25th August 2021

Contactless payment, mobile banking and the first debit or credit card

Going to highschool means that your child will have more freedom but also more responsibilities. To make this change easier for you and safer for your child, we have put together a checklist of financial solutions that will help you through the beginning of the school year.

How to start the new school year hassle free?

Going to school with public transportation, paying for lunch and maybe also the occasional meet-up with newly-won friends in town are just a few examples of everyday situations for your child.

Summer is almost over and Sophie’s niece Emma is already excited to go back to school again. She’s looking forward to avid discussions with her teachers and learning new things. But let’s not forget that she’ll be able to see her friends regularly. She will finally be able to have lunch with her girlfriends, or get ice cream and go to the movies after school. But what does that mean for her parents? Sophie remembers the feeling of excitement after the summer break. All the silly things they did back then…

But don’t despair. We have put together a list of things that will make the financial aspect of the school start easier for you and your child:

Back to school checklist

1. Axxess debit card

The Axxess card is a free debit card that Emma can use every day. She can link her debit card to a connected watch or to Apple Pay, which makes payments on the go even easier.

Having her card means that she will no longer need to carry cash on her all the time, since she can pay by card in almost all shops and even online. If she does need cash some day, she’ll be able to spontaneously withdraw money at Spuerkeess’s and non-Spuerkeess ATMs in Luxembourg and worldwide.

In Luxembourg, she benefits from special offers and discounts in multiple partner shops. And it is as easy as that: Emma will only need to show her card at a local partners’ shop to get the offer or reduction.

No worries, Emma won’t become a big spender just because she’s using a debit card now. On the contrary, giving her control over how she saves and spends her own money helps her understand and respect the value of money from an early age on. Skills, like budgeting, are thus learned easily through direct experience.

As a special feature, the Axxess card does not allow you to overdraw your account. Thus, she’ll only be able to spend the money that she has in her account or the amount that her parents set as a limit.

2. Visa credit card – from 15 years on

With the consent of her parents, Emma can order her first Visa once she reaches the age of 15. Once Emma is a bit older, having a Visa credit card will be especially useful for online purchases.

She will be able to shop safely and independently online, all while respecting the payment limit of the card that has been set by her parents.

Paying digitally or roaming around on the Internet comes with responsibility. What better way of teaching this than by helping your child to shop online with its own credit card and payment limit?

One day, she will be buying music online, subscribing to her own Netflix account, purchasing mobile games – the possibilities are endless. And yes, the day might come where Emma will turn into a bargain hunter and shop for her clothes and make-up online.

3. S-Net Mobile Banking

The mobile app allows Emma and her parents to get an overview over her financial situation, quick and easy. She can always check up on her account and handle her expenses independently. No easier way to know if she still has enough funds to go to the movies on Friday night.

And if one day, she decides that she wants to go on her first solo adventure, she can use MIA to save up for holidays with her friends.

4. Contactless payment methods: Apple Pay and Payconiq

There is no reason to hurry to the closest ATM in the morning to withdraw lunch money or to fear that your child might lose the money. Payconiq allows you to simply send your child its lunch money with the click of a button, problem solved.

Not sure yet? An advisor will be able to suggest the right solutions for you and your child, just get in touch.

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