<p>DD, 15, will be flying solo this summer. Her return flight is late in the day and I suppose there is a chance she may get stuck overnight if she misses her connection. She is a well traveled girl. Just realized perhaps I should get her a credit card (off one of our accounts) to have on hand in case of need. Choices:</p>
<ol>
<li>Platinum AmEx</li>
<li>Sapphire Preferred Visa</li>
<li>Generic Visa with low credit line</li>
<li>Debit Visa off a checking account we rarely use with low balance</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m thinking Visa due to wide acceptance but not sure whether the ‘concierge’ services of AmEx or Sapphire Preferred (if any) might be helpful at some point. Also would debit card be a problem? I just don’t use debit cards as a rule so don’t know any extra hassles associated with it. </p>
<p>She is bit scatterbrained so some possibility of her losing the card.</p>
<p>I know some hotels don’t allow minors to stay alone and we will look into that.</p>
<p>You might want to get a prepaid visa or mastercard gift card and put a certain amount of money on it. I have not been in that situation, but think that might work well. You could also look into travelers’ checks…I’m not sure if there is an age/id requirement for those.</p>
<p>Both of my kids have our AmEx platinum card. They are free for our kids. The younger one also has a master card with high credit line (what’s the point of low credit line, it is for emergency) for places where they don’t take AmEx. They are advised to put all purchases on AmEx because they give the best buyer’s protection - extended warranty. The concierge service is useful too. I also do not like to use debit card for purchases - much harder to get money back if there is a problem. Both of our kids are very responsible, they don’t put anything on our cards without telling us first.</p>
<p>D1 is on her own now, but travels for work sometimes, so she’ll use the Platinum card VIP lounge access when available. If your kid gets stuck at an airport for a long period of time, she may be able to go to a lounge.</p>
<p>Both kids and I have VISA cards from American Eagle/Aerie. D likes it because you earn rewards and we frequently get $10 and $20 reward cards good in either store.</p>
<p>The only advantage of the prepaid card is that you can put a limit on the amount of spending she can have everyday. Also if stolen there is less concern regarding credit protection, even though most credit cards are insured. Prepaid do have a lot of fees attached to them so you have to be careful when shopping for one. I would not give a your kid a debit card (a love them though). Very difficult to dispute anything and you are very vulnerable in case of theft ( even though some banks are great at tracking spending habits).
Have you thought of giving her a combination? Maybe a prepaid for everyday expenses and a regular for emergencies or approved expenses? That will prevent any extra surprises in your monthly statement and maybe be less likely to be lost. Just a thought.</p>
<p>I’m thinking I will only give her the card for this trip for emergency use. Not ready to have her start getting in the habit of charging everyday stuff.</p>
<p>If your daughter ends up stranded in her connection city, most likely her first move will be to pick up her cell and call home for further instructions. You, no doubt, will have been tracking her flights online and will know before she does how likely it is that she will miss her connection. You might also have been on the phone with her airline even before she reaches the connection city explaining the situation and getting her accommodated as a standby on another flight later that day or the next morning as a back up plan if she can’t make the connection. From that perspective, the most important items for her carry on bag are her cell and charger and phone numbers to reach you and anyone else who might be helpful during the trip. </p>
<p>From your home, you can find a hotel near the airport and book a room for her by phone using the number of whatever card she has with her that she can present upon arrival. She may need small bills for gratuities and she should take either a MC or VISA because some taxis and some businesses don’t take Amex. </p>
<p>If she carries some sort of official photo ID (passport?) with her, that may be helpful upon check in to a hotel. You might also think about whether you have any personal connections in the city where her connection might be missed to which you could reach out a day or two in advance to see whether in a pinch they could make an airport run and house a stranded teen for a night.</p>
<p>When D1 started driving, we would have her do some shopping for us. It was convenient that she had our credit card(s). D2 is doing the same for us now in the city. It is easy to say, “Run to grocery/drug store and pick up these things on your way home.” I am one of those parents who didn’t allow my kids to have their own credit cards until they were self supporting.</p>
<p>One other thought…some credit cards issue cards with different numbers for each person (still the same account – Am Ex costco is one such card). If this is something you may want her to have again in the future, you may want to choose the one that assigns a different number as it’s easier to track her expenses/see them easily and separately from your own. Don’t know about the four options listed above but one or more may have this functionality. In any case, here’s hoping she doesn’t get stuck at SFO!</p>
<p>I like the no limit Amex idea but sometimes when I try to use mine with some merchants I have some problems. I do not think this will happen with main hotel chains or airlines so they might be ok.</p>
<p>Our AmEx predates both of our kids. I don’t know what’s the issue either. Just a side note, because D1 had our AmEx card, our good credit actually got transferred to her. She was able to get a credit card with high balance and get an apartment on her own without us as the guarantor.</p>
<p>Even if she misses her connection, she’s not likely to need a credit card. If she is stuck overnight due to their fault, the airline will provide vouchers for a hotel room and food. She shouldn’t have to pay for anything up front, the airline books it and pays. The airlines deal with missed connections all the time, and I’m sure they know what to do with a 15YO - if it happens with an unaccompanied minor, they have someone from the airline stay with them, or in large airports, have a dedicated place for them to stay.</p>
<p>If you still want her to have a card under your account, ask them about setting an individual limit to her card, and how quickly it can be changed. If You can change it instantly either online or by phone, set it as low as you can. Then you can increase it if she needs it - and if she loses the card, nobody can rack up lots of charges.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about charges being racked up on a lost or stolen credit card - IIRC the limit for customer’s loss from fraudulent use is $50. Debit cards, on the other hand, have no limit on the potential loss.</p>
<p>“Even if she misses her connection, she’s not likely to need a credit card. If she is stuck overnight due to their fault, the airline will provide vouchers for a hotel room and food.”</p>
<p>Not necessarily…
When I was flying home after Freshman orientation, my Frontier flight was canceled (mechanical issue…their fault). It was the last flight of the night. All of the passengers were booked at a nearby hotel, at the airline’s expense. </p>
<p>Except me.</p>
<p>Since I was under 21 years old, the hotel would not allow me to stay. Frontier gave me a blanket and told me to sleep in the terminal. </p>