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Bishopstown Credit Union Limited Prepaid Card 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 and the authorised user of the Prepaid Card. "We", "us" or "our" means Newcastle Building Society, Newcastle Card Solutions Limited or DCR Strategies Inc acting on its behalf. “Website” means the website at www.creditunionni.co.uk

1.         Your Prepaid MasterCard® Card

You can use the Prepaid Card / E-Money Account at any location that displays the 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 linked to your credit union share account. You will not earn any interest/dividend on any funds loaded on your Prepaid Card. However, you must be a member of a credit union affiliated to the Irish League of Credit Unions to avail of this card and your membership of the credit union is subject to the Rules of the credit union.

2.         Applying for and activating your Prepaid Card

To apply for our Prepaid Card you must be invited to participate in the program by your credit union and be at least 16 years old and have the right to reside in the UK. We will require evidence of who you are and your 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 signature strip on the back of the Prepaid Card as soon as it is received. Please refer to www.creditunionni.co.uk for all Prepaid Card loading options, or refer to the “Loading your Prepaid Card” section below.

We reserve the right to refuse to issue, activate or load a Card at Our discretion.

By using the Prepaid Card you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

3.         Loading your Prepaid Card

Upon receipt, your funds will be available for use without delay. Funds can be loaded to your Prepaid Card at the credit union where you purchased the card subject to the credit union’s continued participation in the program.

Your Prepaid Card cannot be loaded more than two times in any one day. We reserve the right to refuse to accept any particular loading transaction.

A Load/Reload Fee may apply for each load/reload that you make.


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 our Fees section below for details of our fees.

The Prepaid Card belongs to us. We may ask you to stop using your Prepaid Card and return it to us or destroy it. We may at anytime suspend, restrict or cancel your Prepaid Card or refuse to issue or replace a Prepaid Card for reasons relating to the following:

·                     we are concerned about security of your account or Prepaid Cards we have issued to you;

·                     we suspect your account is being used in an unauthorised or fraudulent manner;

·                     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.

Like other payment cards, we cannot guarantee a retailer will accept your Prepaid Card. We may also refuse to pay a transaction:

·                     if we are concerned about security of your Prepaid Card or we suspect your Prepaid Card is being used in an unauthorised or fraudulent manner;

·                     If sufficient funds are not loaded on your Prepaid Card at the time of a transaction to cover the amount of the transaction and any applicable fees;

·                     if there is an outstanding Shortfall on the Prepaid Card in accordance with condition 12;

·                     if we have reasonable grounds to believe that you are acting in breach of this agreement;

·                     if we believe that a transaction is potentially suspicious or illegal (for example, if we believe that a transaction is being made fraudulently); or

·                     because of errors, failures (whether mechanical or otherwise) or refusals by merchants, payment processors or payment schemes processing transactions.

If we refuse to authorise a transaction, we will, if practicable, tell you why immediately unless it would be unlawful for us to do so. You may correct any information we hold and which may have caused us to refuse a transaction by contacting us on +44 844 504 7811.

5.      Authorising Transactions

Subject to the features of the particular Prepaid Card, the authorisation of a transaction can include authorising any single transaction, a series or recurring transactions (including transactions for an indefinite period) or pre-authorising future transactions of a certain or uncertain amount.

A Prepaid Card transaction will be regarded as authorised by you where you;

·                     authorise the transaction at the point of sale by following the instructions provided by the merchant or retailer to authorise the transaction, which may include:

a)      entering your PIN or providing any other security code;

b)     signing a sales voucher;

c)      providing the Prepaid Card details and/ or providing any other details as requested;

d)     waving or swiping the Prepaid Card over a card reader

·                     insert a Prepaid Card and enter your PIN to request a cash withdrawal at an ATM;

·                     make a request for a cash advance at any bank counter;

Authorisation for a transaction may not be withdrawn (or revoked) by You after the time it is received.

·                     any transaction which is agreed to take place on a date later than the date is was authorised as long as notice was provided no later than the close of business on the business day before it was due to take place;

·                     direct debits if they are to occur after the date of the withdrawal

We may charge you a fee if a transaction is revoked by you under this condition or for transactions refused due to insufficient funds.

Funds to cover the authorised transactions received by us will be paid over to the merchant acquirer within 3 days following the receipt by us of the instruction to make payment. A transaction (the payment order) will be received as follows:

·                     for purchases and ATM transactions, at the time we receive the transaction instruction from the merchant acquirer or ATM operator;

·                     for other transactions which are communicated directly to us, at the time you ask us to complete the transaction.

