How to ... keep track of your gap-year child

Fifteen years ago, parental communication with trailblazing 18-year-olds was limited to firing off letters to poste restantes and waiting for a reverse-charge phone call once every few months.

Now, internet cafes are everywhere, but what do you do if your little darling is less than diligent about emailing home regularly?

One answer is to tempt him or her with a Tuxedo Blue Diamond card, which works like a debit card in ATMs and anywhere that accepts Maestro. Parents can remotely load the card with money, and with a daily withdrawal cap of £200 it is less tempting to thieves.

The payback is that parents have 24-hour online access to statements, so they can see where their child is and how much he or she is spending. It costs £9.95 to set up, then there's a 2.95 per cent transaction fee.


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