Pre paid debit cards

[maryjoan]

When my partner was moving into supported living, I set up a prepaid debit card for his pocket money.

I was to load it every Monday with a set sum for him to spend.

It seemed easy.

I texted him every morning telling him how much was available to spend.

But he consistently tried to spend more than was on the card - obviously not understanding/following what it was about.

Because of over 30 declined transactions the card has now been blocked by the issuer.

Has anyone got any ideas of an almost fool proof way of letting the poor chap have some pocket money?

HIs daughter lives nearby and I suggested paying money into her account for her to draw on and give to her dad each week - but she says she does not feel comfortable doing this. She has never acknowledged the extent of her father's dementia.

 

[Sarasa]

Could you contact the issuer @maryjoan and explain why your partner keeps on trying to spend more on the card than he has? Maybe they can be flexible about unblocking it. It does sound like he maybe he needs his family to keep a closer eye on his spending.
I'm sure others will be along shortly with some better suggestions.

 

[Helly68]

@maryjoan - I have followed your story for a while and admire your strength and efforts so far. This is a difficult situation. I think you may have to allow the card to "fail" and someone living nearer to him (I seem to remember he was moving closer to his family) needs to support him. It sounds to me as though the time for a debit card has passed, but as you say, this may be very hard for family members to accept. However, this is a practical problem, and it seems to me that someone, other than you, needs to come up with a solution. I would try and take a step back here if you can. You have tried using the card and this has not worked. Very hard to do though.
Does the supported living have any kind of system where they could hold money for him? I am guessing not, but might be worth looking into.

 

[fromnz123]

Hi @maryjoan, would you consider using a GoHenry card or something similar? Its normally for children/young people, but their website says to get in touch and they may consider an adult with additional needs.
It enables you to put caps on spending, and limits on withdrawing cash. It also triggers an alert when its being used, there is a record of where the money is being spent.