Prepaid credit cards for those without bank accounts and teens without self-control have been available in the United States for years. Now, Visa New Zealand, in cooperation with that country's postal service, is taking the concept to a new level that promises a measure of protection from online identity theft, but also the prospect of abuse by young people looking to access adult services, and criminals needing a cloak of anonymity.

Moreover, Visa says these prepaid cards are becoming a "de facto" means of conducting commerce online. The company is anticipating the market for them will move well beyond gift-giving and those who otherwise cannot get regular credit cards.

Whether this evolutionary change in prepaid cards will be moving to a post office or convenience store near you is a question I couldn't get Visa USA to answer.

Called the "Prezzy Card," New Zealanders may buy them preloaded with an amount between $25 and $500 at any postal outlet - without providing any identification or proof of age. Although cash purchases are limited to $100, the stipulation seems little deterrent to an individual interested in amassing a kitty of untraceable online currency.

From a New Zealand press report: "[Visa's] New Zealand country manager Iain Jamieson says it is already clear that prepaid Visa cards have a far wider market and are emerging as a 'de facto' tool for online shopping. Customers key in the number and expiry date on the card when buying online, as with a standard credit card, and type "prezzy card holder" into the name field, if required. NZ Post has so far sold 40,000 Prezzy Cards, and more than 10 percent of the transactions have been online purchases, Jamieson says. About 5 percent of standard credit card transactions are made online."

In the United States, parental controls are not only a staple of prepaid credit card programs, such as Payjr Prepaid MasterCard and Visa Buxx; they are marketed to parents as a primary justification for caving in to a child's craving for plastic. If teens can load their allowance and after-school job earnings onto plastic that is free from any oversight by Mom and Dad, one would guess that such an arrangement would prove popular with young people - if not their parents.