FamZoo review quick take: A virtual family bank that helps parents teach their kids money management through an app and prepaid debit card.
What is FamZoo?
FamZoo is a family-friendly financial education and management app that teaches kids and teenagers essential money skills. Combining virtual family banking with real-world financial tools, it aims to help parents and guardians raise financially savvy children.
FamZoo was founded in 2006 by CEO Bill Dwight to offer a virtual family “banking” system to help parents teach kids to earn, save, spend, and give money wisely.
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How FamZoo Works
FamZoo creates a virtual family bank where parents can pay interest on savings, provide loans, and track repayments, mimicking real financial transactions. Parents act as the “bankers” and children as the “customers.”
There are two account options:
1. Prepaid Debit Cards
Parents can order prepaid debit cards for their children, which allows them to make purchases while they learn about spending. These reloadable prepaid cards give kids real-world spending experience with parental oversight.
2. IOU Accounts
Track money you’re holding elsewhere for your child. They show the balance you have for your child, adjusting for automated payments like allowances, rewards, or penalties. When you spend or give cash on your child’s behalf, you deduct the amount from their IOU account to keep the balance accurate.
FamZoo prepaid card accounts hold real money, whereas IOU accounts don’t. You can have both accounts.
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Key Features
- Allowance and Chore Management: Automate allowance payments and link them to completed chores.
- Savings Goals: Children can set and track their savings goals.
- Spending and Budgeting: The app helps kids learn to budget their money and track their spending.
- Parental Controls: Parents have full visibility and control over the accounts.
- Manage Money: Parents can monitor their kid’s financial activities, allocate funds, set up allowances, create savings goals, and track spending.
- Educational Tools: The app includes features like chore tracking, interest payments on savings, and financial tips.
Pricing & Fees
- Monthly Plan: $5.99 per month (Get 1 month free trial)
- 6-Month Plan: $25.99, which averages to $4.33 per month.
- 12-Month Plan: $39.99, which averages to $3.33 per month.
- 24-Month Plan: $59.99, which averages to $2.50 per month.
All plans include access to all features and a set number of prepaid debit cards, with additional cards available for a small fee.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Comprehensive financial education
- Parental controls
- Customizable allowance and chore Management
Cons
- Initial setup can be complex for some users
- Reliance on prepaid cards might not be suitable for all families
Who is it best for?
FamZoo is ideal for families with children and teenagers who want to instill strong financial habits.
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Our FamZoo Review
FamZoo is a legitimate service and trustworthy company. It offers a standout financial education app that combines learning with practical experience. Its unique approach of using a virtual family bank, along with real prepaid debit cards, provides kids with invaluable hands-on experience in managing money.
The app’s features are robust and cater to different aspects of financial education, from chore management to budgeting and savings goals.
In researching reviews on FamZoo, we learned that the prepaid debit card and the app received 4.7 out of 5 stars in the App Store, with 250+ reviews. Most users cited great customer service and customizable app features.
There is no FamZoo customer service number available. However, you can email customer support and receive a response within 45 minutes during business hours (Pacific Time).
FamZoo review conclusion: The platform provides a safe, controlled environment where young users can learn about budgeting, saving, and responsible spending. Parents will appreciate the extensive controls and the ability to tailor financial lessons to their family’s needs. The pricing is competitive, especially with the longer-term plans, making it an affordable option for most families.
How to Start with Using FamZoo
Minimum Requirements
- Must be 18+ years old (if a minor must have a parent open an account for you).
Step-by-Step to Open a FamZoo Account
The time needed: 5 minutes.
- Getting started
- Click “Get Started” to open an account, or click this link.
- Sign Up
- Parents sign up and set up a FamZoo account, creating a virtual family bank.
- Create Accounts for Kids
- Parents can fund and manage Each child’s sub-account within the family bank.
FamZoo Alternatives
FamZoo alternatives include the Goalsetter app that offers savings, financial literacy quizzes, and a debit card.
Reviews
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