Virgin Prepaid MasterCard

Made loads of money over the summer break? Well, now it's time to spaff it all away on cheap booze, your favourite new records and that jacket you should never have paid £90 for.

Fear not, we don't want to see you go hungry... all hail the saviour of students everywhere: the Virgin Money Prepaid MasterCard. It works just like a pay as you go mobile phone and can be topped up with money at all Post Offices, PayPoint outlets across the whole country and online at www.virginmoney.com/prepaid-card. Once it's loaded up, the card can be used to shop online or on the high street, wherever MasterCard is accepted and to withdraw money from cash machines. Basically, the card does all the things that other cards do - including giving you PIN protection - but without the need to set up a bank account.*

Oh, what's that? It's two days into your first semester and you've blown everything going to a Klaxons gig and spending the rest of the week in the pub? Now you can't even afford to phone home to arrange laundry delivery times or set up an urgent meeting with the Bank Of Mum And Dad.

Don't worry, your folks can give you a Prepaid MasterCard and load it with emergency money. Don't over do it though, your parents can keep an eye on what you're spending the money on with online statements.

But that's not all, oh no... You get loads of discounts on Virgin stuff, like 10 per cent off at Virgin Megastores (records!) 10 per cent off Virgin Holidays (Ibiza!) 10 per cent off Virgin Wines (for over 18s) (drink!) 75 per cent off Virgin Active's joining fee (exercise! Boo), 10 per cent off Virgin Car, Home, Pet and Annual Travel insurance (er) and 100 per cent Virgin Dissertations. OK, that last one's not true, but there's no denying that Virgin Money's Pay As You Go Card will change your life.

So, when your rent's due and you're hiding from your landlord in the library 'doing work', the oldies can just whack a few quid on the card and get you out of hole without you having to hitch a lift home on the back of a lorry to plead for money face-to-face. And your parents don't have to see you down on your knees begging.