How did you open your child’s bank account- Is it really this hard to open a bank account for a child?

[Hottubby]

My 15 year old wants a bank account. We don’t live anywhere near an actual real life open bank as they all shut down. We have a mobile bank that comes to our town once a fortnight for a whole 90 mins during working hours. Unless I take leave I can’t get there and more to the point she has to be with me to prove her ID and will be at school.
It is proving impossible to open an account without resorting to taking a days annual leave and travelling 30 miles to an actual branch. I can not find a bank that will let me open an account online. The only one I’ve found (Santander) needs proof of my child’s address via a utility bill- we literally have NOTHING with her address on.
so tell me- how did you open your child’s bank account? What am I missing?

I did mine online with Halifax. Passport for ID and letter from school addressed to “Parent or Carer of child’s name” to prove address.

I opened 2 this weekend for my 11 yr old, most of our banks are open in the big town centre for a few hours on a Saturday.
I do already bank with Nationwide and Natwest and we only had a birth certificate as ID for DD but both were opened within 30 mins. I also wanted to open one with Halifax as another back up account but they couldn't ID me without my debit card.

Nationwide will be DDs main bank as there is 2% interest on the child current account.

I did HyperJar for mine, they get debit cards and there's no monthly charge

Online with HSBC

It took them forever to do it tho

I found it a total faff with Santander (DS, then 13, DS already had an account with them, I have an account with them, was just a matter of upgrading to a teenage version).

I opened a current account in my name with Starling then set up an attached child account for each DC. DC have an app to see balance & spending plus a debit card. They didn’t need any ID. When DS turned 16, he converted it to a standalone current account and just needed to upload photo of passport. I’ve been so impressed with Starling that I moved my main current account to them. I only originally opened to account to get an easy child account.

I was expecting a nightmare having previously tried online with Natwest

Went into Lloyds with her birth cert, her passport, my passport and a utility bill in my name - saw us straight away and took 20mins - card arrived 3 days later

So much easier to transfer money from my app to hers - we had Go Henry before which was a bit of a pain

It's easy. Just get it done. PLEASE don't sign up to Go Henry or any of this bollocks "we only charge you £2.99 a month" just get a normal bank account. They can still do online banking. DS is 13 & had an account since he turned 11. He's with nationwide who are actually a building society & he has online banking.

I’ve still got the same issue as a year ago. Can’t get to a bank with my children as they have very limited opening times and are so far away and my children have no ID with their name and address to open an online account. I’ve tried signing up to banks I have accounts with and get nowhere.
I’m resigned to wait until they are 18!

Child benefit letter worked with passport. Letter from drs/hospital/other benefits? School letter

Get on Starling. They didn’t need any ID from me. Worth a go. I much preferred the kids using cash, but too hard for them to not have some tappable plastic these days. I needed them to be able to catch an emergency bus home.

I did mine with Lloyds as I bank with them all the ID was scanned up - didn't have to go in or post anything

No passports? Sure mine has nothing but a passport so I think that must have been ok!

Who do you bank with OP? Do your children have valid passports?
If you hold a bank account with an easy to open online account and have a child's passport then it is very simple to do it online. I only had to go into the branch with a birth certificate as DDs passport had expired.

Try Natwest adapt or Nationwide FlexOne. I had to do it online at the branch but deal with someone to take a copy of the birth certificate. If you don't have any accounts with either of those, then open one up first. Once you've passed security, it's easier to do that for your child.

Santander was very easy to open online. I would also recommend getting a provisional driving licence which I think you can do at 15. Even if you have no intention of driving it is useful for id.

I found it hard too and I’m in walking distance of multiple banks. Most will only open accounts for children if you bank with them so check with your own bank. But mine (first direct) don’t do a kids account. I went to metro in the end and they were good, but you couldn’t walk in (as they advertise) needed an appointment.

Are you sure they want a utility bill with her name on it? Aren't they looking for you to prove your address? Surely they know children don't have utility bills!

As your child is 16 now, you can get a provisional driving licence at 15 years and 9 months old, which will have their address. But also, isn't your child old enough now to try to arrange it themselves?

Have the bank sent a list of documents they accept for <18? It's usually ID + parents' proof of address. You could use a child benefit or tax credit letter (even one saying you're not eligible).

I opened my son's account with Halifax online.

Our DC had Go Henry cards, which we upgraded to Santander accounts a few months ago. DH already banks with Santander. It was fine to open DS's account on line as he was over 13. DD (11) had to go into a branch with ID. I don't know what happens at 13, but that's the distinction Santander made.

@Hottubby i did my son’s online with Barclays last week. I used his passport but they would have accepted their birth certificate. You must have those?

I went for rooster accounts (same type as Go Henry) as you get them free with natwest current account. Did it all onljne

I swear dh opened a santander account online for dc as he had an account already so didn't need to go into branch

How have you not had a day off in 12 months when this could have been sorted? Tou should have something official with your address on and you take the children’s Birth certificates to show you’re their mother. Passports?

there must be more to this. My children had bank accounts as soon as i had birth certificates for them.

Online with nationwide, then had call back to speak to both me & DC