Banking Bank Reviews

Greenlight vs. Current [2025]: Is Paying for a Kids’ Debit Card Worth It?

Q: What are some alternatives to Greenlight and Current?

Besides Greenlight and Current, FamZoo, GoHenry , and BusyKid are other prepaid debit card options you could consider using to teach children and teens how to manage cash. Here's an overview of what each company has to offer: FamZoo : FamZoo provides a prepaid debit card with budgeting tools, savings tools, instant money transfers, scheduled transfers, and activity alerts for kids and parents. GoHenry : GoHenry offers custom prepaid cards for kids with spending controls, real-time notifications, and the ability to block and unblock the card. BusyKid : BusyKid is a prepaid debit card for kids designed as an account to deposit their allowance. You can monitor your kids' spending and BusyKid offers an investment option where kids can enter the market with as little as $10.

Kids' debit card accounts help kids learn how to manage money early, but should you pay for such an account or stick with a free one?

By Taylor Medine
and Samantha Hawrylack

Edited by Jess Ullrich

Updated July 30, 2025

2025 award winner Best for Kids and Teens

5.0

Our view

Debit cards give kids the training they need to successfully manage money as an adult. Greenlight and Current are two companies that offer educational tools, debit cards, and parental controls to get your kids on the right track. Greenlight offers more features for both parents and kids, but Current can be better for teens (and it doesn't charge a monthly fee).

If I were you, before choosing either one, I'd determine what I wanted out of the accounts. Are you looking for a robust educational tool complete with investing, instant transfers, and paid interest, or a "just in case" account for emergencies when you need to transfer your child some money? The answer will make a big difference in your decision.

How we evaluate products

Both Greenlight and Current put kids in the driver's seat of their finances with parents operating as a co-pilot. Here's how the two platforms, which we'd argue differ more than other kids' budgeting apps, compare.


Card type	Kids' debit card	Kids' debit card
Features	Chores and allowance Interest on saving Parental control Cash back on debit card purchase Educational game Investing for kids	Chores and allowance Parental controls
Monthly subscription fee	$5.99 to $24.98/month	None
Number of kids supported	Up to five	One
Minimum age	No minimum age	13
Free trial	Yes, 30 days	No
FDIC insurance	Yes	Yes
	Visit Greenlight	Visit Current

What is Greenlight?

Greenlight is a fintech company that offers debit cards for kids with tools that can help parents teach lessons on earning, saving, and investing.

There are four Greenlight plans to choose from, with the most expensive Family Shield plan being the most full-featured, and the least expensive Greenlight Core plan being the most basic.

But compared to other kids' debit card and budgeting platforms, even Greenlight's most basic plan is more robust than the competition. It's known for being one of the most comprehensive money apps for kids and teens, and it supports kids of all ages, unlike many.

How it works

Parental controls

With Greenlight, you can:

Track your child's spending
Set controls on where they can shop
Turn the card on and off
Set up direct deposit for your teen's paycheck
Set up purchase round-ups
Instantly add money from a linked bank account
Set up automatic weekly transfers
Set up required chores tied to an allowance

Features for kids/teens

What tools and features kids can use with Greenlight depends on which plan your family has. Greenlight Core offers up to 2% interest on savings, kids' debit cards, chores and allowance, and educational games. These are features offered by every plan.

Upgrading your account to Greenlight Max or Greenlight Infinity unlocks additional features and protections. Under the Greenlight Max plan, for instance, your child unlocks investing and cash back on their debit card spending. Greenlight Infinity comes with family location sharing and other protections.

Funding

To fund your child's Greenlight account, you'll need to transfer money from your parent account with the platform. You can set up one-time transfers on an as-needed basis, schedule recurring transfers as allowance, and use chores to pay them when they complete tasks.

Visit Greenlight | Read our Greenlight review.

What Greenlight does better than Current

Kids earn interest on their savings
Kids can earn cashback on their purchases
Educational content
Kids can invest

Even if you don't pay parent-paid interest, kids can earn a small amount of interest on their balance no matter the plan you choose with Greenlight. This is a great way to show kids the value in compound interest as their earnings grow.

You can start early, teaching kids the value of cash back even on necessary purchases. Who knows, you may set them up for a lifetime of enjoying the best rewards credit cards.

I'm a firm believer that real-life experience is the best way to learn about budgeting, but there's value in educational content, especially the games, podcasts, and Kahoot lessons Greenlight offers.

It may sound scary to let a kid invest, but Greenlight does it in a way that ensures there's parental consent before any transactions take place, and kids only need $1 to start.

What is Current?

Unlike Greenlight, Current is an online financial institution for anyone, not just teens¹ Current is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC.. . However, it offers one of the best free debit cards for kids as a Teen Account that includes a debit card and an app with parental controls.² You may earn Points in connection with your everyday spending and by completing other actions that Current designates as subject to the Current Points Program. The amount of Points granted for different actions as well as the purchase requirements necessary to earn Points will vary, and is subject to Current’s sole discretion. After qualifying, please allow 3-5 business days for points to post to your Current account. The Current Points program is not available to Teen Account holders. See Current Points Terms and Conditions.

