5

I've got a bit of a situation at hand.

As a result of a last-minute cancellation my daughter (14yo) has a chance to go on an organised trip to Poland (from Latvia where we live). They leave very early tomorrow morning.

The trip is legit with known people and several of her friends are going too. Most expenses are paid by me through proper channels, but she will need to have enough money with her to pay for 5 days of lunches and dinners (breakfast is included). I'd estimate that to be less than 100€.

Unfortunately I haven't yet made a bank card for her and I'd prefer not to give her a wad of cash to carry around if it can be avoided. Plus, of course, if there's an emergency, it's nice to know I can wire her more money if needed.

I rushed over to my bank, but alas - even with a rush fee a card would be only ready tomorrow during business hours. Too late...

So I'm looking for alternatives. She has an (Android) smartphone with NFC, so there is still some hope. Contactless payments should be possible at least in principle, as well as money withdrawal at compatible ATMs.

My first idea was to use Revolut, which is a service that some of colleagues have used in the past, but the more I read about it, the more it seems like they don't have what I need. Do they? If not, is there anything else I can manage to set up tonight?

Valorum
  • 236
  • 2
  • 8
Vilx-
  • 153
  • 1
  • 8

2 Answers2

19

Some random thoughts:

  • Do you have a credit card or debit card that she can borrow for the trip? Our kids have used our cards plenty when younger (with permission) without any problems.
  • I'm also assuming that there will be a responsible adult travelling with her. You could perhaps make arrangements for them to front money if needed. 14-year is a bit young to handle a full travel budget.
  • Pay as much of the known expenses up front online (transportation, accommodation, admissions, fees) and minimize her cash requirements as much as feasible.

A word of caution

I may overstepping my bounds here (apologies, if I do) but I'd be rather safe than sorry: I'm not sure what the background of the trip is but it feels a little off. Requiring a large wad of cash would be a bit of warning sign for me. As would be extremely short notice: "the trip starts tomorrow".

Our kids have certainly done trips without us at that age but they were either family/friends trips or sports/school/club/orchestra trips. In the first case the family member or parents of the friends would handle logistics and major expenses. In the second there is typically a detailed plan, budget & fees to be paid upfront, lots of forms and waivers to be signed, rules & terms to agree to etc. In either case there is always an "adult in charge" and the main cash they needed was pocket/spending money.

Please make sure that the trip is legit and that your daughter will be safe and well protected.

UPDATE AFTER QUESTION WAS EDITED WITH MORE DETAIL

  1. A 14-year old should be able to carry 100 Euro by herself. An even if she messes it up, it's not a huge loss and she has to deal the consequences (no more spending money). Good learning opportunity no matter how it plays out.
  2. Any type of emergency should be handled by the "adult in charge". Make sure you have contact info and bank info as well. Latvia supports IBAN so it's simple to shuffle money instantaneously to someone else
Hilmar
  • 119,360
  • 8
  • 205
  • 414
3

Look for a MasterCard/Visa gift card in stores.

Availability varies by country, but fixed-value prepaid gift cards can be readily available in stores. They are very common in the US in drugstores and big-box retailers, and I know they exist in the UK, Japan, Ireland, Australia, etc.

This would give you a physical card instantly, which would likely have better acceptance than contactless phone-only solutions.

user71659
  • 3,683
  • 1
  • 20
  • 24