Best Debit Cards for Teens

Founded in 2019, Copper is a new digital banking solution for teens. Its checking account and debit card are accompanied by an educational mobile app. The app offers quizzes and educational content that financial literacy experts created to help teens learn about money management. It coaches account holders through budgeting and saving so they learn with practice.

What’s more, Copper lets parents keep an eye on teens’ spending habits, transfer money instantly or set up an allowance, and respond to requests from teens for funds. There are no monthly fees, no fees at more than 55,000 ATM locations, no transfer fees, and no overdraft fees. However, a retailer may charge you if you choose to deposit money at a Green Dot register.

You’re also backed by zero-liability protection; your funds are FDIC-insured up to $250,000, and fraud monitoring is included. Anyone can open an account for a teen as long as they are 18 years of age, have a valid Social Security number, and have an existing checking account. 

Note that because Copper Banking is so new, customer service reviews are difficult to find.

Capital One MONEY teen checking account balances earn 0.1% APY (as of February 2023), and there are no fees for opening or using the account or debit card. There are no monthly maintenance fees, no fees to transfer money to or from an external account, no foreign transaction fees, and free access to over 70,000 ATMs.

The top-rated mobile app provides two logins: one for parents and one for teens. Teens can set savings goals and watch their balance grow while parents can set up automatic allowance payments, track account activities and create alerts, and even lock the teen’s account if necessary.

You don’t need to be a Capital One customer to fund the account for your teen; you just need to be at least 18 years old and have an existing checking account. The Capital One MONEY teen checking account is available to children as young as 8 so long as their parent or legal guardian is a joint account holder. 

The Bluebird American Express Prepaid Debit Card charges minimal fees and allows you to create free subaccounts for up to four teens. There are no monthly maintenance fees, no fees to transfer to other Bluebird account holders, and free ATM withdrawals at more than 30,000 MoneyPass ATMs. It’s also free to add cash to the card at Walmart or via direct deposit, and the $5 card fee is waived if you sign up online.

With Bluebird subaccounts, you can give up to four teens (ages 13 and older) access to the money on your card while keeping a high level of control over how they use it. Each subaccount comes with its own login credentials and a prepaid card. You can set daily spending limits, disable purchases or ATM access, get low balance alerts, and freeze the card from your Bluebird account. 

You also get free online bill pay and perks like purchase protection, Amex offers, and roadside assistance. To sign up, you’ll need to be the age of majority in your state, have a valid Social Security number, and reside in the U.S.

With the Jassby Virtual Debit Card, you don't need to worry about a physical card getting lost or stolen. But because its virtual card number works with contactless payment, you can still make secure purchases online or in-store.

Contactless payment is generally more secure than paying with a physical card because it uses a virtual account number, and each transaction gets a unique security code.

Jassby Virtual Debit Card users will also need to create a PIN and use Touch ID or Face ID to make a purchase. In addition to shopping online and in-store, teens can make purchases directly through the Jassby Shop, where they can access exclusive discounts. 

With the Jassby mobile app, parents can send allowances or monetary rewards for reaching goals, and teens can request money or ask parents to approve chores. Parents can also monitor their child's spending activity from the app.

To apply for the Jassby Virtual Debit Card, you'll need to be at least 18, be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, have an email account, and have a U.S. bank account or credit card. This card is issued by Sutton Bank, an FDIC member.

For parents with a Chase checking account, Chase First Banking provides teens with a free debit card and a higher level of parental control than other teen checking accounts. With the mobile app, teens can set savings goals and request money, which parents can approve for an instant transfer.

Parents can also use the app to set ATM withdrawal limits, spending limits (including limits for specific spending categories), and account alerts to keep tabs on teens’ purchases. They can also set up a recurring allowance or one-time chore. 

There’s no minimum deposit or monthly fee with this card, and cardholders get free access to more than 16,000 Chase ATMs. The only fees are an out-of-network ATM fee and a foreign transaction fee. To apply for an account, you’ll need to be 18, have a valid Social Security number for yourself and your child, and have an existing Chase checking account. Children must be at least 6 years old to be eligible for Chase First Banking.

For teens who need peer-to-peer (P2P) payment features, Chase also offers a Chase High School Checking Account, which has fewer usage restrictions but also doesn’t come with the same level of parental control.

The FamZoo prepaid card teaches basic envelope budgeting with spend, save, and give accounts and instills the value of hard work with jobs and chores attached to monetary rewards. Parents can pay interest on savings and charge interest on money that teens borrow.

Parents can also set up recurring allowances, send one-time transfers, approve money and reimbursement requests, receive activity alerts, and lock or unlock the card directly from the mobile app. Teens can use the mobile app to set savings goals and track their progress. 

You get a 30-day free trial, and after that, there’s a $5.99 monthly fee, but you can save if you prepay. A two-year subscription costs $2.50 per month when paid in advance. There are no transaction fees, foreign or otherwise, or ATM withdrawal fees (though you will pay the ATM operator fee). It’s free to load money via direct deposit or ACH transfer, but cash reloads at Green Dot and Mastercard rePower locations cost $4.95. 

To open an account, you need to be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen with a valid Social Security number, and able to fund the card with a minimum of $5.

If you’re looking for a card with a high monthly spending limit for giving your teen an allowance, the American Express Serve prepaid card may fit the bill. The $6.95 monthly fee is waived if you make a direct deposit of at least $500 each month.

You’ll also get free online bill pay, free early direct deposit, free ATM withdrawals at more than 30,000 MoneyPass ATMs, free transfers, and free subaccounts for up to four people.

Parents can use subaccounts to control how much money teens have access to by setting limits and can monitor transaction activity via the mobile app. It’s free to get a card and add money to it online, but a $3.95 cash reload fee applies. Your card also comes with the fraud protection and 24/7 customer service benefits for which American Express is known.

You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the U.S. with a valid social security number to apply. There’s no minimum balance required.