Instill an awareness of financial responsibility in their teenagers. What better way than to give their teenager their own Debit Card account!
Certainly every teenager would jump at the chance to have one, and a debit card where they cannot overspend or incur interest charges can be a tremendous learning tool to prepare them for the real world of managing their own money, budgeting and using credit cards, that they will be facing in just a few years.
Parents can reinforce the learning experience by using the on-line “Account-to-Account” transfer feature to deposit allowances and other financial support as needed.
Through on-line card controls parents can limit the amount the teenager can withdraw at ATM’s, set the maximum amount allowed for purchases at retail establishments, etc.
As reward for demonstrating financial responsibility the limits can easily be changed, on-line, by the Primary Cardholder at any time, as long as they do not exceed the limits set for all cards by the bank.
In any case the teenager can only spend the amount of money available on the card, per the limits established by the Primary Cardholder. There is no incurred interest for trying to spend too much. Instead, if a teenager attempts to complete a transaction that exceeds the available balance on the card the transaction will be declined.
The final caveat for parents is that they can review where and when their child has been spending their money, in real time!