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Bank Card Type . . . kinda

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Right all I have at the moment in a red clear (ish) Abbey National Card which says cash card at the top. I can only use it in the bank and at the cash machine.

I want to be able to use it in shops, and register it with paypal and buy things online with it. Can I get this kind of card yet or am I too young? If I can, what am I asking the bank for?


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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You are after a debit card. You can get debit cards if you are under 18 but they are restricted so that you can only spend the balance in your account - you can't be given credit and spend money you don't have. They are usually either a Maestro card or a Visa Electron card, depending on your bank.

    Abbey will give you a Visa Electron if you're over 16.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    HSBC will give you Solo. They won't give me a Maestro because I don't have >£750 a month going into my bank account :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Should I have automatically been sent one when I turned 16 then??

    What does this mean:

    "You want to earn 6% AER on balances up to £500. Simply pay in a minimum of £50 per month. This doesn't need to be one payment, but can be spread across the month"

    Does it mean I have to pay in 50 pounds a month to get that kind of card??


    /stupid here
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes :-)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So if I don't pay 50 pound a month in then I can't have that card?


    cos I hardly ever use it, just put cash in when I see something I want then as soon as it's in order it online!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, you won't be given a debit card unless you're going to use it so that's why they have the minimum payments in to the account. Do you spend £50 a month? If you do, even if it's not on eBay and the like then just pay that in.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I guess I might do - and soon I will be getting a full time wage going in so mmmm.

    Will they look at how much I have had in bank in the past and decide if I can have one or not or will they just give me one anyway without checking?

    What about if they give me one and then I don't pay the minimum 50 in a month? It's not like they will take it of me or anything is it?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    *Ashlee* wrote: »
    Should I have automatically been sent one when I turned 16 then??

    What does this mean:

    "You want to earn 6% AER on balances up to £500. Simply pay in a minimum of £50 per month. This doesn't need to be one payment, but can be spread across the month"

    Does it mean I have to pay in 50 pounds a month to get that kind of card??


    /stupid here

    That's not a requirement for the card, it's just what you need to pay in to get that interest rate.

    I think you might have to change banks to get a debit card... I opened an Abbey account when I was 14, and they gave me the translucent red cash card. I'm now 18, and they've never sent me another one.
    I'm with Alliance & Leicester now. If you're going to be working full time, take a look at the Premier 21 account. You get a Visa debit card with it (which are accepted in a few more places than Solo), and 10% interest.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Don't remind me... getting a debit card was an absolute pain in the arse for me, I had years of trouble with the bank because of it. When I was 18, I opened a bank account with HSBC. They'd given me a cash card, but nothing more. Whenever I asked what I had to do to get a debit card, I was told that I had to open a new account with them. I'd have to show them ID for this, which meant either a passport or a full driver's licence. I didn't have either, so I was fucked.

    It took until last year to get this resolved. I passed my driving test, I received my pink licence. By then of course, HSBC had fucked me off once too often, so I was more than happy to move banks. When I went to NatWest, I showed them my ID, we opened the new account and I have my debit card - no problems at all.

    You'll have to speak to your bank about their exact arrangements, because they do seem to vary from each one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You'll need to ask the bank, Very few automatically change cash cards into something else you tend to have to ask.

    The requirements vary hugely, if you're under 18 it's nigh on impossible (if not totally impossible) to get a 'proper' debit card but you can usually get Solo or Visa Electron. Before you bust a gut to get one though, check that the places you will want to use it accept them, not all do.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just point out - if you can set up debits or standing orders on your bank account then you can set up automatic payments on paypal these days - so the money just goes out without needing a card.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i got a Visa debit (NOT electron) from Barclays at 16, but this is nearly 10 years ago so im not sure if things have changed since then, worth asking. i've got a couple of mates tho who they wont give proper debit cards to cos of past money problems. so im guessing it all depends
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The requirements vary hugely, if you're under 18 it's nigh on impossible (if not totally impossible) to get a 'proper' debit card...
    When my brother turned 16, HSBC gave him a debit card almost immediately. Yet my sister was 18 when she got one, and only when she requested it. I've never understood banks...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You'll need to ask the bank, Very few automatically change cash cards into something else you tend to have to ask.

    The requirements vary hugely, if you're under 18 it's nigh on impossible (if not totally impossible) to get a 'proper' debit card but you can usually get Solo or Visa Electron. Before you bust a gut to get one though, check that the places you will want to use it accept them, not all do.
    No train stations or ticket vendors online accept Solo :grump:
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    I have always had the same card with Lloyds, and I opened the account when I was 11, so now I am well confused.

