August 17, 2021

prepaid cards for kids


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Getting your child a card is a big step but the right card can be great for you and your child. Parents who want to teach their children about money will find a prepaid card an excellent tool.

There are many different types of cards, so it is important to consider your child's age and what they are interested in before making any purchase decisions. This complete article will find out the top prepaid cards to help you support your child with financial responsibility. 

Our Top Picks

#1

Starling Kite

Introducing a new kind of savings account for your new found adult. A space that's theirs and yours to share completely - a Starling Kite within your account.


Set it up in minutes, transfer the pennies into their own special card in seconds- they'll be able to keep an eye on transactions plus get notifications when they buy things or spend, from them too.


All you'll pay is a flat £2 per month charge so say goodbye to nagging about money now!


You need to join Starling to set up this account for your child. 

#2

HyperJar

The Kids Card & app work with a HyperJar account. Manage your children’s money in as many Jars as you like. The perfect blend of guidance from you and independence for them.


Parents can set up as many Jars as they like for their kids, all linked to the Kids Card and app. Jars are a brilliant way to learn about planning and saving up for different things.

#3

GoHenry

A cool way to manage pocket money! with the Gohenry app you can set tasks for your child to complete and assign them money once the tick of the task. 


Your child can also set up savings goals and automatically assign a percentage of their pocket money to savings. 


GoHenry costs £2.99 a month

#4

Osper

Coming in what Osper describe as awesome card designs these cards will certainly put a smile on your Childs face. 

With help from the Osper app, children can manage their spending more effectively. With parents' monthly allowance and the ability to request their own payments through Osper, kids can build a sense of responsibility with themselves while teaching them that saving money is key. Parents are able to track childrens' spending and quickly lock or unlock cards if they go missing thanks to Osper's location-tracking feature.


Osper costs £2.50 per month and a additional £6.99 for branded cards. 


#5

Nimbl

Meet Nimbl, the card that pays your kids pocket money and helps them develop good money habits. With no hidden loading or gifting fees - they are frugal youngsters' favourite card.


Nimbl is £2.49 a month or £28 a year.

#6

Rooster Money

Rooster money is the financial partner of childhood. Rooster money's goal is to foster a love for learning about finances from an early age. Available from ages 4-17 Rooster will help you teach your children good money habits from a early age. 


Rooster Money Card is £24.99 a year

Why should I get a child's prepaid card?

A child prepaid card acts as Debit cards do. They are useful because they help the child learn money and banking methods in real life and a safe environment. With the accounts listed in this article, you, as the parent, have control and can see exactly what is being spent.

Control elements are often an attraction for families. Both do the same tasks and will never let your child spend more than the full amount.

However, there are differences between cash and card. You've got much more chances of bringing your lost money back. A card may also be used to send reminders through text to show what they purchased, to be exact.

Because you will also have a paper trail (or a digital track) of purchases, if you are looking to teach your child about financial responsibility, you can use this account to review purchases together. 

What prepaid cards can you get for children?

Depending on the age depends on the child's card they can get. It can either be an account attached to your in the form of a prepaid card or a debit card with their own account if they are old enough. The accounts allow your child to spend money as if it was their own bank account the difference being it is connected to a parent account so you can keep a watchful eye.

Some providers require your parental consent if you're younger than 18. You can pay for your account, but a family man or girl can add cash on a new card.

A children's debit card is typically used by a parent who can order a card for you. The person managing the account needs to be over 18 years old that could add or limit spending. Typically if they are over 16 they could get their own bank account with a savings account.

A bank does not let you borrow money; the bank does not let you use the money you had already added to the account.

Some of the accounts listed in this article also act as savings accounts.

Depending on the age of your child, you may also consider getting a full children's bank account with their own prepaid debit card.

How do prepaid cards for kids work?

Your child can't spend beyond the amount on the debit card, forming a 'safe' barrier so they can never go over the limit. You load cash onto one. Then it can be used as payment in most places that accept cards, just like a debit or credit card -using chip and PIN or contactless up to £45, though you can often set spending limits to restrict this.

