Helping kids learn about money is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. But practice makes perfect. Kids need the experience to understand how it works.
BusyKid provides an app and a prepaid debit card to give kids real-life experience. Can it work for your child? Find out below in our full BusyKid review.
What Is BusyKid?
BusyKid is an app to help kids learn how to manage money. Parents can use the app to pay kids for chores or an allowance. Kids use the app to manage the money they earn.
The key is kids can learn to handle money. As they get older, they can have a better grasp of using debit cards and credit cards.
Parents can schedule automatic allowance payments or send payments manually. There’s also an option to set up ‘bonus’ payments for goals or achievements your child reaches.
A percentage of your child’s earnings goes into each of the three categories – save, spend, and share. Parents or kids can transfer funds to spend at any time. Parents also have full access to the funds and can see how their child spends their money.
Each BusyKid account comes with five BusyKid Spend Cards. The Spend Cards are Visa prepaid debit cards kids can use anywhere that accepts Visa.
BusyKid Features
Mobile App
Many kids today have either a phone or tablet. BusyKid makes it easy and almost natural for them to manage their accounts in the app.
Chores and Allowance
This is the bread and butter of the BusyKid app. You set up the paydays, either weekly, bi-weekly, or a frequency of your choice.
You can set up autopay, so your child receives payment every payday with or without doing chores. Or, you can list chores and have your child check them off as they get them done. When chores are complete, they get paid on the next payday.
If you choose the checklist feature, you’ll need to approve the payment before sending it.
Bonuses
BusyKid makes it easy to give your kids ‘bonus money’ for a job well done. For example, you can reward great grades or when your child does something you asked. You can send bonuses immediately with a note for the reason why.
BusyKid Spend Card
The BusyKid Spend card is how kids learn to manage their money. They have access to the app and can see their balance in save, spend, and share.
Parents approve transfers to the spend account and can see all transactions. Parents also have the ability to remove funds from the card if a child moves too much money to it.
The card works like a prepaid card. Your child can only spend the amount on the card, which is a great way to learn how to budget.
BusyPay
BusyPay allows others to send money to the account. This is an excellent way for relatives to send birthday presents or holiday gifts to your child. All you have to do is share the QR code for your child’s account.
Provides a Detailed History
Parents or kids can see a history of all BusyKid account transactions in real-time.
This is a good teaching tool to show kids where their money goes. The history report can help them revisit their spending decisions.
Charities
Kids can also choose to send money to charities. This is the “share” category of the BusyKid account. There’s an extensive list of charities to choose from.
How Much Does BusyKid Cost?
You can choose a monthly or annual payment option.
If you pay monthly, the cost is $3.99 a month. Or, you can save 20% and pay $38.99 for a year.
Other fees you might incur include:
- Card replacement: $5
- Declined purchase: $0.50
- ATM fee: $1.50 (ATM owners may charge more fees.)
A note on declined purchases: You may want to split a transaction and only charge a certain amount to the BusyKid card. Before paying, you’ll need to inform the merchant to make sure they accept split transactions. Otherwise, the merchant may try to charge the entire transaction on the BusyKid card. That could leave you paying the fee for a declined purchase.
How to Sign Up for BusyKid
To sign up for BusyKid, download the app and click “sign up.” A parent must provide their first and last name, phone number, and zip code.
You’ll choose a PIN and link your funding account (checking account, debit card, or credit card). After confirming your details, you’ll receive the debit card or cards in the mail within 14 days.
Is BusyKid Safe?
Stride Bank, an FDIC member, issues the BusyKid Spend card. Should something happen to the bank, FDIC insurance covers your BusyKid account up to $250,000.
The debit card that comes with a BusyKid account is also protected the same as a Visa card. This includes $0 liability protection. You also have the ability to turn the card off immediately if it’s lost or stolen.
What Others Are Saying About BusyKid
TrustPilot Reviews
Parents on TrustPilot give BusyKid 3.7 stars out of 5 stars. Most parents agree it’s a great app that teaches kids how to manage money. But some parents complained that the app wasn’t straightforward to use. Or that the debit card took too long to show up, and their kids lost interest.
iOS Reviews
Parents on the Apple Store give BusyKids 3.5 stars out of 5. Many parents say the app gets their kids excited about doing chores.
There were a large number of 1-star reviews on the app, but reviewers didn’t give a reason.
Google Play Store
Parents on the Google Play store give BusyKids 4.3 stars. Some parents state it has made their kids more responsible and that the app is easy to use.
Many parents complained about the difficulty of making deposits. Some also report that customer service is non-existent when they have a problem.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Can be an easy way to teach kids how to handle money
- Has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy
- You can save 20% by paying for an annual membership
- Parents can watch a child’s spending and lock the card if there’s an issue
- Kids learn a sense of responsibility and how to earn money
Cons
- No educational content to teach kids more about money
- It costs money to replace a lost card
- It can be time-consuming to load the card if you choose not to make automatic deposits
Alternatives
| Card Name | Cost | Best For |
| Greenlight | $4.99/month | Greenlight is a prepaid debit card for kids. Parents have complete control over kids' spending including setting spending limits per store. It’s an excellent card for parents that want to keep an eye on where and how their child spends money. |
| FamZoo | $5.99/month | FamZoo is a prepaid card that helps kids learn how to spend, save, and give. Parents have control and can send money in real-time between cards. Kids can also send money requests (which parents can accept or decline). |
| Go Henry | $3.99/month | Go Henry is a prepaid debit card that comes with educational games and content to teach kids about money. The price is per card, though, so this can add up if you have a large family. |
| Chase First Banking | $0 | Parents with an existing Chase account can open a free Chase First Banking account for kids. The Chase First Banking account features chore lists, savings goals, and spending limits. |
Final Thoughts – Who Is BusyKid Best For?
All families can benefit from BusyKid. But this one is especially great for big families. One account gets you five BusyKid prepaid debit cards and access to checklists for each. Kids can learn how to work for their money, save, spend, give, and budget for things they want.
Worksheets and lectures from mom and dad can teach kids about finances. But nothing replaces the real-life experience kids can get using an app like BusyKid.
