02/13/2020
A reloadable prepaid card can be the perfect way to teach teenagers how to budget and take responsibility for their spending. However, finding the right one can be hard.
Whether they’re just starting their first part-time job or you’re tired of lending them money throughout the month, one of these five best prepaid cards for teens will offer a solution.
American Express Serve
An American Express prepaid card – the American Express Serve – can be a great choice for your teens. It’s widely accepted across the USA and internationally.
The Serve prepaid debit card is free and convenient to reload. Teens can add cash at more than 45,000 locations, or through a bank account, without paying reload fees.
The card comes with free fraud protection, ATM withdrawals at MoneyPass and card replacements. However, there is a set monthly fee. This means the card might be best suited to older teens who use it regularly, to benefit fully from its advantages.
Kroger REWARDS prepaid Visa
Kroger’s own prepaid debit card is perfect for teens who drive or buy their own groceries. Every dollar they spend on their prepaid card earns them reward points, to use on free groceries or discounts on fuel.
The card can be used internationally through Visa or Mastercard and offers a mobile app to easily and quickly add or transfer funds. There are also no overdraft fees and reload fees are capped, with a small monthly charge.
FamZoo Prepaid MasterCard
FamZoo is designed specifically for teenagers. Both you and your teen have access to the card, enabling you to stop payments or transfer money between cards when required. This can be great if they receive an allowance, money for chores or you want to monitor their spending.
The prepaid card also offers free reloads, withdrawals and transfers. As with most prepaid cards, there is a monthly fee that applies for a family subscription. It also charges an additional fee if more than four cards are added.
Visa Buxx card
Visa’s reloadable prepaid card Buxx is aimed at younger teens. You can easily load money onto the card through automated transfers, online or over the phone and monitor their purchases and balance – to check they’re not wasting it all.
There are two issuers to choose from, Navy Federal and TD bank, both offering different benefits and rewards. However, you must be an existing customer of either bank for your teen to qualify for a Visa Buxx card.
Akimbo Prepaid MasterCard
If you have multiple teens living in your household, Akimbo provides a convenient solution.
Their prepaid MasterCard lets you have multiple cards for every member of the family, all tied to one master account. This means each teen is responsible for their own allowance and money management, but it can still be monitored by you. Choose to have a text alert after any purchase is made and even the ability to disable their spending through the app, offering full control.
There are no monthly fees, but you do have to pay a one-off payment for each subaccount you want to add.
Let your teens take control of their finances and learn the value of money with a prepaid card.
