Best bank cards for kids: Debit and prepaid cards

They have to learn sometime. Compare the best debit cards for your kids, from age 6 up to 18, and keep an eye on how they’re spending.

Best debit & prepaid cards for kids Read reviews
Best providers by customer satisfaction See the league table

It’s never too early to teach your kids about money and there are now loads of options designed to help you do just that and give them some control over their finances. You can choose a prepaid kids’ debit card where they can only spend the money you load onto the card, which can be controlled through an app. Alternatively, there are more traditional current accounts designed especially for children.

Compare debit and prepaid cards for kids

Name Product UKFSA-PPC Finder score Min age Monthly fee Savings goals Set chores Key benefits
Finder Award
EXCLUSIVE
GoHenry Account - with £15 pocket money and 2 months free
4.3
★★★★★
6-18
£3.99
Get an exclusive 2 months free and £15 pocket money offer when you sign up with CODE: AFFFDR215
Finder Award
FREE TRIAL
NatWest Rooster Money Account
4.4
★★★★★
6-17 for card, 3+ for app
£1.99
FREE TRIAL
Revolut <18 Account
4.3
★★★★★
6-17
£0 (parent needs Revolut account)
Get 3 months of Premium for free
Santander 123 Mini Current Account
4.2
★★★★★
13-17
£0
Online application available for children aged between 13 - 17. If you are opening the account in trust for a child under 13 please visit a Santander branch.
EXCLUSIVE
nimbl Account
3.6
★★★★★
6-18
£2.49
Get £10 free pocket money plus your first month free when you sign up for an annual subscription.
EXCLUSIVE
Osper
2.8
★★★★★
8-18
£1.95
22% off the standard pricing + 1 month free trial
Finder Award
OFFER
Starling Kite Account
4.8
★★★★★
6-15
£0 (parent needs Starling account)
Earn interest on your balance.
Bex Debit Card
Not yet rated
6-18
£1
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Finder’s best prepaid cards for kids in the UK 2024

BrandBest forExpert score
Starling KiteBest overall4.8/5
NatWest Rooster MoneyGood for parental controls4.4/5
GoHenryBest for learning tools4.3/5
Revolut <18 AccountBest for older kids4.3/5
nimblBest for regular saving3.6/5

Prepaid cards for kids

Best for learning tools

GoHenry Account - with £15 pocket money and 2 months free

GoHenry Account - with £15 pocket money and 2 months free

Finder Score 4.3★★★★★

Go to site Read review
Monthly fee£3.99
Card delivery fee£0
Age range6-18
Get an exclusive 2 months free and £15 pocket money offer when you sign up with CODE: AFFFDR215.

GoHenry is known for its focus on financial education and has put its money where its mouth is with its Money Missions. These are bite-sized lessons for every age range, with more advanced modules for older children. There are tutorials and gamified quizzes where your child can earn a reward and a badge when they achieve each skill. Topics include banking basics, savings, interest, borrowing and much more. Alongside this, GoHenry also has savings goals and the ability to set chores so your child can earn their allowance. All of which feeds into your child having a greater understanding of how money works.

Good for parental controls

NatWest Rooster Money Account

NatWest Rooster Money Account

Finder Score 4.4★★★★★

Go to site Read review
Monthly fee£1.99
Card delivery fee£0
Age range6-17 for card, 3+ for app

As your child learns about money, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them. NatWest’s Rooster Money has a range of flexible parental controls which you can adjust to suit how you want your child to manage their money. You can choose where and how much your kids can spend. The Rooster Card also has a dynamic CVV to keep your child’s money safe, where a new CVV is generated for each online purchase. All you need to do is go to your dashboard and request one. Meanwhile, you can take advantage of the app’s Contactless Counter which helps you keep track of whether your child is near their contactless limit. If they hit it and have forgotten their PIN, you’re able to reset contactless via your family dashboard and they can continue to tap away without any issues.

