Photoessay #1069 - Pass from American Express

Today I received this mailer by postal mail.

On the front: "Help teens learn the value of a dollar with 25 extra ones."
On the back: "Introducing the NEW prepaid card parents give to teens"

Inside the latter theme is repeated
"The new prepaid reloadable card parents load and teens use"
and
It's not credit or debit, and it's safer than cash. It's the new prepaid reloadable card parents give to teens.
and
Teens will receive a $25 bonus the first time you reload their PASS Card through November 30, 2010.

If you go to the website, you see where they make their money. $3.95/month after the first year and $1.50/transaction at ATMs.

But that's not the point.

The assumption is that parents give money and teens spend money and this makes it easier for everybody. That money is not the responsibility of the teen (though I don't know that there's any particular age limit). Parents are the source of money and teens can just spend it as they wish until the parents reload it.

What a tremendously enabling tool of entitlement!

American Express working on a great new product based on a societal practice. How to give money to your teens the easiest way. So they can spend it. They don't have to save it, why should they? Nor earn it.

They do provide online tools for parent and teen so they can 'track spending online'. That way you can get into lots of fights about it in addition to providing a generous revenue stream.

So let's say the kid wants money, this allows the parent to go online "See that concert ticket you bought for you and your friend? Did he ever pay you back? And what happened to that $50 you took out last weekend?"

Wonderful opportunity for lots of advice, criticism and explanation. Entitled teens predictably will react with rage and fury. Of course, they know their buddy didn't pay them back and what those tickets cost! The parents are not supposed to rub their nose in it, the parents are supposed to give them more money!!!!!"

So it looks like a good product until you think about it. And maybe, for a compliant kid, maybe.

Another approach would be a teen's own bank account that they manage themselves. You stay out of it. They're capable. And if they blow it and incur those gross fees, they have to figure out how to get out of it.

We love to participate in parental generosity but often this generosity (which feels good to us) does not help our emancipating kids at all.

And check out the last piece of promotion, the TEEN gets the extra $25 if YOU sign up. They're even assuming that the parents cede control over their OWN money. Of course, they would give the extra $25 to their child, isn't that what it's about?

This view comes from years participating with the Changes Parent Support Network. One of the main teachings : No advice, criticism or explanations.