Compare the options
Selected products, in an editorial order. No paid ranking. Costs shown for one child, excluding usage fees.
FlexOne
A current account with a choice of debit or cash card
- Age at opening
- 11–17
- Product type
- Child’s own current account
- Monthly subscription
- £0.00
- Annual subscription
- £0.00 on monthly billing
- Parent bank requirement
- No requirement for the accompanying adult to hold a Nationwide account is listed; ages 11–12 apply in branch with an adult with parental responsibility.
- Parent controls
- Parent dashboard not confirmed; check with provider
- App
- Child banking app and internet banking
- Savings
- Variable current-account interest; access to a FlexOne Saver
- Spending controls
- Check provider terms
- Cash withdrawals
- Cash withdrawals; choose a debit card or cash-only card at opening
- Apple Pay
- Not confirmed
- Google Pay
- Not confirmed
- Learning
- Dedicated learning programme not confirmed
- Money protection
- A building society current account; eligible deposits are subject to FSCS rules. See the provider’s depositor information.
Who it suits and what to check
May suit: Families who want a child-owned current account and can meet the application requirements.
Consider: A cash-only card cannot pay in shops. No pocket money app-style parent dashboard is established in this comparison.
Account opening ages are 11–17; FlexOne can be retained until age 23.
Adapt
Child’s own current account from age 11
- Age at opening
- 11–17
- Product type
- Child’s own current account
- Monthly subscription
- £0.00
- Annual subscription
- £0.00 on monthly billing
- Parent bank requirement
- Ages 11–15: parent or guardian must have a NatWest current account. Ages 16–17 can apply independently with the required ID.
- Parent controls
- Parent dashboard not confirmed; check with provider
- App
- Child mobile banking app
- Savings
- Variable interest on the current-account balance
- Spending controls
- Check provider terms
- Cash withdrawals
- Debit card cash withdrawals
- Apple Pay
- Not confirmed
- Google Pay
- Not confirmed
- Learning
- Dedicated learning programme not confirmed
- Money protection
- A bank current account; eligible deposits are subject to FSCS rules. See the provider’s depositor information.
Who it suits and what to check
May suit: Children ready to run their own account, with a NatWest parent at ages 11–15.
Consider: Do not assume the parent dashboards and spending controls of a pocket money card are included.
App payments to friends are advertised for ages 13+.
Monzo Under 16s
No subscription, with daily spending controls
- Age at opening
- 6–15
- Product type
- Parent-owned bank account
- Monthly subscription
- £0.00
- Annual subscription
- £0.00 on monthly billing
- Parent bank requirement
- Parent or guardian needs a Monzo current account.
- Parent controls
- Spending notifications; Card freeze; Daily spending limits
- App
- Child app and parent Monzo app
- Savings
- Pots, goals and a separate Under 16s savings account
- Spending controls
- Switch online payments and cash withdrawals on or off
- Cash withdrawals
- Cash withdrawals available, subject to limits
- Apple Pay
- From 13
- Google Pay
- From 13
- Learning
- Dedicated learning programme not confirmed
- Money protection
- The parent legally owns the balance. Eligible deposits count towards the parent’s personal FSCS allowance across Monzo accounts.
Other costs: Lost or stolen replacement card: £5. Check ATM and overseas limits before travelling.
Who it suits and what to check
May suit: Families happy to use Monzo for the parent account.
Consider: This is a parent-owned account. It is not a current account owned independently by the child.
New accounts open at ages 6–15; existing cards can continue after 16 until expiry, but are cancelled at 18.
Rooster Card
Annual billing or a conditional free subscription
- Age at opening
- 6–17
- Product type
- Prepaid card
- Monthly subscription
- £1.99
- Annual subscription
- £19.99 billed annually
- Parent bank requirement
- No NatWest account needed for the paid card; eligible NatWest Group customers can claim the free offer.
- Parent controls
- Card freeze; Flexible card controls; Parent oversight
- App
- Parent and child app access
- Savings
- Goal pots and parent-set interest (paid by the parent)
- Spending controls
- Set daily card spending limits
- Cash withdrawals
- UK cash withdrawals available, within published limits. No provider fee for UK ATM use; cash machine operators may charge. Daily withdrawal limit £200.
- Apple Pay
- From 13
- Google Pay
- From 13
- Learning
- Dedicated learning programme not confirmed
- Money protection
- The prepaid card uses NatWest’s e-money permission. E-money safeguarding is different from FSCS deposit protection.
Conditional free option: Eligible NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank parent (offer claimed). Up to 3 cards; eligibility and claiming required.
Other costs: Check top-up, cash withdrawal and other usage limits; subscription-free does not mean every transaction is free.