Best overall

Starling Kite Account

Starling Kite Account

Finder Score 4.8★★★★★

Read review
Monthly fee£0 (parent needs Starling account)
Card delivery fee£0
Age range6-15
Earn interest on your balance.

Our top scorer among prepaid cards. Starling Kite has no fees for overseas spending, zero. So you can rest easy when your child is spending their holiday money that they won’t get tripped up by foreign transaction fees on their card. Kite also has a daily limit for ATM withdrawals, which can be set by parents, and blocks on certain merchants such as nightclubs and bars. While not the only card with no fees for spending abroad, Starling Kite has its own kids app where they can track their spending and start budgeting. You’ll also be able to keep an eye on things from your own Starling app.

Best for regular saving

nimbl Account

nimbl Account

Finder Score 3.6★★★★★

Go to site Read review
Monthly fee£2.49
Card delivery fee£0
Age range6-18
Get £10 free pocket money plus your first month free when you sign up for an annual subscription.

Building a savings habit early on can help your child in later life. Nimbl makes this easy to do with its micro-savings feature. This allows children to automatically save between 5p and £5 every time they spend on their card. While other kids’ prepaid cards have savings goals and automatic transfers, Nimbl is unique in offering this type of saving feature. It’s more akin to the round-up savings tools found on adult current accounts.

Best for older kids

Revolut <18 Account

Revolut <18 Account

Finder Score 4.3★★★★★

Go to site Read review
Monthly fee£0 (parent needs Revolut account)
Card delivery fee£4.99 delivery charge
Age range6-17
Get 3 months of Premium for free.

This Revolut card is perfect for older kids who want a taste of freedom, but with sensible co-parenting tools in place at no extra cost. Co-parents can then top-up the account, manage activity and, with Revolut’s Premium or Metal plan, set challenges and create goals for their child. There are also plenty of direct benefits for the young card owner: they can pay friends, link the card to Apple Pay or Google Pay, and enjoy discounts and rewards with top brands. Depending on what plan you have, you can get up to 5 linked accounts, whether you’re the lead parent or the co-parent.

How did we rate our kids’ bank accounts?

Kate Steere
Finder money expert Kate Steere shares our research

To come up with our Finder rating and picks for the best kids’ bank accounts in the UK, our team looked at the free versions of a provider’s children’s bank account range and scored them across 6 categories.

We looked at the app scores in the Google Play Store and the App Store, overseas fees, mobile app features, account features such as savings features and withdrawal limits, how easy the application process is and what extra features are available with the account.

We scored each category out of 5. For example, if a kids’ account had no fees for spending abroad it would score 5 out of 5. To calculate our Finder rating, we averaged out all these scores and rounded them to the nearest half star.

You’ll also see accounts we picked as being outstanding in certain categories, such as best for interest or best for teens. What you need from a kids’ account is down to you and your child, so these picks are just one way to help you with your decision.

Kids’ bank accounts with debit cards

Best for interest: Santander 123 Mini Current Account

Santander 123 Mini Current Account

Santander 123 Mini Current Account

Finder Score 4.2★★★★★

Go to site Read review
Interest (AER)1%
Account feeFree
Minimum age13 Years

If you’re looking for a kids’ account that pays interest on balances, Santander’s 123 Mini Current Account is a good option. It offers a tiered interest rate, which peaks at a market-leading 3% AER. On balances up to £999.99, your child can earn 1% on the entire balance. This jumps to 2% AER between £1,000 and £1,499.99 and tops out at 3% AER once the balance is £1,500 up to £2,000. The account can be opened at any age, but for children under 13 there must be a trustee in place and the trustee must have their own Santander personal account.

Best for parental oversight: Lloyds Smart Start

Lloyds Smart Start Spending Account - Age 11-15

Lloyds Smart Start Spending Account - Age 11-15

Finder Score 4.0★★★★★

Interest (AER)0%
Minimum age11 Years
Linked savings account.

