prepaid cards
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Skype now selling prepaid cards in Mexico, makes it easier to get unlimited calling plans
Believe it or not, prepaid cards are indeed a thing south of the US border. In fact, the majority of folks in Mexico often choose to go this route rather than sticking with some sort of monthly contract. Not surprisingly, Skype's done its homework and has taken note of this situation, as the Microsoft-owned service has announced its plans to start selling a couple of prepaid card options in Mexico. For starters, there's a 100 pesos (around $8) per-month deal which offers an unlimited calling plan to both mobile and landlines in the US, while the pay-as-you-go sheet costs 150 pesos but charges by the minute at a modest .30 pesos and includes calls to more than 170 countries. According to Skype, these cards will be available at multiple stores all over Mexico, such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, 7 Eleven and El Palacio de Hierro.
Japan's prepaid 3DS eShop cards are lovely
Along with the new denomination (basically, cash instead of "points") the 3DS eShop will use new prepaid cards. The designs for the Japanese cards have been revealed, and they're so cool, featuring Kirby, Famicom, Mario, and Zelda designs. Only time will tell if the American cards will be available in awesome, Nintendo-themed variants. Actually, we can tell too. They won't. Just a guess. These are available now in Japan, and can be used for Wii or DSi Points, or 3DS eShop currency when that service launches.
It's in the debt: Introducing the EA Sports prepaid debit card
EA Sports wants to get in your wallet. We're talking about the new EA Sports DebitSmart Visa prepaid card. It works like a lot of other prepaid debit cards: you give EA money, it puts that money on the card. However, EA is trying to sweeten the deal (paying money to use money is a deal?) through the inclusion of EA Sports Reward Points, fractions of payments made with the card that are converted to points which consumers can then use toward EA Sports purchases via EA's site. EA marketing VP Todd Sitrin calls the program "a perfect marriage of encouraging responsible spending while providing a unique reward program." History teaches us otherwise, so if you'll excuse us, we'll just be sitting in the corner, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
New ONE Power-Up game card acts as currency in 21 games
An interesting new item arrived at US Rite-Aid stores yesterday, the ONE Power-Up game card from Open Network Entertainment. The card can be purchased at Rite-Aid, and when redeemed on the ONE site, can be used for microtransactions in 21 different MMOs. So what does this have to do with us, as MMO gamers? Well, the ONE cards seem to have several advantages over regular credit card transactions. The cards will net users special perks like discounts, exclusive items, and special access to launches and promotions. This seems like a handy solution for those who don't have a credit card, or don't feel comfortable sending out their credit card information. More significantly, this could mean some big advantages to parents who don't love the idea of handing a credit card over to their MMO-playing children every time they see something in-game that they'd like to have. A fixed, prepaid amount offers less negotiating and more discipline (and could act as a handy reward). Add in the wide array of games available, perks for card users, and a lack of interest fees, and ONE might just have a winner here.
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 0 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue with a 60-day pre-paid game card.To enter, leave a comment on this post before Friday, November 14, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 13 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.We have one more giveaway coming today and it's a sweet one. The lucky winner will receive a complete BlizzCon loot bag including the Polar Bear Mount code and more!EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day through Friday!
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 1 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue with a 60-day pre-paid game card.To enter, leave a comment on this post before Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 18 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.This will be the last giveaway for today, but we have plenty more to celebrate tomorrow with the Wrath launch including a Wrath CE box, another 60-day prepaid game card and a complete BlizzCon loot bag including the Polar Bear Mount code. Now get going to those midnight launch events! And if you miss 'em, check back here for WoW Insider's coverage of midnight events across America (and Scotland!).EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day through Friday!
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 2 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue with a 60-day pre-paid game card.To enter, leave a comment on this post before Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 18 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.This will be the last giveaway for today, but we have plenty more coming between now and the Wrath launch so be sure to check back at WoW Insider often!EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day until Wrath launch!
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 3 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue with a 60-day pre-paid game card.To enter, leave a comment on this post before Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 18 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.This will be the last giveaway for today, but we have plenty more coming between now and the Wrath launch so be sure to check back at WoW Insider often!EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day until Wrath launch!
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 4 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue with a 60-day pre-paid game card.To enter, leave a comment on this post before Monday, November 10, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 18 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.This will be the last giveaway for today, but we have plenty more coming between now and the Wrath launch so be sure to check back at WoW Insider often!EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day until Wrath launch!
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 6 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue with a 60-day pre-paid game card.To enter, leave a comment on this post before Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 18 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.This will be the last giveaway for today, but we have plenty more coming between now and the Wrath launch so be sure to check back at WoW Insider often!EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day until Wrath launch!
Countdown to Wrath Giveaway: Day 7 - 60-day game time card
The Countdown to Wrath Giveaways continue, this time with a 60-day pre-paid game card. Save yourself some subscription cash with this little beauty or fire up a second account, Recruit-A-Friend and hit level 60 in 20 minutes. If you're the winner, it's up to you!To enter, leave a comment on this post before Friday, November 7, 2008 at 6pm ET. One winner will be chosen randomly and will receive a World of Warcraft 60-day pre-paid game card (valued at $30). You must be at least 18 to enter and a legal resident of the United States or non-Quebec resident of Canada. You can only enter once. Click here for complete Official Rules.This will be the last giveaway for today, but we have plenty more coming between now and the Wrath launch so be sure to check back at WoW Insider often!EDIT: Giveaway closed to further entries. We'll be contacting the winner soon. Good luck to all who entered. Be on the lookout for more contests every day until Wrath launch!
60-day cards for $20 at Circuit City
Back in the day, you could get 60 day playtime cards for $20 at Amazon, all the time. This appears to be the resurrection of that deal: the same cards are currently available for $20 at Circuit City. This is, as they say, a $30 value, assuming you normally pay the single-month rate of $15 per month. The cards are sold out online, but available for in-store pickup; click over to the site and enter your ZIP code to see if they're available in your store.Personally, I'm not going for it, because the closest Circuit City is about 15 minutes away, and also because I like to pay for a month at a time and then cancel my account. That way, if I happen not to be able to play for some amount of time after my subscription is up, it doesn't renew until I need it and go renew it manually (which takes all of two minutes), and so I save a few bucks. But for those with more regular play schedules, this looks like a good deal.[via the Bronze Kettle]