At the end of each month, you and your child get an account statement detailing all the transactions made via email or post. If there is any money left (and they're unlikely to spend it all!), it'll be available for them to use next time on the card - so no need to 'top-up.

It helps form good money habits...

  • It's really flexible, and you can change how much money is on it at any time.
  • You choose when to load cash onto a prepaid card for kids. So if they want to spend £20 this week but have no allowance left, more can be added quickly and easily.
  • You also choose what age to give it to them. Because there is no credit check, you can start as soon as they're old enough to understand that it's money and shouldn't be lost, stolen or spent on something silly. We recommend 7+.
  • It is your child's card, but you can view and control how it is used to help them with money management.
  • Treat it as a separate account and transfer money in each week or month for them. It could be how they pocket money.
  • If your child makes a mistake, there'll be plenty of time to get the cashback before it disappears from their card. You can take it out at any time, and if they lose it or have a card stolen.
  • If it was them who lost or had their prepaid card for kids stolen, and they contact you ASAP, you'll be able to give their bank details so the cash will still be accessible.

Monthly fees apply:

  • Monthly or annual fee. After any free trial, it's typically up to £36/year. 
  • ATM fees. Some cards may charge around 50p/withdrawal in the UK. 
  • Overseas fees.

Top Prepaid Cards explained... 

Starling Kite

Starling Kite, the child's bank account designed for today's digital world.

Starling Kite: a new type of outer space created just for children between 6 and 16 years old. With this "Kite card", you can set it up in minutes or transfer money onto their balance in one second-all while keeping an eye on things from yours!

The best part of this account is FCS protected as Starling is a registered UK Bank.

Starling Kite

Good To know

You must have a Starling Current account first to set up a Starling Kite space for your child. If you're a parent, your kids are probably asking for money. And if they're like most kids, they don't always know how to spend it wisely.

Kite is the bank designed to help children learn about money in a fun and safe way.

Kite can be used anywhere in the world by anyone over six years old with an internet connection and a smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android). It has been specifically designed to make saving and spending easily for young people so that as they get older, managing their own finances will come naturally.

Cost: Kite is the cheapest prepaid card of £2 per month (£24/yr). Once you're signed up, you have no problem adding kids and order their FREE card. Presently the card is managed by a parent app, but it's also on its way to creating another Child App.

Get the free card and parental profile at this link below.

Want to know more about Starling Bank? Check out Starling Bank Review

HyperJar

HyperJar is a new app that allows parents to share savings jars with their kids. They can set up as many Jars for each child, all linked to the Kids Card and HyperJar app. This system teaches children how to plan out what they want now or later so that when they have saved enough money, it's ready in time!

hyper jar

Good to know:

The UK's first 100% free money app for children aged six to 17, with a prepaid card and no monthly subscription fees. This offers parents the chance to get their kids into saving habits early by setting up "jars" or accounts that can be saved within. There are also no foreign exchange fees when paying in other currencies, making it easy for families to travel abroad!

You can set up pocket money Jars and add money each week. Add notes in the Jar to nudge about any chores your child needs to complete first!

Anything else I should know? It says it is the only prepaid kids’ card added to Apple Pay and Google Pay (children have to be 13-plus for these services). It also says charity donations are “coming”.

GoHenry

Founded by parents in 2012, GoHenry now has 1.5 million customers across the US and UK - making it one of the largest providers of children's prepaid cards. Gaining excellent reviews and giving you the parent complete control over overspending on the pre-paid visa card is a great option for any parent.

GoHenry

Good to know:

GoHenry is the app parents need to monitor their kid's spending habits. Set up your account and choose how you want them rewarded, what tasks they must complete to get paid more money or make instant one-offs payments any time of day! You can spend GoHenrys anywhere that accepts Visa, which includes online shops such as Amazon, so it's easy for teens to do all their shopping right from home on the phone.

Receive real-time notifications when and where your child spends money with an instantly blockable card if anything goes wrong, giving peace of mind during those times when he drops his wallet at school (or leaves it somewhere). Start teaching financial responsibility by rewarding children completing simple but educational chores such as doing the dishes each week while also maintaining total.

