Going Solo

Advantages: Can't get into debt, lots of shops take it, from 11 with some banks,
Disadvantages: Woolies don't take it!

...The Solo card is a debit card aimed at young people that works like a Switch except you can’t get overdrawn – in other words in debt. It’s a great idea and allows young people to shop through mail-order and on the internet without using their parents credit card. Though some adults also have it if they’re not too hot with money-management! The Solo card is accepted widely and most shops accept it, though it is not accepted as widely as Switch. Woolworth’s don’t take it which seems rather stupid considering many of their customers are young people. Though the Solo is accepted far more than the Visa Electron, which only a small minority of shops seem to take. Solo offers a cashback feature which you can use at all shops taking Solo. Most places won’t charge you, but smaller shops might. I was...

Disillusioned 18.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of Solo

Flying Solo

Advantages: No worries about carrying cash
Disadvantages: Many well known stores don't accept them

...Switch, Delta, Electron, Solo - they're all basically the same. I used to have a Switch card - accepted by virtually every shop or service - a debit card by any other name. I now have a Solo card, due to recent financial difficulties it was all I could get. This works in much the same way as a Switch card - it's a debit card which you hand over in place of cash for payment and saves time and hassle writing cheques. Funds are normally debited from your bank account within one to two working days and you can also get up to £50 cashback with it where that facility is available. It will not allow you to go overdrawn on your account unless you already have an overdarft facility - unusual with accounts offering a Solo card to begin with. BUT, and it's a big but, not all the expected shops - including large, well-known stores, accept...

blurbubble 05.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Solo

  Flying Solo

Advantages: Almost universally accepted, makes you more financially aware
Disadvantages: Can't write cheques, not a lot really!

...Ah, the sweet smell of financial independence! When I?m older, I?m going to be an internet millionaire; I?ve decided that. Joining Ciao was to be part of the grand plan, but alas .. ah well, I still have my Solo card. ?What? You?re fifteen and you have your own credit card? Now I know you?re entrepreneurial Matt, but this..? Well, almost. You see, Solo shares many of the features of other debit cards such as Switch. The differences are that it?s been adapted for people who may not be eligible for a 'proper' credit card. Typically these groups are the under-18s, those not in employment, and those whose credit history doesn't merit a credit card in the opinion of the banks. So what is Solo? Well, Solo is an offshoot of Switch, the worldwide standard for debit card transactions. Essentially, a Solo card is just like a Switch debit...

mattwood 11.05.2003 (09.07.2003) · Read review
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Review of Solo

ITS A SOLO THING

Advantages: Great advantages and offers
Disadvantages: nothing!

...a mini statement, change your PIN number, request an early statement via the post, take money out and in some places pay money in too, basically all the normal things that you can do on a cash machine. I find this very helpful if I'm about to go shopping and I may want to see how much I have available to spend. Buying products in stores If you see a SOLO sign on the door of the shop or somewhere round the tills area then you can use your card to buy products in the store. Many stores across the country have these advantage but others do not, so make sure that you check! There is no limit to how much you can spend but I always make sure that I NEVER pay for something which is more than what I have in my account, this way I know that I'm NEVER in-debt. I love using my card in shops it makes me feel more independant about my money...

emu128 29.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Solo

THAT'S ME SOLO AIGHT

Advantages: Absolute need for teenagers,
Disadvantages: Not sure,

...Hello everyone! You may know me as anytime03! But thats going soon! And me is officially back as 'fromthedarkside' Thanks Ciao! I’m not really that good on the topic of finance, but I am good at finance, which is to do with business. There are many credit cards out there today, but which one to get is a difficult thing, APR, blah blah!! But what about us who are under 18? We don’t need to worry about credit cards until we are 18, but we feel left out, knowing we can’t buy things on credit, or take out lump sums of money from major bank companies. BUT DON’T WORRY, why? Cos SOLO’s the name! The names card, SOLO CARD! (*Puts on Bond music*) Don’t attack me or otherwise I’ll pull out my SOLO card! ## Wait a min! I don’t understand you...

fromthedarkside 10.12.2002 · Read review
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Review of Solo

