pre-paid debit cards?

I'm headed to Vegas after Memorial Day and wanted to put away some money for my expenses. I could put the cash into my savings account, but I'm worried that I couldn't control my urge to use it before my trip. I was thinking about putting the cash into a pre-paid debit card that you find at Wal Mart, Best Buy etc.; and if I can use these cards at an ATM in a casino?

 

why not just open up a second bank account somewhere?

I have the cash saved up for our trip but don't want to rely on one bank so I'm shopping for a local credit union.

 

There are tons of fees to open a load a prepaid debit card and even more fees to try and withdraw the money in a Vegas ATM. It would be easy for regular purchases, though. And to me, it would be easier to use a debit card before a trip than it would be to use it from a savings account. I don't know if you can still find a three month CD, but that would be a way to put it where you can't touch it.

As for a second account, don't rule out online banks. They are pretty good for easy saving account rules. I don't use them for checking but they seem kinda painless for that as well.

 

I know that certain gift cards (V/MC/Amex) are NOT good in casinos. You might want to check very carefully. I tried using one at a local casino buffet (not even in the casino) a while back and they could not accept it.

 

Re:

Thank you all for the reponses. After reading your comments, I'll change my plans and just put the Vegas money into my savings account.

 

Not worth it at all, plus you can't use them for your room or rental cars up front. Only payment at the end. Just put the cash in an envelope so you don't see it in your bank account.