Travel money for 17yo

[WeaselsRising]

DD is going to the US with school next month. We don't take cash anymore when we travel but I realised last night that while DH and I have a selection of debit and credit cards, she only has one.
Bit concerned about sending her off on her own with only one card in case it doesn't work or gets lost etc.
Had a look at pre paid travel cards last night but you have to be 18. All the cards aimed at teens charge for having the card as well as transaction fees and she'll turn 18 a couple of weeks after the holiday, so won't get enough use to justify an annual fee.
What do others do?
Can I buy a travel card in my name and send her off with it?

Can she link her card to her phone? There's two options of payment then.

That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that.

We use the Asda currency card. I think it's a mastercard. There are no fees. You might need to be over 18 but could you take it out for her? It's not attached to a bank account, you just top it up online as needed using the app.

Maybe link one of your cards to her phone as well for emergencies? If her card gets blocked it will be blocked on the phone as well.

To be fair I'm in the US fairly often and I only ever use Apple Pay (unless paying for a hotel) and I haven't had an issue in years!

I think the Virgin Money M Plus current account can be opened from 16+, but only in store rather than online (which can be done at 18+). To be clear, this is not the M Power account for teens, but the adult M Plus account.

You would need to satisy yourself of the terms and conditions, but I do know the M Plus does not charge fees for using the card abroad, so might be an option worth considering.

Revolut? Used it last summer when DS was 17 and away with his friend. He still used his phone but he had a physical card as well.
Very handy.

I’ve linked my card to dds phone so she always has access to money in an emergency.

But isn't it still effectively the same card? If it's lost or stolen (or her phone is) then she's going to be stuck isn't she?

There's online bank accounts that are very quick and easy to open (Kroo, Starling, Monzo) and don't have any charges for overseas transactions (something to check for her current card, worst case scenario is that they charge a fixed fee per transaction, so each and every small payment costs money) so one of those would probably be best, assuming they're available to 17 YOs.

When travelling we always have 2 cards, one debit card from our bank (Monzo) which we use and then 1 credit card from another bank for emergencies and also around £100 in local currency in cash.

Another vote for revolute. It’s free and exchange rate is always excellent.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think Revolute was another only 18+ but I will look into them.

Starling have a teen account and is great to use abroad. My DD has one she's used on school trips abroad

I always send DD with a bit of cash, just in case of an emergency. When she was on her post A level holiday in Malaga last year the bank decided to block her card due to ‘suspected fraud’ from the Spanish transactions… Took a day to get it up and running again!

You also need to be aware that contactless/Apple Pay isn’t as widespread in the US as it is here, so having the card on her phone as well won’t really help.