Monzo for Under 16s review
Our verdict
Monzo's long-awaited children's account has launched. We've reviewed it to see how it stacks up against the competition.
Monzo for Under 16s joins a competitive children’s banking market. It’s a prepaid debit card and doesn’t charge any fees (unless your kid loses their card). It comes with a range of parental controls and oversight to keep your children safe. You can also set up savings pots for your child, though they won’t earn any interest on those funds, which is one of its downsides.
If you already bank with Monzo and want to get your kids started with their own accounts, then this is probably a good option for you. But if you want a range of educational features or the ability to earn interest on your child's account, you might want to look elsewhere.
Pros
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Parent has full control and oversight
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Choice of card colours
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Free to open and no account fees
Cons
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No interest on linked savings pots
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Lack of educational features
Monzo for Under 16s launched in March 2025, joining a growing market of accounts and cards designed for children. It gives kids the freedom to use their own card and parents the ability to set limits and keep an eye on things within the app. It’s free to open, has no monthly or transaction fees (even overseas) and a choice of 3 colourful cards, so it could be a good place to start for your child’s first bank account.
What is the Monzo for Under 16s debit card for kids?
Monzo for Under 16s is a prepaid debit card and account designed for children aged 6–15. To open, the parent or guardian needs to already have a Monzo current account.
As this is most likely to be a first taste of how money works for some kids, it’s simple and easy to use. There aren’t too many bells and whistles, so it’s up to the adult to control the account and teach the child how to use it.
You’re able to set up savings pots and goals for your child, so they can put their money towards something special. However, these don’t earn any interest, so the lesson of teaching them about saving regularly might actually end up costing them money through inflation. This is a shame, because learning about compound interest is an important part of learning to save. A potential way around this would be to open an instant access savings pot in your own Monzo account for your child, but they wouldn’t be able to view that when they’re looking at their money in the app.
You can fund the account directly from your Monzo current account, either as a one-off payment or scheduled as regular pocket money. You’re also able to send a link for friends and family to add money directly, say for birthdays or Christmas. A maximum of £250 over a 30-day period can be sent in total through this link.
Once your child is old enough, they’ll be able to upgrade to a regular adult Monzo bank account when the big day comes. If they prefer, they can keep using this card until they turn 18, when it’s then cancelled, or apply for a Monzo for 16–17s account.
If the child is over 13, they’re able to add the card to a mobile wallet, meaning they can pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay.
How do I set up Monzo for Under 16s and what are the fees?
To open an account, you need to open the Monzo app and tap the + button in the top right corner. There’s a list of account options to open, so you need to click on “Monzo for Under 16s”. You can follow the steps and answer the required questions. Make sure you fill in the details correctly, because Monzo says it may ask you to verify your child’s date of birth. After that you’ll be given a choice of cards, with bright pink, yellow and blue to choose from.
While you need a Monzo current account to have a Monzo for Under 16s account, it can’t be a joint account. However, once you’ve set the account up, you can invite another family member, giving them access to see spending, send money and freeze or unfreeze cards. It doesn’t have to be another parent, but they must be closely related to the child and over the age of 18. You’re also limited to 5 Monzo for Under 16s accounts, so if you have a bigger family then that you might need to look elsewhere.
The account is free to use, so there’s no monthly fee, no fees for spending at home or abroad and no ATM withdrawal fees. Your child can spend up to £250 and withdraw £100 in cash each day, but you can also lower these limits if you prefer to. If the card gets lost or damaged, it’ll cost £5 to replace it, so you’ll have to decide the best way to keep it safe.
What are the parental controls that come with Monzo for Under 16s?
- You can turn on instant notifcations so you’re notified whenever your child spends money. All of your child’s spending activity will be viewable in your Monzo app as well.
- You can set daily limits for spending and cash withdrawals. You’re also able to turn online payments off if you don’t want them spending money on the internet.
- They can only send money to you.
- The debit card is already blocked for merchants that aren’t age appropriate, including pubs, nightclubs and gambling.
- Your child can only spend what you put onto their card – they can’t go overdrawn. This also helps them learn about budgeting.
- You can freeze and unfreeze the card via your Monzo app in 3 taps, in case it’s lost or stolen.
Monzo is an FCA-regulated bank, so deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) under your account up to £85,000.
What does the Monzo for Under 16s app look like?
"I got an email from Monzo about their new product, so decided to give it a go as I already use their current account as a secondary account.
I like the fact it automatically blocks certain transactions that are not kid-friendly.
If there’s one thing you’d tell a friend who’s thinking of getting this, what would it be?
It connected super easily with my existing account, it’s free and all-in-all was pretty low admin to set up."
How does it compare with other popular banking apps?
Finder Score for kids' cards
To make comparing even easier we came up with the Finder Score. Fees, features and controls across the most popular card issuers are all weighted and scaled to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score the better the card – simple.
Read the full methodologyMonzo for Under 16s fees and features
 Monzo for Under 16s | |
| Monthly fee | £0 |
| Card delivery fee | £0 |
| UK card transaction fee | £0 |
| UK cash withdrawal fee | £0 |
| Loading fee | £0 |
| Replacement card fee | £5 |
| Network | Mastercard |
| Account type | prepaid |
| How many child accounts | 5 |
| Freeze/unfreeze card |
Customer service information for Monzo
| Email support | |
|---|---|
| Telephone support | |
| In-app or live chat | |
| Contact form | |
| Branch support |
Who else offers children’s debit cards?
The Monzo for Under 16s card compares well with others on the market in terms of fees and is quite similar to Starling Kite. Both of them are free. However, neither of these have the range of financial education features that GoHenry or NatWest Rooster Money offer, but these charge a fee to use. Revolut’s children’s account is another option among banking apps, while high street banks also offer accounts for kids if you prefer to start off with somewhere more established.
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