Osper is one of the most secure card products currently available for under-18s across the pre-paid debit card and banking industry.
We have developed a card which has a number of features, most of which are unique to Osper, designed to make spending as safe as possible for under-18s. These features include:
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact us via the in-app chat or by emailing help@osper.com.
Osper is not a bank. Our values are fully focused around young people. We deeply believe in our mission to empower young people to manage money responsibly.
Here are some of the ways in which we've tried to build something young people and parents love:
Cash is good for learning the basics of money – especially at a young age. As young people get older, start buying things on their phones or online or are going out on their own, cash is not always right.
For a start it's easy to lose, and once lost it can't be recovered. You also can't measure how much you've spent or keep track of what you're spending it on. Cash can't be spent online, which means having to borrow parents’ credit cards. Finally, cash can't be given to someone who’s 10 miles away and stuck at a bus stop!
Osper is not a credit card (and isn't anything like a credit card). With your Osper Prepaid Debit Card you can only spend the money on the card.
Best of all, we find that Osper Cards build awareness and move families away from the bank of mum and dad. Giving a young person responsibility for a regular allowance through Osper sends a clear message – it gives you a budget to manage, and when that money is gone, it’s gone!
All Osper Cards are blocked Online by default. It’s easy for parents to enable online spending during the activation process or by changing the setting on a per-child basis in the Osper App.
Osper will not work in certain merchants by default. This allows us to block purchases from some merchants including online alcohol-selling merchants and gambling sites, to protect children from inappropriate spending. However, this system does rely on merchants listing themselves appropriately.
In terms of online purchases, retail technology is not yet sophisticated enough to restrict the purchase of individual age restricted items from generalist websites such as Tesco or Amazon so there is a risk a young person could purchase items inappropriate for their age on the internet if the merchant chooses not to age-verify before completing the transaction.
Unfortunately, there is currently no online merchant category code for adult content providers, which would allow us to block that area outright. To that end, Osper has joined the ATVOD (Authority for Television on Demand) consultation and has been lobbying for the introduction of an adult content category code. We are also exploring functionality to alert parents immediately if a young person purchases inappropriate material from a mainstream adult content provider.
Osper is committed to working with retail and technology partners to ensure that we continue to offer as much protection online as possible and help to solve this industry-wide problem. We will continue to improve our services based on industry developments and will always take on board feedback from our customers.
We want to ensure parents understand these risks and can make the call on when their child is ready to take on the responsibility that comes with being able to shop online.
You can read more about how Online Spending works on Osper here.
If you have any concerns we encourage you to contact us via the in-app chat or by emailing help@osper.com.
Using Osper is simple, there are just 5 steps to get going.
First of all parents need to order an Osper Card from the Order Osper Card page. We will then verify their identity and create their cards, before putting them in the post. Parents and Young People will then need to activate their Osper Cards together, including downloading the Osper App.
Young People will need:
Parents will need:
To start using your Osper Card once it has arrived you'll need to activate it through the Osper App.
You will need:
To start activation, log in to the app as a parent and follow the simple steps. Once completed you'll be able to load up money and start using the new Card!
Getting your PIN for the first time is quick and simple. Once you have activated your Osper card, just follow these steps to retrieve your PIN:
Parents can load up money directly from their Osper App. This money will be transferred instantly from parents’ debit cards directly to their children’s Osper Card. That money cannot be transferred to any other location. Every time money is loaded, we email young people and parents to notify them.
Parents can also set up an Osper Allowance - this is a regular fixed amount which is loaded on to an Osper card monthly or weekly. Notification is sent to both parent and child when the amount has been loaded.
Over time, we will introduce other ways for money to be loaded onto the Osper Card - for example, inviting family members to give money.
Osper Cards work everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Find your nearest ATM.
For safety reasons, Osper Cards cannot be used in certain types of shop by default (for example, gambling, some establishments which serve alcohol and dating services).
We are reliant on merchants being accurately categorised to enable our blocking. Please be aware that from time to time, merchants are incorrectly categorised in the coding system (if you find this to be the case, please inform us at help@osper.com).
Your Osper Card can also be enabled for online purchases. Parents will need to turn on online spending during the activation process or in the Osper App.
Free for your first month, then from £2.50 per child per month.
Membership fee paid by parents not young people.
Cancel at any time at no cost.