SBI vs Axis Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts
SBI offers two children’s savings accounts, Pehla Kadam and Pehli Udaan while Axis Bank offers an account called the Future Stars Savings Account.
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 Axis Bank Limited
The third largest private sector bank in India, Axis Bank, offers a specific children’s account called Future Stars Savings Account. It also offered an account targeted at the youth called the YOUth Account but the bank has stopped opening these accounts (existing accounts will continue to work).
Future Stars Savings Account
An account meant for children up to 18 years of age.
Features
- The initial account opening deposit and minimum monthly balance requirement are both Rs. 2,500 in metros. There is no monthly balance requirement if there is a fixed deposit of Rs. 25,000 for six months or a recurring deposit of Rs. 2,000 for a year
- Can be opened by a child on her own if she has crossed the age of 10 years. Otherwise, it needs to be operated by the parent or guardian
- The child gets four cheque books every year in her own name if she is over 10 years of age. In case she is younger than 10 years, the cheque book is in the name of the parent or guardian
- Accountholders get a Visa Classic Debit Card for an issuance fee of Rs. 200 and annual fee of Rs. 100. The fee is for metro and urban areas only
- The card comes with a personalised image of the child if she is above 10 years
- The bank offers a daily withdrawal limit of Rs. 1,500 under the Future Stars Savings Account
- The first five transactions at an Axis Bank ATM and the first three or five (depending on whether metro or non-metro location) at non-Axis Bank ATMs are free
- The account comes with a personal accident cover of Rs. 2 lakh and liability from fraudulent transactions of up to Rs. 50,000
- The bank offers reward points on various transactions such as opening an Axis Direct (trading) account, keeping Rs. 25,000 as minimum monthly balance and so on
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)
- Axis Bank Website: www.axisbank.com
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Call Centre Number: 1800 419 5959,1800419 6969