| My son has a debit/atm card on his own checking account at his bank at college. This account started with the spending money he brought from summer earnings when he started college, and he has added his earnings from working part time during college and in the summers. This card can be used to get cash and also to pay for things at most places where a credit card can be used. He also has a credit card which is another copy of the VISA for mine and my husband's account This is for emergencies or, if for some reason, his own debit card does not work. I think it is important to have this extra card for unanticipated expenses and also because cards can be inactivated by the bank for security reasons, as happened to my son this fall.
As Mackinaw said, car rental places usually will not take debit cards. However, they also almost never rent to people under 25 years old, so even if the young lady had a credit card, she may not have been able to rent the car. |