My Little Green Buddy (Switch Card Services)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Switch Card Services
Date:	10/05/02 (1688 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: quick, simple, and free to use

Disadvantages: a few (very few) places still won't accept it

First it was Visa Electron when I was 14. A mere 2 years later is was Solo and now, 3 years on, it’s Switch. What am I talking about? My choice of debit card of course. We all know what a debit card is, right? One which operates like a credit card, but removes the money from your current account immediately, rather than piling up in the form of a debt to be paid off (or not) at the end of the month. Anyway, some questions and answers to start with, and then my views on the service.

~~ Which banks offer Switch ~~

As far as I know, Lloyds TSB are the only bank who do not – they favour Visa Delta instead. Everyone else, from the big high street names like HSBC, to regional set ups such as Allied Irish Bank to former building societies including Norwich & Peterborough, seem to like Switch.


~~ Talk me through a typical offline transaction ~~

You enter a shop. You find what you want. You approach the cash desk, and the conversation goes something like this:

Assistant : That’ll be £99.99 please

You: Do you except Switch here?

Assistant: But of course my good fellow. By jove, I’m not sure I could name a decent store which doesn’t these days. Marks and Sparks do, and Debenhams and Boots. Then there’s HMV and WH Smiths and lots of smaller shops too. All the supermarkets do, and the travel agents. It’s blooming impossible at times to find somewhere that would say no to your little green logo.

You : So that’s a yes then?

Assistant : Certainly Sir. If you’ll just hand me your card, I’ll swipe it through my machine, which will link up to your bank and check you have the funds available. Once authorization comes through I’ll just ask you to check the details on the slip and sign your name. I’ll then verify that this signature matches the one on the card, before handing it back to you with your receipt. It’ll all b
e over in a couple of minutes.

You get the picture…..


~~ Other Stuff ~~

You can use Switch in non-signature environments, for example with mail order purchases, or online. In these instances you need to provide your switch number, expiry date and the issue number, based on the assumption that any fraudulent types won’t have access to all these details.

With almost all Switch cards, you can use them to pay for services and / or withdraw money abroad wherever you see the Maestro and Cirrus signs. With my cards there’s a minimum charge of £1.50 for cash withdrawals, but no fee for purchases.

You can also get cash back in supermarkets and the like – based on your signature instead of your pin, you can withdraw cash with any purchase as long as your bank authorizes it - and there’s no charge for this service.


~~ Facts ‘n’ Figures ~~

I’m not sure who counted, or in fact why, but I am pleased to inform you that:

579 128 outlets in the UK take Switch (a significant number more than take Solo), and this figure is rising steadily

There are nearly 21 million Switch cards in use in the UK - and only 4 of them are mine :-)


~~ Typical User ~~

Because of the nature of the card – that it’s a debit one and not a credit one – it is often used by those with poor credit histories. However it is also widely used by the general population - most Switch cards double as cash cards and cheque guarantee cards, and are handy for when you want to pay immediately, but cannot get to a bank to get the cash out, or don’t want to carry it on you. They are a lot less dangerous than credit cards in terms of losing track of your money too.


~~ My take on it ~~

Save the best till last, eh? I live for Switch, in a way. I very rarely carry a lot of cash, and yet I don’t like running up large
credit card bills. If I need cash and cannot be bothered to go to the bank, I’ll get cash back with my groceries. I bank online and within a couple of days Switch transactions show up in my account, so I always know where I stand with my money. When booking a holiday I use Switch to avoid the fees imposed with credit cards. 1.5% may not sound like a lot, but it adds up when you’re jetting off all over the place. As long as it continues to be a free service, I’ll carry on using it happily.

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