Content material of the fabric
- Pros
- Video
- A deeper look into the current card offer
- Quick highlights
- 5 important differences between Greenlight and Current
- Greenlight Plans and Costs
- How do I sign up for Greenlight card?
- Adding your children to the mix:
- Authenticating your identity:
- Creating a Wallet for Your Parents:
- Greenlight details and features
- Greenlight Debit Card
- Competitor Analysis
- How Does Greenlight Card Work?
- About the Author
- Who is Greenlight Best For?
- How does Current work?
- Does Greenlight work with Apple Pay and Google Pay?
- How Much Does Greenlight Cost?
- Greenlight vs. other debit cards for kids
- Summary
- Strengths
Execs
- Trade-leading parental controls
- Chore and allowance setup, administration and oversight
- All month-to-month plans embrace as much as 5 children
- Curiosity funds (Financial savings Boosts, 1% or 2%, relying on plan)
- Actual-time alerts, spending notifications and entry controls
A deeper look into the present card supply
Fast highlights
- Rewards fee: 1 p.c month-to-month Financial savings Increase rewards, or, with the Greenlight Max Plan, 2 p.c month-to-month Financial savings Increase rewards and 1 p.c money again on purchases
- Month-to-month payment: $4.99, $7.98 or $9.98 (based mostly on plan)
- Preliminary deposit: N/A
- Early direct deposit? Direct deposit supported, however not early deposit
- Out of community ATM withdrawal payment: No issuer ATM payment (operator ATM charges should still apply)
- Overdraft payment: N/A
- Further financial savings account included? No, however there’s a month-to-month compounded 1 p.c to 2 p.c rewards fee on the primary $5,000 in a financial savings account, relying on the plan.
Video
5 necessary variations between Greenlight and Present
Though the 2 firms have some similarities, there are some key variations between what Greenlight and Present supply. Listed here are the most important variations you must know:
- You’ll be able to make investments with Greenlight. With Greenlight + Make investments or Greenlight Max, children get the choice to take a position with as little as $1. This function may enable you to illustrate the ability of investing and compounding curiosity. Present doesn’t presently supply an investing possibility.
- Greenlight provides a number of extra protections. TheGreenlight Max service tier consists of buy safety, cellphone safety, and identification theft safety for the entire household (with some restrictions; for instance, cellphone safety is restricted to 5 children).
- Greenlight permits you to fund the child’s account with debit playing cards. With Present, you fund and reload your little one’s account utilizing your checking account. Greenlight permits you to fund accounts with debit playing cards and financial institution accounts.
- Greenlight is for all ages and Present is for teenagers.: To qualify for a Present account, the kid needs to be a minimum of 13 years previous; in the meantime, there’s no age requirement for the Greenlight debit card.
- Present has no minimal stability requirement. For Greenlight, it’s worthwhile to make an preliminary add of $10 to your Dad or mum’s Pockets to get began, adopted by a minimal deposit of $1 in the event you’re utilizing a related checking account or $20 in the event you’re funding the account with a debit card. Present doesn’t set deposit minimums or maximums.
Greenlight Plans and Prices
Whereas Greenlight provides a ton of instruments that may assist children be taught extra about their funds, this product is way from free. Finally, this is among the main downsides of Greenlight. In any case, there are different debit playing cards for teenagers and teenagers that don’t have a month-to-month payment, though they’ve loads fewer options total.
Both means, right here’s a rundown of what you’ll be able to anticipate to pay for a Greenlight plan relying on the tier of service you join.
Greenlight —$4.99 per 30 days | Greenlight + Make investments — $7.98 per 30 days | Greenlight Max — $9.98 per 30 days | |
Debit card for as much as 5 children | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Training all | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Core monetary instruments | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Parental controls | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Greenlight financial savings rewards | 1% | 1% | 2% |
Investing instruments | ✅ | ✅ | |
1% money again on spending | ✅ | ||
Greenlight Black Card | ✅ | ||
Precedence buyer assist | ✅ | ||
Id theft safety | ✅ | ||
Cellphone safety | ✅ | ||
Buy safety | ✅ |
As you’ll be able to see, Greenlight provides three totally different plans for households to select from:
Greenlight: The fundamental Greenlight plan lets dad and mom get a debit card for as much as 5 children. This plan provides primary instruments for folks, like the flexibility to arrange chore charts, ship their children cash, and be notified when their children make a purchase order. Children on this tier of this system may also earn 1% in rewards on their financial savings.
