Two ATM cards on a Sole account?

Is it possible to have two ATM cards on a sole account? Our son is travelling the world and it would be convenient for him to leave one with us at home should his PIN get locked or need to be changed or his own card get lost or damaged etc etc. We could have the replacement couriered out to him extra quick....

Can't see how any bank would allow two cards with separate numbers, be allocated to the same person, especially if they were aware of the reason for the second card. If someone at home used the second card your son could disclaim any knowledge of the transaction and refuse to pay.

A relative asked for a quote from couriers to send a replacement credit card to a daughter abroad and it was very expensive because of the insurance aspect.

I asked Visa about the risks of sending a card abroad and they said they can block the card while in transit and lift same when it arrives safely. I certainly wouldn't be keen on the whole scenario though.

I asked 2 banks about getting a 2nd card a few years ago and they both said no.

Thanks everyone. I didn't think that it would be allowed. It's not a credit card just an ATM card.

An alternative would be to open another account for him and have a small amount of money in it to cover emergencies should his main atm card get lost or stolen. Best to keep both cards in seperate places though.

Prepaid card might not be a bad idea at all.
How long is your son travelling for, short term of a few months or longer term and roughly what locations. What age and is he good with money. If longer term travel I think a credit card would be good to have.

I traveled eastern Europe, Asia, Aus and New Zealand (All apart from Aus was mostly from my Irish account). A credit card will be more widely accepted than debit card. Depending on the debit card, fees for non Euro may be big.
Example BOI debit non Euro fees '3.5% of transaction value. Minimum €3.17, Maximum €11.43 per transaction'
If he was to withdraw a few thousand over a few months he could pay, 100, 200, 300 or more in fees.
For me I did something that lots will not recommend and had my TSB visa ice card in credit, topped it up regularly by small amounts online. As far as i know the currency conversion fee with this card is still 1.75% (no cash advance fee if in credit). Correct me if I am wrong but the protection on money in credit on a credit cards is no worse than on money on a debit card. Over the time I was travelling and using my card abroad (about 2 year in about 20 country) this probably saved me 300 Euro or more compared to my BOI account.
Banks may have better fx rates inside than the ATM's as well, I am not sure on this but withdrew sometimes in branch.
If your son is not good with money and would likely get charged late payment fees and interest, a prepaid credit card may be better.

If travelling south east Asia a few hundred dollars hidden away separately as backup is a good option as accepted a lot. In some countries (Laos I think) max limit on ATM withdrawal was low (equivalent of about 100 dollar) with extra atm fees involved.
If travelling long term I think 2 cards from 2 separate accounts is best as backup. If he only has one card western union is available nearly everywhere as backup
Notify bank before travelling so card doesn't get blocked.

Sue Ellen said:

Can't see how any bank would allow two cards with separate numbers, be allocated to the same person,

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Thanks everyone for their input. I wonder would it be possible to have two separate cards with the same PIN number? It would just be kept as a back up if the first card was damaged. I can DHL packages to him very quickly.

Hi Box

What happens with joint accounts? Presumably each person can have a debit card? So why not open a joint account with him and then you can send out your card.

You can also add him to your credit card account as a secondary user and not give him the card until he needs it



Brendan

BOXtheFOX said:

I wonder would it be possible to have two separate cards with the same PIN number?

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Brendan Burgess said:

So why not open a joint account with him and then you can send out your card.

You can also add him to your credit card account as a secondary user and not give him the card until he needs it



Brendan

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AFAIK there is no problem with the same PIN as one can change this themselves either at ATM or I think online. The two separate cards would have to be in two different names. I certainly would not be keen on using either a debit or credit card with someone else's name especially abroad.

BOXtheFOX said:

I wonder would it be possible to have two separate cards with the same PIN number?

Click to expand...

Brendan Burgess said:

So why not open a joint account with him and then you can send out your card.

You can also add him to your credit card account as a secondary user and not give him the card until he needs it



Brendan

Click to expand...

AFAIK there is no problem with the same PIN as one can change this themselves either at ATM or I think online. The two separate cards would have to be in two different names. I certainly would not be keen on using either a debit or credit card with someone else's name especially abroad.

Sue Ellen said:

AFAIK there is no problem with the same PIN as one can change this themselves either at ATM or I think online. The two separate cards would have to be in two different names. I certainly would not be keen on using either a debit or credit card with someone else's name especially abroad.

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Sure it would be grand for the hole in the wall.

Sue Ellen said:

The two separate cards would have to be in two different names.

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Thanks everyone for all the good suggestions. Technically I suppose he could get two ATM cards in his name and match both PINS through the ATM machine to the same PIN number.

I think I will open up a separate emergency account in my name with a few hundred in it. He is in the far east at the moment so I think he would have to be present to open a joint account, and as Brendan suggested I could send him my card if he had any problems. The only fear I have is that the name on the card would not match the name on his passport if he were ever picked up for something or other.

Is he already away?

If not a joint account would be your best option. Myself and the gf have one and we each have our own card.