What are Spend Controls and how do they work?

Spend Controls help you keep a closer eye on how your family is using their Greenlight card. In addition to the Spend Anywhere account, every Greenlight account starts with 5 common categories that families typically use:

• ATMs
• Gas Stations
• Grocery Stores
• Restaurants
• Gaming

Not using one of them? No problem — you're free to delete any category that doesn't fit your family's needs!

How do they work?

When you first sign up for Greenlight, most of these controls (Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Restaurants, and Gaming) act more as budgeting tools rather than hard limits. Any money moved between Spend Controls is transferred instantly.

If your child or older adult spends more than the amount you've set in one of these controls, Greenlight will automatically pull the extra from their "Spend Anywhere" balance — as long as the “Pull overages from Spend Anywhere” setting is turned on (which it is by default for these categories).

What about ATM withdrawals?

ATMs work a little differently.

For the "Any ATM" category, the “Pull overages from Spend Anywhere” setting starts off by default. That means your child or older adult can’t withdraw more than the set limit — and if they try, the transaction will be declined.

This gives you more control and peace of mind when it comes to cash access.

If you’d prefer to allow withdrawals beyond the set ATM amount, you can toggle that setting on in the app.

Learn more about Spend Controls here!