You discover it at boarding: your 15-year-old is heading to an exchange program in the US and no bank back home has a card for them. Paths exist, but no one explains them properly. Wise multi-user solves it with real parental control and low spread. C6 Conta Jovem works for a teen traveling with family. A prepaid card from an FX bureau is almost always the worst option — and the one that sells most at agencies. This guide gives you the right choice for each scenario, with limits, risks, and what to do when the card gets lost at 10 PM in Lisbon.
13 min read
The question always lands the last week before departure. "My 14-year-old is going to Disney with school, what card do I give them?". Or worse: "My 17-year-old's exchange to Boston was approved, she boards in 20 days, the bank here said she can't have an international card. Now what?".
Now what is this: Brazil doesn't have a native product like the US PiggyKid or Greenlight cards for minors. Itaú, Bradesco, Santander, Nubank — none of them sell a prepaid international card for under-18s with parental controls and a decent spread. The local market for minor cards stopped at the teen checking account for kids who get an allowance. If your child is traveling, you'll have to improvise.
The good news: you can improvise well. Wise has a multi-user product with dependents from age 13. Nomad issues a supplementary card linked to the titleholder's account. C6 has a Conta Jovem that works in some scenarios. And for young kids (6-12), the problem simply doesn't exist — parents centralize everything on their own international cards.
The bad news: most parents fall for the FX bureau marketing. They buy a Travel Money prepaid card at the airport, pay $110per dollar when the official rate is $100(nearly 14% spread), and still think they're financially protecting their kid. They're just burning money.
This guide separates what works from what looks like it works, organized by real scenario.
The structural problem: why no native product exists
International cards for minors in Brazil hit three regulatory walls:
- Minor law: under-18s cannot have their own credit card without explicit judicial authorization in some cases. A functional international prepaid card is viable but requires a guardian.
- FX (BCB Resolution 277): FX operations for minors require documented legal guardians. Banks prefer not to issue separate products — it costs more than it's worth.
- AML compliance: a minor with an independent international card is a compliance flag. Brazilian banks avoid it.
Result: international fintechs (Wise) or those that pivoted to USD (Nomad) filled the void. And C6, the only Brazilian bank with a dedicated teen product, did it without being exactly international — it's a domestic account that pays in dollars with an embedded spread.
The four paths available as of May/26
| Product | Min age | Card type | Parental control | Spread over interbank FX | Typical daily limit | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise multi-user | 13 (dependent) | Physical, dependent's own | High: limits, categories, remote block | 0.4-0.7% | Configurable up to $5,000 | Exchange, teen alone, family travel |
| Nomad supplementary | No formal minimum (supervised use) | Add-on linked to holder | Medium: monthly limit, block | 1.1-1.4% | Up to main account limit | Family already using Nomad, travel with kid |
| C6 Conta Jovem | 13-17 | Brazilian debit with international function | High: parental app controls everything | 2-3% over PTAX + full IOF | $1,000-2,000 (adjustable) | Teen on short trip with family |
| FX bureau prepaid (Travel Money, Confidence) | None (supervised use) | Reloadable card | Low: only per-load limit | 7-10% | Loaded amount | Small backup, emergency |
Straight up: for 80% of cases, Wise multi-user is the right choice. For the other 20%, one of the alternatives. FX bureau prepaid almost never.
Scenario 1 — Kids 6 to 12 traveling with parents
Recommendation: no card needed for the kid.
This is the easiest scenario. Parents already have (or should have) Wise, Nomad or a premium Brazilian card with reduced FX fees. Everything goes through them. The child doesn't carry a card, doesn't have an app, has no financial responsibility.
The common mistake is parents buying an FX bureau prepaid "in case the kid needs it". The kid won't need it. If separated from parents, it's a safety problem, not a money problem — and a card in an 8-year-old's hands is more risk than solution.
Correct setup:
- Parents with Wise or Nomad as main travel account
- $100-200 cash split between the two adults
- Photo of the child's passport on both parents' phones
- Bracelet or card with name + parents' phone numbers (not money)
Card cost for the kid in this scenario: zero. It's the ideal scenario.
About the author
Curadoria Voyspark
2 years in the Voyspark editorial team
Time editorial da Voyspark — escritores, repórteres, fotógrafos e fixers em Lisboa, Tóquio, Nova York, Cidade do México e Marrakech. Coletivo. Sem voz corporativa. Cada peça com checagem cruzada por um editor regional e um chef ou curador local.
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