A debit card @ 16?

I'm 16 but i neeeeeeed a switch, delta or visa debit card. Barclays will only give me a VISA Electron which is useless online I have found. Is anyone with a bank that give you a proper debit card at 16?

 

HSBC - they gave me a solo card without even asking me

 

/me needs a credit card to buy all the loely shiny things off matrix orbital but i dont have a job so i cant have on (my parents have forbidded a credit card & neither of them have one, we must be the only family without a credit card, got debit cards tho)

 

if u have a sufficent balance and a regular income natwest will give you a switch card... they gave me a solo at 12 .. no credit cards till you are 18.. easiest wy to get them is go to l00niversity

 

I'm pretty sure that you have to be at least 18 to get any decent cards! you can get Electron and Solo before that as they require online authorisation (checking your account for siutable funds). As a few places don't have this, but still take debit and credit cards, it is likely that the banks are unwilling to trust under 18s to manage their accounts properly!

 

I was. I got a Switch card at 15/16 with HSBC's 16 to 19 account. Thing is, I think it was a mistake

I used the £50 overdraft on it (like they told me I had) for about 6 months then one month they phoned me and said:

'Why are you £35 overdrawn on your card sir? Do you have the funds to make up this amount?'.

To which I replied 'Eh?! I've been using the overdraft for 6 months, what you on about?!'.

'I'm sorry sir, but the 16 to 19 account you are on does not have an overdraft.'

'Whatever! Just gimme a new card! This one don't work now! You cancelled it!' ...pratts.

You get the gist of it, I think you'll only get Solo at 16, just I accidently got Switch (hooray!).

 

Funny, I actually once read in a paper about a child of two who was sent a letter regarding a pre-authorised credit card. The mother sent a reply with a covering letter stating the recipients age to highlight the problem and they still sent the kid a card with a pretty large credit limit! Worth a try if you are desperate maybe!

 

the mother ****ers at dabs have decided they can't allow debit cards no more.

anyhow, yeah youre only likely to get a solo. theyre pretty usefull but watch out for charges on them

 

I dont think u'll find that they charge u for using solo, I have an advantage gold account with a switch service card, and a £100 OD if I were u I'd stick with a solo account, I always seem to be in the red with solo u cant overdraw untill your 18, so ur safe

PS. I think u have to earn about 500 squid a month for 6 months to get a switch card

 

its getting harder to live without a credit card

i dont know whats wrong with cash, my dad always uses cash, he pulled out the money from his accoutn to go & buy a 2nd hand 306 for my mother £4000, god you dotn half feel like a big man holding all that money & then he encouraged me to pay for my hifi setup all in cash, a spotty sruffy looking 18 year old smaking down a nice wedge of cash on the counter i swear the salesperson had to stop drooling to mention extended warranty, when i told him no he stopped drooling very quicklin indeed

 

Christ! I thought you were just misinformed or somethin since I only bought a new burner the other week but you're right! For cryin out loud! I bought all my hardware from dabs really

Bah...

 

just get a mom that will let you user her cc....works for me...mostly anyway.....

 

I have been using my mom's cards until now, but it's a lot simpler for the money to come straight out of my account rather than having to pay her for everything I buy.

 

I agree with Adam. I hate bugging my mom to use her Credit Card. I only use it when I have to. Like earlier, I ordered £70 worth of stuff from USA and Sweden. But when I buy stuff from the UK (which is a lot) my mom would get very annoyed with the amount of times I'd be bugging her. Plus it's a lot of hassle sorting out who owes what when the bill comes around.

 

Credit Cards are the Devil.


Thats all I really wanted to say

 

How about Cheque books. I have one i'm 16. I think they madea mistake as I've bee and and asked about getting a cheque garintee card and they said you can't have that until your 18. Oh well they don't seem to mind £100's of pound going out of my account at a time.

Get a Solo card much easier. You can get them at HSBC.

 

I have a chequebook, and so do most of my 16 year old friends. I have sent of for application forms on all of the banks' websites, I would have rather stuck with barclays though as its only 10 minutes walk from my house!

 

I doubt that other banks will give you a debit card straight away. This is becasue they have no history of your banking/spending habbits.

Also sticking with Barclays will give you a debit card but will also be visa enabled. This means you don't need a CC. HSBC, and others that give switch, only have a debit card facility and you won't beable to use them online much

Meblin

 

I am 18 and have a Visa Electron card and a cheque book. However I am considering getting a solo becuase I really want to buy stuff off Play.com but they don't accept electron.

K :: Please dude, keep it norm. Fanks

 

Natwest will give you a Switch card if you have £500+ going into your account every month. Take your pay slip with you to prove it an they'll give you it straight away. Not sure if Barclays give Visa Delta to <18's, they may do

Most other banks will just give you a Solo/Electron card.

thb