Although most banks and prepaid card issuers prefer that you provide your Social Security number when you activate your account, they understand that an applicant may not always have one. In these cases, you can provide an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (or ITIN), an Alien Number (or A-Number), or your native country’s government-issued identification number. Not every prepaid card issuer will accept any of these numbers. Check with the card issuer before attempting to purchase or sign up for a prepaid card without a SSN. You can refuse to give your Social Security number to any business that requests it. But the business can then opt not to continue its transaction with you. You must give your Social Security number to continue with a transaction in some instances. This includes any sale or purchase of $10,000 or more that must be reported to the IRS. Investment purchases or sales also require a SSN, as will the purchase of insurance products, credit reporting services, and banking accounts. If a business requests your Social Security number, you can always check to see if it will accept an alternate form of identification, such as an ITIN or driver’s license number.