·                     If, in relation to;

a)     purchases and ATM transactions, we receive the transaction instruction from the merchant acquirer or ATM operator; or

b)    other transactions communicated directly to us, you ask us to complete the transaction after 3pm, the transaction instruction or request will be deemed to have been received by us on the following business day.

6.     Cancellation and expiry of your Prepaid Card

This agreement will continue indefinitely unless terminated. You have a legal right to cancel your Prepaid Card up to 14 days after you receive the Prepaid Card without being charged the Redemption Fee. this 14 day period is known as the “Cooling-Off Period”. Under these terms and conditions, you also have the right to cancel your Prepaid Card at any time after the 14 day Cooling-Off Period without notice and any funds remaining on your Prepaid Card will be returned to you within 5 days subject to satisfactory checks being completed. We may also cancel your agreement for any reason by giving you at least 2 month's notice:

·                     if this agreement or your card expires on a set date and we have not agreed to renew this Agreement;

·                     if you break an important part of this agreement, or repeatedly break the agreement and fail to resolve the matter in a timely manner;

·                     if you act in a manner that is threatening or abusive to our staff, or any of our representatives;

·                     if you fail to pay fees or charges that you have incurred or fail to put right any shortfall;

·                     in the event of your death

·                     in the event you cease to be a member of a credit union participating in the program.

·                     in the event that the program is terminated.

We may also cancel this agreement or suspend your card or account immediately if we believe your Prepaid Card is deliberately being used by you to commit fraud or for other illegal purposes. If we do this we will tell you as soon as we are permitted to do so.

If we cancel your Prepaid Card 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.

If your Prepaid Card is cancelled, we will immediately block your Prepaid Card 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 at service@trucash.com, or phone us at +44 844 504 7811and 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 Rights to Redemption of Funds and Refunding of Transactions on your Prepaid Card” section below for further information. A Redemption Fee may be charged (see 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.

Shortly before expiry of your Prepaid card, we will contact you to ask whether you require a replacement card. If you promptly confirm to us that you wish to receive a replacement card, then subject to receiving acceptable evidence of identity from you, we will issue a replacement card before expiry of your card.

Your Prepaid Card will be valid for 3 Years. When it expires, unless we are told otherwise and if the program is still in effect and your credit union is participating in the program. We will issue you with a replacement prepaid card and deduct the cost of replacement from the available balance of Your Card. If the available balance of your Card is not sufficient to cover the costs for the replacement Card, the Card will not be issued.

7.     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 itIf you are issued with a PIN, you must keep it secret at all times. You should memorise the PIN, destroying the notification and never disclose the PIN or security information to anyone. If you suspect that someone else knows your PIN, you should change it as soon as possible. You can change your PIN to something more memorable at most ATM machines by following the on screen instructions.

We recommend that you check the balance on your Prepaid Card regularly online at the Website. We will provide you with your Prepaid Card balance and a statement of recent transactions either by electronic means or on our secure webpage at any time. Your statement will show:

·                     information relating to each Prepaid Card transaction which will enable it to be identified;

·                     the amount of the Prepaid Card transaction shown in the currency in which the transaction was paid or debited to the account;

·                     the amount of charges for the transaction

·                     the date the transaction is authorised or posted on to the account.

8.     Lost and stolen Prepaid Card and unauthorised or incorrectly executed payments

You must tell us without undue delay by calling us on our 24 hour lost and stolen card helpline +44 844 504 7811 if you know or suspect that a Prepaid Card is lost or stolen or that the PIN or password is known to an unauthorised person or if you think a transaction has been incorrectly executed. If you ask us to do so, we will investigate any disputed transaction or misuse of your Prepaid Card and we may need more information and assistance from you.

Provided you notify us and you have not acted fraudulently or with gross negligence we will refund the amount of any transactions which our investigations show are not authorised by you.

However, if the investigations show that any disputed transaction was authorised by you, or you have acted fraudulently or with gross negligence (for example by failing to keep your Prepaid Card or PIN secure), we will not refund the transaction amount and will charge you a fee of up to £50.00 for any loss we suffer because of the use of the Prepaid Card.

9.     Our liability

We will not be liable for any loss arising from:

·                     any cause which results from abnormal or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, consequences which would have been unavoidable despite all our efforts to the contrary; or

·                     a retailer refusing to accept your Prepaid Card; or

·                     our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;

·                     loss or corruption of data unless caused by our wilful default.

We are also not liable for:

·                     business interruption, loss of revenue, goodwill, opportunity or anticipated savings;

·                     any indirect or consequential loss.

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.

10.  Your Right to a Refund

The Funds on your Prepaid Card

Redeeming the funds on your Prepaid Card

You have the right to redeem the funds on your prepaid card at any time in whole or in part. To do so, please either send us an e-mail using the "contact us" facility on the Website, or contact us by telephone during normal opening hours – telephone no. 4800010) requesting redemption and indicating the amount to be redeemed.

