Sony has told CVG this morning that it currently has no plans to release pre-paid PlayStation Network cards in Europe.
Unless you're packing plastic, you won't be able to download and buy things from PS3's PlayStation Store.
In Japan the solution is to offer consumers the chance to buy a pre-paid top-up card form a number of retail outlets that'll give you a code to enter via PS3 to get hold of your funds.
We spoke to Sony this morning and were told, "We have no plans to release the PSN cards in Europe at this time."
If we remember correctly, a similar issue arose when Xbox Live first launched in Europe. You needed a credit card during the sign-up process for security reasons. People who didn't have access to one were a bit stuck as far as getting on Microsoft's online gaming service was concerned.