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kids with debit cards!
by the way, im 13 years old. i asked my mom why kids like me cant have debit cards. shes like, "you have to work to get one". i understand that credit cards are loans, so you'd need to work to pay them off, and if a kid has it, its cause a parent pays for it. at least.. i think that could happen, right? anyways, debit cards you put your own money into it. i have about 200 dollars in my bank account, and im like, why cant i have a debit card instead of carrying all the money around? and my mom said to ask the people at my bank which is annoying cause i barely get chances to go there, so i need money a lot when i already have it, but i cant use it till we go to the bank. so it makes no sense.. my mom says you have to be working to have a debit card but that makes no sense cause like kids can even have more money than some adults with debit cards who work at like flippen mcdonalds! ugggh why? is it cause we're not responsible or something and would lose it? adults can lose cards too. and yeah.. this makes no sense to me. explain please.
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Sorry, your mom is wrong. I got mine when I was fifteen and unemployed. Probably your mom just doesn't want you to have you because overdraft fees are super-expensive. You have to have a real ID to use it though, not just a school ID- either a license or you can go to the DMV and get an official state ID.
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As the person below said, anyone with a checking account can get a debit card. You don't have to have a job to get a checking account... you just need to have some money to deposit into the account. Banks usually require you to keep a certain amount of money in your checking account at all times (usually $100-200). If you're underage, you may need to get your parents' permission to open a checking account. Call your bank and ask them what their policies are on that. Don't be afraid... I'm sure they'll be very happy to explain it to you.
A debit card works the same way as a check... it takes the money directly out of your account. The main difference between a check and a debit card is: when you write a check, it can take a few days to "clear". The store has to send the check to their bank, then their bank sends it to your bank, and then your bank sends them your money. With a debit card, the money is taken out of your account immediately.
Now, the real issue here might be that your mom doesn't WANT you to have a debit card. She may be worried that you'd spend all your money right away... and since you're not working, you'd have no way to replace it. Having a debit card is basically like having your entire bank account in your wallet... and when you have all that money right there with you, it's really easy to spend it all fast! And it's not just "irresponsible kids" who do that... a lot of adults do that, too!
Now, if you can't convince your mom to let you get a checking account & debit card, there's actually another option. You could get a pre-paid card from Visa or American Express, using your own money. It's sort of like a gift card, but can be used anywhere.
Let's say you're going to the mall and want to bring $50, but don't want to carry around the cash. You go to the bank, take the money out of your account, and use it to buy the card. Your mom might go for that, because then you'd only be taking out a certain amount of money that you and she have agreed on.
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i think you misunderstood your mom when she said that you have to be working. here is how a debit card works: a debit card is linked to a checking account at your bank. a checking account is different from a savings account, so if you have 200 dollars in a savings account at your bank, you would need to open a checking account and transfer money into that. a debit card is essentially the same as writing a check (hence the checking account) except in card form... as in, when you pay for things, it deducts the money directly out of your account. anybody can have a checking account and savings account, but if you are under eighteen, i believe it is monitored/controlled by your parents. as in, i am sixteen, and i put all the money i earn from my job into my savings account, but my parents still basically have control over it (so when i go to college, they will probably take some money out of it to pay for that stuff). also, credit cards and debit cards are not the same thing! so don't make that assumption. as i said, the debit card withdraws directly from your bank account. the credit card is a little bit trickier, and you have to be careful with them. during the month, you purchase things on the credit card. then, you get a bill for that month. if you're financially savvy, then you pay the bill. however, a lot of people work themselves into credit card debt because they don't pay their bills and they keep buying crap. this is an example of an unintelligent credit card holder. if you try to do something like that with a debit card, that's definitely not going to work out. if you don't have the money in your checking account, then that's the same as writing a hot check- knowingly trying to pay for something with money that you don't have. kids can't get credit cards. you have to be eighteen to get one. kids can get debit cards though. but, you have to get parents permission, blah blah. back to the employment thing. your mom was telling you that you have to gain her trust/prove you can handle it/suck up to her in order to get a debit card. she didn't literally mean that you have to be employed somewhere (though that would help to get a paycheck if you're going to be spending money). keep in mind that if you lose your debit card, it is incredibly easy for somebody to use it and take all your money. when you use a debit card, you have two choices: you can run it as credit or debit. when you run it as credit, you are essentially running it as a credit card- all you do is sign the receipt. when you run it as debit, you enter your four-digit PIN and sometimes you sign it. so as you can tell, it would be really easy to copy the signature on the back of the card and run the card as credit. let me know if you have any more questions, but i think i just told you all i know :) oh, and you can use debit cards at ATMs to withdraw cash if you needed to pay for something in cash (or if you are in another country or something).
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I have a debit card through a credit union (I'm 16), but I had to go in to the location with my mom because they said they typically don't let anyone under 18 get one. But, since my mom allowed it, then I could get one. Also, my parents' account had to be my "back up" account. Meaning that if I started spending more money than I had, the bank would start taking that money out of their account. I hope this makes sense; if you have any more questions, let me know.
hope this helps-
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That's odd. I think I had one at about 13. I no longer do, just because I didn't use it, but I had it for like 2 years.
You do NOT need to be working to get one...you just have to have money to put in the account.
Another option is prepaid credit cards not linked to your bank account.
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