Recommendations please - child bank account

[FantaIsFine]

This isn't a question that sits in "money" really, am after opinion, sorry if should have posted elsewhere.

I know all the sensible financial reasons for choosing bank accounts, but I've got 2x 9yo for whom I'd like to find bank accounts with good freebies to encourage saving/quantify amounts saved (and then perhaps another for the "grown-up" reasons). I've found that NatWest seem to have re-released their piggy banks which frankly look PONY this time around.

I'd superappreciate if anyone has any recommendations. Can't find any guidance anywhere online as to what gifts come with which accounts.

I use danske bank junior saver and junior cash isa for my daughter .
We got a penguin money box.

Watching with interest as my job in the first week of the holidays is set up the kids bank accounts :)

My 8 year old has an Osper card - it's good for learning about using cash machines, paying by card and buying stuff on-line. She knew about saving up cash, using notes and coins - so digital payment seemed like the next step. She likes it because it makes her feel grown up.

There some articles on this on the money saving expert website. It depends exactly what you're after and how much money

Me too struggling!

Ours have Santander 123 mini....they get 3% interest up to £2000, Would be interested to know other good banks as my son is almost up to the limit so need to find him another account soon.

surely choosing a bank account because you get a free money box is a bit of a gimic....unless it's also a good interest rate???

My son gets over £4 interest added every month.... within a few months he could buy a money box with the interest he's earned.

I read the money saving article recently and Halifax are giving 4% for the first year. That's the best rate out there. No freebies though.

There's another bank which did 4%, but the rate after 1 year was appalling, whereas as Halifax was better, so it didn't matter as much if you didn't remember to swap after the year.

I'd like to find bank accounts with good freebies

Ignore freebies. They just hook you in. That should be the first lesson you teach them. You need to look at the long term.

That's a regular saver though, the Halifax one. More for saving than day to day use.

Ours have nationwide. It's brill.

Nationwide Flexone. Don't just look at the freebies look at the whole account i.e fees and charges etc

We use savings bonds (like premium bonds) for Dd as there is also a chance of winning something in the monthly draw and she gets excited checking once s month. She's had two prizes of 100 each time that go right back into her account.

Credit Union. They have Junior accounts. Ive been a CU member for years, DDs had junior accounts when younger. Easy to operate online. Also have a Savings Card you use at Paypoint terminals in local shops. So eg if they were buying sweets and there was 50p change, they could transfer to their savings on the spot. Small amounts build up and I found it helped them develop a savings mindset.

HSBC

Don't use HSBC. Their 'children's accounts' are not fit for purpose.
I opened two for my children. No paperwork arrived so I rang customer services (I am a customer and I had to sign the forms so their accounts should be linked to mine) and they wouldn't tell me if the accounts were open because of data protection! This is plainly nonsense: my kids are not legally competent yet.

It turned out after I submitted a complaint that someone had forgotten to do something which would have resulted in paperwork being issued.

Eventually paying in books arrived so then we had two accounts we could pay into but no way of withdrawing money, since I was not allowed to operate their accounts.
To resolve this they sent some very complex forms for my children (one of whom is 7 and very dyslexic) to complete and sign, effectively giving me power to run their accounts. Again, my children are not legally competent.

This was not even the first time they'd failed to open appropriate accounts for my kids! I opened one for my daughter just after she was born and they wrote to me shortly afterwards to say the wrong type of account had been opened so they'd closed it and put the money in another account of mine.

When I get time I will be closing my kids accounts and also all of mine and and moving them elsewhere. So any recommendations of hassle-free kids accounts gratefully received.

@Polly99 - I had the opposite experience. Opened a 'My Account' for both DC and received a ATM card operated piggy bank for both. They are really nice in the branch - show them how to use the machines to pay in cash & even withdraw money for them using self-service cards. When DD showed interest in the new £1 coins the manager gave her one from his own pocket.

Second or third, Halifax. Think you have to open in branch with an appointment which is a bit of a pain but didn't take too long. 4% account is minimum £10 a month I think. You can add in birthday and random amounts at any time.

Needed BC for child and passport for adult opening. Also proof of address.

I've got Halifax accounts for all of mine. No issues so far (7 years).

Thanks all - when I say freebies, I mean the things like the NatWest pigs that have a tangible "reward" for savings that step up as savings do. I'm keen to get the kids interested in managing money/seeing savings grow with some form of physical evidence rather than just seeing numbers, not because I want a good gift for them.

Small amounts of cash, just pocket money. Like I say, other accounts with sensible considerations about interest etc once THEY'VE got interested.

Thanks again! I like the sound of Credit Union idea and HSBC ATM piggy bank (if HSBC were able to do the paperwork)

Ours have the Santander 123mini accounts. Good interest rate at up to 3% on up to £2000.