ICICI Bank vs City Union Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts
ICICI Bank has two dedicated children’s accounts called the Young Stars Account and Smart Star Savings Account. City Union Bank offers a dedicated savings account called Junior India for children.
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
Children’s Savings Accounts from City Union Bank
Tamil Nadu-headquartered City Union Bank is the oldest private sector bank in the country having been established in 1904. It offers a dedicated savings account for children called Junior India. It also offers an account for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years called Young India.
Junior India
The account can be opened for children with ages ranging from 1 day to 18 years
Features
- The account is operated by the parent or guardian
- Children above the age of 12 years can undertake transactions at the bank or through ATMs on their own
- Account holders above 12 years also get access to internet banking (CUB Net) and mobile banking (CUB Mobile) facilities
- School and college fees can be made free of cost under the Junior India account
- Online transfer to other City Union Bank accounts through NEFT, RTGS or IMPS is free too
- The standard KYC documents and proofs are needed for both the child and the parent or guardian to open the account
Reference Facts
- 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
- City Union Bank Website: www.cityunionbank.com
- Headquarters: Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
- Call Centre Number: 044 7122 5000