Best Debit Cards For Kids [2025]: Never Forget An Allowance Again

Helping your kids learn about money is an important step toward financial literacy. Many banks and companies offer debit cards for kids with extra features that allow parents to monitor and, in some cases, control what their child spends.

In our research, Greenlight stood out for just how many features it offers, giving kids more options for how they use their money than any other platform. Till sets itself apart for being kid-friendly without the subscription fees found with many similar platforms, and Current, Capital One, and Alliant are the best options we found for kids over 13.

Here are the best debit cards for kids, why we chose them, and who we recommend each bank account for.

How we evaluate products

The companies we chose for our best debit cards for kids may be current or past FinanceBuzz partners. We did not review all debit cards and joint bank account options in the market. When evaluating these companies, we considered factors such as account features, parental controls, and ease of use.

Key takeaways

• Kids' debit cards can be found in joint bank accounts shared by parents and their kids. Some accounts are available to kids of any age, while others may have age requirements (such as 13 or older).
• Parents should look for kids' debit cards with no or low monthly fees, helpful features, parental controls, and excellent mobile apps.
• Some family debit cards offer investment opportunities to teach kids about investing in the stock market or ETFs.
• Banks and credit unions often have accounts for teenagers or kids, although these tend to have fewer parental control options than kids' banking from online banks and fintechs.

The 5 best debit cards for kids

• Greenlight
• Till Financial
• Current
• Capital One MONEY Teen Checking
• Alliant Credit Union Teen Checking

Company	Best for	Account fees
Greenlight	Features and parental controls	$5.99 to $14.98/month
Till Financial	Free debit cards for kids and teens	$0
Current 1 <p><b>Current is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC.</b>.</p>	Chores and allowance for teens	$02 <p>Out of network cash withdrawal fees, third-party, and cash load fees may apply.</p>
Capital One MONEY Teen Checking	More independent kids/teens	$0
Alliant Credit Union	ATM access	$0

Greenlight

Greenlight is a mobile app and kids' debit card with the most features we've seen in a platform like it for both parents and their kids. These include:

• Chores, tasks, and allowance
• Savings goals (with interest)
• Investing
• Debit card cash back
• Educational games

Some plan tiers even include safety perks like identity theft protection and family location sharing. Greenlight stands out from all other debit cards for kids because it offers the most tools and perks, but these do come at a higher cost. Greenlight Core is $5.99 a month, Max is $9.98, and Infinity is $14.98.

These prices can be well worth it if your family will actually use all the features available to you, but there are less costly and even free options with fewer perks if you're more interested in saving. And note that some features are only available for Max or Infinity.

Greenlight banking services are provided by Community Federal Savings Bank (Member FDIC).

Visit Greenlight | Read our full Greenlight review.

Note: Fees could reduce earnings on the account.

Till Financial

Till Financial is a financial tech company that partners with Coastal Community Bank (Member FDIC) to provide a free app and debit card for kids and families. One of Till Financial's primary benefits is its lack of fees and its focus on helping families teach their kids about money.

Anyone over the age of 18 can create a Till Financial account, link an external bank account, and invite their children, partners, or other family members to join. Parents can transfer funds to their kids for various reasons, like chores, tasks, allowance, or even one-time transfers. If a child has a job, their paycheck can be direct deposited into their Till account using routing numbers found in the app.

Till Financial provides virtual and physical Visa debit cards so that kids can make purchases online and in person. Debit cards are accepted at most retailers and can be used with Apple Wallet or ATMs, though the ATM servicer may charge a fee.

Although Till offers a nice selection of features, it doesn't have many perks found in other apps, like investing or giving to charity through the app or blocking merchants through parental controls.

Visit Till Financial.

Current Teen account

While the financial technology company, Current, isn't exclusively for teens, its sole banking account is a good fit for those who are at least 13. Parents can assign chores, automate allowance payments, and set purchasing limits when they link their Current account to one for their teen. They can even block a merchant, which is less common for platforms that don't cater solely to teens, and get notifications about their teen's spending.

