When Should You Give Your Child a Debit Card?
By on August 13, 2019
I am a mom of 2 teenage girls and they are at that age where they want to go out with their friends. Most often it is either the mall or to the movies. I don’t often carry cash anymore so a few times I have just given my 13 and 14 (soon to be 15) year old my debit card. Many parents ask what is a good age to give your child their own debit card?
I think it depends on the child. My kids are pretty responsible with their money. They will save up and not want to go out because that means they have to dig into their savings. When I observed them doing that and hearing them also tell me, “Mom, I am saving up for air pods so I don’t want to go out because that means I will have spend money on food and stuff.” (I did suggest bringing a lunch and she just laughed. lol.) I started to think that they should have their own debit card. I would have to teach them how to transfer money into the account and what they will use while they are out. I believe with close parental monitoring and guidance they can learn at an early age how to budget their money and save. They should learn how to balance a check book and reconcile receipts and online purchases and carry at least a little bit of cash in an emergency.
I’ll be taking the kids to the bank in the next few weeks to get their debit cards for their custodial accounts. Let’s see what happens lol!!!
Here is a pretty good article explaining things more in depth if you’re still undecided.