Cost: There is a prepaid Visa card and app for kids. There is a fee to join, £2.99 per month. 

Osper

Osper is an innovative, new way for children to learn about money and control their own spending. The first step is a debit card that teaches them how much things cost when buying them in stores or online. Next comes the app where kids can track all of their transactions from purchases at school lunchtime deals to saving up for something special - encouraging savings and teaching responsibility over spendings time and again!

Parents get access, too, so you know what kind of budgetary decisions your child may be made without telling you anything (or needing permission). You'll also receive notifications if there's been any unauthorized use of the Osper account, which will alert parents right away should it happen.

Related article: Best Budget Apps (UK)

Osper

Good To Know:

Every child needs an allowance. The Osper app lets kids set up regular monthly savings based on the percentage of their allowances they get, and it's all tracked in one place! It might be as little as 5% or 10%, but this is a crucial step for shaping how your children think about money- which will pay dividends later in life when managing finances becomes more difficult. Parents can also track spending with categories to make sure that you understand where your money goes each month, too; making good habits early on pays off handsomely!

Cost:

Prepaid debit Mastercard and app. It costs £2.50 a child each month, although you can try it free for 30 days. There are cool Nickelodeon designed cards; however, they cost an extra £5.99.

Anything else I should know? Parents can set up a free KidStart account (KidStart is a loyalty programme involving more than 2,300 retailers) and link it to their child’s account. Then, when you shop online, go via the KidStart website. The retailer will give some of the money spent back to you, so you can effectively earn free pocket money for your child.

Nimbl

Nimbl makes it easier for parents to teach children how to be responsible with their money. nimbl provides a prepaid debit Mastercard® and a smartphone app that lets you stay in control of your child's spending as they learn about managing finances responsibly. With the fun and easy tool, all kids can have an advantage when learning something so important!

nimbl

Good to Know:

Instant Top Up is the future of pocket money! You can transfer funds to your children in a matter of seconds, whether they are out shopping or on the other side of the world. Digital Pocket Money also lets you set up and automate weekly or monthly amounts for your child's allowance- saving both time and hassle. Spend Alerts will instantaneously notify you every time with how much was spent, where it happened so that parents never have to worry about their kids spending again online Statements allows them to see what their kid has been doing through nimble app Spending Controls give control over where cards should be able to be used.

Cost; A prepaid debit Mastercard and app for children aged six to 18. It costs £2.49 a child each month, or £28 a year, although you can try it free for a month.

Withdrawals from UK ATMs are free, but there is a £1.50 fee for getting cash abroad. Overseas purchases incur a 2.95% fee.

Rooster Money

RoosterMoney is a prepaid Visa debit card for kids between six and 17, but anyone can apply. RoosterMoney boasts more than 250,000 new members each month.

rooster money

Good to Know

No more confusion over who's been given an allowance. Now your child can use RoosterMoney to give themselves an automatic salary. You'll never need to worry about whether they have the money for something again! The Spend pot is self-explanatory: you set a goal and save up as much of that amount as possible until it gets high enough - then spend what you want with no questions asked. With Give Pot, kids can donate towards causes close to their heart or even send some cash home when the family needs financial help most, so mom doesn't get frustrated by being gatekeeper all the time; she has her own life too, after all!

Cost: The card costs £24.99 a year (additional cards for children in the same family are £19.99 a year each), although a one-month free trial is offered.


Conclusion

Whether you're looking for a simple way to teach your child how to manage their pocket money or need an easy payment solution, there's plenty of options available. Money skills are important. The sooner you can start, the better!

The cheapest option is Starling Kite, which is registered as a UK bank and offers the most features. But if you don't want banking services but still want some extra features like budgeting tools, then GoHenry may be worth checking out too.

What prepaid card do you prefer? Let me know in the comments below!


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About the author 

Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is a passionate advocate for financial freedom. She is the founder of MeMoreMoney, and a featured Personal Finance expert in GO Banking Rates and Yahoo! Finance. Mary loves to make money simple and understandable for everyone. Her goal is to help people make simple changes so that they have more money to live the way they want.

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