13 Best Debit Cards for Kids and Teens

Getting your child a debit card is a great way to teach them about money management at a young age, but choosing the best debit card for kids can be an arduous task. There are several key features you may want to consider. Making sure you get low fees and access to parental controls for reloading funds and monitoring spending activity is crucial.

When shopping for a card, you have two options: a prepaid debit card or a traditional debit card linked to a checking account. It is essential to understand the difference before getting a debit card for your kid.

Best Debit Cards for Kids and Teens

There are plenty of cards to choose from when considering options for kids or teens. Keep reading to learn more about the best debit cards you can get for your child.

1. Greenlight Debit Card

• Age requirements: None

• Monthly fee: $4.99-$14.98

• Free trial: One month

The Greenlight debit card is one of the most popular debit cards for kids, and it can help teach them how to spend money, save and invest. The card offers parental controls and sends you notifications every time your kid uses the card. Plus, it doesn’t have any minimum or maximum age requirements.

Greenlight lets you create chore lists that your child can work on to earn money. You can also set weekly or monthly allowance deposits if you prefer to give your children a set amount.

There are three different plans you can choose from. Subscriptions start at $4.99 per month for Greenlight Core without investing. Greenlight Max, which includes investing and a number of additional benefits, is $9.98 per month. Greenlight Infinity, the highest tier of membership, is $14.98 per month and includes everything the Max tier does, plus an increased 5% Greenlight Savings reward. Memberships include debit cards for up to five kids.

Depending on the plan, users can earn 1% cash back on purchases and/or a savings reward of 1%, 2% or 5% per year.

2. FamZoo Prepaid Card

• Age requirements: 13 or older to have a card in child’s name only

• Monthly fee: $2.50-$5.99

• Free trial: One month

The FamZoo app and prepaid card give your children the opportunity to learn how to manage money. You can load the cards anytime, albeit for a fee of up to $4.95 for instant options like cash or digital wallet transfers, and track all the activity on the cards digitally. You can also set up payments for chores, create automatic allowances and pay your kids interest on their savings.

With FamZoo, both the kids and parents can monitor spending through a shared dashboard. It’s open for kids of all ages and offers a free one-month trial. Once the trial expires, the subscription starts at $5.99 per month, but you can save up to $3.49 per month by paying in advance.

3. GoHenry Debit Card

• Age requirements: 6 to 18 years

• Monthly fee: $4.99

• Free trial: 30 days

The GoHenry debit card is designed for kids ages 6 to 18, but it’s best for parents who want to teach their children smart money management skills. The GoHenry app lets you take control by loading your child’s card and setting spending rules.

You can also set tasks for your child to complete to earn allowances and other perks. Whenever your kid spends, you get real-time notifications. Additionally, you can decide where they get to use the card. Furthermore, kids can spend and withdraw money overseas for free, split checks with friends and donate to Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

In-app “money missions” teach kids money skills that meet the K-12 Personal Finance Education National Standards.

4. Copper Debit Card

• Age requirements: 6 or older

• Monthly fee: N/A

• Free trial: N/A

Copper debit cards are perfect for helping kids learn financial literacy. The app offers interactive quizzes on money management, spending habits and saving. With Copper, your teen can access financial tools and other resources they need to make intelligent financial decisions.

As their parent, you can set up automatic money transfers and track their spending in real time. Teens can use the Copper debit card online and in person anywhere that accepts Mastercard.

Copper doesn’t charge monthly fees, overdraft fees or ATM fees and has no minimum balance requirement. Banking services are provided through Evolve Bank & Trust.

5. BusyKid Visa Prepaid Spend Card

• Age requirements: 5 to 17 years old

• Monthly fee: $4, billed annually

• Free trial: 30 days to receive a full refund

The BusyKid Visa Prepaid Spend debit card is the best choice for parents looking for an app that goes beyond good money habits. The BusyKid app uses a chore-based system where your kids can earn real money for completing chores. They can also learn to save, spend, donate and invest any earned allowances.

The BusyPay QR code makes it easy for family and friends to send your child cash gifts.

6. Jassby Virtual Debit Card

• Age requirements: None, but suggested for kids 8-17

• Monthly fee: $3.95

• Free trial: One month

The Jassby Virtual Debit Card for kids stands apart since it has a very user-friendly app. This card is best for families with multiple kids since parents take complete control in managing spending through Jassby’s Family Finances app. You can also assign your children chores and activities that can earn them money.

