Jassby Review
Jassby offers a free virtual debit card. But is it safe and secure? Find out if Jassby is worth it for your child.
Overall Score | 3.6 | ||
Savings | 2.5 | ||
Checking | 3.0 | ||
Price | 5.0 | ||
Customer Service | 2.5 | ||
Minimum Deposit to Open | 5.0 | ||
Mobile App | 3.0 | ||
Ease of Use | 5.0 | ||
Education | 3.0 | ||
Pros and Cons
- Free virtual debit card
- Easily monitor spending
- Built-in rewards program
- No cash withdrawals or deposits
- No physical card
- Limited to digital payments only
Bottom Line
Free virtual debit card with rewards program
Many parents struggle to teach their kids about personal finance.
And with cash allowances, it's nearly impossible to know how kids spend their money.
Enter: Jassby. It's an app and virtual debit card designed to give families more control over spending and allowances.
In this review, find out how Jassby works, pros and cons, and more. Plus, see how it compares to competitors like Mazoola and BusyKid.
What is Jassby?
Jassby is a no-fee virtual debit card and app for kids. The app is designed to help parents teach kids about managing and earning money.
Jassby is a financial technology company headquartered in Waltham, MA. It was founded in 2017 by Benjamin Nachman. The platform has raised around $10 million in funding and has more than 100,000 users.
| Age | No minimum |
|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | $0 |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| APY | None |
| Free ATM Access | None |
Jassby Key Features
 |
Jassby offers a few features to help kids manage money and learn financial literacy. Here's what you can expect when you open a Jassby account for your child.
Jassby is a legit financial app for kids. Jassby provides banking services through Sutton Bank, a member of the FDIC. Funds in your account are FDIC-insured up to $250,000.
Jassby Virtual Debit Card
Jassby's main offering is a free virtual debit card for kids. Currently, there are no physical cards available, but the company says they may be available soon.
Your kid can use the virtual debit card wherever Mastercard is accepted. They can use it to make purchases online or in-store if they connect it to Apple Pay or Google Pay. But you're limited to shopping at stores that accept contactless payments.
Without a physical debit card, you can't access ATMs or get cash back at the register either.
If most of the stores near you don't accept contactless payments, you might want to find a physical debit card for kids instead.
Jassby App for Parents
Jassby offers separate app experiences for parents and for kids. The parent app gives you more control over your child's account.
With the parent app, you can:[1]
- Send money to your kid with a linked bank account or debit card
- Monitor your kid's account activity
- Set spending limits
- Manage chores and automatic allowances
- Get account alerts and notifications
- Freeze/unfreeze the debit card
- View your kid's Financial Literacy Score
The features of the parent app are pretty standard with what you'll find in most kid banking apps. It supports chores, allowances, and customizable parental controls.
The app doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles. But it gets the job done if you just need a platform to easily send money and manage chores.
Parents can add up to 2 funding sources for their kids' accounts (bank accounts or debit cards). Here's how to add money through the Jassby app:
- Open the Jassby app and log in.
- Tap Send from the home screen.
- Select your family member
- Choose an amount and add an optional note
- Tap Continue to complete the transfer
Jassby App for Kids
The kid's app is similar to the parent's app, minus the parental controls. With the app, kids can:
- Check balance and transactions
- Set savings goals
- View and complete chores
- Redeem rewards in the Jassby shop
- See Financial Literacy Score
The Financial Literacy Score increases the more your kid uses the app to manage money and creates good financial habits. Jassby rewards kids for improving their score. These rewards can be redeemed in the Jassby shop for products and gift cards.
This reward system could be a fun way to get kids excited about managing their money. But it could also encourage kids to shop for items they don't necessarily need or want.
Jassby Fees to Look Out For
The Jassby virtual debit card and banking app are free to use. There are no monthly fees or any other banking fees.[2]
You can only spend the balance that's in your account, so there's no overdraft fee. There are also no ATM or cash reload fees since the account doesn't offer those services.
The only fee you might encounter is to get a physical debit card. A physical card will set you back a one-time fee of $4.99. The account doesn't offer a physical card yet, but it could become available soon.
The Jassby app and virtual debit card are completely free. There are no monthly fees or any other service fees to use the app.
Customer Service and Reviews
Jassby offers multiple ways for you to contact customer service. The customer support team is available Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET.
Here's how you can reach Jassby:
- Send a message through the app or on the website
- Email: customersupport@jassby.com
- Call: 831-274-7330
- Live chat on the website
The Jassby app currently has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 on the Apple App Store, with 146 total ratings. Ratings on the Google Play Store are lower at 3.6 out 5 and 141 total ratings.
Common complaints
Customers have reported their accounts being closed without notice and with no way to retrieve funds. Customer service seems to take a long time to resolve any issues.
Pros and Cons
Not sure if Jassby is the right debit card for your kid? Review these pros and cons for the quick takeaway.
Pros
- No monthly fees or service fees
- Virtual debit card is hard to lose
- No minimum age requirement
- Supports chores and allowances
- Parental controls and spending limits
- Rewards incentivize kids to use app
Cons
- No physical debit card
- Can't withdraw or deposit cash
- No ATM access
- No educational content
- Balances don't earn interest
- Could encourage unnecessary shopping
Jassby offers a $10 referral bonus for new accounts. You can earn up to 10 referral bonuses per month. Here's how to get the bonus:
- Sign into the app and open the menu.
- Tap on Refer a Friend.
- Copy the referral link, or send the link to friends from the app.
- Friend signs up for Jassby using the link within 3 days.
How to Open an Account with Jassby
Opening a Jassby account is simple. Parents can open an account for any child since there is no minimum age requirement. Jassby has a limit of 2 parents and 4 children per family.
