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Minors with a Credit Card, Is It Safe?

Posted by J.S.

July 11, 2008

So many children in the United States today, have credit cards. Legally. Minors under the age of 18 cannot enter into a contract without a co-signer. So who is co-signing with all these children? Their parents. Does your minor really need the credit card authorization?

Every parent has the ability of deciding if each child is responsible enough to have a credit card at a young age. The top reasons from parents that get their children a credit card with their child’s name on it is for emergencies, so children can go shopping, keep track of where they spend their allowances, and purchase items when they are out with friends.

Before you consider getting your child a credit card, you need to decide whether you think your child is of a responsible age and mature enough for this huge responsibility.
Getting your teenager a credit card is not a bad idea if you want to start teaching them about financial responsibilities. With that in mind, it would be wise to sit down with your minor and discuss the purpose of the credit card, set limits, and discuss how the monthly payments will be made in a timely manner. Your teenager needs to be aware that if they go out and spend past the credit limit, nothing else should be purchased or they will have additional over the credit limit fees applied to the monthly statement.
There is another alternative, rather than giving a credit card to your children to teach them about financial responsibilities. Instead of an interest-bearing credit card, you can get them a debit card.
Take you teenager down to the local bank and set them up a checking account with a debit card. This will teach them responsible spending as they earn their money, rather than spending, and paying for it later with interest. Parents have the benefit of being able to “direct deposit” their teenager’s allowance into their account so they have access to it.
If you have a younger child, a “Charge Card” would be the best kind of plastic for them. The payments on a charge card must be made in full every month, so that will teach your child that in order to be able to use the card they have to do their daily chores. They do not carry a balance from month to month with a charge card.

If you and your child decide to get a plastic card of any type, whether it is just the debit card, you need to make sure you read all the rules to every account with the companies. Some companies will restrict cards to minimum age groups; while other credit card companies will allow anyone that the co-signer allows, to have a secondary card. Debit cards are probably your best option for teaching your children financial responsibilities.

Once you get the card with your child’s name on it, don’t take it for granted that your child knows the financial responsibilities. Sit down and teach them the basics. Let them know it is very important not to lend their cards to anyone, not even their best friend. Once the monthly statement comes in, review it with your teen and explain what everything is. Compare the receipts against the charges. If you have chosen a credit card for your child, show them it is better to pay more than just the minimum payment. Not only do you want to show them how to use it, but also how it can affect their credit scores and how it will affect their life when they become adults.