One-month trial, then automatic renewal
Who it suits and what to check
May suit: Eligible NatWest Group families, or parents wanting chores and pots at a lower subscription cost.
Consider: The free virtual tracker has no real money or spending card. The free card offer must be claimed and ends if eligibility ends.
Free offer covers up to three cards per household while eligibility continues. Paid annual price is per card.
Kids & Teens — Standard
One child account on the free Standard parent plan
- Age at opening
- 6–15
- Product type
- Parent-linked account (e-money terms)
- Monthly subscription
- £0.00
- Annual subscription
- £0.00 on monthly billing
- Parent bank requirement
- Parent needs a Revolut personal account; Standard supports one child account.
- Parent controls
- Spending visibility; Card freeze; Spending limits
- App
- Separate child and parent apps
- Savings
- Pockets; optional separate Kids & Teens savings product
- Spending controls
- Switch card payment and withdrawal features on or off
- Cash withdrawals
- Cash withdrawals available. Standard: £100 per rolling month free, then 2%; cash machine operators may charge.
- Apple Pay
- Available subject to UK age eligibility
- Google Pay
- Available subject to UK age eligibility
- Learning
- Dedicated learning programme not confirmed
- Money protection
- Kids & Teens is a sub-account of the parent’s account under Revolut Ltd terms. Check the legal entity and protection in your app; separate savings have separate terms.
Other costs: Card delivery and customisation may cost extra. Delivery exception applies to a first standard-delivery card ordered within seven days of the parent opening their account.
Who it suits and what to check
May suit: Existing Revolut parents comparing a single child account.
Consider: More child accounts require a paid parent plan. A separate independent Teens account exists for new applicants aged 16–17.
New UK Kids & Teens accounts are for 6–15s; existing use can continue subject to card expiry and terms.
The changes that matter at 13
Nationwide’s branch-only opening restriction is specifically for 11–12s; check its application route for your 13-year-old. NatWest advertises app payments to friends from 13. Revolut says teens from 13 can start the child-account process with parent approval.
Wallet support is still provider-specific. Monzo and Rooster publish a minimum age of 13. A phone being old enough to run the app does not mean every account or wallet feature is available.
Set up the phone as carefully as the card
Set a screen lock, turn on useful account alerts and practise freezing the card. Explain that a mobile wallet is another way to spend the same balance, not extra money.
Check that your child can still pay if the battery dies. Keep emergency plans simple: a physical card, a small cash amount where appropriate, and a way to contact you.
Visibility without doing everything for them
Decide together what you will monitor and when. Parent-linked products can show activity to the adult; a current account in the child’s name has a different relationship. Confirm parent access with the provider rather than assuming.
Practise splitting a weekly budget into travel, treats and saving. Review a mistake calmly and adjust the routine. An account can provide tools, but it cannot replace that conversation.
Questions parents ask
Can a 13-year-old use Apple Pay?
Monzo Under 16s and Rooster Card confirm support from age 13, subject to device and setup requirements. Check other providers’ own wallet rules.
Can my child open the account alone?
Ages 13–15 still need parent involvement for the products compared here. Starting an app application is not the same as opening an independent adult account.
Keep comparing
Back to the cards and accounts parent guide · Try the Money Finder · Explore FamilySave Money
Sources for this comparison
14 links
- www.nationwide.co.uk/current-accounts/flexone (opens in a new tab)
- www.natwest.com/current-accounts/childrens-accounts/adapt_account.html (opens in a new tab)
- monzo.com/current-account/under-16s (opens in a new tab)
- monzo.com/help/monzo-for-under-16s/under-16s-understanding-account-web (opens in a new tab)
- monzo.com/help/monzo-for-under-16s/under-16s-fscs (opens in a new tab)
- roostermoney.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab)
- roostermoney.com/natwest-offer/ (opens in a new tab)
- roostermoney.com/pricing-fees-and-limits/ (opens in a new tab)
- www.natwest.com/support-centre/help-with-your-product/rooster-money/can-i-set-up-my-natwest-rooster-card-on-apple-or-google-pay.html (opens in a new tab)
- www.fca.org.uk/consumers/using-payment-service-providers (opens in a new tab)
- www.revolut.com/u18-activation/ (opens in a new tab)
- www.revolut.com/legal/revolut-under18/ (opens in a new tab)
- www.revolut.com/kids-and-teens/kids-savings-account/ (opens in a new tab)
- www.revolut.com/kids-and-teens/teens-account/ (opens in a new tab)
Official product, pricing and help pages checked for this guide. Unconfirmed details are labelled in the comparison.
FCA: payment providers and safeguarding · Tell us about a correction