Mazoola review
- Fee
- $0 per month
- Minimum deposit to open
- $0
Our verdict
The only COPPA-certified kids’ card that prioritizes online privacy.
Mazoola keeps your child's personal information safe and is COPPA certified. It does so by not asking for unnecessary personal information and encouraging you to use a nickname for your child. You also get loads of flexible parental controls that let you set spending limits down to the day, week or month, and add other adults to help manage the kids’ account. As a bonus, you won't have to worry about a monthly fee until after 12 months, which is longer than the typical 30-day trial other kids' cards offer. But the minimum reload is $20 so you won’t be able to send small amounts to the kids’ card, and you’ll pay a fee for an optional physical debit card.
Best for: Parents who value their kids’ online privacy.
Pros
-
Free 12-month trial
-
The only COPPA-certified kids' card
-
Store-level spending limits
Cons
-
$20 minimum funding limit
Who is Mazoola best for?
Mazoola is best for parents concerned over their kids’ personal information as it’s the only family financial app that’s certified by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA is an independent company that oversees a business’s online practices, and imposes requirements on sites and services that are directed to children under 13 years of age.
Mazoola can also be great for large families. Under a single parent account, you can sign up to five children, who will each get a virtual debit card for spending.
What we like about Mazoola
Mazoola really shines in its dedication to privacy protection. It is the only family financial app that’s certified under COPPA. Although other cards for kids say they’re COPPA compliant, it doesn’t mean they’re certified — all companies are required to keep a child’s information safe.
Mazoola won’t ask for unnecessary information about your child like their Social Security number or their personal details to spend and manage their money. Mazoola’s debit card is also issued and FDIC-insured through Evolve Bank & Trust bank, a long-standing financial institution that insures accounts for several digital banks.
Free year trial
Mazoola features the longest free trial we’ve seen amongst kids’ banking apps: 12 months long. Typically, free trials only last for 30 days.
After the trial, there’s a $4.95 monthly fee which is in line with other top kids’ debit cards. Although you could find cards that don’t charge a monthly fee, Mazoola’s tools for online privacy and parental controls may be well worth the price tag.
Parental controls how you want it
Mazoola lets you set up chores, allowances and spending limits your way. You can set custom daily, weekly and monthly spending limits, as well as toggle in-store and online shopping on and off. Additionally, specific retailers and shopping categories are controlled by the adult managing the account.
Considered a must-have feature for kids’ banking apps, you can create a custom list of chores and assign allowances to them. A unique perk is the ‘stealable chores,’ letting the first kid to jump on the chore get the reward, and even set up chores for your kids to watch videos and articles in the app so they focus on financial literacy education. You and your child can also work together to create savings and budget goals.
If you’re co–parenting or want to give another adult access, you can set up the adult as a parent or guardian. Parents get full access to all the tools, while guardians get to be hands on for chores and charities but can’t fund the account or manage kids’ spending.
Encourages generosity
According to Mazoola, they have every charity available on their platform giving kids the freedom to choose which organizations they’d like to give to. Mazoola also includes a list of churches that accept donations.
Mazoola is one of the few kids’ banking apps that build charity right into the platform. BusyKid is its rival in this area but it only offers around 60 charities.
Where it falls short
A big flag we noticed is the monthly fee after the 12-month trial isn’t clear. Mazoola states on their site there is no charge to use the service, but once we contacted them, they informed us that there is a $4.95 monthly fee after the year trial.
Another drawback is that you need to send at least $20 to your kid’s account every time you transfer money from your bank, an annoyance that other kids’ banking apps don’t require. Also remember that Mazoola is virtual-focused debit card for kids. Their site states they don’t issue physical debit cards, but a representative told us that parents can order a physical debit card for a one-time fee of $4.95 per card that’s deducted from the parent’s virtual wallet. Most checking accounts and kids’ banking apps offer a free physical debit card, so while not a huge con, the $4.95 fee can add up quickly for multiple kids.
And despite Mazoola’s robust tools, you won’t find other financial features other cards offer. For instance, competitors Greenlight and BusyKid offer investing features and FamZoo offers mock loans.
Compare other debit cards for kids
Narrow down top cards for kids by fees and features.
Mazoola
★★★★★
Finder rating 4.5 / 5
Fee
$0
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
N/A
Minimum deposit to open
$0
GoHenry
★★★★★
Finder rating 4.3 / 5
Fee
$4.99
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
N/A
Minimum deposit to open
$0
Axos Bank First Checking
★★★★★
Finder rating 3.5 / 5
Fee
$0
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
0.10%
Minimum deposit to open
$50
How do Mazoola‘s fees compare to the competition?
Learn which fees you’ll be responsible for when using Mazoola.
| Type of fee | Fee details | How it compares to other kids’ debit cards |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly service | $4.95 after 12-month free trial | Most kids’ banking platforms give a $30-day free trial, then charge around $4–$5 monthly. |
| Opening deposit | $0 | Most kids’ accounts don’t require an opening deposit. |
| ATM fee | No ATM withdrawals | A few kids’ banking platforms like GoHenry let kids withdraw from ATMs. However, most digital platforms don’t have their own ATM network, and they may charge ATM fees. |
| Debit card fees |
| Most kids’ debit cards don’t let you load with cash. Other kids’ banking platforms offer four or five free cards before charging a card fee. |
| Foreign transaction fee | Doesn’t allow foreign transactions | A few kids’ debit cards like GoHenry and BusyKid allow foreign transactions. BusyKid charges the usual 3% fee that most banks charge. |
| Overdraft or insufficient funds | $0 — transactions will decline if there’s not enough money | Most kids’ accounts don’t charge an overdraft fee, unless you go with a kids’ checking account from a bank. |
| Wire transfers | Not available | Most digital kids’ banking platforms don’t allow wire transfers. |
| Other fees | No paper statements | Most kids’ accounts favor e-Statements, but you can get paper statements if you’re with a traditional brick-and-mortar bank. |
How can I contact Mazoola?
Get help in two ways:
- Call 844-210-4789 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
- Email info@mazoola.co and wait for a response
Kids’ debit card ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We analyze top debit cards for kids and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. We rate kids’ checking accounts by these factors: Monthly fee, features, ATM access, customer support options, and availability. We also consider APY as a factor only for those that earn interest. We rate prepaid debit cards for kids by these factors: monthly fees, features, customer support options and account availability.
Read the full methodology of how we rate Kids’ debit card accounts.
Mazoola is not currently available on Finder
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- 0.50% APY on checking balance
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Your reviews
Sarah Finder
Writer
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