Step Review
Is Step a legit app? Learn the pros and cons to see if Step is a good card for your teen.
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Step Visa Card for Teens | |||
Overall Score | 3.7 | ||
Savings | 2.5 | ||
Checking | 3.0 | ||
Price | 5.0 | ||
Minimum Deposit to Open | 5.0 | ||
Mobile App | 3.5 | ||
Customer Service | 3.0 | ||
Ease of Use | 5.0 | ||
Education | 2.5 | ||
Pros and Cons
- No monthly fee
- Build credit with Step Card
- Early direct deposit
- Doesn't earn interest
- No in-app educational content
- Few parental controls
Bottom Line
Simple banking app and debit card for teens
If you haven't started teaching your kids about personal finance, they're probably learning on their own.
So how can you make sure they're picking up good financial habits?
Banking apps like Step are designed to teach teens financial literacy. In this guide, see if the Step Card is right for your teen and how it compares to Greenlight and Chase First Banking.
What is Step?
Step is a banking app and secured spending card designed to teach teens financial literacy.
Step itself is a financial tech company, not a bank. But it does offer banking services through Evolve Bank and Trust.
The company was founded in 2018 by CJ MacDonald and Alexey Kalinichenko. The pair have more than 50 years of combined experience in financial technology. Today, more than 5 million people have joined Step.
| Age | No minimum age requirement |
|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | $0 |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Apple App Store |   |
| Google Play Store | |
Step Visa Card for Teens
- Teens can earn 4.00% on their savings
- Build credit and develop healthy money habits
- No monthly fees. No overdraft fees. No account minimum fees.
Step Banking is a legit banking app popular with Gen Z users. The platform offers banking services through Evolve Bank and Trust, which is a member of the FDIC. Funds in the account are protected up to $250,000 in case the bank ever defaults.
Step Alternatives
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Step Banking Features
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Step Banking offers a convenient mobile app and debit card for teens. Find out how the financial app can help your teen build credit and manage money.
Step Card
The Step Card acts like a hybrid of a debit card and a credit card. The contactless Visa card lets your kid access money in your kid's account, similar to a debit card. Your kid can only spend the amount in the account, so there's no way to overspend.
Unlike a normal debit card, the Step Card builds credit—sort of like a credit card. Each transaction contributes to your kid's credit history. Because there's no interest or monthly payments, it's not as risky as a traditional credit card.
Your kid can also access money on the go with the Step Card. The card lets you withdraw money at 30,000 no-fee ATMs nationwide, but you can't deposit at an ATM. You can only fund an account through the app with a linked bank account, debit card, or direct deposit.[1]
The Step Card is a secured spending card that builds credit just like a credit card. Unlike a credit card, there are no monthly payments or interest to worry about. You can only spend the amount that is in your linked account.[2]
Before we continue...
Hey busy parents! We've done all the research for you and found the 10 best debit cards for kids. Check it out first before committing to one for your child.
Step Mobile App
With the Step mobile app, adding money to the account is easy. Parents can link a bank account or debit card to send money instantly or set up recurring allowances.
The app also offers peer-to-peer payments, so kids can easily send or receive money from their friends and family.
Direct deposit lets your kid receive paychecks from their first job. Setting up direct deposit through Step can even help your teen get paid up to 2 days early.
Step Parental Controls
With any financial app geared toward kids, some form of parental controls are a must. With Step, both parents and kids get access to the account through their own separate apps.
Parents can view their kids' spending habits, transactions, and balances. If your kid is low on money, you'll know through the app.
Step doesn't offer robust parental controls like some other apps do. But it still allows parents to monitor their kid's account. You can also set up alerts to stay up-to-date on what your kid is doing with their money.
Step Fees
Step Banking is meant to make banking easy and painless for teens. So, it has zero fees. There are no monthly fees, overdraft fees, ATM fees, or interest rates to pay.[3]
There's also no minimum deposit required, which makes getting started even easier.
Step doesn't make money by collecting fees from customers. It earns money from the interchange fee charged by the credit card network. Each time a customer uses the card, the credit card network collects a fee from the seller. Step gets a percentage of that fee.[4]
Step Banking Pros and Cons
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Not sure if Step is right for your kid? Review these pros and cons below for the quick takeaway.
Pros
- Completely free, no hidden fees
- Helps build credit from young age
- No interest rates, monthly payments, or risk of overspending
- Early direct deposit
- Includes separate app for parental monitoring
- Includes ATM access
- Easy to use
Cons
- Few parental control options
- Has withdrawal limit based on account eligibility[5]
- Few features compared to competitors
How to Open a Step Account
There's no minimum age limit to join Step. Anyone under 18 can join with a parent or guardian to sponsor the account.