    But try Lloyds Ash (oh and PM me, coz my phone doesnt seem to like your number anymore :()
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I got a solo card when I opened my bank account when I was 16, but I had a part time job so had money going in every month. I got a maestro not long after I turned 18 and got a better paid part-time job, but cant remember if I applied for it or they just sent me it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi,

    Basically, what Abbey do is what's called a credit score each month on customers - to see if they are eligible for upgrades on certain things - i.e. overdraft amounts and card types etc.

    If you are under 16, then you can't have anything more than a cash card.

    If you're 16-18, then your account should convert to a 16-18 account a few weeks after your 16th birthday, in which case you will get a visa electron card. This can be used in shops and at the ATM (only in shops which have the electron sign/symbol), but not on the net or over the phone etc.

    The next step up is the visa multifunction/debit card. This is a chq guarantee card, atm card and debit card - basically a 3 in 1 and can be used online.

    The only way to get the above electron card is to pay at least £50 into your account (not cash - it must be an electronic payment, whether is comes from another account in your names, or wages it doesn't matter) on a monthly basis.

    To get the mfc, you need to be over 18 and have over £500 go in to your account on a monthly basis.

    Whatever you do, don't go overdrawn or over an overdraft limit if you have one (you can't until you are over 18 anyway) as this sets you back and they are less likely to offer facilities to you.

    AER is the annual equivalent rate of interest you get, hence AER.

    Can't tell i used to work for them can you. lol :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Went into Abbey this afternoon and told them I wanted to upgrade my account and he said he will send me a direct debit card (if thats what its called?) within the next two weeks.

    Will see what that does - bloody hope I can use it on paypal because at the moment it is going straight out of my bank account and its going through as a fucking e-cheque which takes like 9-10 WORKING days to clear which is a pain.

    I hate banks.

    Oh yeah and does anyone clever know why it lets me overdraw on what was opened up as a childrens account, have been like 10 pound overdrawn sometimes when it tells me that I'm not allowed to really. It has only happened when I've miscalculated for example, this time, I paid 15 on paypal, then someone cashed a 10 pound cheque (that i gave them like 2 months ago) and then I spent 54 on paypal which has left me 5 overdrawn. Why didn't it just bounce the last payment?

    I should get a trap under my bed and store all my money there. Stupid Banks
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bunnie wrote: »
    I have always had the same card with Lloyds, and I opened the account when I was 11, so now I am well confused.

    But try Lloyds Ash (oh and PM me, coz my phone doesnt seem to like your number anymore :()

    You PM me :razz:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There's no such thing as a direct debit card, so he told u wrong.

    A direct debit is different to a debit card.

    Are you 16-18? if so, it will be a visa electron and you aren't allowed to use them on paypal.

    sorry.

    The reason you go overdrawn is cos banks have what is known as a 'pencil limit' and they will allow payments within that to be paid. Not good, but on the other hand, if they bounced the payment, then they would charge you. Considering the legal battle at the moment with charges, you've been lucky :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Na, he probably didn't tell me the wrong thing, I'm just stupid and deaf and wasn't take in what he was saying :razz: Sure he said something about a debit card though.

    I am 17... if it is a visa electron then I can't use it on paypal I will be well pissed off.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Afraid you can't get a debit card until you are 18 then.

    So you won't be able to use your electron on paypal :mad:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is that just a Abbey thing or a general bank thing?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm not 100% sure, but i know most banks don't allow you to have them due to responsibility - they presume older people can manage money better (which isn't the case for many):sour:

    I know some banks give people a switch card (the equivalent of a visa debit) at 17 - i had one by my then bank.

    You won't get one with abbey until 18 though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    FCUK it wrote: »
    Are you 16-18? if so, it will be a visa electron and you aren't allowed to use them on paypal.

    Yes you can!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i had a visa electronc ard with my barclays account when i was 16 and used it on paypal, card payments etc since then

    last year changed banks to RBS and now have a maestro card, also used for debit card payments etc. and my credit scoring is far from rosy
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes, you can use Electron on Paypal.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I got a debit card from HSBC when I was 16/17 that I could use in shops etc. I've had the same one since, though it's not called Solo anymore they changed it to Maestro. But you can use it online, with paypall, in shops anywhere!
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    I had a Solo at 14 with Natwest before I got a Maestro on my 16th Birthday from HSBC>
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    piecesofme wrote: »
    I got a debit card from HSBC when I was 16/17 that I could use in shops etc. I've had the same one since, though it's not called Solo anymore they changed it to Maestro. But you can use it online, with paypall, in shops anywhere!

    Solo and Maestro are two different cards. The difference is that Solo always requires online authorisation (i.e., when you buy something, it ALWAYS checks if the funds are available. This requires a constant internet connection to be available, hence why they're not accepted on trains), and Maestro doesn't.
    Maestro will check sometimes, but they are accepted in more places.
    Maestro also tend to be cheque guarantee cards, whereas hardly any Solo cards are.
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