Greenlight: the debit card for kids

If you’re not the busy parent of an independent tween or teenager the genius of giving your child a debit card might not be immediately evident to you. But I am. And when I found out this product existed I was pretty sure they developed it just for me.

Ever since Duane Reade switched their ATMs over to Citibank, I’ve been cash poor, using my debit card to make all my purchases.

And, honestly, this is almost never a problem, except in one all-too-frequently occurring scenario. Which usually takes place in my kitchen at 6:45am. This is when my teenage son, heading out to school for the day, says to me, “Oh, yeah. I need money for lunch.”

And he doesn’t mean $3.00 for cafeteria school lunch. We’re talking dining on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope bahn mi sandwiches and boba tea lunch.

So there I am at 6:45am (before coffee even) rummaging through the pockets of yesterday’s jeans and prayerfully running my hands along the sides of the cushions of our couch hoping to find some stray dollar bills (or at least quarters.)

Not one of my finest parenting moments. How do I avoid my child feeling like a modern day Oliver Twist?

Greenlight – The Debit Card for Kids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-bO8sMDHHc

OK, questions I know you have right now:

Is it an actual card? Yes, it’s a physical card that you’ll receive in the mail 3 to 5 days after creating your Greenlight account.

Is it linked to my credit card? Or actual bank account? It’s linked to your bank account. When you allocate funds to your child’s card using the Greenlight app the money essentially goes into escrow (FDIC insured) until it’s used.

Can I control how much my child spends and where? Yes, you can divide your child’s “allowance” into “Spend Anywhere” funds and funds that can only be spent at a specific type of establishment like a gas station or restaurant. In each case, you can set the exact amount.

How do I know when to refill? Greenlight will send a notification when your balance is low. You can also set up auto-funding where a certain amount is transferred into the parent’s “wallet” at the beginning of the month.

What happens if the card is lost or stolen? You can disable it immediately from within the app. The first lost card will be replaced for free. After that, there is a $3 fee.

What does it cost? Greenlight is just $4.99 a month and you can add up to five children.

Why didn’t I think of this myself and make a gajillionty dollars???? Someone beat us to it.

Having Greenlight has taken a load off this busy Brooklyn mom’s mind. This city tends to throw curve balls every once in a while. And it’s nice to know that if the Q train just randomly decides to terminate at Atlantic Ave my son has what he needs to make it home safely.

It’s easy to get started with Greenlight. Just download the app, create an account, link your bank account and you’re on your way to making sure your child has access to the funds they need to navigate his or her city with confidence.

This post was sponsored by Greenlight Card. If you would like to reach our readers, please contact us.