Could be good if accepted more (Solo Card Services)

Member Name: myjetski

Product:	Solo Card Services
Date:	16/05/04 (1132 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No cost accept when abroad

Disadvantages: No good when traveling , Hardly anyone takes it on the net

I went for a Solo card because I do contract work and my pay is different every month, occasionally it is late coming through and too often I was getting fines from both my bank and credit company or I would forget to post the cheque with a resulting fine.

I decided to take control and send back my credit cards and take a Solo card. I have lived with it for 12 months now.

Most large retailers take the card but I have had trouble with it at petrol stations forecourts, once at ESSO and once at Tesco, when the card was refused with the message "ask the customer for a different method of payment". On both occasions there was several hundred pounds available and I just went to a ATM and withdraw the money.

I would warn anyone who does any traveling against the Solo as most motorway service areas do not take the card (although the KFC on the motorways do and so do some Burger Kings) I think Granada (or whatever they are called now) do and so do some THF.

Most motorway service areas have cash machines so there is an alternative however many of the ATMs now installed on these sites require payment for withdraws so be warned.

Most hotels do not take the card and so making reservations is hard.

Abroad when using the card you get stung with high charges and poor exchange rates.

On the Net hardly anyone takes Solo. Recently I tried to book a flight to Ireland on the Net, which proved impossible with the Solo card.

I am off work sick at the moment but as soon as I get back to work I am going to reapply for a credit card. Just one though.

Edit: At the time of writing (May 2004) I have found the card to be accepted in most shops, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Staples, Pound Stretcher, Somerfield/Quick Save, Lidl, Stationary Box, Morrisons, HMV, Virgin, Wilkinsons I am sure Boots and Woolies take the card too. Some smaller retailers do not take the card but most seem to do so, so high street sho
pping is no problem anymore with the Solo card . Most large pub/restaurants chains also take the Solo card. The
only large retailer that does not as far as I am aware is WHSmiths, but who uses them anymore?

In the UK getting money out of the LINK cash machine system is no problem neither (where theses machines are available) and its free.

The only problem I have found with the card is when traveling

Summary: