As parents, it’s our job to teach our children the skills they’ll need for adulthood. And one of the most crucial skills we have to teach them is money management.
A debit card designed specifically for kids is an excellent place to start. But, since you’ve found your way to this article, you likely had the same thought. Now, you’re just trying to choose between Chase First BankingSM and Jassby.
I can help. Here at WealthUp, we’ve carefully analyzed all of the top kid’s debit cards.
Today, I’m going to provide a thorough rundown of both Chase First BankingSM and Jassby’s debit cards. For each account, I’ll start with an overview, break down the costs, and go over notable features. By the end, it should be clear which debit card is the best fit for your family. Just in case neither is checking all of your boxes, I’ll also highlight a few other competitive debit cards worth considering.
Chase First BankingSM vs. Jassby Comparison
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|---|---|---|
| WealthUp Rating | ☆ 4.8 / 5 | ☆ 3.7 / 5 |
| App Store Rating | ☆ 4.8 / 5 | ☆ 4.4 / 5 |
| Price* | No monthly fees | $5.95/mo. |
| Billing | N/A | Monthly |
| Special Offer | N/A | Monthly fee waived during first month of service |
| Allowed Cards Per Subscription | 1 | 6 (across both adults and minors) |
| Minimum Age** | 6 | None |
| Features That Make This Card Stand Apart | Access to 4,700+ branches | Rewards, financial literacy materials |
Basics | | |
| Spending | Yes | Yes |
| Saving | Yes | Yes |
| Investing | No | No |
| Giving/Donating | No | Yes |
Funding | | |
| Funding Source(s) | Chase bank account | Bank account, debit card |
| Direct Deposit | No | No |
| Allowance | Yes | Yes |
| Chores | Yes | Yes |
| Gifting | No | No |
| Cash Reload Fee | N/A (No cash reload) | N/A (No cash reload) |
Saving/Spending | | |
| Savings APY | N/A | N/A |
| Round-Ups | No | No |
| Other Savings Features | None | None |
| ATM Network | Chase (15,000+ ATMs) | No ATM access |
| ATM Transaction Fee | $0 in-network (Operator fee may apply at out-of-network ATMs) | N/A |
| Card Network | Visa | Mastercard |
| Compatible Mobile Wallets | N/A | Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay |
Parents | | |
| Parental Controls | High (Store-level controls and limit setting) | Medium (Transaction type-level controls) |
| Parental Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Parental Notifications | Yes | Yes |
Other Features | | |
| Cash Back | No | No |
| Builds Credit | No | No |
| Customization options | No | No |
| Refund Policy | N/A | No refunds given, month-to-month pricing |
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| * Prices do not include processing fees when applicable. ** Many cards have different suggested minimum ages. We are only listing any hard-and-fast minimum age requirements. *** In some cases, funding sources may apply to parent account, which subsequently must be used to fund the child account. |
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Chase First BankingSM Overview
Chase First BankingSM (Best Free Debit Card for Kids)
- Available: Sign up here
- Price: Free (no monthly fees)
Ready to teach your little ones about money, but not quite sure if you have the time, patience and expertise?
Chase First BankingSM offers simple banking for both of you in one location—the Chase Mobile® App—for free . With Chase First BankingSM, parents can help their kids learn how to spend, set up savings goals, and even pay allowance or money earned completing chores.
Need insight and oversight into your child’s spending and saving? You can set up spending notifications, as well as set limits on how much and where your child can spend, from the Chase Mobile® app. Chase First BankingSM also helps parents teach teens and kids about money by giving parents the control they want and kids the freedom they need to learn.
At the heart of Chase First BankingSM sits one of the best free debit cards for kids and teens. It works anywhere Visa is accepted, and it allows your kid to withdraw money, fee-free, from more than 15,000 Chase ATMs around the country.
To get started, you’ll first need to be a Chase customer with a qualifying Chase checking account. Consider opening a Chase Total CheckingSM or Chase Secure BankingSM account to qualify.