Lloyds Bank’s Smart Start account is a spending and savings account in one. It helps children learn how to manage their own money. One of the key ways it does this is by giving parents complete oversight. As a parent, you can keep an eye on your child’s account through your own mobile banking app or online banking. You can also rest easy in that spending is not allowed in over-18 outlets like off-licences. Just bear in mind you’ll need a Club Lloyds Current Account in order for your child to be eligible to apply for Smart Start.

As they are also part of the Lloyds Banking Group, you’ll find that the Halifax Smart Start and Bank of Scotland Smart Start accounts have the same features.

Best for savings: HSBC MyAccount

HSBC MyAccount - Age 11-17

HSBC MyAccount - Age 11-17

Finder Score 4.1★★★★★

Read review
Interest (AER)0%
Account feeFree
Minimum age11 Years
Eligible for MySavings account from age 7 as part of MyMoney package.

HSBC’s MyAccount comes with automatic access to its MySavings account, which has a highly competitive interest rate on balances up to £3,000. Both the MyAccount and the MySavings account can be accessed and managed through online and mobile banking. Meanwhile, if your child wants to withdraw money from their savings account, they can do this using their cash book at any one of HSBC's branches. You can help your child start their savings journey from just £10 using HSBC’s MySavings account.

Best for overseas spending: Nationwide FlexOne

Nationwide FlexOne Account

Nationwide FlexOne Account

Finder Score 4.3★★★★★

Read review
Interest (AER)2%
Account feeFree
Minimum age11 Years
Eligible for a FlexOne Saver account, Flex Regular Saver and Flex Instant Saver.

As your child grows they will want to explore more of the world. Be it on a school trip or that post GSCE holiday with friends, you’ll want to make sure that they can spend their money abroad without any issues. A large part of this is avoiding costly fees. With the Nationwide FlexOne account, there are no fees for making a payment or withdrawing cash from an ATM while overseas. The account also offers interest on balances. Plus, your child can keep it until they are 23 when they’ll be moved across to a FlexAccount or a FlexDirect account.

Best for teens: Starling Teen

Starling Current Account - Age 16-17

Starling Current Account - Age 16-17

Finder Score 4.5★★★★★

Read review
Interest (AER)3.25%
Account feeFree
Minimum age16 Years

If you have a teen or are a teen, and are looking for an account to help you with your money management, take a look at the Starling Teen account. Specifically for those aged 16 and 17, it does nearly everything Starling’s main current account does but doesn’t have an overdraft option. It can be set up in minutes through the app and has all the money management tools Starling is known for, including instant pay notifications, spending insights and dedicated Savings Spaces. Alongside this, you can settle payments with friends by sending payment links directly from your mobile. Or by using Starling's “Settle up with Nearby Payments” feature, which lets you transfer money to someone sitting next to you, with no bank details needed.

Features of a kids’ prepaid debit card

  • Spending controls. Many children’s debit cards come with spending control limits that parents can set within the linked mobile app.
  • Card lock. Parents can also lock the debit card via the app so it can’t be used.
  • Choose how your child can spend. Parents can choose if the debit card can be used at ATMs, online or for in-store purchases.
  • Spending tracking tools. Many of the apps offer spending tracking tools and features to help your child learn how to manage their money.

How to choose the best prepaid debit cards for kids

Compare the following features when shopping around for a debit card for your kids:

  • Check the fees. The costs can vary between different cards. Most prepaid accounts will have either a monthly or yearly fee.
  • Spending limits. Look for cards that let you cap daily spending, set limits for ATM withdrawals or block specific stores.
  • Shopping online. Consider whether being able to buy online is a benefit or a downside, and opt for a kids’ debit card that can restrict or block online spending if needed.
Cathy Hudson's headshot
Our expert says: More options for children to manage their money than ever

"There’s been a whole new breed of children’s account launched in recent years – prepaid cards for kids let you load their pocket money onto the card and set spending controls. Kids can also learn to budget and set goals through innovative apps that effectively gamify money management.

