ICICI Bank vs HDFC Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

ICICI Bank vs HDFC Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

ICICI Bank has two dedicated children’s accounts called the Young Stars Account and Smart Star Savings Account. HDFC Bank offers a dedicated children’s savings account called Kids Advantage Account.

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 HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank, the largest private sector bank in the country in terms of market capitalisation as of September 2019, offers a dedicated children’s savings account called Kids Advantage Account.

Kids Advantage Account

The primary aim of the account is to help build a corpus for the child for her future financial needs.

Features

  • The account is available for every child up to the age of 18 years
  • The bank mandates a minimum average monthly balance of Rs. 5,000 below which it charges service fees. The service fee is Rs. Rs. 150 in case the balance is between Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 5,000, and Rs. 300 in case the balance is less than Rs. 2,500
  • Minors above the age of 10 years can open and operate the account on their own
  • HDFC Bank requires the parent or guardian to have a savings account with the bank before they can open a Kids Advantage Account
  • The international ATM-cum-Debit card debit card comes with a Rs. 2,500 ATM withdrawal limit and Rs. 10,000 POS limit per day
  • HDFC Bank also offers an education insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh for the child in case the parent or guardian passes away in a road, rail or air accident
  • Its MoneyMaximizer option allows the accountholder to agree to a sweep-out option. Under this when the account reaches or crosses Rs. 35,000, any sum in excess of Rs. 25,000 is automatically transferred to a fixed deposit for 1 year and 1 day
  • The accountholders get a free payable at par chequebook of 25 leaves at the time of account opening and every year thereafter
  • The account comes with free net, phone and SMS banking facilities

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
  • HDFC Bank Website: www.hdfcbank.com
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 258 3838