What are Spending Categories and how do they work?

All Greenlight accounts are set up with 5 spending categories that represent the spending categories most common for kids and teens.

These categories are ATMs, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurants, and Online Gaming.

When you first join Greenlight, your "Gas Stations", "Grocery Stores", "Restaurants", and "Online Gaming" Spending Categories act more as budgetary guidelines than hard spending rules. 

For these categories, the "Pull Overages from Spend Anywhere" in your Spend Control Settings will be turned on, meaning any money that a child tries to spend beyond this amount will be withdrawn from their "Spend Anywhere" balance.

The "Any ATM" Spending Category is the one exception to this.

The "Pull overages from Spend Anywhere" setting will automatically be turned off when you first open a Greenlight account. This prevents children from withdrawing more than the allotted "Any ATM" Spending Category amount, assuring that parents continue to have maximum visibility over their child's spending.  

Unless you toggle the "Pull overages from Spend Anywhere" setting on for "Any ATM", your child will never be able to withdraw more than the allotted "Any ATM" amount, and any attempts to do so will be declined.

Learn more about Spending Categories and Spend Controls here.