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Original poster

Teenager debit card or Go Henry card ?

138 replies

BeaLola · 04/01/2022 11:57

Yes I am in posting here but really need traffic and experience from others please

DS is 14 We pay for all his clubs/activities and phone contract , clothes etc and are happy to do so.

He gets £10 pocket money each week - invariably over last year he doesn't get hard cash and it mounts up to go towards paying off his debt for his very expensive pc - we paid just over hslf and the rest he saved up birthday and op jet money for.

So to allow him more independence , help teach him a bit more re value of money, let him make his own mistakes etc we are thinking of him having a debit card that we put the £40 a month on & could add odd gift money to etc

I hear a lot about Go Henry , not so much about Santander 123 - any thoughts please ? Thank you v much

OP posts:
PuppyMonkey · 04/01/2022 12:34

DD used to have Nimbl card which is similar to Go Henry - but she now has bank account with Lloyds and it’s much easier and free.

Clymene · 04/01/2022 12:36

We ditched GoHenry for Nationwide as soon as they were able to have their own bank accounts. All controlled via an app.

VelvetChairGirl · 04/01/2022 12:40

stick with cash, shouldn't encourage cards, they promote greed, impulse buying and a lack of maths skills.

Lovelymincepies · 04/01/2022 12:40

I like the gohenry card as I have more control over it and can tick of chores that he has done so he gets his pocket money. I'm rather bitter about paying £2.99 a month for that though so I am looking at changing to TSB or Santander.
The only problem I am finding is that I work full-time and there isn't a branch that isn't a drive away to open an account. I have no idea when I will actually be able to get to a bank to open an account in person.

Lockdownbear · 04/01/2022 12:43

At 14 I'd think a normal bank account makes more sense.

Go Henry, nimbl, hyperjar etc are really filling a gap in the market for kids too young for a bank account to have a card for buying stuff online.

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 04/01/2022 12:43

For a teenager a proper bank account with a debit card. Nationwide is good and my teenager likes the app to keep an eye on their spending.

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 04/01/2022 12:47

@VelvetChairGirl

stick with cash, shouldn't encourage cards, they promote greed, impulse buying and a lack of maths skills.
What a load of shit. If anything, a card requires better maths - after all, with cash you have an easy visual check of funds - which isn't maths. Having a card as a teen is an introduction to how things will work. Very few young people do much in cash now.
Tree543 · 04/01/2022 12:47

My teens have got the santander 123. It was really easy to open, did it all online. Much better than paying the Go Henry fee.

MrsPnut · 04/01/2022 12:49

My teenager has a NatWest account and debit card, she also has her card set up on Apple Pay which helps when she is out but doesn’t have her purse with her.
I can log on to her internet banking and see what she has been spending her money on but as I refuse to pay for leisure trips after she has spent all her pocket money, she has learnt that she needs to think ahead and plan her month.

WhatIsThisPlease · 04/01/2022 12:50

My DC15 has a debit card. I'm waiting until she's 15 to open an account in her own name (she wants to change her name when she turns 16). She has an account I wasn't using and uses the debit card from that.
Certainly wouldn't pay the Go Henry fees. Can't believe anyone does?

DrManhattan · 04/01/2022 12:52

Opened Natwest accounts for teens. No fees. Can add to Google pay etc.
Wouldn't even consider Go Henry

BarefootHippieChick · 04/01/2022 12:55

@VelvetChairGirl

stick with cash, shouldn't encourage cards, they promote greed, impulse buying and a lack of maths skills.

What bullshit. If you're greedy and going to impulse buy, you'll still do it with cash, it's just your cash will be gone a lot faster.

Sunshineandflipflops · 04/01/2022 13:04

My two (14 and 15) have Go Henry accounts and I like it (although seem to be the only one on here)!

I have found it a good starter to managing their own money but once the eldest turns 16 I might change to a proper bank account. I found GH easy to set up and manage and they haven't had any problems with it.

thesugarbumfairy · 04/01/2022 13:07

At 14 (actually at 11) I believe they need to have their own bank account. My 14 year old has a Santander account. Its fine. He can access the account online and uses his debit card for online payments (but probably can't remember how to withdraw cash as he never bothers) His pocket money goes straight in there. I get notifications if his account goes below a certain level.