How it works

Parental controls

With Current, you can:

Choose how much your child can spend per day
Limit shopping at certain merchants
Set up automatic transfers
Create a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly allowance
Set up direct deposit for your teen's paycheck
Get immediate release of gas station authorization holds

Features for kids/teens

Teens can earn allowances and complete chores you assign, spend with their debit cards in person and online, use ATMs, and add funds via direct deposit (a great option you won't see with every teen debit card that could be handy if your child already works).

They won't earn interest on their savings, but they can create different Savings Pods for goals they have. Teens can't invest or earn cash back with Current.

Funding

Parents have two ways to fund a Current Teen Account:

Link an external bank account to transfer funds, which can take three to five business days
Open an individual Current account to instantly transfer funds

Visit Current | Read our Current review.

What Current does better than Greenlight

No monthly fee
Supports independence

Greenlight can get pricey and only offers paid plans, but Current doesn't charge a monthly fee. They also don't have any minimum balance requirements.

Compared to Greenlight, Current is better for older kids and teens with a bit more experience managing their own money. The app is designed with kids over 13 in mind, so there's a bit less hand-holding. You and your teen both might appreciate the fact that the Current platform more closely resembles a typical bank account.

What makes Greenlight and Current similar

Parental controls: Letting kids learn to manage their money is a great way to help them learn, but parental controls are a nice feature to ensure they don't go overboard or make big financial mistakes, and both apps allow this. That said, Greenlight has more.
Allowance: Greenlight and Current allow parents to pay allowance a single time or set up recurring payments based on completed chores.
Savings roundup: Teaching kids small ways to save can add up, which makes the savings roundup feature Greenlight and Current offer a big help.

Which kids' debit card you should choose

When comparing Greenlight vs. Current, the right one for you comes down to what features you want.

When Current is best for you

We would consider Current to be the better choice for your family if:

You have a teen over 13.
You don't want to pay for a kids' banking app.
Your teen is mainly focused on spending with a debit card.

If you're simply looking for a way to send money to your child so they can have cash for lunch, gas, or the occasional shopping trip, Current is free.

When Greenlight is best for you

On the flip side, we'd pick Greenlight for you if:

You want access to as many money management features and perks for kids as possible.
You have a child or children under 13.
You want your kids to learn many money skills.

However, if you want instant transfers, educational content, or the ability to teach your child how to invest, Greenlight offers these features and more, again for a fee.

I think the biggest deal is the instant transfers, especially for teens. For example, if you have a new driver out there and he needs gas now, you can't wait three to four days for a transfer to complete; he needs the money instantly. Unless you (the parent) have a Current account, a transfer can take three to four days, whereas Greenlight transfers are instant.

Overall, the Current debit card is good for day-to-day spending, but the Greenlight is a better tool for educational content, investing, and immediate transfers.

FAQs

Is Greenlight legit?

Greenlight is a legitimate company offering Mastercard debit cards that parents can control through an app. Greenlight cards are issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, an FDIC-insured bank. Because of the FDIC insurance, up to $250,000 of the cash in your account is guaranteed in the event the company fails.

Is Current legit?

Current is a legitimate company that offers online banking, mobile payment services, and Visa debit cards to adults and teens. Choice Financial Group is the Current card issuer and is an FDIC member. As such, up to $250,000 of money on your card is covered by FDIC insurance.

Does Greenlight or Current have a savings account?

Both Greenlight and Current offer accounts that kids can set up to stash away savings. You can fund their debit card first, which is their spend account, and then move money to other accounts to meet savings goals.

What are some alternatives to Greenlight and Current?

Besides Greenlight and Current, FamZoo, GoHenry, and BusyKid are other prepaid debit card options you could consider using to teach children and teens how to manage cash.

Here's an overview of what each company has to offer:

FamZoo: FamZoo provides a prepaid debit card with budgeting tools, savings tools, instant money transfers, scheduled transfers, and activity alerts for kids and parents.
GoHenry: GoHenry offers custom prepaid cards for kids with spending controls, real-time notifications, and the ability to block and unblock the card.
BusyKid: BusyKid is a prepaid debit card for kids designed as an account to deposit their allowance. You can monitor your kids' spending and BusyKid offers an investment option where kids can enter the market with as little as $10.

Bottom line

You can't go wrong with Greenlight or Current because opening either account means you're teaching your kids about money. Although hypothetical lessons about money could be a good starting point, at some point, it'll be time for them to get some practice with their own cold-hard cash.

Greenlight and Current both make it easy to introduce children and teens to managing money with your oversight. Current teen banking could be a good choice if you're looking for an account with parental controls to transfer cash and teach everyday spending lessons.

Greenlight offers the option to invest, and that could make it the better choice if your goal is to teach them about long-term saving and wealth-building. Greenlight is also open to kids of all ages and not just teens, so if your kid is under 13 years old, it could be the better fit.

2025 award winner Best for Kids and Teens