★★★★★
★★★★★
nimbl offers a prepaid debit card for kids coupled with a smartphone app. The app comes with useful features for both parents and children, such as digital pocket money, instant top ups, parental controls, a gifting function and a savings tool.
Essentially, nimbl allows parents to put money on their children’s spending card, either through occasional top ups or by setting up regular payments (the digital pocket money). Children can then use the funds as they wish, be it buying ice creams every week or saving for an expensive video game console.
The idea is to promote good money habits for 6 to 18 year olds, training children to save, budget and be organised with their money. nimbl has been featured in our best debit cards for kids guide.
nimbl comes with two accounts: one for the parents (Parent Account) and one for the children (Child Account).
The spending card is linked to the Child Account, so adults cannot use nimbl to purchase items directly. Through the Parent Account they can top up the Child Account, while through the app they can check how the money is being spent. They will receive real-time notifications every time the child buys something with the card, and they can also set up daily or monthly spending limits, as well as set up spending blocks.
The child’s card can be used to purchase items in physical stores, online and to withdraw cash at ATMs. It also has a contactless feature.
If you have a larger family, nimbl allows up to four Child Accounts (and four cards) for every Parent Account.
nimbl is made up of two parts: the card (specifically for children) and the app (designed for both parents and children to use).
The app’s features include:
You can block online purchases and you can also turn off ATM withdrawals if you don’t want your children to hide any purchases by using cash.
nimbl says it automatically blocks transactions from some age-inappropriate retailers, such as gambling websites, casinos, off-licences, pubs and adult content, but it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure that the card is not used for purchases that require the consumer to be at least 18 years old. nimbl will not, for instance, refuse a transaction from a grocery store, even if an age-inappropriate product is being bought.
Children cannot apply for a nimbl card by themselves, parents have to do it on their behalf. You need to be at least 18, living in the UK and the legal guardian of the minor you’re setting up the account for.
Your child must be living at the same address as you and be at least six years old.
The online application process sometimes requires you to provide proof of identity and proof of address – if you can’t, your application will either be refused or you will be granted a restricted account with lower spending limits.
Once the application has gone through, nimbl will post the child’s card to your home address for free. Once you get the card, you will have to activate it online and download the app. All in all, nimbl says it usually takes 7–10 working days to complete the application process and get the card.
nimbl is not a bank, so customer funds are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which protects individual deposits of up to £85,000. But nimbl is fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is licensed to issue electronic money.
The prepaid card is a Mastercard and is protected by a PIN. If it gets misplaced, the child or parent can temporarily lock it through the app (and unlock it again if the card turns up). If the card is permanently lost or stolen you’ll have to report it to nimbl’s customer service and order a replacement, priced at £5.
nimbl costs £2.49 a month for each card, which includes use of the app. Card purchases, top ups and UK ATM withdrawals are all free.
If your child uses the card abroad, be aware that there is a 2.95% currency exchange fee and that cash withdrawals will cost £1.50 each.
![]() nimbl | |
Monthly fee | £1.99 (+1 month free trial) |
Card delivery fee | £0 |
UK card transaction fee | £0 |
UK cash withdrawal fee | £0 |
Loading fee | £0 |
Replacement card fee | £5 |
Network | Mastercard |
Account type | debit |
How many child accounts | 4 |
Fees abroad | £1.50 per ATM withdrawal, 2.95% of transaction value on purchases |
Other fees | £0 |
Freeze/unfreeze card |
In our 2023 customer satisfaction survey, nimbl scored 3 out of 5 stars and 63% of its users said they’d recommend the service.
Customers praised the products quality and the ability kids have “to save and be more independent using there own bank account” whilst using nimbl.
The app has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 from around 2,300 reviews on the App Store. On Google Play, the app has a score of 4.6 from over 890 Android app users (January 2023).
nimbl looks like a good choice for young children. While mainstream children’s bank accounts often require the holder to be at least 11, with nimbl you can start at six, meaning that your children can be taught how to use a budgeting app from a very young age. They will feel like grown-ups with a fancy card and a certain degree of autonomy, but at the same time you won’t actually be handing over any of the control and you’ll always know what they are using the money for.
It can also work fine for teenagers – parents can turn off the spending notifications they get on their phone to allow them some privacy. However, at that point it may not be so worth the monthly fee – you’ll save money with a regular children’s account from a traditional bank. But if you’d rather keep a very close eye on their finances instead, nimbl is probably one of the best solutions available.
Get started by visiting nimbl's website and ordering a card. If you have read this review and decided that nimbl’s card is not for you, you can also discover other prepaid cards for kids on the market.
Our customer satisfaction scores ("Customers say") are based on a survey of 613 customers carried out in December 2022.
Learn the details of our methodology and scoring.
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