On 20/03/2012 12:52, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 12:38:11 on Tue, 20 Mar
2012, Mizter T remarked:
---quote---
Credit cards

Under 18s can normally only get a credit card as an additional
cardholder – for example on a parent’s credit card account. This age
group are not usually granted access to credit themselves because,
under existing legislation, under-18-year-olds do not have the
capacity to enter into a contract, which is a pre-requisite for a
credit product. Some credit card companies, however, will not give
credit cards to under-18s even as additional cardholders.

Charge cards

The same rules apply to charge cards as to credit cards.

Unfortunately that last part is completely wrong (which is an issue
because it's the very thing this thread has been about).

Solo and Electron (and now VISA Debit) are precisely the debit cards
which *are* given to under 18's in their own right in the UK.


I disagree it's wrong - "charge cards" (in UK parlance at least) do not
include debit cards. Charge cards are things like Amex - get a bill, pay
it all at the end of the billing month.

The document makes clear that debit cards can be issued without age
restrictions - again from the last page:

---quote---
No age restrictions

Debit cards

These are only issued when linked to a bank or building society account,
usually a current account. As under- 18s do not have the capacity to
enter into a contract, banks and building societies do not usually
permit this age group to have an overdraft. Some debit cards, such as
Solo or Visa Electron, require all transactions to be authorised against
money already in the account, which prevents the
cardholder going overdrawn. Debit cards will also allow you to use
a cash machine.
---/quote---