I don't want a solo card!

stclair

This is Visa confirming they have won the contract to issue RBS Group Visa Debit cards

http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/nz/media...ions_Dec08.pdf

Oh yes sorry its on page 4 ;-)

stclair

Transactional Banking, UK Retail
1St Floor, House E
Gogarburn
PO Box 1000
Edinburgh
EN1 1HQ

Telephone: 0131 626 1913
www.rbs.co.uk

Dear XXX

Thank you for your letter of 5 May 2009 I recieved for attention, and for your interest in the banks move to Visa Debit.

I am pleased to confirm that The Royal Bank of Scotland Group will begin issuing Visa Debit card to all its customers during the second half of 2009.

Visa Debit offers almost three times the global acceptance of Maestro making 29 million point of sale outlets available to customers across the world, providing an overall improved service to our customers.

Existing customers with Maestro. Solo or Cirrus cards can continue to use there Cards as normal. Customers will recieve their new Visa Debit cards on request or replacement or as their current card expires. All changes will be communicated to customers shortly in the normal way. There will be no change to the customers PIN when they recieve their new card.

If I can be of any further assistance on this matter, please do not hesistate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Steve Rob
Card Services Manager

System

They did before they became part of RBS group- you could get it at 16.

I got a ServiceCard (Switch) but could only use themselves, Midland, Clydesdale & TSB. So I got a Barclays Connect (Visa Delta/Debit) that could be used there, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds & RBS , so dumped NatWest - this was before LINK was adopted by the English based banks...

Kavanne wrote: »

How old are you NOW?

I work for natwest and I can assure you it is not something we offer presently.

stclair

Heng_Leng wrote: »

They did before they became part of RBS group- you could get it at 16.

I got a ServiceCard (Switch) but could only use themselves, Midland, Clydesdale & TSB. So I got a Barclays Connect (Visa Delta/Debit) that could be used there, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds & RBS , so dumped NatWest - this was before LINK was adopted by the English based banks...

Yes very true Heng Leng before natwest was part of the RBS group customers could have switch cards from the age of 16 as it was not classed as a lending facility. Once the visa debit card comes into force customers from the age of 11 will be able to have visa debit cards with there parents/gardians permission. Just like you can with Lloyds TSB and other banks.

stewartgraham1

It would now seam that RBS/ Natwest are doing what HBoS (and a number of banks) have done a while ago. When Halifax and BoS merged, Halifax used Visa Debit cards and BoS used switch cards. When the time came where Swich was changing to Maestro (which given its similar logo to Mastarcard, makes me think of it like a Mastarcard debit card like visa debit cards), HBoS decided to allign all teh BoS customers to visa debit cards when the cards were up for renewal as opposed to issuing Maestro cards. Drom memory, I can only think of RBS/Natwest as being one of the few large institutions that are currently alligned to Maestro, and not Visa for their debit card system. If they too are now aligning to Visa for their debit cards it is a bad time for Maestro!

stclair

This is the new terms and conditions for Natwest customers current/basic bank account holders.

Which clearly states VISA DEBIT in it.

http://www.natwest.com/olb/mandatory...ormed_0609.pdf

Looks like a defo date of the 5th September (my birthday I might add) lol

gazelle8760

citricsquid wrote: »

This isn't credit cards as such, but I see no other suitable section.

I'm 17 - 18 in a couple of months - and I've been with natwest for years now, I've got a "solo card" with them, which I'm sick of. It's accepted nowhere online - which is where I do most of my purchasing- and Natwest are refusing to upgrade me.

Is my only option to switch banks? I'd rather not end up with a credit card because I'm rubbish with money and I'll end up in debt, so I want to stick with a debit card, but natwest - according to the woman I spoke to - only offer solo or credit cards, so if I stick with natwest, according to them, I'll have to wait until I'm 18 and get a credit card.

:money:

Hi

You would have to wait until your 18 to obtain any form of Credit. If you had an Electron Card, then I could understand your urgency to get shut of it, but Solo is accepted on most places on the Internet and in Shops.
Banks are not obliged to give you any of their products, and a Visa Debit Card is one of them, but of course you can now obtain Visa Debit Cards on most basic accounts, without the frills of overdraft, cheque book or Guarantee Card, I assume your more interested in just obtaining the said card than borrowing facilities?
You can therefore try, Lloyds TSB or Barlcays Bank or even Co-operative, which is changing their card branding, most others offer Electron I think, which if your moaning over Solo, would be no good to you whatsoever!
Do find it a bit odd that Natwest have just said that only Solo is available to you, how they know this without doing a proper current account application baffles me, but needless to say there are options available to you, and only you can chose the one which best fits your needs.

stclair

gazelle8760 wrote: »

Hi

You would have to wait until your 18 to obtain any form of Credit. If you had an Electron Card, then I could understand your urgency to get shut of it, but Solo is accepted on most places on the Internet and in Shops.
Banks are not obliged to give you any of their products, and a Visa Debit Card is one of them, but of course you can now obtain Visa Debit Cards on most basic accounts, without the frills of overdraft, cheque book or Guarantee Card, I assume your more interested in just obtaining the said card than borrowing facilities?
You can therefore try, Lloyds TSB or Barlcays Bank or even Co-operative, which is changing their card branding, most others offer Electron I think, which if your moaning over Solo, would be no good to you whatsoever!
Do find it a bit odd that Natwest have just said that only Solo is available to you, how they know this without doing a proper current account application baffles me, but needless to say there are options available to you, and only you can chose the one which best fits your needs.

Natwest/RBS will be offer all customers with a solo or meastro card at the moment with a visa debit card instead from september (ish).

These clauses from there new terms and conditons would imply this will be the case.

When we issue you with a replacement card, we may issue it under a different card
scheme from the one which applies to your previous card (for example, we may replace a card issued under the Maestro scheme with one issued under the Visa scheme). We will only do this if we reasonably believe that the facilities offered by a card issued under the new scheme will, on balance, be as good as, or better than, those offered by your previous card.

If we issue a debit card to you when you are under the age of 16, we may contact your
parent or guardian to advise them that the card has been issued and that it can be used

to pay for goods and services purchased from retailers or suppliers of services.

So i would hold out until september gazelle and stick with natwest unless your unhappy with there service !!

rbulph

Have just seen that the solo card, along with something called a laser card, is the only way you can pay on alpharooms and not incur a £3+ payment charge. Blimey! Even with a Visa Electron you get stung. I would say this is something else to get for your online armoury of cards, but I've tried using my solo card and it doesn't get accepted!