Get a £15 pocket money bonus + 2 months free trial

Get a £15 pocket money bonus + 2 months free trial
- Pre-paid debit card & app (for kids 6+)
- Full parental controls, fun for kids
- GoHenry card £3.99/m
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You usually can’t open a children’s bank account in the UK until your child is at least 11 years old. You may want your child to have access to some money to spend before they reach that age or you might feel that your child doesn’t need a current account until they hit their later teenage years. Either way, you’d like them to have their own payment card before that.
In those situations, there is a range of prepaid debit cards for kids now available on the UK market. They come with an accompanying mobile app which is there to help teach them good financial skills and help you as a parent keep an eye on their spending. There are bank accounts where a parent can open the account and manage it on behalf of the child until they hit eligibility age – for example, Santander’s 123 Mini Current Account (at age 13, a child can apply directly for this one).
Compare the following features when shopping around for a debit card for your kids:
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.
Prepaid cards can be available for kids as young as six.
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.
Before you get a debit card for your child, consider these features and drawbacks:
A prepaid debit card that comes with a mobile app can help your child learn how to manage money responsibly, plus it lets parents track their kids’ spending so you can see if they’re meeting that goal. If this is the route you want to go down, there are a number of products available in the UK – our guide on gohenry and similar alternatives explores these more.
However, prepaid debit card accounts aren’t designed to be full current accounts or savings accounts, so you’ll have to weigh up what type of financial account you’re looking for for your child. Check out our guides on current accounts for children and savings accounts for children to help you decide.
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Help your kids learn to budget, manage their money and save this festive season with these simple money lessons.
Learn more about the Lloyds Under 19s account to see if it’s right for your child.
Learn more about the Barclays Young Person’s current account to see if it’s right for your teen.
Learn more about the BarclayPlus current account to see if it’s right for your child.
Learn more about the Halifax Expresscash account to see if it’s right for your child.
Digital challenger bank Starling has launched a new children’s app for its Kite debit card. This prepaid card for kids comes with parental controls and can be managed from the parent’s banking app.
We have a look at Revolut’s take on a child’s account, which comes with a prepaid debit card and its own app.
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.
Rooster Money offers a colourful app to teach your kids about budgeting and makes a valid alternative to the traditional children’s current account.
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.
Is there any other credit card apps you recommend
Hi Henry,
Thanks for posting.
If you mean virtual credit cards, refer to our top virtual credit cards page for your options.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Ren