Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions apply to your Prepaid Card. You must read them carefully. In these Terms and Conditions "you" means the named Prepaid Cardholder being the authorised user of the Prepaid Card. "We", "us" or "our" means Newcastle Building Society or Altair Financial Services Limited or Pixpay Limited acting on its behalf. Website means our website at www.pixpaycard.com

1. Your Prepaid Card
You can use the Prepaid Card wherever there is a MasterCard® acceptance mark, including shops, restaurants, online, or on the telephone. You can also use your Prepaid Card overseas. Before using the Prepaid Card you need to make sure there are enough funds loaded on it. You will not be able to use your Prepaid Card after its expiry date.
Your Prepaid Card is not a credit card and is not in any way connected to your bank account. You will not earn any interest on any funds loaded on your Prepaid Card.

2. Applying for and activating your Prepaid Card
To apply for our Prepaid Card you must be at least 18 years old and a UK resident. We will require evidence of who you are and your residential address. We may ask you to provide some documentary evidence to prove this and/or we may carry out checks on you electronically.

You must sign the Prepaid Card as soon as it is received. Please refer to our Website www.pixpaycard.com to activate your card and for all card loading options, or refer to the Loading your Prepaid Card section below.

By activating the Prepaid Card you are agreeing to these Terms and Conditions.

3. Loading your Prepaid Card
Funds can be loaded on to your Prepaid Card in a number of ways: Internet top up, phone top up by SMS, cash top up at selected retail outlets, and top ups from your bank account - simply follow the instructions on the Website.

Your Prepaid Card cannot be loaded more than five times in any one day. We reserve the right to refuse to accept any particular loading transaction. Once loaded, funds will normally be available for use on the Prepaid Card within minutes.

A Load Fee shall apply for each load that you make (see The Fees section).

4. Using your Prepaid Card
Detailed instructions on how to use your Prepaid Card are found on the Website. You will need to follow these instructions when using your Prepaid Card.

We will deduct the value of your transactions from the balance on your Prepaid Card as soon as they are made. We will also deduct any applicable fees as soon as they become payable by you, see The Fees section below for details of our fees. If sufficient funds are not loaded on your Prepaid Card at the time of a transaction to cover the amount of the transaction and The Fees, the transaction will be declined.

Your Prepaid Card can only be used where the merchant requests authorisation electronically. Where authorisation is not sought, the transaction will be declined.

If you do not use your Prepaid Card for a period of six months or more, we will charge you an Inactivity Fee each month thereafter (see The Fees section below) until such time as you begin to use the card again.

5. Cancellation and expiry of your Prepaid Card
You have a legal right to cancel your Prepaid Card up to 14 days after you receive the Prepaid Card without being charged the Refund Fee. Under these Terms and Conditions, you also have the right to cancel your Prepaid Card at any time after this 14 day period. As soon as we receive your request to cancel your Prepaid Card, we will block it so it cannot be used.

You will not be entitled to a refund of money you have already spent on transactions authorised, or pending or any fees for use of the Prepaid Card before the Prepaid Card is cancelled or expires. You can cancel your Prepaid Card by sending an email to us using the Contact Us function on the Website, and confirming that you have destroyed your Prepaid Card.

If you cancel your Prepaid Card, once all transactions and fees have been deducted, we will arrange for any unused funds to be refunded to you, see "Your Right to a Refund" section below for further information. A Refund Fee will be charged (see The Fees section below) unless you have arranged to transfer any unused funds to another Prepaid Card managed by us, or you cancel your Prepaid Card within 14 days of receiving it.

We may also cancel your Prepaid Card if we suspect fraud or misuse of your Prepaid Card, if we have any other security concerns or we need to do so to comply with the law. If we do this, we will tell you as soon as we can or are permitted to do so after we have taken these steps. In these circumstances, you must tell us what you want us to do with any unused funds within 3 months of the date we tell you your Prepaid Card is cancelled.

Your Prepaid Card will be valid for 24 months. When it expires, we will automatically send you a replacement card if you have used your card within the last 6 months before the date of expiry. Any funds on your Prepaid Card will automatically be transferred to your new card. Replacement cards incur a fee (see The Fees section below.) If your card has expired and you have not received your new card please contact us.

6. Keeping your Prepaid Card secure
You should treat your Prepaid Card like cash. If it is lost or stolen, you may lose some or all of your money on your Prepaid Card, in the same way as if you lost cash in your wallet or purse. As a result, you must keep your Prepaid Card safe and not let anyone else use it. If you are issued with a PIN, you must immediately memorise it and destroy the notification. You must keep your PIN secret at all times. Do not write it down or reveal it to anyone. In no circumstances will we reveal your PIN to a third party.