Some cards have monthly fees. These include NatWest’s Rooster Money, GoHenry, Starling Kite and Nimbl. GoHenry is famous for its tools to help children learn about money, with quizzes, rewards, badges and the ability for them to earn money by doing chores. The personalised cards are also fun for children to have.

Starling and Revolut, which are well known as digital-only banking apps for adults, require you to have your own account with them if you’re setting an account up for your child. While Revolut’s under-18 account has no monthly fee, you’ll get an extra level of control over your child’s account if you have one of Revolut’s paid-for accounts yourself.

HyperJar Kids is another option with no monthly fee. Its digital jars let children save money for specific things and set goals, and they can choose names and colours for each. It means they can learn to save and budget without even realising it."

Money expert

How do prepaid debit cards for kids work?

Many debit cards for kids are prepaid cards. You can load money onto them from the parent’s bank account using a mobile app that accompanies the physical card.

A lot of these cards and apps come with extra features, like the ability to see how your child spends their money or the option to pay them pocket money for doing their chores.

At what age can my child get a prepaid debit card?

Prepaid cards can be available for kids as young as 6. You can let your child keep their prepaid card as they get older, or help them open a current account for teenagers when they’ve outgrown the prepaid card.

What’s the difference between a kids’ prepaid debit card and a children’s bank account?

Debit cards are available with both the app-based digital accounts mentioned in this guide, as well as with traditional children’s bank accounts. So the difference is actually between the accounts themselves. Children’s bank accounts are current accounts, operated by traditional banks in a similar way to adult current accounts, although they don’t have overdrafts and sometimes have spending limits. There’s usually not a fee involved for having the account, and kids can use the accompanying debit card to make purchases and ATM withdrawals. Obviously children will need money in their bank account in order to do this, and you can add funds as a parent, have family members pay monetary gifts in, or they can even have some wages from a part-time job paid in if they’re old enough to be working.

With the app-based accounts, usually run by digital-only providers, the kids’ debit cards are prepaid, so you’ll have to load money onto them. Often it’s only the account owner, which is the parent, who can do this. There’s sometimes a subscription fee associated with these accounts, but in return you get more digital features and innovative ways to manage the account through the app (including parental controls and digital notifications), than you would with a traditional children’s bank account. This type of digital account plus card is also available for kids who might be too young to open a traditional bank account.

Kid debit cards

Can I get a credit card for my child?

You have to be 18 to get a credit card in the UK, so it won’t be possible for your child to have one. However, parents can get a prepaid card (like the ones outlined in this guide) for children as young as 6. Another option is to set up a children’s bank account, as these often come with a debit card or a cash card that kids can use from around the age of 11.

What are the pros and cons of prepaid debit cards for kids?

Before you get a debit card for your child, consider these features and drawbacks:

Pros

  • Control. Keep track of your child’s spending online and cap the daily limit as you see fit.
  • Security. You can monitor your child’s spending in the mobile app and see where they’re shopping.
  • Safety. Because you can quickly and easily lock the debit card if it’s misplaced, debit cards are often safer than carrying cash.
  • Good practice. Using a debit card will teach your child how money works digitally, as well as create good budgeting habits.

Cons

  • Not a current account. These types of debit cards are prepaid cards and not actual current accounts.
  • Not good for large purchases. The spending limits on these prepaid debit cards for kids are generally much lower than those found on traditional adult debit cards.
  • Account fees. Many of these cards and their associated apps come with a monthly or annual fee.
  • No interest. These types of prepaid accounts usually don’t pay interest.
  • Age limits. Each debit card or app can set its own age limit.

Kids’ prepaid cards customer satisfaction league table 2024

Finder surveyed the customers of kids’ prepaid card providers about their experiences, and we used the results to generate customer satisfaction star ratings for those brands. As part of the survey, we also asked customers whether they would recommend their kids’ card provider to a friend. We’ve shown both the star ratings and “would recommend” scores in the table below. Learn more about the results and the winners.

