Teens Running errands...money to Pay for It ...system? Cash Or???

If you have a credit card, add her on as a card holder. Most places will let you put a specific limit on her card, like $500 or $1000. First time it gets abused, it gets taken away. My dad did that for me when I was in college and really helped my credit. It showed that I had an account in good standing since 86, even though I was born in 83. That's why I still have a card linked to his account even though I don't use it. My younger sister is in college and he's doing the same thing for her. It's also good in case of emergency.

my son uses my debit card for all of my transactions. Maybe this works because it's a small town, small city...? He takes my DH's card if it's for the big city.

To my knowledge, he's only been questioned once. He was mouthy & won. His response was: "I'm picking up my Mom's medicine. Seriously? Where do I begin? Do you want her bd, her eye color, or her license plate # - since I'm driving her truck too". Yep, he's a mouth!

My parents did a similiar thing as below. Once we received our licenses both my sister and I received a credit card for gas and items that were "needed". Neither my sister nor I ever abused the system. It also helped build up our credit. And it was nice for our parents so they didn't have to get cash and we could go do things like get our hair cut, grab new clothes when we needed it. All within reason. Luckily my parents were finacially responsible and paid the balance each month so we didn't get screwed. :) The credit cards were in our name to help with your edit.

Since we run our own company, we have company credit cards assigned to each employee.... hubby, myself and daughter.

THEY ARE ALWAYS PAID IN FULL MONTHLY... we carry no debt.

So, we assigned our 16 yr old a card with a MUCH lower limit than ours just in case she lost it it got stolen, etc. So when she calls me and asks if I need anything, she uses her card. She also uses her card for her lunch and when she is out with friends. She knows her limit and she also knows what will happen if she abuses the card.

She is building her own credit as well.

We hardly ever have any cash on us.

This system works well for us because our daughter is also learning the basics of business, financials, and how to run personal and business finances. Plus, she is on my payroll so I have to keep her busy!!

Is there a problem with sending her with your debit card and PIN? It sounds like you have a good relationship, you would still have access to the account records...

I think I used my parents' cards when I ran errands for them.

My mom always just gave me her debit card. It was never a problem.

My stepson runs errands for us, not as much now though. My hubby and I would let him use one of our debit cards to either take out some cash or to use it at the store. We had no problem with him knowing the pin number and the money came out of our account. Only once he took out a little extra cash and his dad got upset and explained that it was like stealing. He could have just asked for a couple of extra bucks. He never took out more then what he needed after that.
If you trust your daughter then let her use your debit card, this way you don't have to worry about having the cash around.

You've gotten some great ideas for your situation, but just wanted to throw this out there also. For everyone who does not carry cash - you should consider having an emergency envelope of cash tucked away at home somewhere. In the event of a severe weather emergency (snowstorm, hurricane, tornado, etc.), ATM machines may be out of operation or inaccessible.

My parents usually had cash for us to run errands. Of course when we went it was never more then $20. We had to return any money and the receipt in a timely fashion.

I plan on having enough cash on hand for the errands when my daughter is of age to run errands & driving. We only go out to eat once a week and errands would be less then $10 for milk & bread. Other things like a hair cut happen rarely so when that times comes I would just have the extra money on hand.

We will never hand her our cerdit or debit card. I honestly do not care how responisble my daughter is that is mine and I would freak out if it is lost or misused so it dose not leave my hands.

We gave our teens our check card for errands. They would either stop at the ATM and get cash, or just use the card, depending on which places require a signature. I have a Target debit card that doesn't require a signature, just a pin at the checkout. Grocery stores and fast food places usually have a dollar limit that only requires a signature if exceeded. Gas stations are just a swipe, no signature.

Or, go online and transfer a set amount of money into her account, then let her pay with her own card. This will take some managing, but it can be all done online.

The other option is to get used to having a stash of cash at home to give to her for each errand.

I can see that a debit card would be allowed--if they know the PIN, they're probably assumed to the be correct user, or at least an approved one. I love the idea, though, of getting her her own credit card, paying off the balance each month, with a very low limit. That allows her to build credit, as someone noted, allows YOU to keep tabs on her spending, and, if you are conscientious enough to review it monthly with her, she'll have a really huge learning experience (and even if that's not possible in your house, she'll still learn a lot). Perhaps the credit card is even turned in to you after errands? Or, if your daughter is trustworthy (it seems she might be) you could let her keep it as a just-in-case form of insurance, trusting her not to spend on her own whims.

There are great new pre-paid cards that are especially for teens. You can recharge them with new funds and easily track spending without giving her your card. American Express has a prepaid card option but you can find a lot of options just by googling. Amex also has a product called Serve that you might want to look into.

My mum just gave us her debit card.

2 options: We had the code to punch it in at the store (no id required when you punch in your debit code) OR part of our errand running was to go to the ATM and pull out cash. Receipts, of course, were expected/required.

I was going to say the same thing as Amanda. That's what my mom always did (and still does once in a while if she's in the middle of something & wants one of us to run to the grocery store for something). Not a big deal.

If you don't want to give her your specific card/pin, and trust her, perhaps you could get her own account and stock it with money just for running errands? That way it would have her name on it? You could transfer enough to cover most eventualities, and transfer more on the fly if required.

Some places might also let you pre-pay, so you pay for the dinner via credit card over the phone, and then she goes to get it.

I did all the grocery shopping for the family when I was a teen. My folks gave me access to their accounts. Give her a debit card to your account for use for your needs only. Trust here goes without saying. Another way would be to have a credit card she could use for just this - wouldn't have to have a high limit - for just these things. Then you could just keep that promptly paid off.
She needs a lot more responsibility. You may be thinking "kid" - but she will be on her own at college very soon.
BTW - I looked just like my mom (I am her clone) and my daughter looks just like me, In a pinch we can get by with borrowed ID's as well. :)
Time to train her for adult responsibilities.

My mom would just write us a check & then we'd cash it in the drive-thru lane on our way to do the errands. Usually something like $20 or $50, depending upon the errand.

I agree either send her with your debit and the pin everywhere, or have her withdraw cash for you. Just have her keep up with the receipts. Or get her her own debit card for your account. Keep it in your handbag, for her to grab when she needs it and puts it back each time.

I was very ill this last spring and had our daughter pay the monthly bills.

She had no problem. She knows my pin and where I keep all passwords for different monthly bills and was able to take care of it.

Maybe for Christmas you all need to purchase a Garmin or Tom Tom GPS system for the family. It will make driving so much better for your daughter, to help her learn where things are.