Revolut <18 review (Junior): A prepaid card for kids

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A prepaid card for kids aged 7-17

• Designed for kids, controlled by you
• Unique cards created for kids
• Send and receive money in seconds

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What is Revolut <18 and how does it work?

Revolut is a popular digital banking brand in the UK, best known for its range of adult accounts and, more recently, for offering cryptocurrency and gold trading features to its customers.

However, it does also operate a children’s prepaid card account, called Revolut <18, designed for 6 to 17 year olds.Kids get a prepaid debit card and a mobile app to start learning how to manage their finances, while parents get to put money in the account and set controls on how it’s spent.

What controls do parents have with Revolut <18?

Parents top up the money in the Revolut <18 account from their own account. So they get to decide how much is available for their offspring to spend, and it’s a handy way to pay pocket money digitally.

Parents can control where that money is spent by setting rules on how the accompanying debit card is used by their child either online or in-store. (Revolut already automatically blocks the card from being used at most age-restricted merchants.)

Instant alerts are also generated whenever the child uses their debit card, giving parents information on where their child has made a purchase and for how much. There’s also the option for parents to freeze the card in the app.

The payment card is now a bright yellow colour and the details are on the back rather that the front of the card. Revolut says this adds an extra security layer in case your child is keen to show off their new card (and new-found financial independence!) on social media.

How can I get Revolut <18?

A child can only have a Revolut <18 if a parent or legal guardian already has a Revolut bank account. For under 13s, parents can create a Revolut <18 for their child and order the prepaid debit card from their own Revolut mobile banking app. If a child is aged 13 or older, then they can download the new Revolut <18 app and create a kid’s account, which will then need to be linked to and approved by the parent’s account.

They can then use the card to spend the money parents make available to them, and if they have downloaded the dedicated Revolut <18 app they can check their account balance and see the transactions they’ve made.

You don’t have to download and use the Junior app in order for the payment card to work – which is useful to know if your child doesn’t have a smartphone.

How much does Revolut <18 cost?

You need to have an adult Revolut account to create a Revolut <18 account. As there are four tiers of Revolut bank account (Standard, Plus, Premium and Metal) there are also four levels of access to Revolut <18, which will be a factor if you’d like a Revolut <18 account for more than one child.

Here’s what the four tiers of Revolut account cost, and how many Revolut <18 accounts you get with each of them:

• Standard: Free, and you can have 1 Revolut <18 account.
• Plus: £2.99 per month, and you can have 2 Revolut <18 accounts.
• Premium: £6.99 per month, and you can have 2 Revolut <18 accounts.
• Metal: £12.99 per month, and you can have 5 Revolut <18 accounts.

(For the full breakdown on what else you get with these different types of account, check out our Revolut review.)

Although Revolut <18 is free to set up, other transaction fees apply, which will mirror those of whatever type of Revolut account the parent has (Standard, Plus, Premium or Metal).

The exception to this policy is around the Revolut <18 debit card. While spending online or in-store is always free, ATM withdrawals are only free for the first £40 taken out each month. After that, a 2% fee applies across the board.

What does the Revolut <18 app look like?

The Revolut <18 “Co-Parent” feature

Revolut has added a “Co-Parent” feature to Revolut <18, which means that two adults can now have full visibility and control over the account. The free feature is only available to Premium and Metal customers, who can use a link within the app to invite another adult to jointly manage their child’s Revolut <18 account.

The Co-Parent doesn’t have to be a parent – it can be a grandparent, carer or another person financially involved in the child’s life. The Co-Parent will be able to set tasks and goals for the child, as well as top up money in the Revolut <18 account.

Revolut <18 fees and features

	Revolut <18
Monthly fee	£0 (parent needs Revolut account)
Card delivery fee	£4.99 delivery charge
Card transaction fee	£0
Cash withdrawal fee	£0
Loading fee	£0
Replacement card fee	£5
Network	Mastercard
Account type	debit
How many child accounts	1
Fees abroad	Transaction fee after £250/month
Other fees	2% ATM withdrawal fee after £40 month
Freeze/unfreeze card

Revolut <18 customer reviews

In our 2023 customer satisfaction survey , the card and app scored 4 out of 5 stars and 76% of its users said they’d recommend the service.

Customers praised how easy the app is to use, alongside the “low monthly service charge”.

One commented: “They have a very good app and are educational and informative about money and budgeting.”

The app has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from over 5,000 reviews on the App Store. On Google Play, the app has a score of 4.4 from around 6,970 Android app users (January 2023).

Pros and cons of Revolut <18

The bottom line

Teaching children how to manage their finances at an early age is a useful life skill. Revolut <18 pairs this with a convenient digital way for parents to pay children their pocket money, and an easy way to keep on eye on what and where they are spending.

One drawback here is that as a parent you have to be Revolut account holder; but if you already are one then Revolut <18 is a great option, as some other kids’ card and app combos come with a separate monthly charge.

If you really like the sound of Revolut <18 but are not already a Revolut customer, then you can always set up a free Standard Revolut account to qualify for one free child account.

Get started by visiting Revolut's website and ordering a card. If you have read this review and decided that Revolut <18‘s card is not for you, you can also discover other prepaid cards for kids on the market.