Greenlight card in 2026: plans, fees and how the first month refund works

What the Greenlight card is

Greenlight is a debit card and app for kids and teens that parents run from their own phone. The card is a prepaid Mastercard issued by Community Federal Savings Bank. Parents load money from a linked account, set where and how much kids can spend, and get alerts on each purchase. Kids see their balance, savings goals, chores and allowance in their own app.

There is no free version. A card requires an active paid plan, and every plan covers up to five kids and two adults for one monthly price, according to Greenlight's fees page.

Greenlight plans and prices in October 2026

The Greenlight plans page lists four plans at the time of checking (October 2026). Savings rates apply to an average daily savings balance of up to $5,000 per family and are paid by Greenlight.

Greenlight's fee schedule also names a legacy Greenlight + Invest plan at $8.98 and a Greenlight Select plan whose price is set by a partner bank. The fee schedule says annual billing, where offered, is priced at or below twelve monthly payments. Taxes may be added depending on the state.

Greenlight card fees beyond the plan price

The Greenlight fee disclosure, updated Sep 8, 2026, lists very few card fees:

• ATM withdrawals: $0 at any domestic or international ATM, though the ATM owner may charge its own fee.
• Purchases, reloads and inactivity: $0.
• Card replacement: the first one per family each calendar year is free, then $5.99 per card.
• Express delivery of a replacement: up to $24.99.
• Custom photo card: $9.99, per the custom card page.
• Account closure: Greenlight may keep a leftover balance under $1.00.

The disclosure also lists spending and withdrawal caps. ATM cash is capped at $600 a day and $1,500 a week per family, and the family balance tops out at $50,000.

How the Greenlight free trial works

Greenlight describes its offer for new customers as a trial with a refund rather than a fixed number of free days. The terms on the plans page say the first monthly fee is billed to the parent wallet seven days after registration. To get that fee back, the parent must ask to close the account on or before the day before the first Monthly Billing Date.

In practice, a new family gets about a month to try the card and the app, and then either stays on the plan or closes the account for a refund of the first fee. The exact end date of the trial appears in the Account tab of Settings in the parent app. The offer is for new customers only and requires identity checks and a minimum first load.

A good test is to start on Core. Plans can be changed later in the app settings, so there is little reason to pay for Infinity or Family Shield before knowing the basics fit.

How to pay less for Greenlight

1. Pick the smallest plan that covers the need: the gap between Core and Family Shield is $13.99 a month, or about $168 a year. Location sharing and identity coverage may already come from a phone carrier or another service.
2. Ask about a bank benefit: some banks and credit unions offer Greenlight through a partner plan. Greenlight sets the Select plan price by partner, so a member benefit can cost less than retail.
3. Use the referral program: Greenlight advertises a $50 referral reward, paid after the referred family signs up and pays its first monthly fee. Parents and teens can each earn up to $600 a year, per the refer friends page.
4. Watch seasonal sign-up offers: back-to-school and Black Friday are the usual times for new-customer promotions.
5. Check the store page: at the time of checking, PickedBox lists 2 Greenlight promo codes and 1 deal on the Greenlight coupon page. A partner bank benefit usually cannot be combined with a promo code.

The row below is the same row as on the Greenlight page. The code appears after the click; Greenlight opens in a new tab.

10% off 10% OFF Greenlight Code · Worked Oct 10, 2026 · listed since Oct 2026 Show code Opens Greenlight in a new tab. The code appears here.

Greenlight alternatives: Acorns Early, Step and Chase First Banking

• Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry in the US): GoHenry's US product now runs under the Acorns name. The Acorns Early page lists Acorns Early Lite at $8 a month for up to four debit cards, and Acorns Gold at $12 a month with Acorns' own investing and retirement accounts included.
• Step: Step charges no monthly, overdraft or minimum balance fees. Its secured Visa card reports on-time payments to credit bureaus, so a teen can start a credit history before 18. Users under 18 need a parent to oversee the account. Step was acquired by Beast Industries in 2026.
• Chase First Banking: a parent-owned account for kids 6 to 17 with a $0 monthly service fee. It requires the parent to hold an eligible Chase account, per Chase's checking page. Families already banking with Chase can get the basics for free.

Greenlight's main edge over the free options is the depth of parent controls, investing for kids and the safety features in the higher plans. If the goal is only a card with spending alerts, a $0 option covers it.

Who Greenlight is for

Greenlight makes the most sense for families with two or more kids, since the price is per family, and for parents who want store-level spending limits, chore payments and a supervised way for kids to try investing. A family with one young child who only needs a card for allowance may do just as well with a free account from Step or Chase. Plan features and savings rates are subject to change, so check the current terms on Greenlight's site before choosing a plan.

How we checked this

In October 2026, PickedBox read Greenlight's plans page for prices, savings rates and trial terms, the fee disclosure updated Sep 8, 2026, the no hidden fees, custom card and referral pages, plus the official pages for Acorns Early, Step and Chase checking. The GoHenry US site returned a bot check, so the GoHenry to Acorns Early change is based on the Acorns page and press coverage. No accounts were opened for this guide.

• Greenlight plans page
• Greenlight fee disclosures, updated Sep 8, 2026
• Greenlight no hidden fees page
• Greenlight custom card page
• Greenlight refer friends page
• Acorns Early plans
• Step
• Chase personal checking, Chase First Banking
• CFPB prepaid accounts guide

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