With Jassby, your child can also make contactless payments and earn rewards.

7. Jelli

• Age requirements: 13 and up

• Monthly fee: $2.99

• Free trial: N/A

Jelli is a no-fee, no-minimum account that helps teens age 13 and up budget their money. In addition to earning cash back on qualified purchases with their JelliCard, your kids can set up JelliJars to automatically divide deposits between spending and saving categories they define. Your family can share JelliJars to send payments to each other.

Because the Jelli account is a bank account, not just a spending card, funds are FDIC insured, and you get zero-liability coverage from Visa.

8. Mazoola Virtual Debit Card

• Age requirements: None

• Monthly fee: Free for the first year

• Free trial: 12 months

Mazoola is a mobile wallet and virtual debit card with no fees. It offers basic features such as automatic allowances and the ability to set savings goals, make peer-to-peer payments and set chores.

The Mazoola app makes it easy for you to track your kids’ spending and set spending limits, and it’s compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

9. Till Debit Card

• Age requirements: None for child users; family owners must be at least 18

• Monthly fee: N/A

• Free trial: N/A

Till Financial offers a family banking platform specifically designed to help kids become savvy spenders. It offers parents several ways to contribute to the account and share access with other family members. Parents can also set conditions for spending and repayment by creating an agreement in the app.

Till does not charge any fees.

10. Chase First Banking

• Age requirements: 6-17 years old

• Monthly fee: N/A

• Free trial: N/A

Chase First Banking is a debit card for kids. To open an account, you need to be a Chase customer. With Chase First Banking, your kids can learn how to spend, save and earn with a mobile app and their very own card.

As a parent, you can monitor and control your child’s spending and help them build good money habits. You can also assign chores, manage allowances and set up multiple saving goals.

There’s no charge to withdraw money from Chase ATMs.

11. Alliant Teen Checking

• Age requirements: 13-17 years old

• Monthly fee: N/A

• Free trial: N/A

Alliant Credit Union’s free checking account for teens is geared to teens under 18. The checking account offers one of the best debit cards for helping kids to learn responsible financial habits without overspending. It limits transactions to $100 in ATM withdrawals and $300 in purchases per day, and you can set up alerts to track your teen’s transactions.

The account is jointly owned by the parent, who must be an Alliant Credit Union member, and the teen. Teens can earn relatively high interest with easy eligibility criteria like opting in to e-statements and receiving one electronic deposit per month, and there are no monthly fees or account minimums.

Alliant offers over 80,000 fee-free ATMs and up to $20 per month in ATM rebates.

12. Capital One Money Teen Checking

• Age requirements: 8 years or older

• Monthly fee: N/A

• Free trial: N/A

The Money account is Capital One’s free account for kids and teens and their parent or guardian joint account holder. It comes with a debit card and a mobile app to help your children learn about money management.

Kids can earn interest on checking account balances. They can also access their money at any of more than 70,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. There are no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements with this account.

Parents can link the Money account to any bank account, including accounts at banks other than Capital One.

13. Current Visa Debit Card

• Age requirements: 13 and up

• Monthly fee: N/A

• Free trial: N/A

Current offers a banking option designed for families. The app provides total parental control while still giving your teen the freedom to spend, save and manage money. With Current, your teen can make purchases, set savings goals, transfer money and even donate to charity.

The account also has no minimum balance requirement.

FAQ

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the best debit cards for kids and teens.

• What is the best debit card for kids?

  • The best debit card for your child is the one that gives them the most value, according to their age, financial literacy and financial needs. For younger children, a prepaid debit card might be best, whereas for older children, a debit card linked to a checking account would be more appropriate.

• Is there a debit card for kids with no fees?

  • Yes. For example, Alliant Teen Checking, Chase First Banking and the Capital One Money teen checking account all offer a fee-free debit card.

• Can my 10-year-old have a debit card?

  • Yes, it is possible to have a debit card at 10 years of age with a parent or guardian as the owner on the account.

• What banks give kids a debit card?

  • Many banks and credit unions, including Chase and Capital One, will issue a debit card to kids. However, age restrictions may apply and will depend on the particular financial institution.

Cynthia Measom and Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of Dec. 7, 2022.

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