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I have two kids going on a four day school trip in June. For my 14 year old I can open a teen checking account so she will have a debit card with her to access her money whilst she is away, however there doesn't appear to be anything I can do for my 12 year old. Does anyone know of banks that have checking/debit accounts for kids? I know I can get a reloadable debit card but I believe there is a charge to them. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
How about buying a cash card where you buy different store charge cards? like most grocery stores, Walmart, Target, etc sell gift cards for different stores. They also sell cash cards, perhaps your bank does.
I would start there, the next option would be to give one of the chaperones a couple of hundred dollars and let her/him use their cards. You can settle the difference after the trip.
I personally would give my 12 year old a debit/credit card right after I get her a loaded gun and a bad of meth...!
I do have the option of giving the chaperone money which may be the best option.
I love your reference to the gun and meth, how crazy must I be to send my kid out of state to New York no less, with a debit card
In New York an underage minor can't have a checking account of debit card. Since minors are exempt from any type of contract law, their ability to obtain such accounts is not legal.
Why not use a pre-paid Visa/Mastercard gift card? They work same as cash, so there isn't an age limit. Last I checked there wasn't a fee for them either.
When our youngest son was under 16, we were able to get him a debit card for his savings account. It was not a VISA debit card. I remember we had to jump through several loops to do it. I'm not sure if he was 12 or 13 when we did it. Sixteen was the magical age where he was able to get a checking account and a VISA debit card for it. I'd talk to the bank to see if they'll do the same for your 12 y.o.
When he was over 16, I did add him as an authorized user to one of my credit cards because he was traveling on school functions. I don't know if they would have done it at a lower age.
Try a visabuxx card, my son attended boarding school and this is what I used for him. Made it easy and if he needed money I could just add money to the card. It's basically a pre-paid card, accepted anywhere a visa card is accepted. The card looks like a credit card, which for all purposes it is but they can only spend up to the amount on the card. She may need some sort of ID, like a school card with picture, since it's like a credit card with their name on it.
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