Bank account, debit card, with ZERO overdraft

gsf600y

I'm trying to find a basic bank account, with no overdraft at all.

It's to be used for monthly spending on non-essentials, so I'll be loading it every month with a budgeted amount. Once it's empty, it's empty, hence I don't want an overdraft at all.

It needs to have a normal VISA Debit card with it, and allow joint account holders.

Any recommendations?

grumbler

Define 'normal' debit card.
Really normal debit cards don't require online authorisation and can be debited up to 6 months after a payment was authorised by the cardholder.

Many basic accounts will do what you need, but don't expect from the card to work, say, at Pay-at-Pump or in a train. Surprisingly, some allow contactless payments regardless.

MSE: Nine banks to offer fee-free basic accounts in the New Year

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/current-accounts/flexbasic/features-and-benefits

http://www.santander.co.uk/uk/current-accounts/basic-current-account

Any account, including a basic one, can be joint - if you really need this and are not concerned about the financial association it, most likely, creates despite being basic without an overdraft.

gsf600y

By "normal",I mean the same functionality of debit card as I'd get with say a Santander 123 account. I'd need to be able to use the card a petrol stations, cashpoints, coffee shops, amazon, etc, etc.

gsf600y

You say you can't do things like pay-at-pump - why is that?
These basic accounts don't mention any restrictions.

grumbler

Restrictions are imposed by card terminals, not by card providers.
It's simply impossible to stop an account from being overdrawn if it comes with a card that is accepted everywhere.

gsf600y

Ah, ok. Still seems odd though.
If there's no restrictions on the card, how does a terminal decide my card should not work, over any other VISA Debit card?

grumbler

There are different types of cards, less obvious now than they used to be in the past when we had Electron and Maestro.

It's obvious why the card you want can't work at PaP - because it's taken out of the terminal before you fill the car, i.e. when the actual amount is still unknown.

gsf600y

Sorry, perhaps I'm being a bit daft, but if I've got money in my account, and a debit card, why does the terminal not allow the transaction from one of these basic accounts?
Is it that the terminal has the ability to tell its from these special basic accounts, and it's been decided by all the banks/government not to allow such transactions on these basic accounts?

DCFC79

I don't know if it allows joint account holder but how about Tesco current account.

DCFC79

I don't know if it allows joint account holder but how about Tesco current account. I believe you choose an OK, or if you can't look at TSB.

gsf600y

That's got an overdraft, but I specifically don't want one. I want spending to literally stop when the account is empty