It's also unusual for an account for teens to include chore and allowance tools, which are often found with debit cards for younger kids.

Current is a little lighter on parental controls than Greenlight and Till, and teens don't have the option to use their money to invest and won't earn cash back on debit card spending. But we would recommend this account for teaching your teen financial independence, especially if you want the chores features.

Current is a financial technology company that partners with Choice Financial Group (Member FDIC) to provide banking services through the Current app.

Visit Current | Read our full Current review. 

Capital One MONEY Teen Checking

Capital One Bank offers the MONEY Teen Checking account with a free debit card for kids aged 8 and older, but we like it most for kids and teens who already have some experience managing their own money and are ready for more independence. A parent or legal guardian must co-own the account with the child, but the account more closely resembles a traditional bank account than it does a kids' banking account. If you want your teen to learn how to bank without training wheels, this is the account we'd suggest. We also like that teens can keep the joint account after turning 18, if they want to. There is no minimum deposit or balance requirement, and the account balance will earn 0.10% (as of 01/11/25) APY.

Children can use the Capital One app to check their balance, set savings goals, direct funds for spending and saving, deposit checks, or receive direct deposits and text notifications.

Parents can send automatic allowance and one-time transfers, remove money, view transactions, sign up for notifications, and set limits on the card.

You don't need to have an account with Capital One and can link any external bank account to the MONEY Teen Checking account for easy funding.

Member FDIC.

Visit Capital One Teen Checking | Read our full Capital One 360 review.

Alliant Credit Union

Alliant is the only credit union on our list and provides the highest APY interest rate of any teen account on this list, at 0.25% (as of 12/19/24). Kids between the ages of 13 and 17 are eligible for an account if their parent is an Alliant Credit Union member.

The teen checking account has no minimum balance or service fees. Kids can access more than 80,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide, and Alliant will provide up to $20 a month in ATM fee rebates. Both parents and kids receive a Visa-branded debit card.

Parents can set up transaction alerts to monitor their teen's spending, and the account has daily debit card limits of $500 in ATM withdrawals, $500 in debit card purchases using a PIN, and up to $5,000 in signature-based debit card purchases.

Moving money from the parent's Alliant account to the teen's checking account is easy and can be one-time or recurring transfers. Only adult owners can set up outgoing transfers using the Alliant Mobile Banking app. Member NCUA (the credit union equivalent of the FDIC).

Visit Alliant Credit Union.

Kids' debit cards that didn't make our list

Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry)

For $5 a month for one child or $10 a month for up to four, Acorns Early helps kids track spending, budget, and set savings goals. Kids can be paid by completing chores, receiving allowance, or via one-time transfers. Parents can set spending limits, block cards, and see how their child is spending. Acorns Early is unique for its Giftlinks, which let family or friends directly send money for birthdays or other occasions.

Acorns Early also includes Money Missions: interactive money lessons that provide age-appropriate financial literacy stores and quizzes.

Overall, Acorns Early and Greenlight are pretty similar, but we didn't choose Acorns Early for our top five because it doesn't quite match Greenlight's robustness or value. While you can get Greenlight for five kids for as little as $5.99 a month, Acorns Early will cost you $5 for one child or $10 for more and doesn't include investing, debit card cash back, or interest paid by Acorns.

Acorns Early partners with Community Federal Savings Bank (Member FDIC) to provide debit cards for kids and teens.

Visit Acorns Early | Read our full Acorns Early review.

Axos Bank First Checking

Axos Bank offers a checking account for teenagers aged 13 to 17, as long as the account is jointly owned by a parent or guardian over age 18. Like some of the best checking accounts available for adults, Axos Bank provides an 0.10% (as of 01/11/25) APY (annual percentage yield) on their First Checking Account and linked debit card.

Axos' First Checking joint account comes with no monthly maintenance fees, overdraft fees, or insufficient fund fees. The bank will even reimburse up to $12 in monthly domestic ATM fees. The account has daily transaction limits of $100 cash withdrawal and $500 debit.