Greenlight + Make investments: The Greenlight + Make investments plan prices barely greater than the fundamental plan, but households get the additional advantage of investing instruments. This function inside the Greenlight app lets children buy fractional shares of their favourite shares, they usually can begin investing with as little as $1 with no buying and selling charges. Dad and mom additionally get to approve each commerce proper from the app. Children on this tier additionally earn 1% in money again on their financial savings.
Greenlight Max: Greenlight Max is the highest tier plan, and it consists of all the advantages of the fundamental plan plus the investing options. On prime of that, dad and mom get advantages like precedence buyer assist and children additionally get 1% again on purchases made with their debit card and a pair of% in money again on their financial savings. Different options like identification theft safety, buy safety, and cellphone safety are included. Children on this plan additionally get a Greenlight Black Card, which is only a fancy-looking improve for his or her debit card.
Should you would fairly hearken to this put up, and others right here on the weblog, please try the Good Financial Cents podcast on Spotify.
How do I join Greenlight card?
Comply with these easy steps to get began in the event you’re a guardian, guardian, or the Main Accountholder who will fund your youngsters’s Greenlight playing cards:
As a guardian or guardian, you need to register. This consists of the next:
Including your youngsters to the combination:
You’ll be able to have as much as 5 youngsters in your account, and every little one you add will obtain their very own Greenlight debit card mechanically. After finishing your registration, you’ll be able to improve any of your youngsters to a Customized Card.
Authenticating your identification:
We don’t run a credit score test on you, however we’re required by legislation to confirm your info (identify, deal with, DOB, SSN) to guard your account, funds, and kids’s playing cards. Be taught extra concerning the US Patriot Act and why we ask for this info right here.
Making a Pockets for Your Dad and mom:
The Dad or mum’s Pockets is a digital pockets that may be loaded with funds out of your debit card or checking account. We solely ask that you just load funds to finish registration as a result of it helps us offset charges and verifies your debit card or checking account.
You personal the cash you load, and when you’ve signed up, you’ll be able to ship cash to your little one at any time when, wherever, and for no matter purpose you need. After your first month, funds in your Dad or mum’s Pockets can be utilized to cowl your month-to-month Greenlight subscription payment.
Your youngsters’s playing cards shall be created mechanically after you join, and they’ll arrive in 7-10 enterprise days. In the meantime, log into your app to help your youngsters in creating their profiles, confirm your checking account, and start reaping the advantages of Greenlight!
Greenlight particulars and options
The Greenlight debit card provides a wide range of options designed to assist youngsters learn to earn, save, spend and make investments cash.
Relying on which Greenlight plan you select – Greenlight, Greenlight + Make investments or Greenlight Max – you and your children may have entry to any or all the following card advantages:
- Debit card: All Greenlight plans supply debit playing cards for as much as 5 children. That is nice for households with a number of youngsters since your Greenlight month-to-month payment covers as much as 5 particular person debit playing cards.
- Academic app: All Greenlight plans supply an academic app that helps children observe their balances, full chore lists to earn cash and extra. Dad and mom may also use the Greenlight app to show their children’ debit playing cards on and off – which implies that in case your little one briefly misplaces their Greenlight debit card, you’ll be able to flip off the cardboard’s performance till the cardboard is both discovered or changed.
- Core monetary instruments: All Greenlight plans give children the chance to be taught key monetary ideas, like the way to set a financial savings purpose. Greenlight’s monetary instruments give attention to saving, spending, incomes and giving and can assist you pass your financial values along to your youngsters.
- Parental controls: All Greenlight plans supply parental controls, together with the flexibility to set limits on how a lot your youngsters can spend in a specific class (resembling gaming) or at a person retailer.
