Hard to Distinguish Between Debit & Prepaid Cards (Colour)

Just received my Monzo CA card and can’t wait to start using it. Only problem is I’d like to keep my pre-paid card for holidays / budgets / nights out…

It’s a minor thing, but the two look identical when tucked away in the slots in my wallet! Any thoughts of some other differentiating design factor on the new debit cards that sits at the top of the card to help me remember which one to pull out?!

FYI… The prepay system will more than likely be retired by the end of the year, so doubtful that they will change card designs this late in the game.

However, looks like the ability to separate funds (holidays / budgets / nights out) will be available in app…

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don’t know if you’ve noticed but they are both different colours; the debit card is a lighter hot coral than the prepaid.

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That’s a shame!

Having a separate pot of money to travel with was a real selling point for me. It would be nice if there could be some balance partition feature of sorts in the current account to replace it… (@Avidfanofstuff beat me to it with your edit!)

@Intrepid Strange - mine as as Identical colour as my eyes can make out!

@CalA it’s not obvious at first but side by side there are subtle differences (with mine)

  • debit slightly lighter colour
  • debit white print and mastercard logo clearer (better defined edges)
  • debit raised numbers have a finer and better quality white print
  • debit chip is more defined with clear dark spaces
  • debit on rear better quality hologram and finer white print

To me it looks like they were made in different machines :wink:

Hmm, see my comparison below, this is Monzo Beta card from January, and first gen debit card (July) together:
CameraZOOM-20170731170105311

@Intrepid Debit card has a darker colour than prepaid in my case. :wink: But colours are different, slightly indeed, just not everyone can really spot the difference (when taking it quickly out of the wallet and without magnifying glass).

At least we don’t have ‘The Dress’ problem.

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@Avishai yes, the dress is what i was thinking

I find mine different enough :smiley:

Not sure if my first card has just faded lots though.
mondo_monzo

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Just a suggestion…
I received my Monzo card today, and it looks identical to the prepaid debit card! Maybe it would be useful to do more to differentiate them? I realise the prepaid debit card will be gone in the future, but it’s a bit confusing right now!
Thanks,
James

They’re actually a slightly different colour, and of course one has your name and one doesn’t.

I just removed the prepaid from my wallet once I’d emptied it, as it wasn’t needed any more.

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Or just place one card upside down in your wallet. The pre-pay card will be dead by the end of the year anyway.

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Yeah I quite like the outrageous colour :stuck_out_tongue:

How long did it take your card to arrive after you ordered it? I’m itching to get started.

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You are right they look similar, but they are not identical. The prepaid card is being withdrawn so there is no point changing the design as that is occurring very soon. I kind of stopped using the prepaid card once I got the debit card.

Helpful differences between the two cards:

  • My prepaid card states ‘PREPAID’ on it and my debit card states ‘debit’ on it.
  • My prepaid card has an account number on it, by debit card doesn’t (new ones have your name on it).
  • My prepaid card starts 5355 and my debit card starts 5354.
  • The newer version of the debit card has the new MasterCard logo; the prepaid card doesn’t? ** (not 100% on this one).
  • My prepaid card has more text on the back than the debit card.
  • My prepaid card looks battered through months of use, my debit card looks kinda newish.
  • As someone stated, a subtle colour difference.
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Just a couple of days!

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All very valid differences but none occur in the top 5mm I can see when stacked in my wallet :frowning:

As @Ganey mentioned the colour difference might just be down to fading - mine are both still relatively fresh…

I think this idea of pots my be the solution to separate cards though - onwards and upwards!

Jamie made a pretty good suggestion - Placing it upside down (or hiding it away in your wallet) should help for now until they’re made completely redundant.

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When faced with problems such as this, I really do wonder how some people get on in life? :grimacing:

And we’ve had this discussion, before, here: Current account card colour and accessibility

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Why don’t you just colour in the M of the prepaid card with a market pen or something (not sure if this is strictly allowed but can see why not)

Also is it really that much of an issue? Just put it in a different section of your wallet or have debit in front of prepaid there are loads of solutions

I bet when the monzo team came up with a list of potential issues when releasing the current account they could never imagine this level of nitpicking

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@tristan hello - just some quick feedback for you about the card colour (which we all LOVE!)
I have a friend with a Monzo debit card who is reluctant to switch to the current account because he’s worried the card might be a different colour. Now I’ve got my current account, I can let him know that the current account card is the same colour, but it might be something you could shout about to other users who are yet to switch. Hope this helps :slight_smile:

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