Trying to help someone out here. She a no-good son who, when she gives him her credit card to go put gas in the card, also stops off to buy pretty much whatever he wants. Maybe $150 worth of camo clothing, for example. I suggested she get a pre-paid cc with a limit of maybe $50 and only let him use that one.
Anyone know of a good card that doesn’t automatically re-load when he goes over? I looked at several some have that feature, others just nail on a penalty. Looking for one that just declines when he tries to go over
By the way, she does know she needs to address it otherwise, but that is a topic for a different day.
Thanks
It’s not prepaid, but Amex let me get a card with my child’s name on it. I can set the spending limit and turn it on and off at will, separate from my card or my wife’s on the same account (side note, I can do that with my wife’s card as well). I’m not sure what happens if she tries to charge more than the limit–she hasn’t tried that. In this case, I’d set the spending limit at $50 and send the son to get gas. I have other ideas I’m sure you and she have thought of already. 
How about fuck that kid! Learn the hard way, when your gas runs out you should stop driving.
At the risk of acting like my age, I agree. I did not have a credit card until I was 21 and working. Until then, all cash.
I agree. When my kids are ready to get credit cards, they are going to get secured cards backed-up by their money and they will only have unsecured cards once the financial institutions deem them credit worthy.
Back to the OP, why in hell is mom even giving her son her credit card to use? If she only wants him to get gas, how about giving him cash for gas? Or, better yet, not letting junior drive at all. I can tell you that if I had ever done anything like that with my parents, the first time would have been the last time I pulled a stunt like that. There would have been immediate consequences.
1 Like
Growing up, I got $20 cash per week. Anything more and I worked for it. My first credit card had a $300 limit.
If she wants to pay for gas only, get a gas credit card. The risk that the kids fills up friends cars and gets cash from friend.
Thank you. This information is helpful.
Any credit card company is going to deem them creditworthy the day they start college. My kid never had a secured card, but the bank that held my mortgage offered her a card with a $300 limit. Worst case, she spends 300 bucks and I have to bail her out. But she never did that. She belonged to a gym and I told her to put her gym membership on it, then pay the card off every month. That’s all she used the card for. She graduated and her FICO score was almost 800
It has been a long long while since I applied for a credit card as a college student, so I am way behind the times. However, I was turned down for an application on my own and my father guaranteed a card under my name. He took a big leap of faith with me doing that. I do remember one of my classmates telling me I should apply with one bank, since they approved everybody. I never did
We shall see how it goes when my two kids are of age to get a credit card.
If the mom feels she needs to help the kid give him cash, he has proven he can’t be trusted with a credit card.