BrandLogoOverall satisfactionCustomers who’d recommendReviewLink
Starling KiteStarling Kite logo★★★★★94%Starling Kite is Starling’s own kids’ prepaid card option. Parents with a Starling account can order the card for their child and then manage it through their own app. Kids can also have their own app to track their pocket money and see where they’ve spent it. Starling Kite achieved a customer satisfaction score of 4.8 out of 5.Read review
NatWest Rooster MoneyNatWest Rooster Money logo★★★★★94%NatWest Rooster Money is a dedicated kids’ card and app, which lets parents set and track asks for their children to earn pocket money. It’s all managemd digitally and has a big focus on fianncial education. In our survey, it scored 4.7 out of 5.Read review
GoHenryGoHenry logo★★★★★93%Popular kids’ card and app combo GoHenry offers customised spending cards and parental controls. Its interactive Money Missions programme helps improved children’s financial literacy. It secured a score of 4.5 in this year’s customer satisfaction survey.Read review
Revolut <18 AccountRevolut<18 (Revolut Junior) logo★★★★★91%Revolut <18 Account is Revolut’s kids’ preapid card offering. Scoring 4.6 out of 5, customers commented on its ease of use. Parents will already need to have an account with Revolut to get the card and app for their child. Read review
HyperJar KidsHyperJar Kids logo★★★★★88%HyperJar Kids is a money management app for adults that has it’s own prepaid card for kids. It has no monthly fees or loading charges and children get their own app to check in on their money. It scored 4.4 out of 5 in our survey.Read review
NimblNimbl logo★★★★★87%Nimbl is a kids’ pocket money card and app, which also aims to help children learn money skills. Less popular than some of the other providers, it achieved a score of 4 out of 5 in this year’s customer satisfaction survey.Read review

How satisfied are you overall with your kids debit card provider?

Response% of respondents
Very satisfied41.84%
Reasonably satisfied36.94%
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied15.92%
Moderately dissatisfied4.29%
Highly dissatisfied1.02%
Source: Finder survey by OnePoll of 500 Brits

Customer satisfaction scores methodology

Our independent survey of 500 kids’ card customers was carried out in December 2023. We asked adults who have a prepaid card for their child to rate their satisfaction (on a scale of 1 to 5) with the service they had received from their provider, and also whether they would recommend that provider to a friend.

We crunched the numbers and used these star ratings to decide the winners of our awards (if there was a draw on the star ratings score, we then used the “would recommend” percentage as a tie-breaker).

Read full details of our methodology here.

Kids’ cards scores

★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our customer satisfaction scores are based on a survey of 500 customers carried out in December 2023.

Bottom line

Prepaid kids’ debit cards with apps to control them are a great way for kids to learn how to manage their money and make it fun and accessible. GoHenry is probably the best known but there are a range of alternatives you can consider. Read our guide to GoHenry and similar alternatives to find out more.

If you would prefer your child to have an account with a fuller range of banking features or one just for savings visit our guides to current accounts for children and savings accounts for children.

Finder whitepaper cover

Financial education: Are parents equipped to fill the gap?

Finder published a paper in August 2023 exploring financial education in the UK and how parents are stepping in to teach their children about money. The report includes the findings of our survey of 1,007 of UK adults with children either at primary or secondary school, and insights from teachers, an academic and experts at GoHenry, HyperJar and All Things Money.
Download your free copy

All the content may be republished with a link to this page
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Frequently asked questions

Kids' cards scores

★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor

Finder scores, in blue, are based on our expert analysis. We also show reviews from users, where we've received more than 10, with a score in yellow. We gather more reviews from customers every year in Finder's customer satisfaction survey.

To find out more, read our full methodology.

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been reviewed by Rachel Wait, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
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Publisher

Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio

Matthew's expertise
Matthew has written 284 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Helping first-time buyers apply for a mortgage
  • Comparing bank accounts and highlighting useful features
  • Publishing easy-to-understand guides

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