Teenager runs up bill unknowingly

Miri7

Fri, Apr 24 2015, 2:20 pm

Glad it worked out. My friend's kids once did some Apple download thing and she saw a charge of nearly $1,000. WOW! She called Apple immediately and the charge was removed.

I think this will turn out to be a great learning experience for your brother.

I also think that sometimes it's ok for big siblings to "cover" for the silly mistakes or accidents of younger ones. My cousin once broke a window when parents were out of town and his (much older) sibling who was watching them got it all repaired before the parents returned. They kept the secret for a while but told the parents eventually. I wouldn't be ok with covering up for what I thought to be risky behavior or habits.

supty

Fri, Apr 24 2015, 4:32 pm

I would give him a debit card or a visa gift card or something like that so you can control how much money is added and spent. Also this way he can learn more about budgeting. You can give him a certain amount per month and when it's done, he doesn't get more till next month.

I think you're an amazing sister by the way.

amother

Dodgerblue

Fri, Apr 24 2015, 4:49 pm

supty wrote:

Do you know of one that is not expensive? The only one I had was free from Amex and had a $5 charge every time it was used.

supty

Fri, Apr 24 2015, 5:27 pm

amother wrote:

Do you know of one that is not expensive? The only one I had was free from Amex and had a $5 charge every time it was used.

Check this out: https://www.bluebird.com

I've used it in the past, never had a problem.

amother

Dodgerblue

Fri, Apr 24 2015, 7:16 pm

supty wrote:

Check this out: https://www.bluebird.com

I've used it in the past, never had a problem.

Thank you. I will look into it.

rosehill

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 8:32 am

amother wrote:

Do you know of one that is not expensive? The only one I had was free from Amex and had a $5 charge every time it was used.

Ask the people at dans deals. I'm sure they'll have good advice for you (and maybe even get you a free cruise or something!)

SplitPea

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 8:43 am

I don't have time to read all 3 pages but I read the first.

If tyk have not already contact apple and they can help you reverse the charge (and take away the special game items purchased)

PAMOM

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 8:53 am

OP, gift cards from AmEx incur no costs when used. If you buy them someplace like the grocery store, you will pay extra money though. That's why I suggested buying from AmEx if you have an account (or AAA) or visa/MC from the bank you do busibess with. Of course tell him you got the charges removed --he's reakuzed the problem and you're taking back your credit card so he can't do it again.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 9:03 am

PAMOM wrote:

The ones I got from Amex a few years ago had a $5 charge each time they were used. Since they were $50 cards, 10% is too much.

I thought if I tell him in a few weeks even next week them the lesson can sink in. If I refund the money today, then he learned that he did nothing wrong because he is a kid. Should I just give back the money in exchange for an apology letter?

SRS

Sun, Apr 26 2015, 11:52 am

OP, there are a lot of good books on teaching kids fiscal responsibility. I think you might want to a few short reads and get a general framework as to your approach and proceed from there. I really think debit cards and credit cards is a difficult approach for a kid this age as it is non-visual. You can tell him the money is returned. He should still apologize. My suggestion is a custodial account that you can deposit into and he can write old fashioned checks from with a checkbook.