Step Card Reviews: All-in-One Card for Teen Finances

Do you wonder how to get your teen interested in smart financial management? Developing good financial habits from an early age is always an excellent strategy. Luckily, there are plenty of services available nowadays that can help teens manage money and develop good spending habits.

One tool that has received a lot of attention is Step, a banking app and card designed specifically for those under the age of 18. Step’s importance for teens in today’s economy is that the app allows them to gain financial literacy practically. What is more, the card offers an opportunity to build a good credit score, which will be an essential foundation for transitioning to adult credit cards.

Read one of the most detailed Step card reviews, where you can learn about the service, its vital features, and how both parents and teens can benefit from it.

Features of a Step Card: What You Should Know

So, what is a Step card exactly? It is a Visa card that works similarly to a debit card and requires parents to make a deposit before a teen can make purchases. There are no interest charges or monthly fees, which makes it a great option for young users.

Usually, the majority of young people under the age of 25 end up with a fair score, which prevents them from getting a great credit card with sufficient rewards. By starting to use Step early, young people have a higher chance of getting a good score and thus have more freedom in choosing cards. When a teen uses this app, their information is reported to the main credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Do you wonder whether the Step app will be the right fit for your family? Before continuing with the Step Visa card reviews, it’s important to discuss the card’s features in more detail.

Fees

As previously mentioned, the strong point of the Step card is its lack of fees. There are no monthly or annual fees, account minimum fees, or interest charges. What is more, you won’t have to deal with unexpected overdraft fees, as the card allows you to spend only as much money as you deposit. As a parent or guardian, you won’t have to worry that a teen may spend more money than you expect.

If you or your child decide to withdraw money through an ATM, you can do so without fees in over 35,000 ATMs throughout Step’s network.

Interface

One of Step’s advantages for teenagers is its user-friendly interface, which will be particularly attractive to tech-savvy teens. The app presents information simply and intuitively, so it’s easy for teens to navigate through different financial tools without being overwhelmed.

Financial education tools

You can learn information about finance management, including securities, right from the Step app. However, suppose you want to take things further. In that case, Step users have an opportunity to enroll in the Money 101 program—a financial literacy curriculum designed specifically for beginners.

The app allows you to teach your child about investing by opening a separate stock or security account. Together with your teen, you can explore investing opportunities and invest as little as $1. In this way, your child can safely learn how the entire system works.

Parental control

Parental monitoring is another important factor to mention in this Step banking review. As the card is designed specifically for underage users, the card needs to be sponsored by a parent or a legal guardian. A teenager cannot simply get this card on their own.

Those who sponsor a card also have access to its financial monitoring. Guardians and parents can view the balance, look up performed transactions, overview information related to the teen’s spending, and freeze an account.

One feature that the bank app is lacking is the opportunity to set up spending limits. While a teen won’t be able to spend more than $1,000 a day because of the restriction established in the app, you cannot set a lower limit.

Step App Review: Pros and Cons

To summarize the main points in this Step card review, let’s take a look at the main pros and cons of this card:

Pros

• It can be used by teens ages 13+;
• Doesn’t charge monthly or annual fees;
• Reports to three major credit bureaus for credit building;
• No interest charges;
• No minimum deposit requirements;
• An opportunity to earn some purchase rewards;
• Secure card with fraud monitoring and data encryption;
• No credit history requirement.

Cons

• No opportunity to set up spending limits;
• It doesn’t allow you to deposit cash via ATMs;
• Lack of interest on deposits.

Final Thought

There are several Step card pros and cons, so it all depends on how you plan to use the app and your expectations from it. The majority of Step credit card reviews you can find online agree that the service offers an excellent opportunity for teenagers to learn how to manage their finances effectively. Moreover, the fact that a Step card for kids reports to major credit bureaus allows teens to build good credit early on. This is highly important and makes the card even more appealing.

With the card, you don’t need to worry about interest charges and monthly fees, which is a significant bonus. If you are a parent, you will be able to easily monitor all operations performed by your child in the app and add money as necessary. The only thing to keep in mind is that you won’t be able to establish spending limits, so you should decide how much money should be on balance at a time.

You should also remember that Step works best as a checking account. If you want to save money, consider other options, as you won’t get interest on deposits.