Mini 10

Advantages: Quite a lot
Disadvantages: Hard to adjust to

...I have just been bought the dell mini 10 which is a compact web book. Now, until now I did not know a great deal to do with web books so my first thought was that it was cute and I was genuinely excited to get using it, however I noted that this product has not been reviewed so I did some research and had a look through some of what this dell has to offer and though I would offer a review on the item. Design Firstly I want to comment on the design of this dinky thing, the lid of mine is piano black and glossy which obviously is one of those things which you think, should I take the film off? I have left my film on as I am prone to eating whilst browsing and therefore I do not want my mini 10 to be covered in my prints within the first uses! Whilst browsing this computer, I noted that it came in other colours, green, pink...

amyloop 09.04.2009 (10.04.2009) · Read review
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Review of Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Laptop

SOLO - THE ONLY CHOICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Advantages: Accepted almost everywhere, Easy access to money, Beats cash
Disadvantages: Small charge for use abroad, Some places still won't accept it

...,) you can obtain mini-statements and order new cheque/paying in books from the ATM. Another good point about the Solo card is that it can be used almost everywhere online. Most major online retailers have an option for you to pay by Solo, but if there is only a Switch option, then the card will work fine using that, as they are the same company. Simply enter the standard details (card number, issue number, name on card, expiry date, etc.) and you can purchase almost anything online. I am a huge fan of online shopping (I?m too lazy to go out!!) and I think that the majority of my Solo card use is for buying stuff from the internet. Last year I was on a school trip to Germany, and I was able to use my Solo card there as well. You can use it in shops if you see the ?Maestro? symbol, but I was asked to enter my PIN number into the swipe...

Jaxle 12.01.2003 · Read review
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Review of Solo

Dont be forced to switch to solo

Advantages: Stops you going overdrawn
Disadvantages: Nowhere takes it, embarrassing to use

...Do you like what I did with the title? Solo, for all its sins, may look like a switch card. But here the similarities stop. Yes. Im afraid Solo has been invented for all of the naughty boys and girls who cant use Switch properly. How do I know? Well, I was once one of them. I noticed that it is claimed to have been launched in 1997 but Im sure it was around earlier than that. However, if this is the date it claims, it must be right. For those of you that don't know, Switch and Solo are Debit cards. You can buy things from shops that accept Switch cards in the way that you buy things on your credit card. It is a little piece of plastic that comes as part of your current account options from your high street bank. The way it works is thus. You buy something and it is debited to your current account in the bank. Within...

andycharger 06.12.2002 · Read review
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Review of Solo

Let's go SOLO

Advantages: More independance for younger generations, V. Useful
Disadvantages: Not accepted everywhere, but still widely accepted

...SOLO, this is a debit card, launched by the Switch Card Scheme in 1997 (I’ve done my research). I currently have one with Natwest’s Card Plus account aimed at people aged 11-21, so my experiences of SOLO will be tailored towards NatWest, but I’m sure the services offered by the SOLO card are similar all round. SOLO is a debit card. What is good about this is that you can use it to pay for goods at shops, online or over the phone (or anything else you can think of) using this card where it is accepted. The limit with this is you can spend the as much as you want, as long as the money exists in your bank account that is associated with this card. This is a good thing as this card is mainly aimed at the younger generation of people, like I was and still am, who would like to attain some independence on their finances...

robertliu84 22.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Solo

Solo Card is a must have!

Advantages: Free, accepted most places online, available to get when your 11
Disadvantages: Some shops don't accept it

...::::What is a Solo Card?:::: A Solo Card is a debit card available for teenagers (and adults? I think they get a Switch Card!) and is available from NatWest from the age of 11 and HSBC from the age of 13. Barclays and Halifax also offer a Visa Electron debit card, instead of solo (if your interested...). ::::How much does it cost?:::: The Solo Card is completely free. When you open a CardPlus account with NatWest when your 11 and over (or a "MySavings" account with HSBC when your aged 13). ::::What can i use it for?:::: You can use the Solo Card at LINK cash machines to check your bank account balance and top up your mobile from the cash machine. You can also use it for shopping Online and Instore! Play.com, Amazon.co.uk, MyPix.com just to name a few let you use your solo card to buy from them. And many instore shops like...

AndyGray2k7 29.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Solo