- Chase Total CheckingSM also grants access to more than 15,000 Chase ATMs and more than 4,700 branches. You can pay $0 in monthly fees, subject to meeting certain conditions.* And if you set up direct deposit within 90 days of coupon enrollment, you can earn a $300 sign-up bonus!
- Chase Secure BankingSM offers the same Chase ATMs and branch locations as well as a $100 sign-up bonus when you make stated qualifying activities and meet certain conditions.
Once you open a qualifying Chase Checking account, you may apply for a Chase First BankingSM account for your child.
Chase First BankingSM is designed with kids ages 6-12 in mind, but it is available for ages 6-17. Read more in our Chase First Banking review.
- Chase First Banking offers simple banking for both of you in one location: the Chase Mobile® App—for free.
- The account is designed with kids 6-12 in mind, and available for ages 6-17.
- You can set spend alerts and limits as well as specific locations all in your Chase Mobile® app.
- Teach your kids to spend, save and earn with Chase First Banking. The account helps parents teach teens and kids about money by giving parents the control they want and kids the freedom they need to learn.
- No monthly maintenance fees
- Chore and allowance functionality
- Parental controls on types of expenses
- No paired investment account
- No interest
Related: Best Trading Apps for Under 18 [Investing Apps for Teens]
Chase First BankingSM Plans + Costs
Chase First BankingSM is a primarily fee-free kids’ debit card.
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Features Offered Under Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Chase First BankingSM | N/A | - Chase First BankingSM debit card - Parental controls - Savings goals - Allowance and chores - Physical bank locations |
A few situations where fees may be charged include:
- Expedited shipment of a replacement debit card ($5)
- Using the debit card at a non-Chase ATM ($3)
- Using the debit card to make an ATM withdrawal or transfer inquiry outside the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands ($3 for transfers or inquiries, $5 per withdrawal)
- For international card purchases or withdrawals, you have to pay 3% of the amount after conversion to U.S. dollars.
But note that these are all pretty common fees for debit cards.
Related: Best Brokerage Accounts for Teens
Chase First BankingSM Features
Below are some of the most notable features of Chase First BankingSM. These features are designed to strike the delicate balance of giving kids independence while keeping parental safeguards in place.
Chase First BankingSM Card
The Chase First BankingSM card is a Visa-branded debit card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted (at physical stores and online), as well as at 15,000 fee-free Chase ATMs. The card is protected by Visa’s Fraud Protection and Zero Liability guarantee; as long as you dispute fraudulent charges within the stated time frame, you can avoid having to pay for those charges.
Admittedly, Chase First BankingSM has some of the strictest funding limitations of all kids’ debit cards. You must fund the account from a qualifying Chase checking account, such as Chase Total CheckingSM or Chase Secure BankingSM . That means you can’t fund the account from other traditional funding sources, like third-party payment apps, cash, and any other bank’s debit cards or checking accounts.
Parental Controls
Chase First BankingSM offers some of the best parental controls among all the kids’ debit cards I have reviewed.
You can use the Chase Mobile® App to set limits for where and/or how much your kid or teen can spend. Don’t want them eating too much fast food? Set a $15 limit at fast-food restaurants. Worried about your kid overspending in general? Just limit how much the card can be used for anywhere. You can even set withdrawal limits at ATMs.
Parents can also enable account alerts. There are three categories of alerts, including:
- Balance & spending
- Security
- Chase First Banking (transfer money requests, ATM use, card declined, etc.)
You can choose to be notified via email, push notification, text message, or a combination of multiple alerts.
Has the card gone missing? Don’t worry about it. It can be locked or unlocked from the app. Children can also lock and unlock their cards, but if a parent locks the card, the kid can’t unlock it.
Savings Goals
Children can create savings goals and transfer money toward those goals at any time. Parents can transfer money to the kid’s goals as well. And the Chase Mobile® App makes it easy to track their progress.
Allowance + Chores
Whether you want to pay daily, weekly, or monthly, it’s easy to set up recurring allowance transfers through the Chase Mobile app. You can also assign repeating chores and pay your kid when they’ve completed them.
