A child on your credit card

[Beanmistriss]

Theresd abloke atmy work whos a total fantasist and whose life seems to consist of just telling lies which are pointless. He reckons for christmas him and his wife had their 13 year old son named as a user on their credit card so he can have a card and use it when he wants. Is this actually possible at his age? If a 13 year old walked into a shop and said "I'm paying by credit card" would that be accepted? I'm just curious as I think is probably another pointless fib. Thanks :)

[kujawski]

fraid so
minimum ages are 16 for a debit/electron card and
18 for a credit card
so me thinks this fella is talking out of his behind.

[Loosehead]

He's full of sh1t, sounds like a right plonker.

Is he generall one of those guys that no matter what you have done he will always top it?

[Beanmistriss]

Yes he is, whatever you've done he's done before you and a million times bigger and better. He just lies all the time about totally pointless things and says stuff that couldn't possibly be true. I'm not even sure he knows the diffirence in his own head to be honest. Thanks for your answers

[EverClean]

I work with someone like that. No-one even bothers to tell them what they've done any more because the person in question has already done it bigger and better. Tell him about someone else you knew who got their 13 year old a credt card and they wiped them out and had their house repossessed with their over-spending. He might nt feel so clever then.

[Loosehead]

Yeah that's good Idea, I had my first mortgage when I was still in the womb! Had a credit card when I was still a glint in my dads eye. Tell him to top that!, Sadly he probably would!

[kujawski]

better still tell him that you bumped into his son, and he didnt have a clue what you where talking about

[Oneeyedvic]

Sorry, but you are all wrong!

You can have a named card holder as a 13 year old - look here: http://www.studentguru.co.uk/studentsurvival/p repaid-credit-cards

Whilst this is a prepaid card, it is conceivable for a 13 year old to have a credit card.

[Loosehead]

Surely though Vic if it's prepaid it isn't a credit card!

[kempie]

"Prepaid Credit Card" is indeed a misnomer.

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/cards/prepaid- cards-guide1.asp

[Oneeyedvic]

with regard to the question: "If a 13 year old walked into a shop and said "I'm paying by credit card" would that be accepted?" then the answer would have to be YES.

I cant find anything easily on the net, but an additional card holder under 18 is definitely available in the States, I am surprised if not in the UK. there is certainly nothing in the law against it.

[Mrs_Pegasus]

If a child walks into a shop and says they are going to pay by credit card then i would personally refuse the sale. If a child under 18 is unable to legally possess a credit card then surely I can refuse to accept it for payment?

[kempie]

The law states that a minor does not have the capacity to enter into a contract such as a financial agreement and therefore cannot be the primary cardholder of a credit card account. However, additional cardholders are treated as third parties to the original agreement and have no financial dealings with the issuer; the primary cardholder accepts all liabilities associated with the account.

This seems to leave the way open for a minor to be legitimately issued their "own" credit card as an additional cardholder, along with the handful of conditions which govern its use. Despite this, it appears commonplace for UK credit card issuers to include the clause "not available to minors" or "must be 18" as part of their additional cardholder request and application forms.

[Oneeyedvic]

actually, a person under the age of 18 can enter a credit agreement but only under certain conditions - it goes back a long time and has to do with waistcoats ( I won't bore you with the details).

A modern day example would be: if a 17 year old has a job that requires him to drive to work and the only option that is available to him is to purchase a car (he lives in the sticks, there is no bus route etc), then a finance company can legally enforce a credit agreement as it can be proved that the credit required is for an essential item and not a luxury item.

It does seem that as you say, all British based companies will not allow a credit card to be given to a minor, but I still maintain that there is no legal reason for this, so in theory at least, a minor can be named as an additional card holder.

In answer to Mrs Pegasus - if a 13 year old came into a shop, offering to pay for goods with a prepaid credit card (as per earlier link), would you be offering yourself up for a case of age discrimination? (whilst I recognise the fact that the owner of an establishment reserves the right to refuse service, if it can be proved that you are only refusing service to 13 year olds paying by credit cards, I think you would be on a sticky wicket - same as if you refused to serve all men for example).

[Siamsal]

I heard on the news this morning that someone had got a credit card for their cat.

No mention of the cat trying to use it, though.

[Beanmistriss]

lmao, an interesting debate. Just then maybe he is actually mental enough to have done it. But I still think more likley he was showing off x

[Oneeyedvic]

siamsal - but how old was the cat? ;-)

[kempie]

Vic - I'm not questioning that circumstances exist in which an otherwise apparently voidable agreement with a minor can be legally enforced (indeed how would 17 year-old drivers be able to hold an insurance policy), however, when did it ever become a requirement to drive to work?

Has the child never heard of the bicycle?

Driving is a privilege, not a right.

[Mrs_Pegasus]

[b]oneyedvic[/b] - if ever I have heard a modern oxymoron it has to be pre-paid credit card! Where is the credit in that! I have just read up on my credit card and the additional cardholder must be 18 and over.

[Oneeyedvic]

point taken Mrs Pegasus but how would a shopkeeper know the difference between the two - to all intents and purposes, it is possible for a 13 year old to go into a shop and purchase goods on a 'credit card' - and I don't see how you could refuse service - especially as 14 year olds can have debit cards perfectly legally.

[shabyg]

13 they can't have a credit card of their own but may have prepaid credit cards as suggested here: http://www.breadmarket.co.uk/credit/prepaid-cr edit-cards.php