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Original poster

Debit card for 9 year old

41 replies

Blueberryancakes · 17/04/2024 17:13

Thinking of getting daughter a debit card. She gets £10 pocket money a week then an extra £5 for completing daily tasks( make bed, keep room tidy, keep playroom tidy, put any laundry away and do her homework).

Some things she wants is online purchases- such as Vbucks.
I always buy it in the agreement she pays me back but you know what it’s like it never happens.

Also some shops have gone cash free

So anyone got one for their child?
There’s a couple of kids ones about. Henry? Rooster?

Looking for recommendations- thanks

OP posts:
PutOnYourRedShoesAndLetsDance · 17/04/2024 17:39

Grandsons have Go Henry.. they like it.. age 16 15 and nine.
Eldest had one but now has Halifax when he turned 18 and got his Government child fund.

Loungwear · 17/04/2024 18:21

Go Henry charges a fee.

Have a look at HyperJar which is fee-free.

smellpretty · 17/04/2024 18:24

PutOnYourRedShoesAndLetsDance · 17/04/2024 17:39

Grandsons have Go Henry.. they like it.. age 16 15 and nine.
Eldest had one but now has Halifax when he turned 18 and got his Government child fund.

Blimey. Why pay Go Henry fees for teenagers when they can get a normal bank account with debit card from age 11?

No help to the OP though sorry. We waited until 11 then went for Nationwide which has full online banking services for kids.

drawnfrommemory · 17/04/2024 18:27

DD(9) has a Rooster - but I bank with Natwest so it's free. Go Henry charges a fee which I refused to pay as DD gets significantly less pocket money than your DD does so it didn't seem worth it.

MrsScrubbingbrush · 17/04/2024 19:10

I opened a Lloyds Bank children's account for DD as I banked with them.

It's very similar to an adult account in that it has a contactless debit card, the only difference is they can't go overdrawn.

SpringOfContentment · 17/04/2024 19:13

I would initially look at the child's account with whoever you bank with, and see if that will work. I too refuse to pay for a go Henry or similar.

I don't think I'd let a 9 year old loose on internet shopping tho!

HappyAsASandboy · 17/04/2024 19:40

Rooster is fabulous. And if you open a basic NatWest account, you can have 3 Rooster accounts/cards for free Grin

I opened up a basic NatWest account and set up a standing order into it from my normal account to cover the payments I'd be making to the kids (plus some extra, for extra jobs/them wanting to pay me cash and I put it into Rooster etc).

I have four kids Rooster accounts that I manage through the Rooster app. Some have cards (older kids) and some don't. I can add money and take money away from each account into/out of my NatWest account. The kids can use their cards in shops and online. I can see what they spend where (I have notifications set up, so I can literally "see" DD work her way across town from Costa to Poundland to B&M ....).

Can't fault it. And we've never hit the number of transactions to incur fees - it's all been free because I have a NatWest account (that I don't use for anything except routing money to Rooster ....)

Kalevala · 17/04/2024 19:42

I'd hold off until 11 and go with a regular bank debit card. I wouldn't be encouraging online purchases at 9.

darada · 17/04/2024 20:18

I agree re Rooster. It's a good and reliable service and a no brainer if you have a NatWest account.

grumpypedestrian · 17/04/2024 20:23

We bank with Starling and it’s free for a children’s card that’s linked to your account. It’s part of ‘spaces’ which is a great savings feature.

JerkintheMerkin · 17/04/2024 20:34

The Revolut <18 card is very good. Have no problems transferring money and it has no fees.

BodyKeepingScore · 17/04/2024 20:37

Another vote for Starling here. You can also monitor where they're making purchases from your own banking app

Elebag · 17/04/2024 20:40

My niece has a Go Henry. There are short "courses" about money she has to do and I think she gets extra money or interest for doing them.

SallyWD · 17/04/2024 20:40

We use Hyperjar. It's free and really easy. I have standing orders set up to pay pocket money. Family members can transfer money there. They can use it for purchases online or in shops. The only thing they can't do is withdraw cash at an ATM. This hasn't been a problem for us. If they need cash I give it to them and transfer the money from their Hyperjar to me.