- Funding platform: The Greenlight + Make investments and Greenlight Max plans supply a kid-friendly funding platform that teaches youngsters the basics of investing – together with the way to consider threat, diversify investments and the way compound progress can improve their investments.
- Greenlight black card: The Greenlight Max plan provides children entry to the Greenlight Black Card – a modern, fashionable card which may assist children get enthusiastic about saving and spending.
- Precedence buyer assist: The Greenlight Max plan provides dad and mom the chance to leap to the top of the shopper assist line.
- Id theft safety: The Greenlight Max plan provides everybody in your loved ones entry to identity theft monitoring, together with fraud alerts and restoration companies.
- Cellphone safety: The Greenlight Max plan supplies protection for misplaced, stolen or broken telephones for as much as 5 children. (That’s as many as 5 telephones that you just not want to fret about.)
- Buy safety: The Greenlight Max plan provides purchase protection for any purchases made on the Greenlight debit card which can be stolen or broken.
Greenlight Debit Card
Apply now on Greenlight’s safe website
Annual payment
$4.99 per 30 daysIntro supply
N/A
Rewards fee
N/ABeneficial credit score
See Phrases
Competitor Evaluation
Right here’s how Greenlight Debit Card compares to another choices for teenagers:
Card | Worth | Age | Options |
---|---|---|---|
Greenlight | $4.99 to $9.98 per 30 days | As much as 17 years |
|
Gohenry | $3.99 per 30 days | 6 to 18 years |
|
Copper | Free | Above 13 |
|
FamZoo | $2.50-$5.99 per 30 days | As much as 17 |
|
How Does Greenlight Card Work?
Greenlight is a pay as you go card and app for managing household funds, from chores and allowance to spending and utilizing cash on-line or off.
With the Greenlight app, children and oldsters have companion apps with two totally different experiences.
Children can save, earn, make investments, spend and provides — with guardian approval on each transaction.
Dad and mom can select the precise shops the place their children spend, handle chores and allowances, set parent-paid rates of interest and extra.
Additional, on greater tier plans, dad and mom can use this similar system of controls to encourage saving and investing by financial savings bonuses, investing options and even earn money again on purchases made with the Greenlight debit card.
And since the Greenlight debit card capabilities as a prepaid debit card, dad and mom needn’t fear about children spending what they don’t have. With regular debit playing cards, this can lead to overdraft charges and doable overspending.
Greenlight playing cards don’t enable this example to occur.
In regards to the Writer

Scott Jeffries is a seasoned expertise skilled based mostly in Florida. He writes on the matters of enterprise, expertise, digital advertising and private finance. After incomes his bachelor’s in Administration Data Programs with a minor in Enterprise, Scott spent 15 years working in expertise. He is helped startups to Fortune 100 firms carry software program merchandise to life. When he is not writing or constructing software program, Scott might be discovered studying or spending time outdoors together with his children.
Who’s Greenlight Greatest For?
I actually like Greenlight regardless of its limitations. Earlier than dad and mom join, nevertheless, they should learn over all of the effective print and buy and withdrawal guidelines so that they know what they’re coping with. I additionally advocate taking part in round with the app and studying the way it works so children aren’t left in a state of affairs the place they will’t entry their cash once they want it.
With all this being stated, Greenlight is finest for:
- Dad and mom who wish to oversee their child’s chores, allowances, purchases and financial savings in a single place
- Households who need their children to have their very own debit card for security causes
- Dad and mom who desire a approach to educate their children the way to handle their cash early in life
- Households who wish to get their children into investing early in life
- Anybody who needs to have the ability to ship their children or teenagers cash immediately by a cell app
- Dad and mom who wish to be notified every time their child make a purchase order
How does Present work?
Present is an internet financial institution that provides teen debit playing cards with an app that gives parental controls. You’ll be able to select how a lot your little one can spend per day and restrict procuring at sure retailers. You can too arrange computerized transfers to ship an allowance to your little one every day, weekly, bi-weekly, or month-to-month.
