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I was considering teenagers “kids”. Surely parents can just use their own debit card when the kid needs something that can’t be bought with cash? Special debit

I was considering teenagers “kids”. Surely parents can just use their own debit card when the kid needs something that can’t be bought with cash? Special debit cards for kids seem to add unnecessary complexity (and opportunity for abuse) to the solution for a really simple problem.

chrisseaton 5y ago
> Surely parents can just use their own debit card when the kid needs something that can’t be bought with cash? What if the child's gone to the store on their own?
- basisword 5y ago
  Stores accept cash.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    Where I live, many do not anymore. That's a trend that's only going to spread and accelerate. Hence the product.
    - basisword 5y ago
      Really? Mind if I ask where? As much as cash use has dwindled here in the UK (at least anecdotally) I’ve never come across a store that won’t accept cash. I know a couple that didn’t accept it early in the pandemic (due to fear of covid spreading on cash) but that didn’t last long.
      - zbrozek 5y ago
        I got a drink at Happy Lemon in Sunnyvale, CA a couple days ago and they didn't take cash.
        ipaddr 5y ago
        Was there another place to get a drink that accepted cash?
        nrmitchi 5y ago
        You're moving the goalpost. The statement wasn't "there exists a store that still accepts cash", but "many stores no longer accept cash".
        ipaddr 5y ago
        The larger point is not to send your kid to that store if they only accept a debt card. They only exist if you keep going to those stores.
        chrisseaton 5y ago
        Do your children not have minds of their own about which store they want to go to?
        ipaddr 5y ago
        I would think they would go to the one that accepts a form of payment they have would be a priority.
        fancifalmanima 5y ago
        Why would that matter to this discussion? I want x from retailer y. Retailer y doesn't accept cash. I use a card. If you have an objection to using cards, you're certainly free to decline to make the purchase. Nothing in any of that seems like it would be age related either. What's the difference between having $20, or a debit card linked to an account with $20?
        dawnerd 5y ago
        Some people refuse or can’t have a bank account. Not accepting cash ends up being discriminatory.
      - chrisseaton 5y ago
        In my village in the UK about half the coffee shops and bakeries and things were going cashless just before the pandemic anyway. I think it’s pretty common now.
        basisword 5y ago
        Genuinely really surprised at that! Particularly in a village - I’d have thought smaller places would be the last holdouts, not the first to go cashless.
      - xeromal 5y ago
        The pandemic killed a bunch of business's demand for cash so they stopped accepting it.
    - mason55 5y ago
      NYC banned cashless stores because they exclude the un-/under-banked
  - ryanlol 5y ago
    How do you transfer cash to the child from a remote location? Western Union is not exactly cheap or convenient.
watwut 5y ago
This assumes the parent is either with kid constantly or parent gave his card to kid. You cant imagine 9 years old to go to buy ice cream or toy?
- basisword 5y ago
  Sure, you can give them cash. If the parents aren’t around (e.g. they’re with a babysitter)…they can wait until the parents are around to give them cash.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    > …they can wait Well now you can see the point of the product then... it's about giving your children some freedom and responsibility for themselves.
    - usrusr 5y ago
      But then they might learn how to make a buying decision based on its impact on some long term balance, not just based on "is the money available now: yes/no". Sounds good, but at the same time they'll miss out on quite a bit of learning that almost everything (that a child might want) can be had if only they beg/negotiate/throw a fit hard enough. Life gives me the impression that in a ruthless-takes-all world the negotiation skills taught by the latter have far more impact than the being reasonable about money skills taught by the former. (sorry for the sarcasm)
  - watwut 5y ago
    The whole point of pocket money is that it is theirs and you dont gatekeep every buy. And kids can go to store without babysitter.
    - basisword 5y ago
      1. Not “gatekeeping” their decision. They just might have to wait a few hours before they can carry it out. 2. I’m not sure of your point here. I meant if the parent wasn’t around to provide the cash the kid might have to wait until they are around. Not that they need someone to take them to the store (although this is highly dependent on where you live and the age of the kid).

chrisseaton 5y ago

> Surely parents can just use their own debit card when the kid needs something that can’t be bought with cash? What if the child's gone to the store on their own?

basisword 5y ago
Stores accept cash.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  Where I live, many do not anymore. That's a trend that's only going to spread and accelerate. Hence the product.
  - basisword 5y ago
    Really? Mind if I ask where? As much as cash use has dwindled here in the UK (at least anecdotally) I’ve never come across a store that won’t accept cash. I know a couple that didn’t accept it early in the pandemic (due to fear of covid spreading on cash) but that didn’t last long.
    - zbrozek 5y ago
      I got a drink at Happy Lemon in Sunnyvale, CA a couple days ago and they didn't take cash.
      - ipaddr 5y ago
        Was there another place to get a drink that accepted cash?
        nrmitchi 5y ago
        You're moving the goalpost. The statement wasn't "there exists a store that still accepts cash", but "many stores no longer accept cash".
        ipaddr 5y ago
        The larger point is not to send your kid to that store if they only accept a debt card. They only exist if you keep going to those stores.
        chrisseaton 5y ago
        Do your children not have minds of their own about which store they want to go to?
        ipaddr 5y ago
        I would think they would go to the one that accepts a form of payment they have would be a priority.
        fancifalmanima 5y ago
        Why would that matter to this discussion? I want x from retailer y. Retailer y doesn't accept cash. I use a card. If you have an objection to using cards, you're certainly free to decline to make the purchase. Nothing in any of that seems like it would be age related either. What's the difference between having $20, or a debit card linked to an account with $20?
        dawnerd 5y ago
        Some people refuse or can’t have a bank account. Not accepting cash ends up being discriminatory.
    - chrisseaton 5y ago
      In my village in the UK about half the coffee shops and bakeries and things were going cashless just before the pandemic anyway. I think it’s pretty common now.
      - basisword 5y ago
        Genuinely really surprised at that! Particularly in a village - I’d have thought smaller places would be the last holdouts, not the first to go cashless.
    - xeromal 5y ago
      The pandemic killed a bunch of business's demand for cash so they stopped accepting it.
  - mason55 5y ago
    NYC banned cashless stores because they exclude the un-/under-banked
- ryanlol 5y ago
  How do you transfer cash to the child from a remote location? Western Union is not exactly cheap or convenient.

watwut 5y ago

This assumes the parent is either with kid constantly or parent gave his card to kid. You cant imagine 9 years old to go to buy ice cream or toy?

basisword 5y ago
Sure, you can give them cash. If the parents aren’t around (e.g. they’re with a babysitter)…they can wait until the parents are around to give them cash.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  > …they can wait Well now you can see the point of the product then... it's about giving your children some freedom and responsibility for themselves.
  - usrusr 5y ago
    But then they might learn how to make a buying decision based on its impact on some long term balance, not just based on "is the money available now: yes/no". Sounds good, but at the same time they'll miss out on quite a bit of learning that almost everything (that a child might want) can be had if only they beg/negotiate/throw a fit hard enough. Life gives me the impression that in a ruthless-takes-all world the negotiation skills taught by the latter have far more impact than the being reasonable about money skills taught by the former. (sorry for the sarcasm)
- watwut 5y ago
  The whole point of pocket money is that it is theirs and you dont gatekeep every buy. And kids can go to store without babysitter.
  - basisword 5y ago
    1. Not “gatekeeping” their decision. They just might have to wait a few hours before they can carry it out. 2. I’m not sure of your point here. I meant if the parent wasn’t around to provide the cash the kid might have to wait until they are around. Not that they need someone to take them to the store (although this is highly dependent on where you live and the age of the kid).