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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:
Mrscaptainraymondholt · 04/01/2022 13:48

my 12 year old has a Nimbl card - its £2 a month fee and I can transfer money in and out for free, set limits etc and it's contactless so she can use it in shops etc. Works well for us.

I've got a Hyper Jar to set up but haven't had the time....

we were going to get a Santander account but there was a wait list to have an appointment to sort and 9 months later I am still waiting so have lost faith in them for now.... might do a monzo or something when she is older

stingofthebutterfly · 04/01/2022 13:49

My 13 year old has a Santander 123 mini. I have a standing order going to her account each month, and I'll put extra in for birthdays or special occasions. I didn't want her to have a Go Henry account (nor did I want to pay for it). She needs to learn how to manage money and I think, at 13, she's old enough to be responsible for her own. She's very sensible though.

Glittertwins · 04/01/2022 14:03

Normal bank accounts for teens here. I object to paying fees to give their money!

Hankunamatata · 04/01/2022 14:08

I would go bank card as its free. We have rooster as was cheaper than go henry but that was carry over from ds was younger

TwoBlueFish · 04/01/2022 14:09

My kids both have Santander 123, no fees, reasonable interest and they have gained independence.

JustFrustrated · 04/01/2022 14:15

My 12 yr old has HSBC, as I'm also with them it was all online

Easy peasy. Got the app set up and away she goes.

Reminded me to cancel Osper though, so thanks!

I also use Monzo, but think you've got to be 16? I prefer that to MY HSBC account tbh.

declutteringmymind · 04/01/2022 14:18

Revolut junior. It's brilliant.

Viviennemary · 04/01/2022 14:18

What a con these go Henry cards are. They charge you for having your money. Confused

Hemingwayscatz · 04/01/2022 14:20

Go Henry is crap, I cancelled it after a couple of months. There’s certain sites they can’t buy from at all because they’re considered to be ‘adult sites’ but they definitely aren’t at all. There’s also a monthly membership fee which is ridiculous.

Testingprof · 04/01/2022 14:21

We use revolut for a younger child. I can see his transactions and can turn on/off online transactions.

dizzygirl1 · 04/01/2022 14:26

I wouldn't pay for an account for DS. I tried opening him a standard bank account but at 11 and 12 I still had to go in store to set it up... but I don't have any in my town and no transport so that was completely rubbish!
I've now set up hyperjar for him, I've also opened an account there which I use to link to DS's account.
All online, card works well. I'll probably move him to starling when he's 16 but otherwise all good.

Theforest · 04/01/2022 14:30

Mine as NatWest. As I am a customer we could do the set up online without having to send anything in.

Gets interest on it. Works well.

He doesn't really use the card though as he uses Apple Pay on his phone.

Madcats · 04/01/2022 14:32

DD(14) has had a bank account since she was a baby. DH opened one at his Nationwide branch. It seems to work fine.

When she turned 11 we upgraded it to one offering a debit card (I think you can just have a cash card). It is only in the past year or so that she has started to spend any money from it, so we aren't overly worried that she'd blow the lot on video games (we explained about buying extras when she was 8 or 9) or sweets.

We still buy most of her clothing, but ask for a contribution if she's damaged/lost something through carelessness.

We keep an eye on it and suggest moving funds into her savings account from time to time.

Between us I think we have accounts with 4 or 5 banks. I think it is just a question of getting used to the various apps and logins.

Another thing I would recommend getting is an app like One Password (a password safe/generator) so that DC doesn't choose easy passwords.

Stomacharmeleon · 04/01/2022 14:33

All my boys had/ have Barclays debit cards. Easy to transfer cash too and free.
Also have banking history for university.
Youngest and eldest have pip paid into theirs.

They have always regarded go Henry as tres naff.... (sorry)

Oblomov22 · 04/01/2022 14:37

14 is very old. Ds2 has had a debit card on his nationwide account since 12, actually might have been 11?

ElvisPresleysSideburns · 04/01/2022 14:38

My 12yo DS has a Nationwide current account with debit card. We use the Gimi app to keep track of his pocket money/chores in a virtual piggy bank. It's all free and works very well for us.

gogohm · 04/01/2022 14:38

My DD's had NatWest teen accounts from 12, very easy to set up

CasparBloomberg · 04/01/2022 14:47

DS16 has a Santander account for his money (pocket money, earnings and gifts). We tried paying him extra to cover his extra expenses that we would pay for (college lunches, clubs etc) but he ended up not managing it well so, we got a hyperjar card for that and it’s working well.

Original poster
BeaLola · 04/01/2022 14:51

@VelvetChairGirl

stick with cash, shouldn't encourage cards, they promote greed, impulse buying and a lack of maths skills.
You are entitled to your opinion but I want my 14 year old to be able to exist in the world he lives in & that is card driven or app driven.

Dont worry I have beiung teaching him since young about debt , credit & the horors of it all

OP posts:
Original poster
BeaLola · 04/01/2022 14:54

Huge thanks to you all for taking the time to comment & add info

I was wanting a d/card as it annoyed me that Go Henry was paid for etc but DH (older) was way more cautious than me about it all

Yes he may go wild but that said he will then learn the hard way if he blows it on sweets , etc - I said to DH - when he' at uni come 18 he can do all sorts without us knowing - hopefully though we have bought him up with correct values & boundaries that he will be okay ,

OP posts:
Wotrewelookinat · 04/01/2022 14:56

We use Starling Bank for our teens, pay their allowance into it, there’s a debit card they can use and it’s entirely app based. Really good.

SpookyScarySkeletons · 04/01/2022 15:00

Bank account. Don't bother with the Go Henry as it charges you each month.

Mine (12 and 17) both have Halifax accounts.

MyGreenTutu · 04/01/2022 15:02

GoHenry is really lame and embarrassing for a 14yo. Just open a bank account but don't pay too much in at a time. Pretty sure they can't spend anything they don't have in the account, if it's a teen account.

megletthesecond · 04/01/2022 15:03

Lloyds are good.
I had to open an account to be the parent. But I can stop their debit card use if they are going rogue with spending.

rainbowandglitter · 04/01/2022 15:07

My 12 yo has a debit card. I think a 14 yo would find it a bit embarrassing to be getting a Go Henry card out of his wallet with his mates.