If you request redemption of all funds on your Prepaid Card, please confirm in writing that you have destroyed your Prepaid Card by cutting it up. When we process your redemption request, we may require you to provide us with documents such as identification so that we may process your request in accordance with legal requirements. We may also charge a redemption fee if one of the following circumstances applies:

  • You are requesting redemption before termination or expiry of this agreement;
  • You cancel this agreement before any agreed termination or expiry date; or You request redemption more than one year after the date of termination or expiry of this agreement.

Please see section 12 for a summary of fees including redemption fees.

We will not redeem the value of the funds on your card to you if your request for redemption of funds is more than six years after the date of termination or expiry of this agreement.

Refunding Transactions

You may be entitled to claim a refund in relation to transactions where:

·                     the transactions was not authorised under this agreement;

·                     we are responsible for a transaction which was incorrectly executed and notified to us in accordance with section 8 above;

·                     a pre-authorised transaction did not specify the exact amount at the time of its authorisation and the amount charged by a supplier is more than you or an additional Prepaid Cardholder could reasonably have expected taking into account normal spending patters on the Prepaid Card or the circumstances of the transaction.

·                     A claim for a refund in the circumstances set out above will not be accepted if the amount of the transaction was made available to you at least 4 weeks before the transaction date or it is made more than 8 weeks after being debited to your account.

11.  Changes to these Terms

We may change these terms at any time by notifying you by e-mail or other agreed means at least 2 months before the change is due to take effect. The up-to-date version of the Prepaid Card terms and conditions will always be available on the Website. The change will automatically take effect and you will be taken to have accepted the notified change unless you tell us that you do not agree to the change. In that event, we will treat that notice as notification that you wish immediately to terminate. In such circumstances we will refund any balance on the card in accordance with section 10 above and you will not be charged a Refund Fee.

We may make immediate changes to the exchange rate used to convert foreign transactions into Sterling.

12.  The Fees

We do not charge any fees for checking your on-line balance and transactions. We will deduct any applicable fees from the available balance on the Prepaid Card as soon as they become payable by You. For the complete fee schedule pertaining to the use of the Prepaid Card, please refer to the Fee Schedule as it is outlined in the brochure insert or visit www.creditunionni.co.uk or contact your credit union for details. Where quarterly service charges are billed to Your credit union account and there are insufficient funds in Your credit union account, at the request of the credit union, We may suspend your account until you pay this charge or We may deduct the amount of the charge from Your card balance.

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, text, or post, at least two months before any changes take effect. Authorisation will be requested for all transactions at the time of each transaction. In the unlikely event, for any reason whatsoever, a transaction is completed 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, or 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 and any additional Prepaid Cards connected to you. In addition, we reserve the right to charge you an Administration Fee for each transaction that you make using your Prepaid Card that results in a Shortfall or increases the Shortfall amount on your Prepaid Card.

13.  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 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.

14.  Data Protection

In purchasing the Prepaid Card 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 the 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.

15.  Disputes with Retailers

If you have any disputes about purchases made using your Prepaid Card, you should settle these with the person 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.

16.  Communication

If you have an enquiry relating to your Prepaid Card, You can send an email to Us at service.trucash.com. We will endeavour to deal with Your inquiry promptly. Alternatively You can call our Customer Service telephone line at +44 844 504 7811. Call cost 5p per minute from a fixed BT landline. Call costs from other networks may vary.

17.  Complaints

The Prepaid Card programme is managed by DCR Strategies Inc. If you are unhappy in any way with your Prepaid Card or the way it is managed, tell us by sending an email to service@trucash.com or calling Us at +44 844 504 7811 so we can investigate the circumstances for you. 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: +44 845 080 1800 and e-mail: enquiries@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

18.  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. 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.

19.  Assignment

We may assign the benefit and burden of these terms and conditions to another company at any time, on giving you 2 month’s prior notice of this. If we do this, your rights will not be affected.

20.  Transfer to a new Prepaid Card

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 2 month's notice of the new Prepaid Card arrangements and the new Prepaid Card terms and conditions. Unless you advise us within the 2 month 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.

21.  Governing Law

This Agreement is concluded in English. All communications with you will be in English. These terms and conditions will be construed in accordance with English law.

22.  Prepaid Card Issuer

Your Prepaid Card is issued by Newcastle Building Society (NBS) whose principal office is 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. NBS is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority as an issuer of e-money (registration no. 156058. Your Prepaid Card is the property of Newcastle Building Society and is not transferable to anyone else.