CashX is the first pre-paid Visa card that enables online payments wherever Visa-branded cards are accepted. CashX cards are currently available through select retail outlets in the southwest United States, including 96 Giant gas stations and on campus at Arizona State University. CashX cards will soon be available on the CashX Web site as well. Based out of Scottsdale, Arizona, CashX began operations in 1999 in partnership with Total System Services, Columbus Bank and Trust, and Visa USA to provide the prepaid card issuance and processing platform as an alternative to traditional credit, debit, and charge cards.
CashX cites these benefits to using the cards:
- Buying power - shop everywhere online that accepts Visa
- Simplicity - easy to get and easy to use
- Security - protection against credit card fraud
- Savings - great deals with coupons, sales, and specials
- Flexibility - shop with CashX from any computer
- Privacy - online statements only, purchase history remains private
How CashX Works
Users can purchase a CashX card at a participating retailer or via the CashX Web site (in the future) in $20, $50, or $100 denominations. Once purchased, users then visit the CashX Web site to activate their cards and establish a new account or transfer the value from the new card into their existing online account at CashX. Because there's no account number or cardholder name imprinted on the cards, there's little fear that they can be used if they're lost or stolen (unless they were not yet activated).
To use the cards for online payments, users log in to their CashX account online with their pre-established ID and password to obtain their Virtual Visa account number and expiration date. Once they obtain their CashX Digital Visa account number from their online account, they can copy and paste the number into a merchant's Web form for Visa payments or type it in, along with shipping information for their orders. Since CashX is set up like any other Visa card, no changes to a merchant site are needed for acceptance.
Children under 18 require parental assistance with creating a new CashX account and parents are given supervisory rights over the account to review transaction details and account balances.
See the figure below for a graphical view of the CashX acquisition and payment process.
The CashX System
Holders of a CashX account can recharge the value in their accounts by purchasing additional cards from their retailer, or in the future, be able to add value to their accounts with a credit card through an interface provided on the CashX site. Customer servicing is also available via the CashX Web site through a live chat feature, or E-mail. CashX also provides telephone support during normal business hours.
For more information about CashX, visit the CashX Web site.
