SBI vs RBL Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

SBI vs RBL Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

SBI offers two children’s savings accounts, Pehla Kadam and Pehli Udaan while RBL Bank does not offer a dedicated children’s savings bank account but instead may offer its generic savings account under guardianship of a parent or guardian.

Children’s Savings Accounts from SBI

Pehla Kadam

This account is meant for all children and may be opened jointly with a parent or guardian.

Features

  • There are no minimum balance requirements in this account
  • There is a limit of Rs. 5,000 on daily transactions. Transactions such as bill payments, prepaid mobile top-ups have a limit of Rs. 2,000 within the Rs. 5,000 limit
  • SBI offers an auto-sweep option with this account called SBI Multi Option Deposit Scheme (MODS). If the accountholders opt for this, then any amount above Rs. 20,000 in the account is put in a term deposit. The MOD is initially for a sum of Rs. 10,000 and in Rs. 1,000 multiples thereafter. As is common for banks, there is no clarity on the website if the auto-sweep facility kicks in if the account has a balance of Rs. 30,000
  • There is a cap of Rs. 10 lakh on the maximum balance in a Pehla Kadam account
  • The kid is eligible to get a specially branded chequebook and passbook, and also a personalised debit card with her own photo

Note: The links to specific accounts may not work. The above data was taken from internet searches. We have put the links here in the hope that they work some day. Even the WayBack Machine shows an error when we tried to pull a page from July 5, 2017.

Pehli Udaan

The account is meant for kids above 10 years of age. They are allowed to open and operate the account on their own.

Features

  • As mentioned, any child above the age of 10 years who can read and write, may open the account in her own name without the need for any parent or guardian
  • Except for the age criteria, the other features of the Pehli Udaan account are same as for the Pehla Kadam account

Children’s Savings Accounts from RBL Bank Limited

RBL Bank does not offer a dedicated children’s savings bank account. We look at it standard savings account that like other banks that do not offer a specific children’s account is likely to be offered to minors through a parent or guardian.

Prime Savings Account

The prime savings account is the standard savings account of the bank and can be opened on behalf of a minor by the parent or guardian.

Features

  • The prime savings account is the standard savings account of the bank and comes with a minimum balance requirement of Rs. 5,000. Whether the same balance is required for minor account is not available on the site
  • The minor account is closed on the child attaining majority and she has to submit KYC documents along with an account opening form to open a new account
  • The account offers unlimited free transactions at RBL Bank ATMs and up to five complimentary transactions at other bank ATMs
  • The account offers some of the best fixed deposit rates for banks in India
  • RBL Bank offers wealth management options for its Prime Savings Account customers and it is likely to offer wealth growth options for its minor customers also

Note: The RBL Bank site has been designed for the mobile users and information is kept limited to perhaps enhance mobile user experience. It is suggested that you call the bank at the number below or visit the nearest branch if you are looking for more information on children’s or other accounts.

Reference Facts

  • State Bank of India Website: https://sbi.co.in and www.onlinesbi.com (net banking)
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 425 3800, 1800 112 211, 1800 110 009 (pensioners only)
  • RBL Bank Website: www.rblbank.com
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 123 8040