Greenlight Debit Card for Kids Review

Who is Greenlight best for?

Greenlight is a great option for parents with multiple kids.

Each plan allows you to add up to five children. While it doesn’t have age requirements, Greenlight’s average age ranges from 9 to 14 years old, according to a Greenlight customer service rep.

With robust parental controls, chore tracking, investing, educational content and much more, Greenlight is truly one of the most fully loaded and customizable kids’ banking apps available.

However, if your kids are young, Greenlight may not be the best fit. Older kids or teens with their own phones will likely benefit the most from Greenlight since its key features, like chore tracking, must be done through the app.

Greenlight plans and cost

There are three Greenlight plans to choose from, and as expected, the pricier plan offers the most perks.

What we like about Greenlight

Greenlight is not a bank — it’s a fintech company. Its bank partner is Community Federal Savings Bank, Member FDIC, so deposit accounts are protected up to the typical $250,000.
From customizable debit cards to parental controls, Greenlight has a lot of perks.

Strong parental controls and fast reloads

Parents can set controls, approve transactions and manage most functions from the Family tab within the app. Having done transfers myself, I can say the transfers are instant. Linking my bank account information was quick and painless, though there is a $10 minimum transfer amount for the Parent Wallet.

Kids can transfer money from their Spending account to Savings, but this action requires their parents’ approval. If they need money, they can send their parents a transfer request.

Parents can also set custom spending limits for categories like gaming, restaurants and specific stores. Custom controls by store or category level aren’t super common among similar apps, making this a standout feature.

Educational content and gamified learning

Greenlight teamed up with academic and gaming experts to create its interactive financial literacy game called Level Up. It teaches kids practical money skills like earning, spending, saving and investing. The game uses story-based gameplay that’s rich with animations, videos, minigames, quizzes and scenario questions.

Extra perks with higher-tier plans

Greenlight Core is the base tier, and it’s pretty solid on its own, offering most of Greenlight’s features and providing up to 2% savings reward per year on balances up to $5,000 per family.

Upgrading to Greenlight Max provides additional safety perks and better rewards, like up to 3% in savings rewards on up to $5,000, identity theft protection and phone insurance. Opting for the Infinity plan includes all Max benefits, plus:

• 5% savings reward on balances up to $5,000
• Family location sharing
• SOS button with 911 dispatch
• Car crash detection

Where it falls short

No kids’ debit card option is perfect — keep these flaws in mind.

Unavoidable monthly fee

There’s no way to waive Greenlight’s monthly fee. The base plan costs $5.99 per month, which isn’t high compared to other paid options, but it’s still another monthly subscription fee. If you have multiple kids, the cost might be worth it, but there are free kids’ debit card options.

Probably not great for young kids

Having used the app myself, I can easily say it’s not made for young kids without a decent reading level or their own phone. Creating a chore chart might be helpful for parents to track tasks, but kiddos without a tablet or phone won’t be able to use Greenlight without your help.

No physical branches

Greenlight also falls short in the same way other fintechs do — they don’t have physical branches. The main complaint against Greenlight is that disputes are a pain. Dozens of complaints on Reddit, Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) report that parents struggled to resolve fraudulent charges or disputes.

However, having contacted Greenlight’s customer support via text and phone myself, I will mention I had a good experience resolving an issue and the representative was helpful and polite.

Greenlight’s fees and access

Customer reviews and ratings

Greenlight is accredited by the BBB and has a verified Trustpilot profile. There’s a decent amount of customer feedback, so let’s get the negative out of the way.

The most common complaint among review platforms is resolving account issues. Many customers say they wish Greenlight was a bank of its own, as they claim Greenlight couldn’t refund fraudulent charges and were directed to talk to their own bank. Others say they’ve experienced issues with missing funds, declined transactions with no resolution, incorrect transfer amounts or repeat transfers. Greenlight does respond to the majority of complaints in attempts to resolve issues.

However, positive comments outweigh the negative. Parents say they like the flexibility of the app, chore charts and the independence it offers their kids. Reviewers note the transfers are instant, their kids are very pleased to have their own “grownup” cards for spending, and many say it’s helping their kids learn the value of money. Multiple reviews specifically mention the chore and allowance feature, saying it’s easy to set up and the automation is great.

Frequently asked questions

Is Greenlight a bank?

No, Greenlight is not a bank. It’s a financial technology company, and its banking services are provided by its partner, the Community Federal Savings Bank, an FDIC member. Community Federal Savings Bank also issues Greenlight’s debit cards.

Can you use the Greenlight card online?

Yes, you and your kids can use the Greenlight card everywhere Mastercard is accepted, which includes places like Amazon, DoorDash, PayPal and millions of other sites and locations. You can also use the card at ATMs that accept Mastercard.

Do I need an app for Greenlight?

Yes, you’ll need the Greenlight app. It enables parents to manage and monitor spending, set up allowances, manage savings goals, use investing tools and more. The app can be downloaded to phones, Kindles, iPads and more.