Physical Locations
Many of the most popular debit cards for teens and kids are offered by online banks with no brick-and-mortar locations. Chase, however, has more than 4,700 physical locations. If you find comfort that you could speak face-to-face with a human if anything goes wrong, this debit card and accompanying account could be a good fit for you. Plus, you can deposit cash and checks for free.
You can sign up for Chase First Banking here.
Related: Best Child Bank Accounts With Debit Cards
Jassby Overview
- Available: Sign up here
Jassby is a mobile wallet app that families can use to manage chores, allowance payments, and money spent on the company’s flexible virtual and physical debit cards.
When you open a Jassby account, you receive digital debit cards that can be used online, as well as in-store anywhere Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay is accepted. But for extra flexibility, parents can order physical debit cards for their children that are good to use anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
Parents transfer money to their children’s Jassby debit cards via a linked bank account or debit card. Parents can receive real-time spending notifications, monitor the account, track purchases, block certain spending categories, and instantly lock or unlock their kids’ debit cards as needed.
The app also allows parents and guardians to share money with their kids while teaching them valuable financial literacy skills. Jassby offers courses, videos, games, and more through its Jassby University feature.
Jassby has an easy-to-use allowance function—just pick the amount, distribution (Spending and/or Saving account), frequency, and day of the week or month. Kids can also learn the merits of earning through Jassby through Activities (chores), or they can earn Jassby Rewards by logging into their accounts, receiving allowance, or even by completing Jassby University courses. (100 points = $1, which can be automatically transferred to the Jassby Spending account.)
There is no minimum age requirement to use the Jassby card, but Jassby says most kid members are between the ages of 8 and 17.
- Jassby is a mobile wallet that families can use to manage chores, allowance, and virtual debit card spending.
- Digital and physical debit cards can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted, in-store and online. Digital debit cards can be used through Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay.
- Parents can limit certain types of transactions, monitor spending, receive notifications, and lock and unlock Jassby cards.
- Offers a strong suite of features, including courses, videos, games, and more, that help kids learn valuable financial literacy skills. Progress is measured through a proprietary Jassby Financial Literacy score, and kids are rewarded with points as they learn.
- Earn Jassby Rewards points through simple actions such as logging into your account and receiving an allowance, or by completing Jassby University courses. Points can be redeemed for cash, deposited into your Jassby Spending account.
- Chore management
- Rewards
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay
- Excellent lineup of financial literacy tools
- Can't be used to withdraw cash
- Relatively expensive
Related: Best Savings Accounts for Kids [Children’s Bank Accounts]
Jassby Plans + Costs
Jassby has just one paid subscription tier.
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Features Offered Under Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Jassby | $5.95/mo. | - Jassby card for up to six family members - Parental controls - Financial literacy materials - Giving/donating capabilities - Rewards program |
The monthly fee is waived for the first month of service. Those who created Essential Plan accounts before April 1, 2023, are grandfathered in at a rate of $3.95 per month.
Replacement cards cost $4.95 plus tax.
Related: 25 Best Jobs for 15-Year Olds
Jassby Features
These are some of the most prominent features of Jassby. The account aims to be easy to use for both kids and adults.
Jassby Card
The Jassby card you receive upon opening your account is digital-only—you can receive a physical Mastercard debit card for free, but you must request it. Both forms are accepted anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
The digital card can be used online, and it can also be added to Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay for use in stores and other in-person locations. The physical card can be used both online and at in-store locations.
One Jassby account allows you to have up to six cards. And unlike many accounts that provide one parent card and all remaining cards for kids, you can spread Jassby’s six cards across multiple children and multiple adults.
Parental Controls
Jassby has several parental controls worth mentioning.
Jassby automatically restricts kid spending for anything categorized as dating services, liquor stores, lottery/gambling, and money transfers. Parents can also manually restrict certain spending categories, including clothing stores, digital goods, restaurants, and retail stores.
Parents can monitor transactions, receive spending notifications, and quickly lock and unlock the card from the app.