The first approach to fund your teen’s account is exterior by financial institution switch, which might take three to 5 enterprise days to course of. Nevertheless, Present provides two methods to get sooner transfers:
- Qualify for immediate direct deposit. Present provides an instantaneous switch choice to individuals who full a trial interval, pay the $36 annual subscription payment, and set up good account historical past.
- Open your personal Present account. Should you open a Present account, funds that you just’ve added to your account can mechanically be transferred to a teen account.
Teenagers can use Present accounts for spending and saving. Present permits you to set financial savings targets utilizing the Financial savings Pods function, and you’ll stash money by establishing roundups that spherical transactions to the closest greenback and save the distinction.
Though your children get some freedom to swipe, you even have the ability to information their spending by turning on and off the cardboard and setting a every day utilization restrict. And though it received’t defend your funds in case your teen overspends, as much as $250,000 of your cash is backed by FDIC insurance coverage, so you’ll be able to relaxation assured figuring out cash is assured within the occasion that the corporate goes beneath.
For a full breakdown of Present options, learn our Current review.
Does Greenlight work with Apple Pay and Google Pay?
Sure! The Greenlight card is suitable with all three and may be very easy to arrange, making checkout a lot simpler. As quickly as you add your Greenlight card to your smartphone’s Pockets, you can begin utilizing Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
How A lot Does Greenlight Value?
You get the primary month of Greenlight completely free as a trial after which the month-to-month payment is $4.99 for the entire household. You rise up to 5 playing cards.
There aren’t any charges for making purchases, withdrawing cash from an ATM, requesting a stability at an ATM, contacting customer support (automated or dwell agent), or an inactivity payment. In case you are touring internationally, there aren’t any overseas transaction charges both.
There are two charges:
- $9.99 for a customized card (fully elective)
- $3.50 for changing a card ($24.99 for expedited supply)
Should you don’t want a customized card and also you by no means lose your card, all you pay is the $4.99 month-to-month payment.
Greenlight vs. different debit playing cards for teenagers
The Greenlight debit card isn’t the one debit card for teenagers on the market. Right here’s how Greenlight stacks up towards FamZoo, GoHenry and BusyKid, three of the most well-liked competing debit playing cards available on the market.
- FamZoo vs. Greenlight: Like Greenlight, FamZoo lets dad and mom switch cash on to their children’ debit playing cards and helps dad and mom and children work collectively to trace saving, spending and giving. Nevertheless, FamZoo doesn’t supply the kid-friendly funding alternatives that include the Greenlight + Make investments and Greenlight Max plans. A FamZoo subscription prices $5.99 per 30 days, although households can save by paying for a number of months (or years) upfront.
- GoHenry vs. Greenlight: GoHenry is one other fashionable children’ debit card, and like Greenlight, dad and mom can fund children’ accounts, set limits on spending, assist their youngsters put aside funds for charitable giving and extra. As with FamZoo, the most important distinction between GoHenry and Greenlight is that GoHenry doesn’t supply any kind of investing platform. GoHenry prices $3.99 per little one per 30 days, and you’ll customise your youngsters’s debit playing cards for $4.99 every.
- BusyKid vs. Greenlight: BusyKid might be the closest match to Greenlight, by way of options and choices – together with the choice to assist your little one arrange an funding account and be taught concerning the fundamentals of investing. BusyKid can be inexpensive than Greenlight. A BusyKid household plan prices $19.99 per 12 months and comes with one BusyKid pay as you go Visa spend card. If you wish to arrange BusyKid accounts for a number of youngsters, you’ll pay a further $7.99 per little one per 12 months.
Abstract
Getting your little one their very own debit card can take a kind of little hassles out of life. By no means once more will you battle to pay your children their allowance, or fear about them dropping your money once they exit with mates.
Plus, a service like Greenlight provides you complete management over the place they will use their debit card and the way a lot they will spend at explicit shops. You additionally get entry to the place the cardboard has been used–providing you with management and safety.
8.5 8.5/10 Strengths As much as 5 child playing cards Chores administration Spending round-up Very low charges Referral program
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