If you lose your Prepaid Card or it is stolen, or you suspect that your Prepaid Card has been used by someone other than you, you must tell us immediately by calling us on our 24 hour lost and stolen card helpline +44... so we can cancel your Prepaid Card. In the event that your Card is lost, stolen or misused by someone without your permission, you may have to pay part of the loss up to a reasonable sum of any loss incurred. If it is misused with your permission you will probably be liable for ALL losses. You will not be liable for losses which take place after you have told us about the loss or theft, as long as you confirm this in writing within 7 days.

If you subsequently find the card you must not use it. Cut it in half through the signature box and magnetic strip, and, if you have a CHIP card, ensure the CHIP is cut in half.

If you ask us to do so, we will investigate any disputed transaction or misuse of your Prepaid Card and we may need more assistance and information from you. If this assistance or information is not provided then you may not be entitled to a refund.

We will refund the amount of any disputed transactions which the investigations show are not authorised by you, provided you have kept your Prepaid Card and PIN secret, you have not acted fraudulently, or acted without reasonable care. However, if the investigations show that any disputed transaction was authorised by you, or you have not kept your Prepaid Card or PIN secret, we will not refund the transaction amount and will charge you an Administration Fee (see The Fees section below).

We recommend that you check the balance on your Prepaid Card regularly online at the Website. You can see your Prepaid Card balance and recent transactions online at any time.

Your liability
In the event that you do not use your Prepaid Card in accordance with these Terms and Conditions or we find that you are using the Prepaid Card fraudulently, we reserve the right to charge you for any reasonable costs that we incur in taking action to stop you using this Prepaid Card and to recover any monies owed as a result of your activities.

8. Our liability
Like other payment cards, we cannot guarantee a retailer will accept your Prepaid Card, or that we will necessarily authorise any particular transaction. This may be because of a systems problem, something outside our reasonable control, or because we are concerned that your Prepaid Card is being misused. Accordingly, we shall not be liable in any event that a retailer refuses to accept your Prepaid Card, or if we do not authorise a transaction, or if we cancel or suspend use of your Prepaid Card. Unless otherwise required by law, we shall not be liable for any direct or indirect loss or damage you may suffer as a result of your total or partial use or inability to use your Prepaid Card, or the use of your Prepaid Card by any third party.

 9. Your right to a refund
You may request a refund of the funds on your Prepaid Card provided you have more than the minimum balance required for a refund. The minimum balance required is 5.99 (or equivalent in Euro or US Dollars, depending on the currency of your card). To do so, send us an e-mail using the "Contact Us" facility on the Website requesting a refund and confirming that you have destroyed your Prepaid Card by cutting it up. When we process your refund, we will charge a Refund Fee (see The Fees section below).

We will send a cheque to your last notified address or arrange an electronic transfer to a bank account nominated by you. However, to enable us to comply with our legal obligations, we may ask you to provide us with certain information before we can process your refund request.

10. Changes to these Terms and Conditions
You can check the up to date Terms and Conditions at all times, by visiting the Website. If we think that a change is material we will send you an e-mail and/or SMS text message at least 30 days before making the change, unless a more immediate change is required by law or other valid reason.

If you are significantly disadvantaged by any such change that we make, you may cancel your Prepaid Card in accordance with our refund policy (see section 9 above).In such circumstances you will not be charged a Refund Fee.

11. The Fees
We do not charge any fees for checking your on-line balance and transactions. Click here to view our fees. When you use your Prepaid Card at an ATM, you may also be subject to applicable fees, surcharge rules and regulations of the relevant ATM, or other financial institution or association.

If we decide to increase or impose any new fees, we will tell you by e-mail, SMS text message, or post, at least 30 days before any changes take effect.

All transactions using the Prepaid Card will be authorised at the time of the transaction. In the unlikely event, for any reason whatsoever, a transaction is authorised when there are insufficient funds on the Prepaid Card for that transaction (a "Shortfall"), the Shortfall shall be reimbursed by you unless it is due to an error on the part of the retailer where the Prepaid Card was presented. In this circumstance we may seek the Shortfall from the retailer.

You agree that once we make this Shortfall known to you, we may charge you for the Shortfall amount. We may charge the amount of the Shortfall from any other Prepaid Cards that you hold with us, to any other payment method which you may designate at that time, against any funds which you may subsequently load onto your Prepaid Card or on any additional Prepaid Card ordered by you.

