Dish Offering Prepaid Cards

As a way to target consumers with no credit history or bad credit, EchoStar Communications Corp. is offering a prepaid-card service to would-be Dish Network subscribers.

EchoStar rolled out “Dish Now!” at the end of last year, with the prepaid cards being sold by Dish retailers. The program is similar to prepaid phone cards, and it enables customers to get Dish service without a credit card, monthly bill or contract.

A consumer can go to a Dish retailer and buy a $30 prepaid card, which will give him or her one month’s worth of “America’s Top 60” programming or the “DishLATINO” basic package, in advance. Customers can buy two cards at a time or buy a new card when their current one’s 30-day time expires.