I signed up for Greenlight through U.S. Bank because I liked the idea of teaching my son good financial habits while giving him a safe way to manage his own money. Greenlight promotes financial education and helping families make smart money decisions, which is exactly what attracted us to the program. Recently, my son withdrew cash from an ATM and was charged a $3.50 fee. I understand that Greenlight has explained the fee was charged by the ATM owner and not by Greenlight itself. My concern isn’t who collected the fee—it’s that there doesn’t appear to be a practical way for kids to withdraw their own money without paying ATM surcharges. Because we enrolled through U.S. Bank, we reasonably assumed there would be a fee-free withdrawal option using U.S. Bank ATMs, or at the very least that any limitations would be clearly disclosed during enrollment. That wasn’t our experience. To make matters more frustrating, I contacted U.S. Bank for help, but they couldn’t assist because they don’t have access to Greenlight account information. Greenlight then referred me back to the bank because the ATM owner charged the fee. As a customer, that leaves me caught in the middle without anyone able to provide a resolution. This feels inconsistent with Greenlight’s mission. If the goal is to teach kids healthy financial habits, they should be able to access their own money without automatically losing part of it to ATM fees. Even though $3.50 may seem small, it matters to a child, and it’s the principle that concerns me.
