Want account with a debit card for a 16 year old

VirtualLight

Hi all
My son has a savings account with about £200 in it with the Nationwide. However, they dont offer an account with a debit card for 16 year old students. We have been Googling around the various banks, and looked at the chart on this site, and can only find debit cards for 18+ years old. He would like preferably a Visa debit card.

Paradoxically he could sign up for several different Credit cards, but can find no debit cards. He only wants to spend money that he already has, and not risk using a credit card.

Any recommendations gratefully received

Slayerx

Couldn't he get a solo card at 16+ ?

I'm sure solo is allowed at that age, which is just as good as switch but no cheque guarantee.

Helix

He won't get a Visa Debit from anywhere until he is 18. There is Visa Electron but IMO Solo is much better and more widely accpeted. Both of these are available at 16.

StudentSaver_2

Alliance and Leicester and Abbey both gave me a Visa Electron before I was 18. Halifax offers a Solo card, which, in agreement with the posters above, is more widely accepted. Visa Electron is accepted at most High Street stores (not Debenhams, though), but most smaller, independent shops don't accept it.

blondie1963

He could open an instant access isa from abbey with access to his money via a cash card and also earning interest of 4.60%

beckyboopboop

can get a solo card from hsbc or a visa electron from lloyds tsb. I have a solo card (am 18 but hsbc haven't updated cards yet!) and find that it is accepted in most places.

Savvy_Sue

NatWest CardPlus account is what my lads had / have. Pays a reasonable rate of interest, available from age of 11, and gives them a Debit card (Solo). Oh, and you can't overdraw it!

I don't think he can actually have a Credit card before he's 18, can he?

VirtualLight

Thanks to everyone who replied. Thats really helpful, we will explore the Solo card option, and look at the Nat West account in particular.

Regarding credit cards, my sons has friends who have indeed acquired credit cards with very little effort. Presumably a lack of checking up when they applied?

beckyboopboop

You definitely have to be 18 to get a credit card, I believe this is a legal requirement - would have thought that credit card companies would throughly check this.

JPS

I'm pretty sure you won't be able to get a credit card until you are 18 and have some proof of income. I highly recommend a Natwest Solo card for your sons - I have had a Solo card since I was 11 and I am now 19. Having a debit card at such a young age made me good with money as I didn't just spend spend spend and I can now respect how much I have (especially now I have a whopping student overdraft that is there calling my name!). Halifax also offer a Visa Electron card from 11+ and that is also very good.

HTH

Josh

kar

I think you will find that your sons parents are actually the credit card holders and the friends are named card holders (can be any age for this) However it's still the parents responsibilty to pay the bill (and daft to give a 16 yo a CC if you ask me).

I got a HSBC switch card when i was 16/17 - this was due to the fact that I have a large enough income going in every month. If your son is working then a bank might upgrade his solo to a switch if not he will prob have to wait until he's 18.