Opening a Step account is simple. Here's how to get started:[6]
- Download the Step app and enter your mobile phone number
- Enter your email
- Confirm if you are a teen or an adult
- Design your Step card
- Enter your personal details
- Get your Step card in the mail within 7-10 days
- Activate your card
Step Visa Card for Teens
- Teens can earn 4.00% on their savings
- Build credit and develop healthy money habits
- No monthly fees. No overdraft fees. No account minimum fees.
Be prepared to provide information like your full name, date of birth, email address, Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number (if you're over 18), and address for the application.
Step won't perform a credit check when you open an account. But because Step offers an FDIC-insured banking, it needs this info to check your identity.
How It Compares
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Is Step Banking or Greenlight better? Find out how Step compares to other popular competitors.
Step Banking vs. Greenlight
Greenlight is a paid banking app and debit card that offers way more helpful features than most free accounts. It can help your kid spend, save, invest, earn interest, and a lot more.
If you're looking for a product that teaches all the personal finance fundamentals, Greenlight is a great place to start. There are 3 different pricing plans to choose from, and the monthly fee covers up to 5 kids.[7]
- Greenlight Core ($5.99/mo.)
Includes kids' debit card, basic banking, educational content, parental controls, financial literacy games, credit card for parents, investing for parents with limited features, and 2% savings reward. - Greenlight Max ($9.98/mo.)
Adds an investing platform and research tools for kids and parents, priority customer support, protection plans, cash back on purchases, and 3% savings reward. - Greenlight Infinity ($14.98/mo.)
Adds family location sharing, crash detection, SOS alert, cash back, and 5% savings reward.
Greenlight is a better choice if you want your kid to get a lot of experience with important personal finance topics. But you have to pay a monthly fee. Step is a simpler, free app with fewer features and fewer educational tools.
Step Banking vs. Chase First Banking
Chase First Banking is another free account that offers a free checking account and debit card for kids and teens. If you're an adult who already has a Chase checking account, you're eligible to open an account for your kid.
The account is open to kids between 6 and 17 years old. And it comes with a lot of extra features you won't find with Step.
The app supports a chores list, allowances, and robust spending controls. You can assign dollar amounts to chores for your kid to earn. You'll also be able to set limits on how much your kid can spend and where they spend it.
Bottom Line
Step is a good free banking app for kids and teens. The app isn't as full-featured as a lot of its competitors. But it's a good first step toward financial literacy.
The account lacks robust parental controls, but overall, it can be a convenient way for your kid to spend and receive money, and manage their first paychecks.
Step Visa Card for Teens
- Teens can earn 4.00% on their savings
- Build credit and develop healthy money habits
- No monthly fees. No overdraft fees. No account minimum fees.
Want to learn more about other banking apps for kids? Check out these popular alternatives:
References
- ^ Step. Your Step Visa Card FAQs, Retrieved 05/27/2024
- ^ Step. How does my Step Card help me build credit?, Retrieved 05/27/2024
- ^ Step. Are There Any Fees Associated With My Step Account?, Retrieved 05/27/2024
- ^ Step. If Step is free, how do you make money?, Retrieved 05/27/2024
- ^ Step. Are there limits to how much I can withdraw, deposit and send?, Retrieved 05/27/2024
- ^ Step. What information do I need to create a Step Account?, Retrieved 05/27/2024
- ^ Greenlight. Compare Plans, Retrieved 10/30/2024
Step Visa Card for Teens
- Teens can earn 4.00% on their savings
- Build credit and develop healthy money habits
- No monthly fees. No overdraft fees. No account minimum fees.
Acorns Early Kids' Debit Card
- Real-time spend notifications.
- Block and unblock cards easily.
- Teach financial independence safely.
FamZoo Prepaid Card for Kids and Teens
- Order Online
- No Credit Check
- Try for Free
Build Credit While You Bank
- Get Paid Up to 2 Days Faster
- Build credit and earn points with every swipe
- 40,000 fee-free Allpoint ATMs in the U.S.
- No credit check, minimum balance or hidden fees
Donna Tang is a content associate at CreditDonkey, a credit card comparison and reviews website. Write to Donna Tang at donna.tang@creditdonkey.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest posts.
Note: This website is made possible through financial relationships with some of the products and services mentioned on this site. We may receive compensation if you shop through links in our content. You do not have to use our links, but you help support CreditDonkey if you do.
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