Pixpay
Pixpay (gruppo GoHenry / Acorns) · Visa
Pixpay is a Visa payment card with an app for kids aged 8 to 18, managed by parents: automatic allowance, parental controls, an IBAN for top-ups. It is active in Italy at pixpay.it. It is not a bank: the card is issued by IDT Services Limited (Malta) and the IBAN with SEPA access is provided by Modulr Finance B.V. (Netherlands), both e-money institutions. Plans range from Start (3.99 EUR/month) to Classic (5.99) to Premium (9.99), per child. Full KYC is on the parent.
Data & conditions
| Account fee | €4 |
|---|---|
| IBAN | dedicato |
| Deposit guarantee | None (e-money account) |
| Multi-currency | No (single currency) |
| Outbound transfers to third-party IBANs | Yes |
| Utility direct billing | No |
| SEPA direct debit (SDD) | No |
| On-chain crypto withdrawal | No |
| SEPA transfer | Free |
| Card included | Carta di pagamento Visa inclusa (per minori 8-18 anni) |
| Network | Visa |
| ATM withdrawal | Free |
| Fund custody | Custodial (platform holds funds) |
| KYC | Full |
| Supported countries | EEA |
| Regulator | MFSA (Malta) / DNB (Paesi Bassi) |
| Segment | B2C |
| MiCA / License status | Carta Visa emessa da IDT Services Limited (Malta, EMI)Conti IBAN e accesso SEPA forniti da Modulr Finance B.V. (Paesi Bassi, IMEL) E-money: Malta EMI card + Netherlands EMI IBAN |
Plans & pricing
Start
- Price
- €4
- Cashback
- 0%
- Net annual cost
- €48
- 1 Visa card
- 1 free withdrawal/month in the eurozone
- Free payments outside the eurozone
- IBAN for top-ups
Classic
- Price
- €6
- Cashback
- 0%
- Net annual cost
- €72
- 1 customisable Visa card
- Unlimited free withdrawals in the eurozone
- 1 virtual card
- IBAN for top-ups
Premium
- Price
- €10
- Cashback
- 0%
- Net annual cost
- €120
- 1 exclusive-design Visa card
- Free withdrawals worldwide
- 15 free payments/month outside the eurozone
- Unlimited disposable virtual cards
Strengths
- Built for families: automatic allowance and full parental controls for kids aged 8-18
- A real Visa card with Apple Pay / Google Pay and an IBAN for top-ups
- Onboarding with full parental KYC; the parent keeps control of funds and spending
- No notable sovereignty advantage documented.
Weaknesses
- Not a bank and funds are e-money: no deposit guarantee (EMI safeguarding)
- The fee is paid per child, from 3.99 to 9.99 EUR/month
- A multi-issuer setup (card in Malta, IBAN in the Netherlands) that is opaque for the user
- Custodial: the platform holds your funds and can freeze or lose them.
- Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
- Subject to regulation (E-money: Malta EMI card + Netherlands EMI IBAN): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.
Verdict
The 3.4 (tier B) rewards a product well built for its purpose: giving kids aged 8-18 a real Visa card with automatic allowance and full parental controls, with onboarding and full KYC on the parent who keeps control of the funds. On the protection front, though, Pixpay is not a bank: the card is issued by IDT Services Limited (Malta) and the IBAN by Modulr Finance B.V. (Netherlands), both e-money institutions, so the money has no deposit guarantee, only EMI safeguarding. Also weighing in are the per-child fee (3.99-9.99 EUR/month) and a multi-issuer setup that is hard for users to read.
Pixpay is custodial by design and centred on control: full parental KYC, funds held by supervised e-money institutions, spending and limits governed by the app and blockable. It is the opposite of the trustless model, and rightly so for an educational tool aimed at minors: nothing is self-custodied and every movement routes through censorable issuers.
Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.
"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.
FAQ
Is money on Pixpay guaranteed like in a bank?
No. Pixpay is not a bank: the card is issued by IDT Services Limited (Malta) and the IBAN accounts by Modulr Finance B.V. (Netherlands), both e-money institutions. Funds are not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme but held separately (safeguarding) under e-money rules.
From what age can Pixpay be used and who controls the card?
The card can be issued to kids aged 8 to 18. The parent opens the account with full KYC, manages allowance, limits and blocks from the app, and keeps control of the funds.
Sources
- Official service page Emittente carta · IBAN · Circuito · Piani Data verified on Jul 12, 2026