Nowadays, almost every big store you visit has its version of stored value card. Starbucks card witnessed huge success in the last two years and McDonald's is testing its stored-value card in some markets now. This week, CardWeb reports that United Airlines will jump the same bandwagon on February 1 by launching its United Elite Prepaid Travel Card.

The benefit of the United card: by prepaying $5,000 to $20,000, you may entitle yourself to Premier, Premier Executive or 1K level in United MileagePlus's elite status ladder. Plus, you can get 5% discount for your United consumptions paid by the card.

But, do you really need a prepaid card from United? Think about:

- Unlike Starbucks or McDonald's, which you may visit every couple of days, can you predict the next time you will use United?
- If you love hte 5% discount, are you sure United can always provide the cheapest fare for your next trip? What if Northwest or JetBlue can beat United's price by 20%?
- Your prepaid card consumption is not regulated by credit card rules. Do you want to be at the mercy of United if you run into a dispute with United itself?
- United is still trying to dig itself out from the bankruptcy. With another price war undergoing, what if United needs to close the door? (Hint: you probably will get nothing from United if it shuts the door.)

Now, if you are a frequent United flyer, you really like the company, and you believe you can use $5,000 or $20,000 worth of United service in no time, good luck to you. Before you purchase the United prepaid card, get yourself a Citi® Driver's Edge® Platinum Select® Card and use it to purchase the United prepaid card to get another 5% off.