Credit card for children under 18 - all information and offers

Children and young people under the age of 18 can be introduced to cashless payment using their own credit cards. As parents, however, you should take a close look at which card you give your offspring in hand.

Credit card for children and teenagers

If you would like to apply for a credit card for your minor child, the effort is no different than if you order a card for yourself. However, you must accompany your child to the branch and also put your signature on the application.

• In contrast to the adult card, no Schufa query or proof of creditworthiness are necessary for a children's credit card.
• While regular incoming payments are often a prerequisite for free account management for adult credit cards, this is usually not the case for a children's card.
• Children and adolescents only receive prepaid credit cards that can be replenished with a certain amount.
• In addition, the fees for children's credit cards are usually lower or disappear entirely.

Credit card for children and teenagers - the offers

Take the time to find the right credit card for your child. It's always worth comparing.

• Some cards are subject to a minimum age. The Berliner Sparkasse VISA prepaid, for example, requires a minimum age of 12 years, while children from the age of 7 can pay with the MyPrepaid MasterCard credit card.
• There are also significant differences in fees. The Berliner Sparkasse VISA Prepaid is permanently non-contributory, but charges high fees for cash withdrawals. The netbank Prepaid MasterCard for young people is intended for children from the age of 14, has a youth protection function, but costs a basic fee of 19 euros per year.

Credit card for children and teenagers - be careful with "prepaid"

Not everything is "prepaid" where it says prepaid. So read the fine print carefully.

• With prepaid you would think that it works like with cell phone cards: as soon as the credit is used up, no further costs can arise - the youngsters can no longer buy. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
• The Consumer Advice Center NRW has already warned various banks about this. Despite the addition "prepaid", the card could still be charged, making debts is possible. Therefore, check all clauses as to whether they are really prepaid.
• The bank must not readily grant a loan to a child. However, this is exactly the case when the credit card is overdrawn. Therefore, the reference account should also belong to the child. Otherwise, the banks could argue that the credit was granted to the parents through the reference account.

We have summarized what you should pay attention to when paying online with your credit card in another practical tip.