Flumpywoo · 17/04/2024 20:54

My DD9 had HyperJar and it was great but now there are fees if you go over their pay in limits per month or if you put in under a certain amount (can't remember the rules right now). It's fine for some people and don't incur fees but I used to add £1 a week on top of pocket money if she did her homework without moaning/having a meltdown and it was too low.
So now she just uses my Monzo card as it's a spare account I no longer need, she doesn't care that it's not in her name and I can track the spending on my phone. Could this be an option, or any basic bank account in your own name and when they are 11 you can open a regular bank account in their name?

Original poster
Blueberryancakes · 17/04/2024 20:54

Thanks everyone - we’ve got a NatWest account already so I’ll check out Rooster as that will be free for us.

My 9 year old isn’t allowed on the internet without supervision so if she wanted to buy something I’d have to do it for her.
Ill also look after her card and o my give it to her if she’s out and about without me or dad there which is very rare

OP posts:
MuffinCoffee · 17/04/2024 23:17

Regular bank account is useful if they have trips abroad too. You can set up limits for money withdrawals.

Heftyhideaway · 17/04/2024 23:33

@Blueberryancakes please can I ask, do you mean your daughter gets £45 a week or £15? I have a daughter of a similar age and realise I’m probably a bit mean but potentially I’m very mean if that’s the going rate these days!

XelaM · 17/04/2024 23:50

HyperJar is the best. It's free and you can use it abroad. Why pay for Rooster or GoHenry? Makes no sense to me. We're very happy with HyperJar.

babysharksasleep · 18/04/2024 00:00

grumpypedestrian · 17/04/2024 20:23

We bank with Starling and it’s free for a children’s card that’s linked to your account. It’s part of ‘spaces’ which is a great savings feature.

Agree with this. So easy to manage.

TheCompactPussycat · 18/04/2024 00:08

MuffinCoffee · 17/04/2024 23:17

Regular bank account is useful if they have trips abroad too. You can set up limits for money withdrawals.

Slight derail here, but can you recommend which banks would allow use of a debit card abroad? DD is off abroad after A levels but unlike all her friends, she will still be a couple of weeks off her 18th birthday. I already know that Metro won't allow use of her debit card abroad from a trip last year when she was 16.

Original poster
Blueberryancakes · 18/04/2024 06:37

Heftyhideaway · 17/04/2024 23:33

@Blueberryancakes please can I ask, do you mean your daughter gets £45 a week or £15? I have a daughter of a similar age and realise I’m probably a bit mean but potentially I’m very mean if that’s the going rate these days!

She gets £10 a week from her nan (too much in my opinion but my mum insists!)
She then gets £5 a week from us IF she completes her daily jobs.
So £15 a week.
Me and my husband only buy her toys out of our own money for special occasions. Easter,Birthday and Christmas, good school reports, dance competitions etc…

OP posts:
Mary7241 · 18/04/2024 06:46

Fortnite is rated 12, just so you know
i Know a lot of parents don’t care much about age ratings and even less for games ones but they can cause so much trouble for younger kids

Kalevala · 18/04/2024 07:03

Mary7241 · 18/04/2024 06:46

Fortnite is rated 12, just so you know
i Know a lot of parents don’t care much about age ratings and even less for games ones but they can cause so much trouble for younger kids

In game purchases are also a harmful thing to get into.

Usernamesarenoteasy · 18/04/2024 07:12

TheCompactPussycat · 18/04/2024 00:08

Slight derail here, but can you recommend which banks would allow use of a debit card abroad? DD is off abroad after A levels but unlike all her friends, she will still be a couple of weeks off her 18th birthday. I already know that Metro won't allow use of her debit card abroad from a trip last year when she was 16.

Show quote history

Revolut. Although I don't think you get an actual debit card, but you can use contactless payment on your phone. I just did this for a holiday as it uses the currency of the country you are in, and doesn't make extra charges on purchases like a 'normal' debit card would.