Your teen is smart. Show them how to spend like it.
Teen Debit Accounts
When it's time for your teenager to get an intro to everyday spending, you can start strong with a free debit card that's all their own. Citadel's Teen Debit Accounts are designed to encourage teachable moments and help families practice spending and saving together.
Starting at age 13, teens are eligible for their own account with joint ownership shared by a parent or guardian. You can easily set up direct deposit for paychecks from a summer job, or send and receive payments from friends and family when you connect the card to cash apps like Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle.
Custom Account Alerts
Personalized notifications for parents and teens to track activity via text or email.
Easy Transfers Between Accounts
Move money from your other accounts to your teen’s account as a one-time transfer or recurring allowance.
Connect to Cash Apps
Easily send and request payments between friends and family on Venmo and other cash apps.
Account Details
They’re not a little kid anymore, and they don’t need a little kids’ account. Teenagers get all the features and benefits of Citadel's Ultimate Growth Checking Account, plus they'll pay no fees from Citadel when they get cash at any ATM until after age 25.1 With five tiers, it's the account that grows with you, so you'll never have to wonder if they're in the right account or worry about switching as they get older.
Ultimate Growth Checking for Teenagers
- No monthly service fee2
- Five tiers with benefits & perks that grow as you go3
- Earns interest2
- High Yield Savings rate boost4
- Easy to set up direct deposit
- No fees from Citadel when you get cash at any ATM1
Calculate your potential benefits and see how much you can grow here.
With a Teen Debit Account, you can also:
- Get a free Contactless Debit Card to pay for everyday purchases online and in-person
- Monitor account activity, eStatements, and check balances 24/7 with Citadel’s free Mobile App and Online Banking
- Make secure payments from a mobile device when you add your card to mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Microsoft Pay, or Samsung Pay
- Connect your Citadel savings account to practice healthy saving and budgeting habits
- Set up overdraft protection from another savings or checking account5
- Turn your card on or off if it’s lost or stolen using card controls in Online & Mobile Banking
- Get cash at Citadel ATMs and branches with no fees
- Make online transfers to and from other financial institutions
- Snap a picture in in the Citadel Mobile App to deposit checks
Ready to get started?
Open NowHow to Get Started
Every Citadel member starts with a savings account to establish credit union membership. If your child started early with a Kids Club account, they’re already a member and you can open their new checking account through Online Banking.
If your child is not a Citadel member yet, you can open a Teen Debit Account online, or we can help you get started at a Citadel branch or via Video Connect.
How to Open an Account:
- Select Ultimate Growth Checking
- Enter the teen's information as the primary account holder
- Add the parent/guardian information as a joint account holder
What You’ll Need:
- Child's birth certificate and social security card (or driver's license if applicable)
- Minors are not required to be present to open the account
Once you’re set up, both checking and savings account balances and activity can be viewed any time via Online and Mobile Banking, so you can build a beginners’ budget, transfer cash between accounts, and make adjustments as they grow.
Why Choose Citadel?
Citadel is a not-for-profit credit union that exists to serve the people, businesses, and neighborhoods of Greater Philadelphia, so they can prosper.
Here’s why you should join us:
Better rates & low (or no!) fees
No tricks or hidden selling tactics
Personalized banking experiences, online & in-person
Open to anyone who lives or spends time in Southeast PA
All you need to do is open a $5 savings account to join
![Learn More](/-/media/images/buttons/learnmore_cta.png)
![Newsweek Best Credit Unions of 2024](/-/media/images/why-citadel-images/newsweek-2024-color-220x220.jpg)
![Great Places to Work 2024-25 Badge](/-/media/images/why-citadel-images/greatplaces-2024-color-220x220.jpg)
![Best of Montco 2024 Badge](/-/media/images/why-citadel-images/montco-2024-color-220x220.jpg)
![Best of Chester County 2024 Badge](/-/media/images/why-citadel-images/chesco-2024-color-220x220.jpg)
Browse resources for parents and financial education.
Explore NowAll standard account requirements apply. Information accurate as of and subject to change without notice. Offers may be modified or withdrawn at any time. Fees may reduce earnings.
