to 17, free for one child on Standard) and Wise (a debit card: €7 once, FX from 0.57%, ATM free to €250 a month then 2.69%, and a Belgian IBAN).
What is closed to Irish residents
Most comparison sites skip this. These dominate the search results and none will accept you from Ireland: GoHenry (UK and US only), NatWest Rooster Money (UK only; all non-UK accounts closed on 31 July 2023), nimbl (UK mainland only), HyperJar Kids, Starling Kite, Caxton, Pockit and the Travelex Money Card, all UK residents only. Currensea’s binding terms also require a UK address and UK bank account; it took a Dutch payments licence in May 2026 for EEA expansion but has announced no Irish date.
For a child’s card here the realistic choices are Revolut Kids and Teens, An Post Money Mate at €2 a month per child, or a free youth current account from Bank of Ireland, AIB or PTSB.
Stamp duty on prepaid cards
Yes, it applies. An Post states it plainly for its Currency Card: €0.12 for any ATM transaction in the Republic of Ireland, up to €5.00 a year.
The rule matches debit cards: it is triggered by ATM withdrawals, not by holding the card and not by card purchases or contactless. Never take cash from a machine and you pay nothing. Closed-loop gift cards like One4all attract none at all, because they have no ATM function.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a prepaid credit card in Ireland?
No. “Prepaid credit card” is a contradiction: a prepaid card spends money you have already loaded and involves no credit. The prepaid products here are the An Post Money Currency Card, SWIRL, and gift cards such as One4all, Me2You and AllGo.
Can I get a prepaid card with no credit check in Ireland?
Yes. SWIRL states that no credit check and no bank account are required. But it is expensive. Check first whether you qualify for a basic bank account, which is free and gives you a proper debit card.
Do prepaid cards build your credit rating?
No. They are not credit and do not appear on the Central Credit Register, which only records credit agreements of €500 and above.
Is my money safe on a prepaid card?
Protected, but not by the deposit guarantee scheme, because e-money is excluded. Your funds sit in a safeguarded account, separate from the issuer’s own money and shielded from its creditors.
Which prepaid card is best for travel from Ireland?
The An Post Money Currency Card if you load the currency before you go. If you would rather not preload, a Wise or Revolut debit card usually costs less, and N26 charges nothing on foreign card payments.
Does One4all expire?
The funds do not. The date on the card is the online expiry only, so ask for a free replacement to reach the balance. A €1.45 monthly charge from month 19 does drain an unused card over time.