Jassby doesn’t offer dollar-amount controls. But because kids can only spend what’s in the account, parents can limit spending simply by managing how much money is in their children’s accounts.
Financial Literacy
Jassby University is the app’s robust financial literacy feature. Lessons include topics on saving, budgeting, and more. This all feeds a proprietary Jassby Financial Literacy score that reflects their progress, and kids are rewarded with points as they learn.
Related: Best Trading Accounts for Minors
Rewards
Speaking of points, Jassby Rewards are a great motivator. Kids can earn points by doing basic financial actions such as logging into their accounts every week, making transactions, and receiving allowance. Plus, as I just mentioned, they can also earn points by learning about money. Jassby’s points system allows a kid to redeem 100 points for $1, which is put into their Jassby Spending account.
Giving Back
Through Jassby, kids can see how donating small amounts of money to a charity can make a difference, helping parents teach their children the importance of giving back. (Note: When kids go to the Charity section of the app, they will be sent to an external link listing charities—so don’t be surprised when it seems like you’re exiting.)
You can sign up for Jassby here.
Related: Best Teen Checking Accounts [Banks for Teens]
Chase First BankingSM vs. Jassby: Our Editors’ Choice Is …
Once you start comparing features, it becomes clear that Chase First BankingSM offers its members more than Jassby.
A Chase First BankingSM account comes with access to over 4,700 branches and 16,000 fee-free ATMs. It also lets kids set goals and gives parents a higher level of parental controls. Perhaps most appealing, this account charges no monthly fees.
Jassby does offer something Chase First BankingSM doesn’t though—courses, quizzes, videos, and games that teach financial literacy. In addition to the hands-on money management experience that happens when kids use debit cards, it’s very important for children to learn other money concepts. But Jassby isn’t the only place for them to learn about finances.
You’re likely better off getting your child a Chase First BankingSM account and providing them with other financial resources.
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Our Pick: Chase First Banking
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Runner-Up: Jassby
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Primary Rating:
4.8
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Primary Rating:
3.7
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Related: 26 Best Online Jobs for Teens [Earn Money at Home, Age 13+]
Other Debit Cards for Kids to Consider
If you’re still not convinced on Chase First BankingSM or Jassby, you might want to look at these other highly rated options:
| App | Apple App Store Rating + Best For | Fees | Promotions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Greenlight | ☆ 4.8 / 5 Customer rating and parental controls | Core: $5.99/mo. Max: $9.98/mo. Infinity: $14.98/mo. (Each plan supports up to 5 children.) | None |
 Copper Banking | ☆ 4.9 / 5 Teen financial independence | Copper $4.95/mo., Copper + Invest: $7.95/mo. | 30 days free |
 Acorns Early | ☆ 4.6 / 5 Accessible customer service support | 1 month free. Individual: $4.99/mo. Family (supports up to 4 children): $9.98/mo. | 1 month free |
 Revolut <18 | ☆ 4.7 / 5 Parent-paid bonuses | No monthly fees | None |
 Axos First Checking | ☆ 4.7 / 5 Teens ready to learn about money management | No monthly fees | None |
| *Apple App Store Rating as of Dec. 19, 2024. | |||
Related:
- Best Credit Cards for Teens [Build Credit]
- 4 Best Ways to Save Money for Kids [Children’s Savings Plans]
- Best Investments for Beginners to Start Investing
Step Disclaimer
Disclaimer: Step is a trademark of Step Mobile, Inc.
Chase Disclaimer
* Chase Total Checking charges a $12 monthly service fee. However, that fee may be waived with one of the following, each monthly statement period: 1.) Electronic deposits made into this account totaling $500 or more, such as payments from payroll providers or government benefit providers, by using (i) the ACH network, (ii) the Real Time Payment or FedNow℠ network, (iii) third-party services that facilitate payments to your debit card using the Visa® or Mastercard® network, OR a balance at the beginning of each day of $1,500 or more in this account, OR an average beginning day balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of this account and linked qualifying Chase checking, savings, and other balances.
