What is prepaid value?¶

Prepaid value is money or purchasing power loaded before use. It can move through an instrument or provider ledger without behaving like a conventional bank-account balance.

Product design determines the records¶

Prepaid value can sit on a gift card, voucher, prepaid card, transport or mobile account, wallet or merchant balance. Loading may use cash, card, bank transfer, wages, refund or other stored value. Some products verify a customer; others record limited identity.

Relevant events include purchase, loading, activation, account linkage, transfer, spending, withdrawal and expiry. Gifting, resale and shared codes can separate purchaser, registered holder and operator.

Trace funding and use as separate stages¶

Preserve product and account IDs, load records, funding source, balance history and transactions. Establish whether value was transferable or withdrawable and what verification applied.

Prepaid does not mean untraceable, but a named holder does not prove every use. Report instrument, provider balance, funding source and operator separately.