A parent or guardian must be listed as a co-owner of the account, but no spending or parental controls are included. Before signing up, make sure your teen understands the responsibility they are undertaking, since it is possible to overdraw the account or otherwise create problems with unwise spending habits. Member FDIC. 

Visit Axos Bank.

BusyKid

BusyKid is a financial app that costs $4 a month (billed annually). The debit card is issued by MVB Bank (Member FDIC). It offers multiple features, including BusyKid Visa debit cards for up to five children (ages 5 to 17) and chore and allowance tracking based on their age. Parents can even match their child's savings to a certain amount or percentage.

Parents can set up a recurring "Payday" (allowance), for their children and tie it to completing chores. The money goes into the account's Save, Spend, Share section, teaching children about dividing their funds every month. The BusyKid app also provides opportunities for hands-on learning about investing for no additional cost.

Although BusyKid offers many features for a relatively low monthly fee, it requires a certain amount of parental involvement. Parents must respond to push notifications authorizing their child's payday or stock purchase and how to break up the child's allowance, among other activities, which could become tedious.

Visit BusyKid.

FamZoo

FamZoo offers a prepaid debit card for families and kids issued by Four Corners Community Bank (Member FDIC). It is a digital version of the popular envelope budgeting system, and each family member can have one or more cards earmarked for specific goals.

For a monthly subscription of $5.99 per family (it's cheaper if you prepay - $2.50 per month for 24 months, with one extra free month), FamZoo will provide up to four cards that can be reloaded and additional cards for $3 each.

The primary FamZoo card is reloaded as needed from a funding source linked in the app, and reloading is even available at some stores, which may charge fees. Funds can be dispersed to other family cards through the FamZoo app or using a money rule, which transfers funds automatically for allowances, chores, or special occasions.

Parents can pay kids interest on their savings account balances and even charge kids for family expenses. FamZoo allows activity alerts for card spending, but parents can't easily restrict where a child spends money through the app.

FamZoo can be used through an app, on the web, or even via text message. This can be great for parents who don't want to give their kids access to a smartphone or don't want to use one themselves.

Visit FamZoo.

How to choose the best debit cards for kids

Finding the right card for your kids is important since you use the debit card to teach them about handling finances. Minimum age requirements are one consideration, but as you search for a debit card for your child, be sure to keep some important factors in mind.

Security

You can never be too careful on the internet, especially regarding your child's safety. Research each card's security features and data protection and look for a card that uses guidelines from The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA, a federal law designed to protect children's private information online.

COPPA's requirements include providing notice and getting parental consent before collecting information about a child under 13, having a clear and comprehensive privacy policy, and keeping a child's information secure and confidential.

Features

Research card options to find the features you're looking for. Younger kids might do best with a straightforward card that offers spending and saving options and heavy parental oversight. Older kids and teenagers might be ready to handle more responsibility and might enjoy that some apps have investing or charitable giving features.

Parental controls

Each card issuer has different levels of parental controls available. While you want to monitor your child's spending and account activity, you also want a card or app where you can set up rules or limitations without hassle. Search for a card with the features you want for your child and one that is easy to use.

Spending limits

Depending on the age and maturity of your child, finding a debit card that allows you to set spending limits to prevent overspending and block transactions at certain stores can be beneficial. Many debit cards for kids block certain types of stores, like those selling alcohol or other controlled substances. They may also allow parents to set transaction limits for certain stores or block specific stores completely.

FAQs

Bottom line

Learning financial responsibility helps set your child up for lifelong financial success and helps them gain confidence when handling their finances.

Although several options on this list may be a good fit, Greenlight offers a nice combination of features for a relatively low monthly price, especially if you have more than one child. For those looking for a free option or one without many extra (potentially distracting) features, check out Till Financial.

If you're searching for a new bank account for the whole family, check out our list of the best banks to help you find the best one for you and your family.