Is Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry) Legit and Safe?

Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry) offers financial education in a banking app and debit card for children. But is it safe and secure?

No one's born a money wiz, but we all have to start somewhere.

Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry) is designed to give kids and teens a head start on their financial education. It offers money lessons (that are actually fun) and a practical debit card to help kids spend responsibly.

But is it a legit way to help your kid learn money management skills? Take a closer look at Acorns Early to see if you should trust it for your family.

Is Acorns Early Trustworthy?

Acorns is a legitimate company that offers a debit card and financial app for kids. Acorns Early educational app helps kids learn how to spend wisely and gain financial independence. With any app geared toward kids, safety is the biggest priority.

Here's how Acorns Early keeps your kid's money and personal information safe:

• Mastercard Zero Liability Protection. This protects you against fraud. You won't be responsible for any unauthorized transactions on your debit card.

• FDIC insurance. Money in your Acorns Early account is insured up to $250,000 by the FDIC through a partner bank.

• Bank-level encryption. The Acorns Early app uses 256-bit encryption to keep your account details secure.

• Real-time spending notifications. If there's ever any suspicious activity on your account, you'll be able to catch it right away with instant notifications.

• Chip and PIN-protected transactions. Chip and PIN help keep your debit card information secure when you make a purchase.

• Easily block/unblock card. If your Acorns Early card is lost or stolen, you can quickly block the card from the app to prevent unauthorized charges.

• Unsafe spending categories automatically blocked. Acorns Early prevents transactions from retailers classified under alcohol, gambling, tobacco, and other unsafe categories.

Acorns Early takes a lot of precautions to keep your kid safe. Both the debit card and the mobile app have multiple layers of security. The company does what it can to keep its customers safe.

How Does Acorns Early Work?

Acorns Early uses a combination of different features to teach kids about personal finance.

The app features built-in Money Missions, which turn financial literacy into a fun game. The educational content is tailored to be age-appropriate for your kid, from K-12.

Parents can use Acorns Early to easily send money to their kids. You can make one-time transfers, set up recurring allowances, or have your kid earn money by completing chores. Plus, you and your kid can set up savings goals and plan for bigger purchases.

Your kids will develop the confidence they need to become smart spenders and savers. But if the thought of giving your kid free rein over their money is a little scary, Acorns Early also offers robust parental controls. You can easily limit how much and where your kid spends money.

How to Sign Up with Acorns Early

To sign up for an Acorns Early card, visit the Acorns Early site and click "Join". Then, you'll need to provide some personal info:

• Full name
  
• Address
  
• Date of birth
  
• Social Security number

Acorns Early uses this information to verify your identity. This isn't a credit check, so your credit score won't be affected. Once you submit your information, it'll be verified in 24 hours.

After signing up, your kids will receive their Acorns Early cards within 5-7 days after creating the account.

Acorns Early Features

Acorns Early offers a host of features to teach kids about personal finance:

• Customizable debit card. The Acorns Early card is customizable with 35+ designs and your kid's name in the logo. It's a fun way to get your kid excited to use their card.

• Money Missions. These short, engaging money lessons cover a wide range of topics, including budgeting, investing, and borrowing safely.

• Chores and allowance. Kids can earn their own allowance by completing assigned chores.

• Savings goals. Acorns Early curbs excessive spending by encouraging kids to work toward their own savings goals.

• Parental controls. Set limits on where and how much your kid can spend.

• Donations to charity. Kids can learn to budget for charitable giving, and then donate to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America directly through the app.

• Direct deposit. When your kid starts working, they can get their paycheck deposited right into the Acorns Early account.

What Fees Does Acorns Early Have?

Acorns Early has a monthly fee of $5 for the individual child and $10 for the family plan.^[1] The family pricing covers up to four children, so if you have multiple kids to cover, it could be worth the price.

There are also a few other banking fees you might run into while using Acorns Early:

• Custom card: $5
  
• Card replacement with a different design: $5

Acorns Early does not charge fees for domestic (U.S.) or international ATM transactions. However, some ATM operators may apply their own fees, which are outside of Acorns' control.

Acorns Early Reviews and Complaints

Acorns Early generally has a good reputation among its customers. The app has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 with 17 reviews on the Google Play Store. It has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 with 24 reviews on the Apple App Store. But, it does have some faults.

Some customers report issues with funds syncing through the app and difficulties logging in. There's also no streamlined way to transfer money from the parent app back to your personal bank account. To do this, you'll need to contact customer service.

Overall, Acorns Early seems to work well and deliver on its promises—despite a few issues with the app.

Bottom Line

Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry) is a safe and secure banking app and debit card for kids. The platform covers its bases with different security features to protect your account.

No app can guarantee complete safety—there's always a risk when you use any app that collects your sensitive data. But Acorns Early takes all the precautions it can to keep your family's information safe.

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