DamonHD - 12:23 pm on May 17, 2007 (gmt 0)

The UK has a very high credit card penetration rate, but that simply is not the case everywhere, for example Germany and Italy are *much* lower IIRC, so the need for alternatives exists.

Also, you cannot have a *credit* card until you are 18 in the UK, though you can have a chequebook much younger: I had one at 16 for example.

Rgds

Damon