Children's credit or debit card system

A computer-implemented method of allowing supervised credit or debit card usage by selectively altering available credit, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing at least one first credit card account, wherein the first credit card account is issued by an account issuer to a first account holder and has an associated available credit figure;
• b) providing at least one second credit or debit card account, remotely disposed from the at least one second credit card, wherein the second credit or debit card account is issued to second account holder and has an associated available credit figure, the at least one first credit card account and the at least one second credit or debit card account being concurrently usable;
• c) receiving a request from a requestor to change the available credit figure associated with the first account, wherein the request to change the available credit figure is a request to increase the available credit figure associated with the first account;
• d) providing a total available credit figure associated with the first and second accounts;
• e) determining whether the request to change the available credit figure associated with the first account will be approved by comparing the amount of the request with a figure established by the account issuer, wherein the figure established by the account issuer is the total available credit figure;
• and
• f) if the amount of the request is less than or equal to the figure established by the account issuer, approving the request, wherein approving the request comprises:
• f.1) increasing the available credit figure associated with the first account by the amount of the request, and
• f.2) decreasing the available credit figure associated with the second account by the amount of the request.

A computer-implemented method of allowing supervised credit or debit card usage by selectively altering available credit, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing at least one first credit card account, wherein the first credit card account is issued by an account issuer to a first account holder and has an associated available credit figure;
• b) providing at least one second credit or debit card account, remotely disposed from the at least one second credit card, wherein the second credit or debit card account is issued to a second account holder and has an associated available credit figure, the at least one first credit card account and the at least one second credit or debit card account being concurrently usable;
• c) receiving a request from a requestor to change the available credit figure associated with the first account, wherein the request to change the available credit figure is a request to decrease the available credit figure associated with the first account;
• d) determining whether the request to change the available credit figure associated with the first account will be approved by comparing the amount of the request with a figure established by the account issuer, wherein the figure established by the account issuer is the available credit figure associated with the first account;
• and
• e) if the amount of the request is less than or equal to the available credit figure associated with the first account, approving the request, wherein approving the request comprises:
• e.1) decreasing the available credit figure associated with the first account by the amount of the request, and
• e.2) increasing the available credit figure associated with the second account by the amount of the request.

A method of supervising credit or debit card account usage by selectively disabling in account, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing at least one first credit card account remotely disposed from at least one first credit card, wherein the first credit card account is issued by an account issuer to a first account holder
• b) providing at least one second credit or debit card account, remotely disposed from the at least one second credit card, wherein the second credit or debit card account is issued to a second account holder and has an associated available credit figure, the at least one first credit card account and the at least one second credit or debit card account being concurrently usable;
• c) creating an association linking the first account and the second account wherein the second account holder has authority to disable the first account;
• d) receiving a request from the second account holder to temporarily disable the first account;
• and
• e) temporarily disabling the first account.

A system for maintaining credit or debit card account records, comprising:

• a) a computer including at least one processor operatively connected to a storage device, the storage device being configured for storing credit or debit card account records wherein each account record is assigned to an account holder, the storage device remotely disposed from credit or debit card associated with the credit or debit account records;
• b) at least one first credit or debit card account record, each first account record assigned to a first account holder;
• c) means for a requestor to remotely enable and disable the first account;
• d) at least one second credit or debit card account record linked to the first account record, each second account record assigned to a second account holder, the at least one first first credit card account and the at least one second credit or debit card account being concurrently usable;
• and
• e) wherein the requestor is the second account holder.

A system for maintaining credit or debit card account records, comprising;

• a) a computer including at least one processor operatively connected to a storage device, the storage device being configured for storing credit or debit card account records wherein each account record is assigned to an account holder, the storage device remotely disposed from credit or debit cards associated with the credit or debit account records;
• b) at least one first credit card account record, each first account record assigned to a first account holder;
• c) at least one second credit or debit card account record linked to the first account record, each second account record assigned to a second account holder, the at least one first credit card account and the at least one second credit or debit card account being concurrently usable;
• d) means for a requestor to change the value of the available credit figure associated with the first account, wherein the available credit figure remains denominated in a sinele unit of denomination, and wherein the requestor is the second holder.

A computer-based method for processing a request to approve an expenditure using a credit or debit card, wherein the credit card is issued by an account issuer to a first account holder and is associated with a first credit card account, comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving a request to approve the expenditure;
• b) accessing an available credit figure associated with the first account wherein the available credit figure is determined by an entity other than the account issuer;
• c) comparing the available credit figure with the amount of the expenditure wherein the available credit figure is determined by a second account holder, and wherein a second account and the first account are concurrently usable by the second account holder and the first account holder, respectively;
• and
• d) supplying an approval or rejection of the expenditure.

A system for receiving requests to approve a credit or debit card expenditure by a first account holder, assessing whether the expenditure will be approved or rejected, and providing an approval or rejection indication, comprising:

• a) a computer including at least one processor configured to access a first credit or debit card account assigned to a first account holder, the computer remotely disposed from the first credit or debit card, the processor further configured to access a second credit or debit card account assigned to a second account holder;
• and
• b) a communications device configured for communicating a request to approve the expenditure to the computer;
• wherein the processor is configured to assess whether the expenditure will be approved or rejected by accessing an available credit figure associated with the first account and determined by an entity other than the account issuer, the processor further configured to approve or reject the expenditure responsive to the assessment, wherein the value of the available credit figure assigned to the first account is determined by the second account holder.

A system for receiving requests to approve a credit or debit card expenditure by a first account holder, assessing whether the expenditure will be approved or rejected, and providing an approval or rejection indication, comprising:

• a) at least one first credit or debit card account, each first account assigned to a first account holder;
• b) at least one second credit or debit card account, each second account assigned to a second account holder;
• c) a computer including at least one processor configured to access the first and second accounts, the computer remotely disposed from the credit or debit card of the first account holder, the computer further configured to provide concurrent use of the first and second credit or debit card accounts;
• and
• d) a communications device configured for communicating a request to approve the expenditure to the computer;
• wherein the processor is configured to assess whether the expenditure will be approved or rejected by accessing an expenditure counter associated with the first account, the processor further configured to approve or reject the expenditure responsive to the assessment, and wherein the expenditure counter is determined by the second account holder.