Please explain a monzo card like im and idiot

[JacknDiane]

How do you use a monzo card abroad, i mean where does the money cone from? Do you need to put money into your monzo account, is it like a normal bank account you put money in from another account then you use monzo card like a debit card?

Yes i am dim. Please explain simply, thanks

Monzo are fab if you lose a card. The customer service are excellent and they can post you a new one quickly if you have a suitable address abroad. Alternatively you can continue to use Apple Pay. Why on earth would he need to transfer his pot to you? What if he needs the £ and you are asleep/ unavailable? The pot is perfectly safe in his Monzo account. He can also transfer back to his other account at any point or to a friend etc

He needs to add his cards to his phone wallet so he can use them without the physical card

Why??
I'm sorry but is this your first day on earth? How do you not know how bank accounts and internet banking works?

Why would he take the physical card and not just use it as Apple Pay?

Why? Sorry but why are you being so weird about someone going abroad? This is really really weird. Let it go.

Because phone batteries can run out, and finding a place to charge in a far flung location might be difficult?
Or his phone might be stolen? Then he would have no way to pay for anything?

Plenty of reasons to take a physical card.

It’s 2026. Phone batteries last all day and portable chargers exist.

Makes sense to take a physical card in case the phone gets lost or stolen, but keep it tucked away somewhere not easily accessible

ALWAYS take the physical card too!

And people steal phones and lose them.

No, these are pots he can create in his own account. He can move money freely between the “main” account and his pots any time he likes from his phone. If he uses his card, the money on his main account are the funds available. If he needs more he can move some straight over.

You really shouldn’t have any access to his money at all. There’s literally no reason to.

Where is he going travelling? If it's somewhere like mainland Europe or somewhere else developed then it's all so simple. I would take my Monzo card but keep it safe and my everyday spending would be on my phone & watch using contactless linked to my Monzo card. It's really very simple. Just ensure you have enough money in your account to spend and use the card for spending, it's the same as spending in the UK.

If he is going travelling, he needs to take the card. There are still plenty of countries who predominantly use cash and they literally don’t have many card machines. He’ll need to access ATMs. And a lot of them are basic; you cannot withdraw money using Apple Pay.

It's great. I highly recommend. You can easily freeze it and customer service will quickly send you a new one. Super useful for budgeting too. I find it very user friendly.

Do not ask for his passwords to his bank… this is basic protocol. Never ever share your PIN or passwords with anyone. If the bank find out you have and then you report an issue, you have zero protection

OP - is your son 12 and going away with school? As this is the only reason I can possibly understand your over involvement.

even then you need to loosen tne reigns a little bit

Presumably your son is a grown adult with capacity, given he is about to go travelling. How about you just let him manage his own money? He will have a lot of planning to do to go travelling so I’m sure he can work out his own finances. I gave you the benefit of the doubt because sometimes parents don’t know how things work when their DC do so assumed you were just asking but he would have it in hand anyway. If he genuinely doesn’t then perhaps he should not be going out alone never mind travelling. Why on earth would he give 99% of his money to a parent?

God no. If he can contact OP to freeze his cards he can contact his bank to freeze his cards. Nobody should be logging in to their adult child’s bank account.

No… the pot is within his Monzo account. He can move it around himself. Why would he send his mother his money? How old is he 12?

My phone battery lasts like 4 hours lol. It’s always safer to have a physical card and your Apple Pay and a bit of cash. All kept in separate bags/ places. It just gives more options. If any of it is stolen it’s not a big deal as they can be frozen online at internet cafes/a mates phone etc.

Also if he needs cash he needs a card.

I use Monzo as my main account
If you lose the card you freeze it in the app like you would with any other bank account

If he's taking his Santander card as well, isn't that just as likely to get stolen?

I would not rely on virtual cards unless you know the country he is going accepts contactless everywhere. It is not the case everywhere. Whereas a physical bank card can be used in ATMs anywhere.

OTOH if he is an adult I think you should probably let him figure it out on his own aside from giving the normal basic advice to avoid scams/pickpockets and generally be careful.

He definitely needs a physical card mostly because he may need to withdraw cash.

Will he be working while travelling?

Always have a physical card
always have another card as well as Monzo as I’ve been to a few places that don’t take it and one of the r airlines doesn't/didn’t but I can’t remember who.

Monzo is great for travelling. Gives you the amount in local currency and GBP so you know how much you’ve spent. Also tells you how much you spent once you’re back. Generally not good news 🤣

If he's old enough to go travelling, he's certainly sussed all of this stuff out for himself already. You don't need to fret about him losing a card, or look after his money and drip feed it to him.

I'd be surprised if his knowledge of online bank accounts is as limited as yours, in other words.

Its TUI
Which is fun on an 8 hour flight to Mexico with no other cards and they are cashless