SBI vs Dhanlaxmi Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

SBI offers two children’s savings accounts, Pehla Kadam and Pehli Udaan while Dhanlaxmi Bank offers the Dhanam Genius Savings Account in addition to its generic savings account for children.

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 Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited

Dhanlaxmi Bank offers a specific savings account for children called Dhanam Genius Savings Account. In addition, its Regular Savings Account can also be opened on behalf of minors.

Dhanam Genius Savings Account

The Dhanam Genius Savings Account is available for children in the age bracket of 10 to 23 years.

Features

  • The account only needs a minimum balance of Rs. 500
  • Comes with an auto sweep facility that puts any amount in multiples of Rs. 1,000 in a fixed deposit for 30 days when the balance crosses Rs. 5,000. Nonetheless, accountholders can withdraw the amount at any point of time
  • The Dhanam Genius Savings Account allows up to Rs. 5,000 in ATM withdrawals or POS transactions
  • The bank offers complimentary ATM card and up to 2 NEFT or RTGS transactions as well as demand drafts or postal orders per month. Accountholders can get a personalised photo on the card for a payment of Rs. 200

Regular Savings Account

The standard savings account from the bank comes with the following features.

Features

  • Needs an average monthly balance of Rs. 1,000
  • Comes with a free chequebook and unlimited non-cash (POS, etc.) transactions
  • The bank offers a doorstep banking service with this account

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)
  • Dhanlaxmi Bank Website: www.dhanbank.com
  • Headquarters: Thrissur, Kerala
  • Call Centre Number: 0487 661 3000