Catholic Syrian Bank vs ICICI Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

Catholic Syrian Bank vs ICICI Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

Catholic Syrian Bank allows parents and guardians to open its various savings accounts – Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum – on behalf of minors. ICICI Bank has two dedicated children’s accounts called the Young Stars Account and Smart Star Savings Account.

Children’s Savings Accounts from Catholic Syrian Bank

Catholic Syrian Bank is one of the oldest banks in the country having been established in 1920. The bank does not offer a dedicated children’s savings bank account but its Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum savings accounts can be opened on behalf of minors by their parents or guardian.

Blue Savings Account

This savings account comes one step up the InstaDigital Savings Account but offers lesser number of features than the Gold and Platinum accounts.

Features

  • Offers up to 5 free use of other bank ATMs
  • Allows up to Rs. 40,000 in withdrawals from ATMs per day
  • The Blue Savings Account comes with the RuPay Platinum Debit Card
  • Minimum quarterly balance needed is Rs. 1,000 for urban areas and Rs. 500 for rural regions

Silver Savings Account

The Silver Savings Account is one step up the Blue Savings Account and comes with the following features.

Features

  • Unlimited free access to any ATMs in India
  • Allows up to Rs. 75,000 in withdrawals from ATMs every day
  • Users get 20% discount on locker rentals
  • The Silver Savings Account comes with the VISA Platinum Debit Card and offers all its benefits
  • Minimum quarterly balance needed is Rs. 5,000 for urban and rural areas

Gold Savings Account

The Gold savings account from Catholic Syrian falls between the Silver and Platinum accounts. Most of its benefits are similar to the Silver account.

Features

  • Unlimited free access to any bank ATM in the country
  • Allows customers to withdraw up to Rs. 75,000 from ATMs every day
  • Users get 30% discount on locker rentals
  • The Gold Savings Account comes with the VISA Platinum Debit Card
  • Minimum quarterly balance requirement is Rs. 25,000 for urban and rural areas

Platinum Savings Account

The top savings account from Catholic Syrian Bank portfolio.

Features

  • Users have unlimited free access to any ATMs in India
  • Customers can take out up to Rs. 75,000 from any ATM every 24 hours
  • The customers also get 50% discount on locker rentals
  • Platinum Savings Account comes with the VISA Platinum Debit Card like the Silver and Gold accounts
  • Minimum quarterly balance requirement is Rs. 1 lakh for both urban and rural branches

Children’s Savings Accounts from ICICI Bank

India’s second largest private sector bank offers two dedicated children’s accounts called the Young Stars Account and Smart Star Savings Account.

Young Stars Account

The account can be opened by a parent or guardian for the child who is between the ages of 1 day old and 18 years

Features

  • The children get a debit card with per day limit of 2,500 for ATM and POS transactions (A caveat here: the wording on the site is not clear if the limit is Rs. 2,500 or Rs. 5,000 but the FAQs section of the account puts the limit as Rs. 2,500 (for withdrawal and spends?)
  • The Young Star – Minor Under Guardianship Account has no transaction limit
  • The card has a Zero Liability feature that protects against unauthorised transactions if the card is lost or misplaced provided the same is communicated to the bank within 15 days
  • Kids can earn 1 reward point for every Rs. 200 spent on the card
  • The minimum monthly average balance needed for the Young Stars Account is Rs. 2,500. The charges in case of non-maintenance of this minimum amount is 5% of the shortfall
  • Parents can put in standing instructions to debit money directly from their account to the kid’s account
  • The account has a Money Multiplier facility or the sweep in-sweep out option to put the money in a fixed deposit if the amount crosses a certain limit

Smart Star Savings Account

The account is available for kids above 10 years and up to 18 years of age to open and operate independently on their own. It comes in two options. More on the second point in the features below. Most of the features and fees and charges are same as the Young Stars Account

Features

  • The account comes in two variants – with guardian consent and without guardian consent. In the former case, the account will have a limit of Rs. 2 lakh on debit transaction every fiscal. If the account does not have guardian consent, this limit is Rs. 50,000
  • Accountholders get a debit card with per day limit of 5,000 each for ATM and POS transactions
  • As with Young Stars Account, the card for Smart Star Savings Account has the Zero Liability feature that insures against unauthorised transactions if the card is lost, stolen or misplaced if the bank is told of the same within 15 days
  • Even here, the child earns 1 reward point for every Rs. 200 spent through the card
  • The minimum monthly average balance is also same at Rs. 2,500 and so are the fees for non-maintenance of this minimum amount

Reference Facts

  • Catholic Syrian Bank Website: www.csb.co.in
  • Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 266 9090
  • ICICI Bank Website: www.icicibank.com
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 200 3344, 1800-103-8181 (Private Banking). Has specific number for different cities