1 Citadel Debit/ATM Card inquiry & withdrawal fees do not apply to Ultimate Growth Checking primary account owners less than 25 years of age. ATM transactions at non-Citadel ATMs may be subject to a surcharge from the ATM owner. Ultimate Growth Checking accounts may be eligible for surcharge refund based on Rewards Tier.
2 Ultimate Growth Checking: APY is variable and can change without notice. APY is determined by Tier. Tier 1 – No Dividends paid; Tier 2 Minimum 3-Month Average Daily Balance of $5,000 to earn 0.05% APY; Tier 3 Minimum 3-Month Average Daily Balance of $10,000 to earn 0.10% APY; Tier 4 Minimum 3-Month Average Daily Balance of $20,000 to earn 0.15% APY; Tier 5 Minimum 3-Month Average Daily Balance of $40,000 to earn 0.20% APY. No maintenance or monthly service fees apply. Other fees may apply including an inactivity fee, ATM fee, overdraft fee and other account related fees. Fees that can be waived or refunded are listed in each Tier. For full list of fees visit Citadel Banking.com/Fees.
3 The Reward Tier can be adjusted monthly and is determined by the combined three-month average daily balance of all Ultimate Growth Checking accounts on the same unique account number. At the beginning of each month, we will add the average daily balance of the previous three months and divide that figure by three. For new accounts with no existing Ultimate Growth Checking account, the reward tier from account opening to the end of the first calendar month is Tier 1; the reward tier for the second month is determined by the average daily balance for the first month; the reward tier for the third month is determined by adding the average daily balance for the first month and the second month and dividing by two. See the Membership Agreement and Disclosures for details on the compounding and crediting of interest.
4 High Yield Savings: Minimum balance to earn APY is $10,000. You will earn dividends for every day during the period that Your Account balance equals or exceeds the minimum daily balance requirements. Fees may reduce earnings. HYS rates are variable and may change after account opening. One (1) free withdrawal or transfer per calendar quarter, $25 for each additional withdrawal or transfer.
5 Citadel offers several overdraft protection options including Courtesy Pay and automatic transfers from a Citadel savings or loan account. An overdraft occurs when the available balance in your account is not sufficient to cover a transaction. Citadel offers several options for you to avoid the extra expenses caused by a bounced check or insufficient funds. These include: transferring funds from a Citadel Savings and/or Money Market Account; advancing funds from a Citadel Personal Line of Credit; and Courtesy Pay. Citadel offers Courtesy Pay for its members and may pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions: checks, ACH withdrawals, Bill Payer payments, and/or recurring debit card transactions (e.g., monthly payments debited from your account). As a Citadel member, if you have a checking account and qualify, you will automatically be enrolled in Courtesy Pay when you open your account. If you wish to use one of the other options, which may be free or less expensive than Courtesy Pay, you can sign up at any time. We pay overdrafts at our discretion, which means we do not guarantee that we will always authorize and pay any type of transaction. If we do not pay an overdraft, your transaction will be declined and not paid. If you want to use Courtesy Pay to pay overdrafts for one time, everyday debit card transactions (e.g. Starbucks®, Home Depot®, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.), you must opt in and give us your permission. You can opt in by: completing the opt-in form in Online and Mobile Banking by selecting 'Courtesy Pay' under 'Accounts' in the main menu; visiting any Citadel Branch; calling Citadel toll free at 800-666-0191; or you cannot use Courtesy Pay to pay for overdrafts on ATM withdrawals. A Courtesy Pay Fee of $33 will be charged to your account, when we agree to pay an item that overdraws your checking account. We will limit the number of combined NSF and Courtesy Pay Fees charged on any one calendar day to 5. Once you have overdrawn your account you will need to bring the account to a positive balance as soon as possible. Citadel will close and charge off overdrawn member deposit accounts that have had a negative balance for more than 60 days. When making the decision to pay or return an item and charge a fee, we treat each original presentment and representment as an individual transaction. For a complete list of fees associated with overdrafts, please refer to Citadel’s fee schedule. All standard account requirements apply. Information accurate as of , and subject to change without notice. Offers may be modified or withdrawn at any time. Fees may reduce earnings.
© 2025 Citadel. All rights reserved. Federally insured by NCUA.