haha, unfortunetly those of us unluckies who must use self-service pumps have to get out and deal w/ weirdos 
As someone who, when I went to college, made a total mess of all things financial, I definitely think thereās merit to learning about spending and budgeting. Learning things the hard way, and without a parentās supervision, can turn out pretty badly.
The debit card plan sounds like a winner to meāespecially if your parents can shuttle money over to you in emergency situations. As silly as it sometimes seems to see teenagers with cards and cell phones, as a parent of future teens, I see some serious benefits to both!
In WA state, you canāt have a debit card (with a VISA or MC) logo or even a checking account. You can have a savings account only.
I went through this twice when my girls were old enough to drive. Both had jobs and couldnāt get a debit card since it was a legal contract with a creditor and minorās are not able to sign a legal document. The only other thing we can do is get a debit card on my account but the card would have my name and she would only be able to use it with a pin number.
I think Credit Unionās are a bit more lenient but my bank and several other major banks wouldnāt go for it.
This is the card I was looking at. Itās called the Visa Buxx card. Itās a prepaid card that your parent has to actually call and have money put on, or I think you can even set up an allowance that is automatically transfered to the card. Also, I think there is only a one time set up fee, but you might want to check into that too. I didnāt read up too much on your other uptions, but I just thought Iād suggest this one.
Check it out:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/visa_buxx.html
Well I live in the U.K. and I got a debit card when I was 13 I think or maybe 12. Canāt really remember! :oops: Iām 14 now. Itās called a Halifax Expresscash account. Itās just my main account, I put all my savings in there and if I need to buy something I can just use my cardā¦
Itās not a credit card and has no overdraft. Itās all controlled by me and not linked to my parents in any way. I donāt know if the debit card age is different in different countries. :shrug:
My kids have had Wachovia VisaBuxx cards for years with zero problems, very few fees. I would check them out.
I also got my first checking account when I was 16 (in CA). often for youth/students it is free or cheap, so Iād definitely look into that.
I am also one who screwed up the credit card thing when I went to college.
I got my checking account (with debit card) when I was 14 (in CT), but it was also linked to my parents, so they could transfer money in or out, but I could not access their account. I really think this is the best way to go because then you also learn about writing checks (ok, well I didnāt write many checks at this age, but there was a few things I used them for like if I wanted to get a magazine subscription or something) which is good because Iām 22 and I know people who donāt really know how to write a check or manage their checkbook, which is easy if youāre told how.
Iām 23 and I almost never write checks. ONLINE PAYMENTS WOOOO! 
Iām 22 and I write lots of checks: rent, student loans, magazine subscriptions. Even if you donāt its something that you need to know how to do.
I left 2 of my bills at work on Friday and one of them was due Monday, which was a holiday in my facility. It pushed me to finally get around to setting it up online (car insurance). Iād been meaning to do it, but Iād forgotten my user name and password and had to call them.
When I got back to work on Tuesday, I saw that the other bill (water) has online payment available now, too! I guess Iāll be setting that up next. :teehee:
I just went from writing 3 checks a month to one a month. My stamps and checkbooks are going to last even longer now! :happydance:
You mean people still pump your gas??? They havenāt done that in Albuquerque, NM in probably 10-15 years. Iāve always had to pump my own gas (unless I get my dh to do it now) but I got a debit card when I was 16 for gas purposes and for whatever else. I just knew that it was tied to my account. I had a savings and checking account in my name and if I overdrafted it was pulled from my savings. ouch. Anyway Iād look into a plain olā debit card. Thereās no fees that way.
[quote=ājberry16ā]
You mean people still pump your gas??? They havenāt done that in Albuquerque, NM in probably 10-15 years. Iāve always had to pump my own gas (unless I get my dh to do it now) but I got a debit card when I was 16 for gas purposes and for whatever else. I just knew that it was tied to my account. I had a savings and checking account in my name and if I overdrafted it was pulled from my savings. ouch. Anyway Iād look into a plain olā debit card. Thereās no fees that way.[/quote]
Yes, itās wonderful. I donāt have to get out of my car when itās cold and snowing or hot and humid. 
Itās a state law that there must be gas station attendants. And we have cheaper gas prices than all of our neighboring, self-serve states.
You mean people still pump your gas??? They havenāt done that in Albuquerque, NM in probably 10-15 years. Iāve always had to pump my own gas (unless I get my dh to do it now) but I got a debit card when I was 16 for gas purposes and for whatever else. I just knew that it was tied to my account. I had a savings and checking account in my name and if I overdrafted it was pulled from my savings. ouch. Anyway Iād look into a plain olā debit card. Thereās no fees that way.[/quote]
Yes, itās wonderful. I donāt have to get out of my car when itās cold and snowing or hot and humid. Itās a state law that there must be gas station attendants. And we have cheaper gas prices than all of our neighboring, self-serve states.[/quote]
Itās illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon as well! I love it, except if it getās busy. Then you have to wait forever while one guy pumps 10 carsā gas :wall:
I remember someone pumping gas for my mom when i was fairly youngā¦ but my introduction to driving was hunkering against the cold in the winter, watching the pump tick toward the joyous re-entry into the warm car. I have not seen a station attendant pumping gas for someone in a good long time. I do remember accidentally pulling into a full service station a few years ago though and the guy came out to pump my gas and i was like, lol i would pay you to do this? No!
Some states that donāt allow a minor to have their own checking account, may allow for custodial accounts.
In these cases a parent is also a signer on the account. When my children turned 13, they were given a custodial account. The checks had their names on them and the debit card was in their name, but I was a signer on the account and had financial responsibility for the account.
They also spent a few months writing the checks for the household bills. Once they wrote the checks (on my account), their father or I would check for accuracy and mail them off. Doing this we could teach them both bill paying information as well as giving them some idea of the cost of living on their own.
We donāt use debit cards for accounts with more than a few hundred in them. There is just too much risk, as debit cards generally do not provide the protections that credit cards do.
Mama Bear
in case anyone would like to know which one i got and how it turned out: I upgraded to the Mpower account this afternoon. :happydance:
The debit card will come in the mail in about a week, and my mom showed me how to write a check. they didnāt give me any checks though. arenāt you supposed to get a few free check when you open a checking account? oh well, i guess iāll have to order some on the phone, or on the internet with my debit card :eyebrow: (haha, i know, this is where u start worrying about me running up the card and getting overdraft fees; donāt worry iām not the irresponisble type, i wonāt spend a lot, and iāll always keep track of how much money is on the card, i promise 
)
eh the free checks are usually worthless anyway. most places wonāt take them anymore.
There was a time waaaaaaaay back when that you could walk up to just about any cashier and ask for a ācounter checkā and they would hand some to you. They were blank checks with no bank information or anything on it and all you had to do was fill in your bank info. They would actually take it like it was a good check. Yeah they are smarter than that nowā¦lol.
I am happy to say I am only old enough to remember the END of the counter check era! :teehee: