Once kids start getting older, it seems like the milestones just keep coming faster and faster. I just booked my son on his first solo flight, and I just added him as an authorized user on one of my credit cards.
First Solo Flight
In December, my son has the opportunity to attend a winter tennis camp. The camp is not too far from where we will be spending Christmas with relatives, so it works out for us to drop him off before we head back home with the rest of our kids.
However, picking him up at the end of camp isn’t quite as convenient. Round-trip, it’s about a 10-hour drive. We have to get him in the morning. So, we’d either have to leave at o’dark thirty in the morning to get there by 9 a.m. or drive the night before and get a hotel.
Or, a much easier option is to have him simply fly by himself from San Antonio to Dallas for about $100. The camp offers transportation to the airport, and this way seems easier on everyone.
My son is 15 years old, and he can fly on Southwest Airlines as a “normal” adult without having to go through any unaccompanied minor hoops. He has flown dozens of times with us, too many to count. I’m mostly comfortable that he will find his way to the right gate and the right plane. However, if there is a gate change, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s too caught up in his phone to notice!
First Credit Card
I’ve been meaning to add my son as an authorized user to one of my credit cards for awhile. He’s got his driver’s permit now and will hopefully have his license next summer. But, this upcoming solo flight prompted me to get him his card right now. If his flight is delayed and he is stuck at the airport for any length of time, I want him to have a credit card handy.
In addition to building up his credit, giving him a credit card is an opportunity to teach him about how to use credit cards responsibly. I’m not going to let him go hog wild on using the card to buy candy and fast food wherever he goes. We’re going to go over the bills together and discuss how we pay them off each month. And of course, I’ll show him the points we earn and what we can do with them.
Bottom Line
I have a feeling that these next four years with my son are going to fly by. Don’t even get me started about college tour trips. But for now, we’ll see how he does with his first solo flight and his first credit card.
Parents of teenagers and older kids, have your kids flown solo yet? Do they have a credit card for their solo adventures?
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Nancy,
Sarah flew alone KC to NYC at 14, (perhaps ignoring that she should have done some unaccompanied minor hoops) and Omaha to LA at 16. Jack hasn’t flown alone yet, as he really isn’t adventurous. Sarah did great(other than trying to walk into a janitors closet at La Guardia!) Overall, our kids have travelled enough, that I feel pretty confident that unless there is a major issue they will be ok. We don’t have anyone on a CC, but we don’t use them(other than SW card). But, both big kids have debit cards associated with bank accounts that in a real situation, we can instantly move money to them from our phone. God bless technology!
@Mary Anne That’s great that Sarah’s flown twice! Ha ha about the janitor’s closet!
I sent off my 13 years old daughter ‘more mature than my 17 yo one’ to Boston Ballet summer intensive on Southwest. Her return flight got changed to connection, but she was fine arriving in Denver. My biggest fear was how this tiny girl carrying a big suitcase with another one on her back getting in and out of the bus in between terminals. She managed after stepping into a wrong transfer bus 😉 So proud of her. That and the fact that she made it thru 5 weeks in one piece with so little supervision going from her dorm to downtown Boston. I was grinding my teeth everyday 🙂
Those ballet kids are pretty amazing…our did many summer intensives, as did his friends. Now 2 of his friends are trainees with big companies, and living on their own in apts, at 17 years old. 🙂 Discipline of ballet makes them mature!
@Agnes I’m impressed that your daughter did all that! Wow!
My oldest has had a credit card for the past 2 years, and it has been a life saver especially during their summer break. He’s very responsible with it and knows what type of purchases I’ll approve and which ones he needs permission to charge.
I’m hoping to get a card for my youngest soon since she’s not always with the oldest.
@Stephanie That’s great that he’s so responsible with it! I hope my son learns quickly.
I was skeptical about it helping my son by adding him to as AU to my CC’s but it LEGIT worked. I’ve had him on at least 5 of my cc’s since he was about 12 & he just turned 18. We have a credit monitoring service thru my husbands job & it provides your score every month. His first score was an 805!!!! I was AMAZED!! I had him apply for the Discover IT card because I’d heard it was easier to get approved as a “first card”. Sure enough it was automatically approved with a $2,850 limit. Now I tell everyone ADD YOUR KIDS to your CC’s – it works!!!!! Of course I make him charge is regular spend & pay in full every month. He’s aware of how we are able to travel as often as we do. I’ve been teaching him about this stuff for a while now.
@Stephanie That’s wonderful! I’m glad it worked. I still remember applying for my Discover card on campus many years ago!
Do you know if there is a minimum age for authorized users at the different banks? Our son is a year younger but we were thinking it might be a good time to get him started on establishing credit and taking on more responsibility for having a credit card available to him, to help in similar situations as yours.
@BothofUs2 I looked into the age, and the requirements are all over the board. Some banks have no age requirements, while others vary from age 13 to 16. See this article: https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/what-is-the-minimum-age-to-be-an-authorized-user.php