Take home Penny, the Patelco Panda for FREE with a new qualifying youth checking or savings account.1
Schedule AppointmentFor children under 13 please have their Social Security number. For 13 and older, you’ll also need to provide a school ID, Passport or state ID.
Visit a local branch or open online with Virtual Branch™ from the convenience of your home (appointments available).
Make saving fun and easy – your child will walk away with new financial confidence and a new plushie!
This holiday season, give the gift of financial confidence and healthy money habits to the next generation.
Open a new eligible account at a branch near you or meet now using video banking with Patelco Virtual Branch™ – and get Penny, the Patelco Panda, for FREE! While supplies last.
Access your child’s account anytime from anywhere
Enjoy no minimums, no monthly fees, and high-yield savings
Add yourself as a joint owner or custodian to help monitor and guide your child
Special courses just for youth, including Banzai Junior and Banzai Teen
Debit Mastercard® for checking accounts protect them with zero liability protection on unauthorized purchases
Instantly transfer funds from your account to theirs
Want to learn more about our checking and high-yield money market accounts for children or teens? Click on the buttons below to explore some of our basic product features.
Teach teens to be money smart with no monthly fees and daily limits. Plus, earn up to $100 total in rewards.3
Take advantage of no fees or minimums with our everyday, worry-free checking account.
A great way to build savings – earn 2.00% APY4 on balances up to $2,000.
A free, starter savings account, included with membership.
You’ll need the Social Security Number for children under 13. For 13 and older, you’ll also need to provide a school ID, Passport or state ID.
We recommend that you open the account together with your child so they can walk out of the branch with Penny, especially if you have teens who can pick up their debit cards in the branch. However, for age under 13, it is not required for the child to be present as long as you have the proper documentation.
It’s easy. Open a qualifying account at a branch or Virtual Branch and your child or teen will receive our limited-edition Patelco Panda (while supplies last!) Qualifying accounts are:
A savings account is a great way to save birthday money or allowance, and get your kids started on the concept of budgeting. If your child is under 17, a Kids Savings or Money Market Select are both good options to start saving early. You can open the account with joint ownership with your child, or a custodial account that doesn’t give them access to the cash until they are adults.
No. We don’t charge a monthly fee or require a minimum balance for our Kids Savings, Free Checking, Student Checking or Money Market Select accounts.
Some parents may want their teens to learn to manage their own money at an earlier age, while others prefer to delay until college. Allowing teens to manage their own money creates opportunities to teach good money habits and responsibilities. For example, your teen can learn to budget or save a portion of their allowance for a larger purchase. Your teen(s) can open a Student Checking account by themselves. Alternately, you can choose to be on the account as a joint owner and have more oversight.
Also, if your teen is new to Patelco, for a limited time, when they become a Patelco member by opening a Student Checking or Free Checking account (for college students, age 18-21) with a $100 minimum deposit3 using code R7BWNBFB, we’ll deposit $50 into the savings account. If your teen also opens a Money Market account, we’ll deposit another $50 into their Money Market account. This special offer is in addition to receiving Penny the Patelco Panda!
Yes, if they open a Student or Free Checking account, in most cases they will be able to receive a debit card on the spot at the branch and access their card digitally in the Mobile App. Student checking has a $200 limit on debit card transactions and $100 limit on daily ATM withdrawals.
RoundUp is a free automatic savings tool designed to help your teen save with every purchase. Every time they use their debit card linked to their checking account, we’ll round up to the nearest dollar and transfer the difference from their checking to their savings account of choice. So, if they spend $5.75 on boba, we’ll round up the difference and transfer $0.25 to their savings. Every cent counts toward growing your savings!
To enroll, log in to Patelco Online™ or the Mobile App, and navigate to the main menu, then select Rewards & Wellness, then RoundUp. We can also help your teen enroll at a branch when they open their account.
Our Money Market Select account dividend is paid at tiered rates based on the deposit amount. For example, you’ll earn 2.00% APY on the first $2,000.00. Then 1.50% APY on the balance between $2,000.01 and $5,000.00 — giving you a blended, combined rate of 1.00% APY.
Yes. Your money is insured by NCUA for up to $250,000.00 (or $500,000.00 in a joint account for two people).
Like the FDIC, NCUA provides federal insurance for credit union accounts, while the FDIC provides insurance for bank accounts
Patelco has partnered with Banzai to bring you clear, in-depth activities and information to help your child or teen become money smart. Get access to tools, like articles, calculators, courses, and exclusive Banzai Coaches.
Read different strategies on how to teach children about money, how to be internet safe and even the cost of college life.
Help make the most of this experience with your child or teen and visit a Patelco branch near you. You can also meet face-to-face using video banking with our Virtual Branch — where you can drop in or schedule an appointment to meet virtually from home.
1 Offer available to new and current members for qualified accounts (Student Checking, Free Checking, Kids Savings or Money Market Select) opened in person at a branch or through Virtual Branch. Limit one panda per member for new account opened for members age 21 and under, while supplies last.
2 Source: Over 34,700 5-star reviews across Apple iOS and Google Play app stores.
3 The offer applies to new members using code R7BWNBFB to open a new checking account (minimum deposit of $100) at a Patelco branch only by 12/31/2025. Student Checking is available for ages 13-17. Students age 18 and older will be eligible for Free Checking with the same offer. The $50 checking reward will be credited to the savings account within 5 business days of the qualifying new account being opened. Receive an additional $50 reward by opening a Money Market Select or Money Market Plus account once you’ve met the checking account reward requirement. The additional $50 will be credited to the money market account. If you receive $600 or more in prizes from Patelco throughout the year, we’ll send you an IRS Form 1099.
4 APY=Annual Percentage Yield. Rates are valid as of 10/10/2025 and are subject to change after account opening without notice. Interest is paid at tier rates on balances within each tier. Total interest paid is the sum from each tier. Blended APY shown assumes the amount entered is held in the account for one year. Withdrawing funds before one year will result in a different realized rate. No minimum deposit required to open an account. Limit one Money Market Select Account and one Money Market Select IRA Account per account number.
