Modak Makers Kids’ Debit Card Review: No Fees and Standout Rewards
- Fee
- $0 per month
- Age requirements
- Any age
Our verdict
A kid and teen debit card with no monthly fees but no ATM access, money games or custom parental controls.
Modak Makers offers a jump start into the financial world for kids and teens. Unlike most competitors, Modak doesn’t charge any monthly fees, and there are no overdraft or foreign transaction fees either. With no age requirements, the MoCard is a great option for kids and teens of all ages. Kids can earn rewards by completing parent-set or in-app challenges for cash-redeemable Mobucks. Parents can reload the card in multiple ways, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, direct deposit, ACH or card transfers. But unfortunately, the MoCard can only be used for purchases and can’t be used at ATMs. Also, Modak doesn’t offer any extra perks like savings or custom spending limits.
Best for: Parents in need of an affordable kids’ debit card.
Pros
-
$0 monthly fees
-
Multiple reload options
-
Chore and allowance tracking
-
Kids complete challenges for rewards
Cons
-
$0.50 + 3% reload fee via Apple Pay, Google Pay or credit card
-
$0.50 reload fee via debit card
-
No ATM access
Who is Modak best for?
Modak says its card is for anyone under age 18, and it doesn’t cost anything to open or maintain. As a free kids’ banking option with no age restrictions, Modak can be great for families of all sizes and ages who want to teach their kids how to manage money. But if you’d like a kids’ banking option with educational content or ATM access, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
What we like about Modak
Who doesn’t love a free kids’ debit card? Most kids’ banking apps have monthly fees, such as Greenlight or Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry), both starting around $5 per month. Modak has no monthly fees, opening deposit requirements, foreign transaction fees or balance requirements.
Kids get a virtual and physical MoCard to spend in-store or online, and they can add the virtual card to Apple Pay or Google Pay. Modak also allows for direct deposit, providing a place for working teens to store their earnings.
Earn rewards by doing challenges
The MoCard offers rewards called Mobucks (MBX) that kids can earn by completing parent-set challenges, such as cleaning their room, studying, exercising and more. After completing a task, kids need to provide proof to earn the MBX.
Mobucks are paid for and issued by Modak, and 100 MBX are worth $1. There is no limit to how many MBX kids can earn.
Manage the MoCard through Parent Portal
Modak features a Parent Portal through its app to manage your kids’ debit cards, and parents can lock or unlock the cards and view spending activity in the portal.
You can fund the MoCard through the app’s Teen Wallet section and simply tap Send $ to send cash via bank account, card or direct deposit. Parents can also reload the cards via Apple Pay and Google Pay. There’s a small fee of $0.50 per card reload via debit card. There’s also a $0.50 plus 3% fee for reloading the Mocard via Apple Pay, Google Pay or a credit card. However, reloading with an ACH bank transfer is free.
Safety features and FDIC-insured
Modak Makers is a fintech with banking partners — it isn’t a bank. Its accounts are covered by FDIC insurance through its banking partner, Lewis & Clark Bank, Member FDIC.
The MoCard can’t be used at select merchants, and it automatically blocks certain spending categories, but these categories aren’t listed. If we had to guess, it probably blocks things like lottery or alcohol purchases like most other kids’ cards. Also, like other kids’ cards, the MoCard can’t be overdrawn, so there are no overdraft fees or negative balances to worry about.
Modak states it protects your and your child’s personal information in several ways, such as encrypting all sensitive information, enforcing strict data protection policies and complying with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CDPB) regulations.
Where it falls short
The only fees we can locate with Modak are the reload fees, which cost $0.50 if you reload your kids’ MoCard with a debit card and an additional 3% via a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. However, you can avoid those reload fees by making an ACH transfer or direct deposit.
Another downside is that the MoCard can only be used for purchases, so kids can’t use their cards at ATMs to check their balance or withdraw cash. However, Modak has plans to introduce an ATM feature, but there’s no set date as to when that will happen just yet.
Modak also lacks some other features that you’d find with some competitors, such as a savings pocket, educational quizzes or games. And compared to other kids’ debit cards, Modak lacks customization. For example, Greenlight lets parents set custom spending limits by store or category. Modak lacks custom spending controls, and kids are only limited by what’s on the card. Modak also doesn’t list its restricted merchants, which can cause some inconvenience since you won’t be sure if a merchant is OK until you try.
Modak’s fees and access
| Type of fee | Fee details |
|---|---|
| Monthly service | $0 |
| Opening deposit | $0 |
| ATMs | Purchases only |
| Debit card fees |
|
| Overdraft or nonsufficient funds | $0 |
| Wire transfers |
|
| Other fees |
|
Compare Modak Makers to other kids’ debit cards
Narrow down top kids’ banking options by monthly fees, APYs and features. Tick the Compare box on multiple options to see their benefits side by side.
How to open a Modak account
Opening a Modak account and getting MoCards for your kids doesn’t cost any monthly fees or require any opening deposit requirements. All users under 18 need a parent or guardian to set up and sponsor the account.
The information you’ll need to open a Modak account includes:
- Government-issued photo ID
- Proof of address, such as a utility bill
- Social Security number
- Phone number
Customer experience
Modak Makers is a newer fintech company founded in 2022, so there isn’t much customer feedback to date. It also doesn’t have a Better Business Bureau profile or much chatter on Reddit.
On Trustpilot, it has a 4.1-star rating out of fewer than 140 reviews. So far, customers are largely pleased with Modak. Most report a quick and responsive customer support team. They also like that the Mobucks can be exchanged for cash.
However, one customer pointed out a similar issue that we also found: Modak does not list its restricted merchants. The fintech responded to this feedback and said it’s working on a feature that would allow parents to set custom spending controls.
Frequently asked questions
Is Modak Makers free?
There’s no upfront cost to open a Modak account or receive the Modak MoCard. There are no monthly maintenance fees, overdraft fees, foreign transaction fees or opening deposit requirements. However, there are MoCard reload fees, such as the $0.50 fee per debit card transfer.
Is the Modak card legit?
Modak is a legitimate fintech company. Its banking partner, Lewis & Clark Bank, Member FDIC, provides its accounts’ deposit insurance. Modak also states that it is complaint with CFPB security and privacy regulations.
How does Modak Makers make money?
Modak doesn’t charge its customers any monthly fees, so like other fintechs with banking services, Modak Makers makes its money through interchange fees. These are fees charged by card network processors, like Visa or Mastercard, to merchants in exchange for processing transactions.
Kids’ debit card ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We analyze top debit cards for kids and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. We rate kids’ checking accounts by these factors: Monthly fee, features, ATM access, customer support options, and availability. We also consider APY as a factor only for those that earn interest. We rate prepaid debit cards for kids by these factors: monthly fees, features, customer support options and account availability.
Read the full methodology of how we rate Kids’ debit card accounts.
Your reviews
Bethany Finder
Editor, Banking
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