Kids Charging Privileges

[Asil65]

No privledges for my 10 and 12 year old on our upcoming cruise either. Not old enough for that responsibility. I will get them a soda card since we are on vacation but that is it. Does anyone know how Princess works things with kids cards? Do you have to activate the cards or deactivate them?

[CanadianTwosome]

We never worry about our daughter losing her card, for a couple of reasons. The first is that we have our cards punched and she has hers on a lanyard around her neck unless she's in the cabin. The second is that she has shown us, over four cruises, that she is very responsible with it. On our first cruise, we were apprehensive, especially since she was only 8 and had lost plenty of things in the past, but we talked about how important it was and she listened.

 

That being said, there is still the question of her spending money and racking up a huge bill. Fortunately, she's really tight with her money, so she never purchases anything without getting our opinions first and discussing it - what will she do with it, where will she keep it, that sort of thing. Most of the time by the end of the discussion, we're walking away empty handed.

 

I think the key to the decision is how well your child understands not only that they are spending real money that they are essentially borrowing from Mom and Dad, but the value of their money in general. We have our daughter's allowance direct deposited weekly - half to her spending account and half to her savings account. When she wants something, she has to either save her money for it or negotiate a loan for it. Usually she chooses to save, but occasionally she simply must have something immediately, and we will loan her what she needs. The last time she wanted something really badly, she even offered to pay interest! So, when she's on a cruise, she understands very well that her key card is like her bank card, and when she uses it to spend money, it's HER money that she won't have for something else.

 

Basically, I think this is one more decision that a parent has to make based on information that only they know about their own kids. We can all post endlessly about what works for our kids, but I know what works for mine wouldn't work for many. I've gotten in trouble in the past for saying that it's a matter of trust, but that's exactly what it is - can you trust them with unlimited access to credit? Can you trust them to keep their card safe? Can you trust them to not buy rounds of smoothies for their buddies? Can you trust them to stay aware of how many games they're playing at the arcade? It has nothing to do with your child's character, just how aware they are of what that card represents and their ability to keep track and stay within limits.

[Onessa]

This weekend will be the big "test" her 8th grade band is making a trip to the twin cities area of Minnesota -- concerts and band clinic and 4+ hours in the Mall of America. She has saved up her own money for shopping. She is not comfortable carrying it as cash, so we agreed I'd get her a VISA tied to my VISA. She knows I will monitor the account on-line. She has a notebook where she will record each transaction (date/ place/ amount) and balance out what she has left. Knowing her, she'll come home with a decent enough balance.

 

All went well with the great credit card "test" run. She came back with two pairs of shorts and a cute top and (yet another) stuffed animal and did not even spend half of her budget. Her notebook showed her cash xactions and her charges with both balancing out correctly (she is very good in math!).