Here's how to get started:
- Visit Jassby, the App Store, or Google Play to download the app.
- Sign up for an account through the app.
- Provide your personal info and choose a password.
- Confirm your account.
- Add your family to the account.
- Link your bank account or debit card.
- Complete your child's account and get the virtual card.
Jassby doesn't perform a credit check when you open an account. But they do need to confirm your identity. You might have to provide personal information like your address, date of birth, and Social Security number to set up your account.
How It Compares
 |
Here's how Jassby stacks up against popular competitors like Mazoola and BusyKid.
Jassby vs. Mazoola
Mazoola is very similar to Jassby. Both accounts offer a free virtual debit card, chore management, allowances, and parental controls. This means you'll also run into similar obstacles like no ATM usage and contactless payments only.
Jassby | Mazoola | |
|---|---|---|
No-Fee Debit Card for Teens - | Mobile Wallet for Kids - | |
Benefits and Features | ||
| Savings | ||
| Checking | Virtual debit cards only; Supports up to 6 people per family | Virtual debit card only for contactless payments with Apple Pay or Google Pay |
| Minimum Deposit to Open | ||
| Mobile App | ||
| ATMs | ||
| Monthly Fee | ||
Mazoola has fewer built-in features than Jassby. The app doesn't provide a rewards system to keep kids' interest. But it does offer better security features to keep your kid's personal data safe.
The Mazoola app is certified by a third-party company to be compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The company takes privacy seriously and doesn't save, store, share, or sell your child's data.
Jassby vs. BusyKid
BusyKid is another banking app that offers chores, allowance, and savings goals. The biggest difference is that BusyKid offers investing services and charity donations.
 | ||
 |  | |
Jassby | BusyKid | |
|---|---|---|
No-Fee Debit Card for Teens - | BusyKid Prepaid Card for Kids - | |
Benefits and Features | ||
| Savings | Parents can add interest or matching on kids savings | |
| Checking | Virtual debit cards only; Supports up to 6 people per family | Up to 5 BusyKid Spend Cards per family |
| Minimum Deposit to Open | ||
| Mobile App | ||
| ATMs | 55,000+ Allpoint ATMs; $1.50 withdrawal fee, plus ATM owners may also charge a fee. | |
| Monthly Fee | ||
| | |
BusyKid: Pricing information from published website as of 05/01/2022 | ||
The app has a monthly fee of $3.99 per month or $38.99 per year (which comes out to about $3.25 per month).[3] The fee covers up to 5 children, so the price is not too bad if you have several kids.
The fee could be worth it if you want to teach your kids about a wider range of financial topics. Although the app isn't free, it does offer more features than Jassby. You also get a physical debit card, which can be used at more stores than Jassby's virtual card.
BusyKid Prepaid Card for Kids
For $3.99/month, your family will gain access to entire app including charities, chores and up to 5 BusyKid Visa® Prepaid Spend Cards (one card per child).
Jassby vs. Greenlight
Greenlight offers a lot of interesting features for a banking app for kids. Children of any age can have a Greenlight account. The app offers age-appropriate education content that works for your child's age group.
 | ||
| | |
Jassby | Greenlight | |
|---|---|---|
No-Fee Debit Card for Teens - | Greenlight Debit Card for Kids - | |
Benefits and Features | ||
| Savings | 1% APY (2% APY for Greenlight Max families) on an average daily savings balance of up to $5,000 per family | |
| Checking | Virtual debit cards only; Supports up to 6 people per family | Debit card up to 5 kids. Greenlight Max plan also earns 1% cashback on purchases |
| Minimum Deposit to Open | ||
| Mobile App | ||
| ATMs | Any ATM with a Mastercard, Visa Interlink or Maestro name or logo. But the ATM owner may charge a withdrawal fee. | |
| Monthly Fee | Greenlight: $4.99 per month Greenlight + Invest: $7.98 per month Greenlight Max: $9.98 per month | |
| | |
There are 3 pricing plans to choose from:[4]
- Greenlight ($4.99/mo.): Includes debit card, checking, high-interest savings, educational content, and robust parental controls.
- Greenlight + Invest ($7.98/mo.): Adds investing platform and research tools for kids and parents.
- Greenlight Max ($9.98/mo.): Adds higher savings interest rate, earn cash back on purchases, identity theft protection, and more.
The fee covers up to 5 children per family. If you're looking for unique features like high-interest savings and cash back, the fee could be worthwhile.
Bottom Line
Jassby is a good option if you can manage with contactless payments only. The app offers some interesting features like a rewards program and chores management for families.
The app may be a better choice for iOS devices since the Google Play store reviews are pretty low. If you need a physical debit card for ATM access or chip transactions, you may want to opt for a different platform altogether.
Want to check out more options for your child? Check out this comparison of the top 10 debit cards for kids.
References
- ^ "Parental controls": Jassby, 2022.
- ^ "What does Jassby cost?": Jassby, 2022.
- ^ BusyKid. Features & Pricing, Retrieved 4/29/2022
- ^ Greenlight. Plans, Retrieved 4/29/2022
BusyKid Prepaid Card for Kids
For $3.99/month, your family will gain access to entire app including charities, chores and up to 5 BusyKid Visa® Prepaid Spend Cards (one card per child).
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GoHenry Kids' Debit Card
- Real-time spend notifications.
- Block and unblock cards easily.
- Teach financial independence safely.
Donna Tang is the head of purpose and audience at CreditDonkey, a bank comparison and reviews website. Write to Donna Tang at donna.tang@creditdonkey.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest posts.
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