Until we are reimbursed the Shortfall amount, we may suspend your Prepaid Card account and any additional Prepaid Card accounts connected to you. In addition, we reserve the right to charge you an Administration Fee (see The Fees section above) for each transaction that you make using your Prepaid Card that results in a Shortfall or increases the Shortfall amount on your Prepaid Card.

12. Your details
You must let us know as soon as possible if you change name, address, phone number or e-mail address. If we contact you in relation to your Prepaid Card, for example, to notify you that we have cancelled your Prepaid Card or to send you a refund by cheque, we will use the most recent contact details you have provided to us.

Any e-mail or SMS text message sent to you will be treated as being received as soon as it is sent by us. We will not be liable to you if your contact details have changed and you have not told us.

13. Data protection
In purchasing the Prepaid Card on the Website and using it, you agree that we can use your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Our Privacy Policy is set out on our Website, it includes details of the personal information that we collect, how it will be used, and who we pass it to. You can tell us if you don't want to receive any marketing materials from us by writing to Pixpay, P.O. Box 930, West Drayton, UB7 0EB..You have the right to inspect personal data we hold about you. To inspect any of your personal data held by us you will have to pay us an Administration Fee (see The Fees Section above).

If you wish to inspect your personal data you can contact us in any of the ways set out in the Communication section below.

14. Disputes with retailers
If you have any disputes about purchases made using your Prepaid Card, you should settle these with the retailer you bought the goods or services from. We are not responsible for the quality, safety, legality or any other aspect of any goods or services purchased with your Prepaid Card. Remember that once you have used your Prepaid Card to make a purchase we cannot stop that transaction.

15. Communication
If you have an enquiry relating to your Prepaid Card, you can use the "Contact Us" facility on the Website. We will deal with your enquiry promptly. If you do not wish to enquire in this way you can alternatively call our Customer Service telephone line on +44 (0)87.... Calls will be subject to standard operator charges only, although calls from outside the UK will vary.

16. Complaints
In the event that you are unhappy with any aspect of the Crystal card product or service, please call Customer Services on 0871 8.... We will investigate your compliant as soon as possible. You can also contact us by writing to Customer Services, Pixpay Plc, PO Box 930, West Drayton, UB8 9GR. UK. If we are unable to resolve your complaint through our internal complaints procedure, you may contact, Altair Financial Services Limited, P.O. Box 5098, London W1A 0AT. Any complaints you have will be dealt with quickly and fairly. You may be able to take unresolved complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR. Telephone: 0845 080 1800 and e-mail: enquiries@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

17. Compensation
The Prepaid Card is an electronic money product and although it is a product regulated by the Financial Services Authority, it is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. No other compensation scheme exists to cover losses claimed in connection with the Prepaid Card. If you choose to hold a balance of more than 1,000 (or equivalent in US Dollars or Euros, depending on the currency of your card) on your Prepaid Card you understand and accept the risks of holding this large amount of money.

This means that in the unlikely event that Newcastle Building Society becomes insolvent your funds may become valueless and unusable and as a result you may lose your money.

18. Assignment
We may assign the benefit and burden of these Terms and Conditions to another company at any time, on giving you at least 30 days prior notice of this. If we do this, your rights will not be affected.

19. Transfer to a new Pixpay Prepaid Card issued by a different bank
We may transfer your unused balance to a new prepaid card provided by a prepaid card issuer other than Newcastle Building Society at any time. Before we do this, we will give you at least 30 days notice of the new prepaid card arrangements and terms and conditions. Unless you advise us within the 30 day period that you do not want a new prepaid card from the new prepaid card issuer, you agree that we can automatically transfer the unused balance on your Prepaid Card to a new prepaid card provided by the new prepaid card issuer.

20. Governing law
All communications with you will be in English. These Terms and Conditions will be construed in accordance with English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

21. Prepaid Card issuer
Your Pixpay Prepaid Card is issued by Newcastle Building Society, Portland House, New Bridge Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 8AL, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (registered number 156058) as a building society and an issuer of e-money. Your Pixpay Prepaid Card is the property of Newcastle Building Society and is not transferable to anyone else.

You must sign the Prepaid Card as soon as it is received. Please refer to our Website www.pixpaycard.com to activate your card and for all card loading options, or refer to the Loading your Prepaid Card section below.

By activating the Prepaid Card you are agreeing to these Terms and Conditions.