How does your 11 year-old pay for things in shops?

[icloudornot]

Currently, my 11 year-old has an old phone of mine which he plays games on and talks to his friends using WhatsApp. However, he is beginning to get more independent and likes to go on errands. We are about to put a SIM card into the phone. I’ve created an Apple ID account for him. Thinking that was the right thing to do. However, I now realise he won’t have any access to Apple Pay as he is under the legal age of 13. He’s also looking a bit annoyed that he will have to re-download all his games and sign in again. What did you do for your kids? How do they pay for things in shops? I don’t really want him carrying around a cash card. You can buy a key ring that through an app can take funds out of a designated bank account. But now I’m wondering whether it’s easier to just leave him on my Apple ID until he is 13. Whenever he uses Apple Pay, I get a notification and so can see whether he is abusing the privilege. He’ll be at secondary school in September. While he’s on my Apple ID, I don’t think I can set up parental controls. This isn’t such an issue while he’s just playing Roblox, but it might be more of an issue once he’s a teenager. There’s nothing on my phone that I mind him seeing. Advice please, how do other people deal with this?

My grandchildren use cash.

Same. Our joint account for groceries is also Monzo. And my business account. I have 5 accounts on my app!

You can also put a spending limit on the card so if it gets stolen the thief can only spend up to the daily limit. Actually we need the limit to stop DS buying ALL the sweets too.

Cash card

We use HyperJar, my kids put the card under their phone case.

Cash card - he had his own account (Santander mini) or cash, but that was 11 years ago.

And mine. It’s sad that so many children have little concept of how much things cost or how to use cash.
I give my DGCs monthly pocket money in cash, it’s upto them what they do with it. Interestingly one dgs saves madly, the younger one is the opposite!

Revolut card.

Debit cards on their own current accounts that I have access to.

Rooster card or cash, no fees with Rooster as we have a NatWest account. Visibility as a parent is great, I can block it, top it up, shut it down all from my phone

Not using cash doesn’t mean not having a concept of cost. My children use bank accounts because they prefer it, if they are ever given cash they pay it into their bank account. They are careful with their money though and understand the value of it. My oldest did a paper round for 18 months every day to save for something he wanted, he definitely understands it’s worth and how many hours of his time it took to buy it! Children’s attitudes to money comes from the lessons they are taught by their parents. Some parents may use cash to aid them in teaching but it is not the only way to do it.

Cash. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My eldest is 13 now and has her first job. She now has a bank account and Apple Pay because she gets paid by PAYE. I can also transfer money in as needed.

But until she turned 13, cash only. There’s nowhere she goes that doesn’t take cash.

12 year old uses revolut card. 14 year old uses revolut card or revolut on Apple Pay. Works for us. No cash needed.

Rooster bank card (Natwest). He does his chores, we transfer his pocket money into his account and he buys stuff with his card. Very easy.

My 11 year old DD has a Revolut card I put her pocket money on to.

Rooster card and she has a iPhone magnetic wallet with the ‘find my’ tracking on it. If it separates from her phone for more than a minute it sends her phone an alert telling her it’s no longer attached so she can look for it.

Ours paid for things in cash till they got to age 13 and then paid for things with their phones.

you can get a nationwide current account with debit card at 11

I wouldn't trust my 11 year old with an account card so he pays cash.

I have opened him a Nationwide current account - which he knows about but I've said there's no money in it for him to spend. It does have a 5% saver attached (which I save into for him) but he doesn't know about that 😁

i opened them a current and a savings with hsbc, they put the bulk of their money in the savings and use the online app to transfer money to their current when they want to spend, they did it in case their card was lost or stolen, worked fine for those few years until they could use Apple pay they are 14 and 15 now so can now use Apple Pay

Think we swapped to NatWest card at 11. Before that was rooster card and kept main fund seperate so never more than a few ££ available (more cos he might of lost it)

If you are paying for/are the actual owner of the phone then it would be your ApplePay if you set it up on the phone. Personally, I wouldn't get them into phone based payment at that age. Cash/card with limits/Go Henry type thing

Debit card

Mine uses cash! But planning to get a kids debit card soon. Good to get practice using cash first I would think 🤔

my 11 year old uses a Monzo kids card. I have them for my other two but haven’t handed them out yet as they’re a bit too young.

Not strictly true. Our local cafe which ALL the kids go to is card only.