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| Product type | Debit card |
|---|---|
| Owner | MasterCard |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1 July 1997 (1997-07-01) |
| Discontinued | 31 March 2011 (2011-03-31) |
| Related brands | Maestro,Switch |
| Website | solocard.co.uk at theWayback Machine (archived 2009-09-24) |
Solo was adebit card in theUnited Kingdom introduced as a sister to the then existingSwitch. (Later merged with theMaestro debit card brand of theMastercard corporation) Launched on 1 July 1997, by the Switch Card Scheme,[1] it was designed for use ondeposit accounts, as well as by customers who did not qualify for a Switch card (or, later,Maestro card) oncurrent accounts, such as teenagers. The Solo card scheme was decommissioned permanently on 31 March 2011.[2][3]
Solo was issued as a multifunctioncash card byNatWest and theRoyal Bank of Scotland to customers over the age of 11 and byHSBC Bank (formerlyMidland Bank) to customers over the age of 13; however, NatWest Group and HSBC both then issuedVisa Debit cards in place of Solo.[4] Like its main rival,Visa Electron, Solo cards required all transactions receive electronic authorisation from the issuing bank.
Such authorisation would not be given if there were insufficient cleared funds in the cardholder's account. Solo cards were linked to theSwitch processing system (later re-branded asMaestro); however, some merchants differentiated between Solo and Switch through their numbering scheme to prevent under 18s from purchasing online.
Due to their availability to minors, they could be used as a simple age vetting mechanism; for example, when online grocersOcado accepted Solo, they refused to sell razor blades or alcoholic beverages to those paying with the card.[5] Solo cards were also issued to people with a bad credit history to reduce the liability for the issuing bank.[citation needed]