Hello Kitty Visa Debit Card | Hello Kitty Mastercard Debit Cards | Hello Kitty Checking Accounts
Hello Kitty Visa Debit Card | Hello Kitty Mastercard Debit Cards | Hello Kitty Checking Accounts
Sanrio, which is the company that’s behing the Hello Kitty brand, is very aggressive when it comes to the marketing of the iconic figure. So much so that the beloved cat is also associated with financial products such as debit cards. Since 2004, Hello Kitty has been a design option for MasterCard debit cards. Not to be outdone, Visa also joined the party: in 2009, Bank of America began offering Hello Kitty-themed checking accounts, where the account holder can order checks and a Visa debit card with Kitty’s face on it.
Typically, when choosing a debit card, there are other considerations at play, namely things that would make more sense from a financial standpoint. But in this case things are slightly different, since most of the people that this option will be interesting to will barely look ast the Hello Kitty logo before making a decision. That being said, many parents might find such a card to be an ideal tool for keeping track of their teenage daughter’s spending habits and to start teaching them basic financial skills, such as budgeting (even though with Hello Kitty, it’s about shopping till you drop). The teenager gets the freedom to buy as much as the amount of money in the card, without the risks of running the family into debt (if the card’s balance can’t cover a particular transaction, said transaction simply gets denied). By so doing, these young adults learn the basics of budgeting and opportunity costs so they don’t end up having to settle for second chance credit cards.
Related: Bank accounts for children
While it’s true that both Visa and MasterCard offer Hello Kitty debit cards, most people end up with such a card through Bank of America’s checking account package known as “MyAccess Checking”. As of this writing, the bank’s website lists the following information for this card:
- No monthly maintenance fee when you choose online paperless statements and make your deposits and withdrawals online or by ATM, without a teller, otherwise the fee is $8.95 per month
- Online Banking
- Optional Bill Pay service
- No minimum balance required
- No monthly maintenance fee when you choose online paperless statements and make your deposits and withdrawals online or by ATM, without a teller, otherwise the fee is $8.95 per month
- No minimum balance required
Online Banking
- View your statements online
- View your account activity virtually anytime with Online Banking service
- Make same-day transfers between accounts
Optional Bill Pay
- Pay your bills online with optional Bill Pay service
- Pay your bills when you want — on payday, near the due date or whenever you choose
- Set up recurring payments so your regular payments are automatically paid when you want
- Schedule your bill payments in advance by selecting the day you want your payment sent, up to a year in advance
- Track your payment history — know who you paid, the date and the amount
ATMs & Banking Centers
- Access to more than 5,000 Banking Centers coast to coast
- No ATM fee to access our 18,000+ ATMs nationwide
Since female teenagers love shopping, a Hello Kitty debit card is one of the best for those shopping spree. The card is accepted anywhere Visa and/or MasterCard is accepted, which is pretty much everywhere, including for online shopping.
The Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a way to give your daughter money and have some insight on how she spends it, the Hello Kitty debit Visa or Mastercard will get the job done without outrageous fees. It can also double as a valuable financial teaching tool so they don’t make stupid mistakes and succeed in keeping a good credit score.