Are Go Henry Cards any good?

[PayandPark]

Just that really! Considering getting one for my teenage DS for a holiday he is going on with his friend's family. Thought it might be better to get a Go Henry card rather than carrying cash.

Yes, my kids all have them. If they were 16 I wouldn’t have them though. But yes, they’re good, I can control them and they can use contactless, PIN, get cash out, do online payments etc.

Does he not have a debit card?

You have to pay a monthly fee and pay again to put money on them.

Why not just get an under 18 bank account with a debit card?

www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/cards-for-under-18s/#kidsaccounts

They're very expensive compared to normal child's account with card at eg Lloyds

They were handy in the short term but agree with pp. Bank account works out better. Plus makes the change to an adult account easier.

Dd has a Barclays account.www.barclays.co.uk/current-accounts/childrens-bank-account/

I've just got my 6yo a go Henry card. DD1 has an Osper card which she's had for a few years and that's fine. Go Henry only accepts weekly pocket money accounts which I didn't realise till it was too late and overall I prefer Osper for usability but they're both ok for their purpose.

Thank you for all the replies. Maybe I should just open another conventional bank account for him.

He has already got a bank account with money in, but I don't want him to spend all his money at once (he has a fair bit in from birthdays and Christmases. He is also quite careless, so might possibly lose a card. Therefore it would be better if the card was related to an account without that much money in.

Teenagers need to learn about money. Giving them a go Henry won't teach them anything. Having a savings account and a current account and some trust will go a long way.

Oh and set the debit card up in their phone wallet if they have an iPhone (not sure if android have similar) so they don't need the card day to day, only for bigger purchases.

How old is he? We got a Nimbl for DS when he was a young teen (he can't keep money in his pocket) and it was quite good.

He is 15, so the age when he should be learning to handle money more responsibly.

My DS has had a Lloyd's bank card since he was 11 and we transfer his pocket money into it every month. I don't see the point of paying for a Go Henry, the Lloyds account does all the usual stuff of a bank account except give overdrafts

Mine had them for the free period but I cancelled it as it was a lot of fee for not much pocket money.

I got them a Halifax account which has a debit card. Pocket money goes in directly (the have a savings account too) and it’s theirs to spend as they want. Paper statements come every month.
Sometimes they run out of money but that’s their look out. I leave them to it.

I think a 15 year old might be a bit insulted by a gohenry card.

My kids are mainly in primary school so it’s ideal for them...but at 15 you don’t need to know their PIN, or block their card/limit spending. I’d go for the normal bank acct at that age.

15? Think I got my own account and debit card when I was about 11 or 12.

Yes get him a debit card and a savings account. Needs to understand that if he spends it all, thats it though.