Union Bank of India vs Bank of Baroda

Union Bank of India vs Bank of Baroda (BoB)

Union Bank of India does not offer dedicated children’s account but instead offers minors the chance to have an account through its Regular Savings Account and Union Family Savings Scheme products. Bank of Baroda (BoB) has the Baroda Champ Savings Account. The bank is also supposed to have a Gen-Next Junior account which seems to be offered only in the Gen-Next Pune branch of the bank.

Let us look at each of these accounts.

Children’s Savings Accounts from Union Bank of India

Union Bank does not offer a dedicated children’s account. However, minors can have accounts under its Regular Savings Account and Union Family Savings Scheme products. From a reading of the website, it seems minors can also open an account through parent or guardian under the Union Flexi Savings Deposit and Union Flexi Plus Savings Deposit schemes.

Regular Savings Account

The standard savings account from the bank.

Features

  • Can be opened by an individual for her child
  • Just like adults, the child is entitled to receive a free chequebook of 20 leaves every year
  • Allows students to keep the account with zero balance

Union Family Savings Scheme

A savings scheme under which up to 6 family members can open accounts.

Features

  • The average quarterly balance for the entire group is Rs. 1 lakh
  • Each account holder gets up to 2 chequebooks per account
  • They also can make up to Rs. 20,000 in pay orders or demand drafts each month
  • Each account holder can make ATM withdrawal or POS transaction of Rs. 25,000 each per day
  • Family members who can be included in the account are parents, grandparents, spouse, sibling and children

Union Flexi Account and Union Flexi Plus Savings Deposit

These two are higher end savings accounts, which also come with sweep facilities to put the excess money in a fixed deposit once the transaction limit crosses a specified limit. Though the Union Bank website does not specifically mention that the accounts are available for minors, it does say that individuals can open the account.

Children’s Savings Accounts from Bank of Baroda

Note: There is limited information on BoB accounts for minors and it seems it did not offer a dedicated children’s account before the Champ and Gen-Next accounts. Possibly, minors could open a standard savings account through a parent or guardian.

Baroda Champ Savings Account

This account is meant for children in the 10-18 years age category. The account was launched in the run-up to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017 that was hosted in India.

Features

  • Minors can open the Baroda Champ Savings Account with a minimum deposit of Rs. 1,000
  • The maximum balance in the account is capped at Rs. 1 lakh
  • BoB allows up to 50 free withdrawals per year. Accountholders can withdraw another 50 times from the account but the bank charges Rs. 15 per transaction
  • Children (or parents) can withdraw money from the account using withdrawal slips and cheques. The bank allows withdrawals as low as Rs. 25 in rural and semi-urban areas and Rs. 50 in urban locations
  • The debit card for the account is issued in the name of the parent or guardian for kids in the 10-15 years age group. For children over 15 years, it will be in their own name
  • The transaction limit is restricted to Rs. 3,000 per day through ATM banking, mobile banking, POS and e-commerce though the overall limit is kept at Rs. 5,000 per day. This means you can go to the branch and withdraw Rs. 2,000 even if you have used up Rs. 3,000 limit
  • The bank offers a free passbook for accountholders and cheque book facility with up to 45 free leaves
  • Free ATM transactions at other bank ATMs is capped at 3 for 6 Tier I metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad) and at 5 for other cities

Gen-Next Junior

From the bank’s website, it seems the account is only offered the Gen-Next branch in Pune, Maharashtra.

Features

  • Minors up to 18 years can open this Gen-Next Junior account
  • The average quarterly balance required is Rs. 500 and the bank charges Rs. 50 per quarter if the balance falls below this limit
  • Children below 10 years can open the account jointly with parents or guardians; those above 10 years can have an account in their own name provided they are literate
  • There is a ceiling on of Rs. 1,00,000 as balance outstanding on any day if the minor holds the account in her own name. In case the account is held jointly by a minor of 14 years or above and the parent or guardian, then there is no such limit
  • Debit cards will have the parent’s or guardian’s name if the child is below 15 years; if above, then the kid’s name will be on the card
  • The rules for a standard savings account will apply for this account also

Bank of Baroda Savings Account

The standard savings account of the bank.

Features

  • The bank has a put an upper limit of Rs. 1,00,000 as the maximum limit outstanding on any day if a minor, aged 10-14 years, operates the account on her own
  • The minimum balance requirement is Rs. 500 for rural and semi-urban areas and Rs. 1,000 for urban areas and metros

Note: We are not getting into details here about the savings account. If you wish to know more of the features, you can visit the specific page of the bank website here.

Reference Facts

  • Union Bank of India Website: www.unionbankofindia.co.in and www.unionbankonline.co.in (net banking)
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 208 2244, 1800 22 2244
  • Bank of Baroda Website: www.bankofbaroda.com and www.bobibanking.com (net banking)
  • Headquarters: Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat
  • Call Centre Toll Free Number: 1800 223 344, 1800 102 4455