Switch

I got my Switch card when I opened my First Direct bank account as before that with Barclays I had a Visa Electron card. I am certainly pleased I changed and got this card as it is accepted much more widely than that Visa Electron thing. Switch is issued by some banks instead of a Visa Debit or Visa Electron, but just like them cards it is also free to cardholders to use. At present the card is currently accepted in just under 900,000 retailers but ...
...Switch you also get the option of a Solo card which some card issuers prefer to issue. The reasons for the Solo card is that you can only spend what you can afford as every transaction gets authorised and deducted from your bank account at the time of the transaction meaning if you aint got it you cant spend it. For this reason banks such as Natwest tend to issue it to new or younger customers in order to give them some of the benefits of a Switch ...

Andy0304 21.10.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Switch

...~~ 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 ...
...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 ...

zoe_page 11.05.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Switch

...card, then may be a switch card is just up your street. a very high percentage of retail outlets such as restaurants, hotels, garages and cinemas now widely accepte switch and there are several very big high street banks that offer the facility, and one of the major advantages is being a form of plastic card. it is possible to pass this card over for payment, or even to quote the details (ie: card number, expiry date, issue number as well as your ...
...sufficient funds in your account. switch is not the only debit card available - some banks offer delta and others visa, which is perhaps more commonly associated with credit cards, although the principle is the same in all instances. the major difference will be which debit cards are accepted at which outlets. switch is now very widely available, as is visa, although delta is also becoming much more commonplace as well. the amount that you have spent ...

carl_1_uk 10.07.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Switch

...server, you paid with your switch card. BIG MISTAKE! Issued to most current account holders with good credit history, the switch card (and its competitor Visa Delta) is accepted by thousands of shops across the country. It's not an internationally recognised symbol but many debit card issuers include other transaction services (such as Cirrus & Maestro) along with a cheque guarantee to make this one of the most useful bits of plastic you could have. ...
...is a big disadvantage. Switch cards also have a big security risk. If you do lose them, not only do they have your signature on them, but your switch card number, your bank sort code and account number. I wouldn't be too keen on letting anyone get his or her hands on all that information. Transactions will normally show up on your account the next day, which makes budgeting and book balancing much easier than with a credit card. As they are part ...

Will 04.02.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Switch

A Switch card leads a Jeckyll and Hyde existance. It can be used as a cheque guarantee card, it can be used INSTEAD of a cheque, and it also acts as your ATM card - so DON't lose it! Retailers like them because, unlike a credit card payment, their account gets the money almost straight away, improving their cash flow at the expense of yours. Unlike a cheque, they can't get robbed of them, nor is there anything to take to the nightsafe. Some retailers ...
...the till to a larger Switch payment for you, saving you from a separate visit to an ATM. This is also good for their security, since the less they have, the less can get stolen! They can be used abroad in ATMs, but be careful not to mess it up, and please don't give the machine any excuse to keep the card like forgetting your PIN number- this could be a disaster if you are just "passing through" on a Sunday, for example. ...

BNibbles 17.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Switch

I got my switch card around 4 months ago when I was just 16. You are not meant to have one of these cards until you are 18, but they let me have one. It is one of my biggest ever mistakes. I am now £20 in debt, because of a transaction my step-sister made using my card to top up my mobile phone. I could not cancel the order, and there was nothing stopping the transaction going through, although there was no money in my account!. The switch service ...

MarcYerrell 24.02.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Switch