Getting a kids debit card for your child is bestowing upon them a big responsibility. As a parent, you won’t have the same amount of control over their spending as with a prepaid card, and you would need to log into their online bank account to view their activity.

At the same time, this responsibility, and its consequences, can be invaluable. This is especially true if your child is slightly older and wants to take the training wheels off.

Making mistakes and learning from them is incredibly important, even if that mistake is as simple as not having enough money to buy an item you want because you’ve spent it on something else.

And because of the lack of overdraft and its related fees, your child will not be able to get in serious financial trouble with their debit card.

Another major difference between debit cards for kids and prepaid cards is that for the former the child is the one applying for the account.

How they go about applying for a kids’ current account and debit card depends on their age.

If your child is 11 or 12 years old, most banking providers will require them to apply in branch. In some cases, they will need to do this up to the age of 15. Either way, they will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

A child may also be required to apply in branch if their parent or legal guardian does not have a current account with the provider in question.

If your child is aged 16 to 17 years old, they will be able to either apply online on their own, or visit a branch without their parent or guardian. Some banks won’t offer children’s current accounts to 16 and 17 year olds, however, and will instead offer specific bank accounts for teenagers.

When applying for a children’s current account and debit card, you will need to provide the following information:

Proof of identification for the child, such as a passport or full UK birth certificate.
Proof of identification for the parent/guardian.
Proof of address for the parent/guardian or child, depending on the age of the applicant.
Once you have opened a children’s current account, you and your child may be offered the choice between a free kids’ debit card, or a cash card. Unlike debit cards, cash cards can only be used to withdraw money from cash machines.