Methodology for kids’ prepaid card ratings
You’ll find scores and ratings on some of our kids' card reviews. Here’s how we came up with them.
You may have noticed (you did, right?) that our kids’ prepaid card pages, tables and reviews come with scores. They’re there to help consumers figure out how good a company and its products are, at a single glance. But they wouldn’t be fair, and we wouldn’t be transparent, if we didn’t tell you how we came up with them.
We publish 2 types of score:
- Finder’s expert score. Our experts look at the features of a product (in this case, a kids’ prepaid card), how much it costs and what it offers to users, then rate it.
- User reviews. We ask you to tell us about your experience as a customer of the brands we cover. You can submit a comment directly through the relevant review, and each year we gather more user reviews through a customer survey. We show the results of this survey in an annual league table, and use it to determine our annual customer satisfaction awards, too.
What is the Finder score?
Our expert team evaluates various products in our database, assigning each one a score out of 10. A higher score means the product is more competitive and may offer better value.
If you want peace of mind, this rating will give it to you. These products offer the best value and outcomes considering various product features, terms, conditions and price.
Well-balanced products that provide what you need, offering a healthy mix of competitive features at a good price. However, they’re not quite the best in class.
Bottom line: You can find better, but these products still offer reasonable value and have the basics sorted.
These products may not offer much value in the long run, and there are better options available.
What factors do we take into account?
We assess products across a number of key areas:
- Fees. We consider whether these is a monthly fee for the card and whether it charges you for things like top-ups or ATM withdrawals. If there are charges for making purchases abroad or taking money out from a foreign ATM, that is also taken into account.
- Controls and safeguards. We score this based on what controls or safeguards the card as in place, like ability to freeze and unfreeze the card, age-restricted sales and ATM withdrawal limits.
- App features. We look at what educational features the app has, whether or not you can set savings goals and what type of earning functionality is in place.
- App rating. This is calculated by averaging the banking app’s score in the Google Play Store and the App Store.
We average all these scores to come up with an overall Finder score.
Your reviews and our customer survey
In January 2025, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on kids’ prepaid cards. The survey asked 500 respondents how satisfied they are with their provider on a scale from 1 to 5, and also whether they would recommend it to a friend or not.
You can see review stars at the top of our review pages, if we’ve received more than 10. These are from consumers just like you who use our site and want to review the products and providers they use. We include ratings out of 5 and responses we’ve received in our annual customer satisfaction surveys.
★★★★★ – Excellent
★★★★★ – Good
★★★★★ – Average
★★★★★ – Subpar
★★★★★ – Poor
We also show the percentage who would recommend each provider in a league table in guides and on our awards pages.
More resources on Finder
More guides on Finder
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Monzo for Under 16s vs Starling Kite: Which is better?
We compare Monzo for Under 16s and Starling Kite to see which is better for your child.
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Monzo for Under 16s vs GoHenry: Which is better?
We compare Monzo for Under 16s and GoHenry to see which is better for your child.
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Monzo for Under 16s review
Monzo’s long-awaited children’s account has launched. We’ve reviewed it to see how it stacks up against the competition.
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Best bank cards for kids: Debit and prepaid cards
Support your child’s financial knowledge and teach them important real-life money skills in a safe and controlled way with a kids’ debit card.
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Children’s savings accounts that they cannot access until 18
Building up a savings pot for your child or grandchild can help ensure they have help and some financial security when they reach adulthood.
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Lloyds Under 19s account review
Learn more about the Lloyds Under 19s account to see if it’s right for your child.
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Best banks and bank accounts for teens (under 18s) in the UK 2025
Find out about bank accounts for teenagers, how to choose the right one and how they differ from kids’ prepaid cards.
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GoHenry review
GoHenry gives financial independence to children and full control to parents. We look at how it works and what features it has to see if it’s worth the fee.
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nimbl review
With nimbl, children as young as 6 can use a card and manage their money through an app. We cover how it works, the fees, and the pros and cons for parents.
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Osper review
Looking to get your child a debit card? Check out Osper’s prepaid card and app.