Solo good for the young (Solo Card Services)

Member Name: suewan

Product:	Solo Card Services
Date:	09/05/03 (766 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great for young people

Disadvantages: limits when you are older

When I was 14 (Many yrs ago now!) and the fabulous Switch and Visa cards were not available to me I really wanted a card which I could use to pay for things rather than constantly drawing money out of my account. I opened a NatWest account and was offered a solo card! How happy was I to finally be able to pay for things on a card, not only was it more convenient but I think it gave me more of a sense of independance and freedom. When you are that young and all you want to be is older than your years this card was great! It is not particularly dangerous for young people to have because unlike a credit card the money that you use is only what you already have in your account, so you can't run up huge debts. So this card also taught me about the value of money because if I used my money too quickly then it was my own fault and there was nothing I could do about it, whereas with a visa card you can lose control with how much you abuse it!

So as you can see when I was younger the card was a real bonus and I was really glad I had it.

However, now I'm 22 and I STILL have the card! I know I should and can change it and I definitely will get round to it sometime soon. As i'm alot older I find myself using and needing to pay on card more and more often. For example when I pay for train tickets or holidays online it is essential to have a card. The problem with solo is that it was great for when i was younger and only used it now and then but now it's a real pain because lots of places don't accept it. I tried to book a train ticket online last week and got all the way to the last form of the website only to discover that they do not accept solo! Topshop and other high street shops also don't take the card. So i'm finding that i have to check everywhere i go to find out first if i can or cannot use my card, which really defeats the object of a card being efficient and easier to use!

For young people a solo card is a reall
y good idea, but as you get older I really think you should change to a switch card which is more widely accepted!

Summary: