I wanted to open an Apple Pay account for my 12 years old girl last week. I found that my daughter was not eligible to do that due to age restrictions. Although I tried different ways, I could not proceed.
I went through various resources and got the ideas of people about this. Then I understood that Apple Pay for kids is an area that so many people did not know. I went through thorough research on Apple Pay for kids.
Can kids get Apple pay?
No, kids below 13 can’t add a card to their wallet. It means they can’t get Apple Pay. But, as a family organizer, the family can get apple pay for kids in the apple pay family sharing.
After that, kids can make purchases and send and receive money using an Apple wallet or message app.
How To Set Up Apple Family Sharing?
I found this easy way to set up Apple Family Sharing and invite kids or teens. After that, Apple Pay features will be available for them.
First off all your kid must have an Apple ID
How to create an Apple ID for a kid?
I discovered that a parent who wants to create an Apple ID for a child has to follow two paths.
- When the kid is above 13 years
- When the kid is below 13 years
How to create an Apple ID for my kid above 13?
You may follow these steps to create an Apple ID for your kid who is above 13.
- Open the App Store using your kid’s iPhone
- Tap on the sign-in button
- Choose to Create New Apple ID
- Follow the instructions that ask you to set an email, a strong password, and the region where you live
Note: the email address you provide will be used as your Apple ID
- Fill in your credit card and billing information on the space
- Confirm your mobile number
- After this work is finished, you will receive a verification email.
How to create Apple ID for my kid who is below 13?
On iOS 16
- Open Settings app
- Go to family
- Tap Add member button
- Tap Create Child Account
- Tap Continue
- Type your Child’s name and birthday
- Continue with the on-screen instructions
Note: You can choose the email address of the kid or the gaming center nickname for this. Also, you must provide the CVV of the card you use under your Apple ID.
On iOS 15 or below
- Open Settings app
- Tap your name and then Family Sharing
- Tap Add member button
- Tap Create Child Account
- Tap Continue
- Type your Child’s name and birthday
- Continue with the on-screen instructions
Note: You can choose the email address of the kid or the gaming center nickname for this.
Start A Family Group
Family sharing is not only about sharing money with other members but to share music, movies, and similar stuff.
- Open the settings app on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch device
- Tap the name
- Go to Family Sharing
- Tap Set Up Your Family
- Follow the instructions that appear on the screen
Invite Members Of Your Family
You can send a message or email to invite family members. But, you must specific steps to do that.
I discovered that there are two paths for you to follow according to your Apple iOS version.
If you have a device that runs iOS 16
- Open Settings app
- Tap Family
- Tap Add Member Icon (you will see an avatar icon with the plus sign)
Note: You can directly invite the kids who have an Apple ID. They must enter their Apple ID on their device to accept the invitation.
If they don’t have an Apple ID, you must create an Apple ID for them.
If you have a device that runs iOS 15 or earlier versions
- Open Settings app
- Tap your name and then tap family sharing
- Tap Add Member Icon (you will see an avatar icon with the plus sign)
Note: You can directly invite the kids who have an Apple ID. They must enter their Apple ID on their device in order to accept the invitation. Also, they can accept the invitation through their devices.
What is the minimum age to use Apple Cash?
I saw that the minimum age to create an Apple ID without an adult may vary from one country to another. The below table will be useful to you.
- Above 14: Austria, Bulgaria, China mainland, Cyprus, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, South Korea, and Spain
- Above15: Czech Republic, France, Greece, and Peru
- Above 16: Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands
- Above 13: All other countries, including USA and UK.
After sending an invitation, you may check its status.
How to Check The Status of The Invitation Sent to the kid?
- Open Settings app
- Tap family and then choose Family Sharing
Note: If you have iOS 15 or earlier, you must choose your name and then Family Sharing
- Tap on the kid’s name that you want to check the status of the invitation
- You may see if the kid has accepted the kid now. If you want to resend the invitation, tap resend.
How A Kid Joins Apple Family Cash?
A kid can join the family by accepting the invitation sent by the family organizer. The kid must refer to the text or the email sent by the organizer.
If you can’t find the text or the email, you may find these simple steps to accept the invitation to Apple Family Sharing.
- Open the Settings app
- Tap your name
- Go to Invitations
- Choose the invitation you have got
- Follow the instructions to accept the request
Note: When you accept an invitation, you will be asked if you confirm your account information. Also, you must accept the features that your family may bring in.
If you have a different Apple device to set up Apple Family, this article will help you.
Note : I discovered that the family organizer could add several Apple Accounts to the group. By doing that, the family organizer can share his other Apple IDs to make purchases. It is applicable for himself/herself and other members.
Why my Kid can’t Accept my Apple Family Request?
I saw that some kids had not been able to accept the invitation sent by the family. I found some causes for that.
- Your kid is below 13
- Someone has joined the family using your kid’s Apple ID
- The kid has enabled VPN
- Internet connection is weak
- Your kid switched families before (You can switch the family once)
- Apple Pay restrictions
- Outdated Apple iOS
- Disabled network settings for Apple Pay
- Internet Failure
You may try these fixes for the above problems
- Turn on Network data or WiFi
- Update the Apple iPhone to the latest version
- Set the Apple ID location and General location to the USA
- Disable VPN
What can I do to my kid’s apple pay as the Apple cash family organizer?
After successfully adding your kid to the Family Sharing, your kid will be able to make transactions of him / her own, just like you. But, you can still see to whom they make payments do several more things such as,
- See the kid’s apple cash balance.
- Turn on notifications when your kid makes payments
- Lock your kid’s apple pay
- Select to whom your kid can make payments
How to manage my kid’s apple pay?
You must follow these simple steps to manage your kid’s Apple Pay.
Note: You must be the Apple Cash Family organizer to manage your kid’s apple pay completely. If you are a guardian or any other in the Apple Family, you will have limitations when managing.
- Open Wallet app
- Tap on your Credit/debit card that has been added to Apple Family
- Tap on Three Dotted Icon
- Tap Card details
- Scroll down until you find your kid’s name
- Tap on the kid’s name
Now you will get the access to options.
Conclusion
I hope I have shared everything a parent would know about creating Apple pay for kids. If you still have issues, please contact Apple Pay for customer assistance.