The 11 year old wanted a Barclays account so we opened that for him. He really likes it as he can use the app to see how much money he has and what he spends it on. He likes that he gets notified when money goes in (grandma sent me £50!!) and he likes the fact he can use contactless payments in shops (he likes shopping in 'real' shops - not just online)

Sunshineandflipflops · 04/01/2022 13:08

Just having a look - what is the benefit of a Santander 123 account over a standard bank account?

ICalledYouLastNightFromGlasgow · 04/01/2022 13:10

DC14 used to have a GoHenry and now uses Santander 123. It's much better for her.

worriedatthemoment · 04/01/2022 13:12

Mine had bank cards wasn't paying for a service, once turned 16 they both opened starling accounts as all online and they find that better

NewYearNewMinty · 04/01/2022 13:13

DD had an Osper card (similar to Go Henry) which was OK at the pre-teen stage, but became a bit more tricky as she got older, particularly for her grandparents who liked to give her some pocket money as they couldn't get to grips with the app.

She had a Lloyd's A/c for a few years now which is free and much easier.

Nemorth · 04/01/2022 13:13

HSBC for my DC. He's 15 now but has had the account since he was 13. He has a linked savings account with 2.5% interest!

DS used to transfer money from his current to his savings.

He can also set up BACS payments and has done so to friends when sorting out cinema trips etc.

His HSBC account is linked to his phone and watch so he rarely needs his card.

DD 11 has hyperjar. No fees to pay. Will get her an HSBC account as soon as we can link it to her smartphone. Think that's age 13.

Another vote for a "normal" bank account for your DC.

Courcheval · 04/01/2022 13:13

DS13 has had a Barclays account since he turned 12 with a contactless debit card. He has the app on his phone which is v easy to use.
I wouldn't dream of paying for a bank account like GH to be honest!

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr · 04/01/2022 13:14

My 11yo has a revolut junior account attached to my own revolut, handy as it’s easy to top up and I can block some spending categories to prevent “accidents” - like online / ecommerce. I unblock those when she asks me to and I see what she wants to buy.

DevonTF · 04/01/2022 13:15

We looked at Go Henry - but felt the charges were very high. We set up Nationwide Accounts for our boys. 1 debit card account & 1 savings that they can transfer money between when they turned 11 as a way to teach them about money. We split £100 across 3 accounts

  1. Nationwide Debit Card Account - £20 a month. Spend on what they want
  2. Nationwide Savings Account - £40 a month. Spend on what they want, but need they need to think (short-term savings)
  3. ISA savings - £40 a month. (long-term savings) They can check on how much is there - access when they are 18.

We do pay for their phones / toiletries / clothes etc. They seem to be working. DS16 saved for a gaming computer, then a graphic card upgrade, and really thought about it.

Comefromaway · 04/01/2022 13:18

@VelvetChairGirl

stick with cash, shouldn't encourage cards, they promote greed, impulse buying and a lack of maths skills.
Many places don’t take cash. Ds went on a theatre trip and his friend was totally stuck as the theatre didn’t take any cash fir a programme or ice cream even.

Both mine had HSBC debit cards. Dd was easily able to change to an adult account when she went to Uni.

SecretKeeper1 · 04/01/2022 13:22

Halifax do a debit card for 11+ and they can have the app on their phone. The only thing I felt needed changing was the contactless limit which we’ve dropped down to £30. They only take their cards out when they need to and we haven’t yet set up ApplePay, so no silly spending (fairly sure my eldest would happily spend it all on sweets!).

Malbecfan · 04/01/2022 13:37

Both mine had Santander accounts from 12 - they are now in their 20s. I encouraged DD1 to look at the MSE guide and from there she chose the account that paid the most interest. She was tempted by the NatWest personalised debit card, but the £5 cost put her off. DD2 also used MSE and again, Santander had the best rates.

I don't think the app was around when they opened the accounts but both converted them to student accounts and use the app now. As someone else has posted, they can temporarily pause the card when they misplace it without the hassle of waiting for a new one.

Mine are both really sensible with money and with hindsight, I think trusting them with a debit card so young was a good start. As far as the comment about everything is paid in cash, have you been out anywhere recently Velvet?