Pre-Paid Visa Cards for Europe

How about opening an account with Ally Bank online? There are no fees to open or maintain an account. They require no minimum balance, you can link it to your regular account for transfer purposes, and you get a regular ATM card. They only charge 1% foreign transaction fee for ATM withdrawals. I use my Ally account as my backup account because I can easily put money in it from my regular account. Most prepaid cards do have lots of fees, and some don't work outside the US. Ally also has a phone app that allows deposits by photographing your check.

Typing "reloadable visa card" into goolge came up with this card you can reload via paypal:

https://ww3.rushcard.com

But be aware that these cards come with all sorts of fees which add up very quickly. What I would do is continue using your current debit card overseas and simply carry emergency cash (stored in a money belt/hotel room safe) which would hold you over for four days in case of a problem again. It seems like a more simpler solution.
I use my debit card across the pond frequently, and haven't run into any problems yet. So hopefully your bad luck is behind you.

Also look at Capital One's hi=Yield Money Market Account.
Same deal, you can transfer money to it from another place online.
No ATM fees at their end.
No foreign transfer fee.
Friction for using the ATM system runs about .8% over the interbank rate.
No bank fees here on the account, and it pays interest.
This is our travel card and it's been used by our various family members in many places, with never any problem.
Also, for credit cards you might want to look at the various Cap One Mastercards, as Cap One does not charge any foreign transaction fee on foreign purchases.

You have had a run of bad luck with cards that rarely occur with anyone else. The pre-load VISA cards are not regulated in the same manner as debit and credit cards. As such they can charge more fees and hid fees in their transactions. If think the standard 3% fees charge by many credit/debit cards is absurd then you will love the 8 to 10% fees that have historically been associated with pre-paid cards. BUT, this is also a rapidly changing area as more cards come into the market with different arrangements. So read the fine print very carefully and if all of the charges are acceptable to you, then the pre-load card might work for you.

Your statement,an unscrupulous merchant decided to liquidate my checking account,implied that you were using your debit card for purchases. The standard recommendation is that you only use a debit card at a bank owned ATM and never for purchases. You should be using a credit card and not a debit card for POS purchases.

Remember, if the pre-card is compromised you have almost no rights compared to a debit or credit card. It is card issuer's policy that will governor what they do and don't do with the money on the card.

I personally would not do it but from your prior experience you might think this is a better way to go.

Frank makes a great point: you are worried about your checking account being compromised, but a Visa prepaid card could also be compromised, and you would have NO recourse. They also have much higher fees than a checking account.

In your situation, I'd open a separate checking account, just for travel, with the amount that you would otherwise put on the Visa prepaid card. If you pick the right account, the fees will be MUCH lower than a prepaid card. I use and recommend TD Bank (I don't know where you live, so I don't know if there's one nearby); their basic checking account has only a $100 minimum to avoid monthly fees, and they only charge $3 per withdrawal and don't add a percentage for the foreign transaction.

I also agree that you should use a debit card or a prepaid card only at ATM's, which are safer. Get out cash, and then use this at hotels, stores, etc (that's what I do, because even though I have a credit card, it has higher fees than my TD debit card).

nicci,

You've received lots of good advice from Frank and the others. I most definitely agree with the suggestion NOT to use your debit card for POS transactions in Europe! Most credit cards provide insurance for things like "unscrupulous merchants" and will cover your loss.

To begin with, you may want to add your home location to your Profile, as that makes it much easier to provide location-specific advice. For example, there may be someone from the HelpLine living in your area, that knows of a good financial institution to use.

As the others have pointed out, the pre-pay VISA cards may look good, but their fees are often atrocious and they're not as highly regulated as more "conventional" cards.

I don't know what financial or banking products are available in your area, but generally speaking I would recommend travelling with two ATM cards (on different accounts) and two credit cards. I've found that it's always a good idea to have a backup, as I've had issues with cards in the past. That will hopefully prevent you from being without cash access for four days on future trips.

With the ATM cards, note that your travel funds must usually be in a chequing account with a four-number PIN. In many cases, European ATM's will only access the "primary" account, which is usually chequing. You can check with your Bank to determine which is your "primary" account. I should add however that on my trip this year, a few ATM's were allowing access to either a savings or chequing account (but in my experience, those are not common).

One other point to mention.... If you need a credit card for travel, you might have a look at the Andrews Federal Credit Union. A number of people on the HelpLine are using those, and the card is apparently a true "Chip & PIN" card which is becoming the only product accepted at an increasing number of places in Europe. Posters from the U.S. will have to provide more information on that, as my information on U.S. credit cards is limited.

Good luck finding the best solution for your travels!