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Black Friday Deals: How to Shop on US Sites Without a Credit Card

Black Friday Deals: How to Shop on US Sites Without a Credit Card

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 25 November 2016 10:18 IST

Highlights

You can order from the US without credit card
Virtual debit cards are one solution
Package forwarding services also help

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are just around the corner and you're probably wondering how to make the most of all the sweet deals offered by American online stores. Like many Indians, and people in many other regions, you probably don't have a credit card and there's a chance that your bank's debit cards won't work in US-based online stores.

Even if you have a credit card, there are some stores that don't accept cards with non-US billing addresses. The situation may not be as hopeless as it seems though. There are a couple of simple workarounds that let you buy things from the US even if you don't have a credit card and get access to the best Black Friday deals.

(Also see: What is Black Friday? When is Cyber Monday? All Your Questions Answered)

Before you proceed, know that these workarounds are legal but they come with certain risks. You'll essentially be relying on a third-party service to deliver the goods to you. This means that you can't approach the retailer for service in case something goes wrong. Though we've shortlisted some services, we advise that you should check reviews online before using any of them. It's better to use a service someone you know has recommended than going for something you've never heard of just because the price is low. With that out of the way, here are some ways to order from the US without a credit card and get your hands on the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals:

Concierge services
If you are trying to order from online stores that don't ship to India, package forwarding services are one of your options. Some of these services offer concierge services. This means that they will buy these products for you in exchange for a small fee. Viabox claims that it offers this for free, and there are others such as FedEx Cross Border, and BMTFT that may charge a small fee for this. Check which of these services accepts a payment method you have access to, and proceed.

(Also see: How to Get Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals in India)

Virtual debit card
If you'd rather do the shopping yourself, getting a virtual debit card could be an option. These are prepaid cards that you can use online while buying from US retailers. Some of these let you sign up for free and accept Indian debit cards (the ones with international usage enabled) as payment method. It's not possible to load these cards via net banking from Indian bank accounts, but some of these card firms let you use a service like Western Union for money transfers.

You could get the package shipped to the warehouse of any package forwarding service and have the goods at your doorstep. There's a small fee associated with these cards as well, which is around 3 to 5 percent. Another thing to note is that these services charge you a fee if you want to withdraw money back to your account, and some may even charge you if the transaction fails or you get a refund issued to the virtual card.

(Also see: Best Black Friday Deals From Amazon, Best Buy, and Others)

Entropay and US Unlocked are two services we came across, though we don't have any experience using either. Be sure to check reviews online before you opt for either of them.

These services can help you order stuff from the US even if you don't have a credit card, or if your credit card isn't accepted at any US-based online store. Which method did you use? Let us know via the comments.

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