Teenager as Additional cardholder on our credit card account? Advice needed please

[goinggetstough]

We are about to move abroad. Our children will be flying out alone for the holidays and we want them to be additional cardholder on one of our credit cards in case of emergency. Our teenagers are 16 and 17. We know we can get them pre-paid cards but don't want to tie up money unnecessarily. Has anyone any suggestions as to how we can do this?

Don't think you can before they are 18.

Go to the bank. Speak to them. I am sure they will either

1. Add them to your account
2. recommend an account in their name that you will pay.

We live abroad and DS 13 already has a debit card that doesnt allow him to go overdrawn. He flies by himself, in fact he is flying today. He can use his card, issued by HSBC at virtually any ATM anywhere in the world. Fingers crossed he has never need to withdraw a large sum but he does have enough to see him through a flight delay. We top up the account online. However if he need something major I would purchase it online after he called me.
But surely in a real emergency the airline put them up in an hotel and provide food? Not sure really what type of emergency you might expect that required large amounts of cash. like wise we also have a sealed envelope in our house in Dubai so there is always money for a taxi, although i do not allow him to travel by taxi alone and someone would always be there to meet him. If we cant make it we use the marhaba service who collect him from passport control (or the plane depending on what you pay)and they travel with him to our house.

I would suggest that a debit card is the best solution. You could set up a separate account for your DC for this and add money as needed for emergencies and unexpected expenses such as booking a rail ticket or purchases that cannot be made via the school shop (toiletries etc).

My DC are at boarding school - aged 17 & 15 -(although we do live in the UK) and this has worked well for us all, particularly in giving the DC the opportunity of having more control over activities on their exeat weekends etc.

Our DD has a credit card which is linked to ours for when she travels alone (we live overseas) and we activate it and de-activate it as needed. When she is with us it is de-activated, if she is travelling with school or friends or to visit family we activate it again. She doesn't know the PIN and knows the repurcussions if she uses it for non-emergency purchases . . . Works well for us.

Which bank did you get your credit card from that allows you to add your children as additional cardholders?
Thanks

HSBC Premier allow you to add children as a seperate card holder. They also offer an additional facility thats allows the child to go to any HSBC bank and get Premier service including cash withdrawls.

both our sons have had debit cards for ages and then they get a cash drawing facility from 16. This is ideal as their pocket money/allowance can be paid directly in and you can put larger amounts of money in instantly with internet banking (very useful when they ring you from a shop and they want to buy something or from abroad when they have been mugged (as happened to one of ours last month). They used to have cards on our John Lewis account which was great as they could go in and buy their own school uniform/shoes etc but now I have swapped to the Partnership card - which is a credit card - they are nolonger allowed. Didn't think any under 18 was allowed a credit card of any sort.