Carbon Zero Teen Accounts
Take control of your finances and your future, while fighting for the planet.
Let Your Climate Passion Inspire Financial Action
By banking with us, you’re choosing a financial institution that is focused on your future — financially and environmentally.
What Can You Do?
While many big banks use your dollars to fund fossil fuel projects, our mission is to help accelerate the transition to clean energy. A Carbon Zero Teen Account enables you to make a difference across the country and most importantly, in your future.
Fuel Your Mission With Your Dollars
When you open a Carbon Zero Teen Account, every dollar you deposit helps us make clean energy accessible to everyone.
Bank Online-Only
Offering our services online helps us avoid the carbon emissions that come with a branch location. Instead, access your account using our online & mobile banking.
Offset Carbon with Your Finances
Use our Carbon Offset Calculator to see how much of an impact your dollars are making to protect the environment.
Take Action with Your Wallet
When you bank with us, you get access to bio-based compostable debit cards and a Mobile Wallet to pay for purchases via Apple, Google, or Samsung Pay.
Climate Activism Isn’t a Choice For You — It’s Your Future
If you’re between the ages of 13-17, and ready to fight climate change with your wallet, join our mission-focused credit union. See if your vision aligns with ours.
You Believe There Is a Cleaner Way to Power & Protect the Planet
It’s impossible for you to just stand by and watch large corporations and banks pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink. You believe there’s a better way to source energy that reduces the negative impact on the planet and your future.
You Are Constantly Thinking of How to Mitigate Climate Change
Whether you’re advocating for carbon-neutral solutions to power your local school or bringing awareness to the climate crisis in your town or city, your voice is loud and clear.
You Believe Your Personal Choices Empower Your Future and The Planet
You’re always looking for ways to lessen your carbon footprint by creating less waste, using bio-degradable materials, or deciding to carpool or ride your bike to school.
Help Us Fight Climate Change
Here’s what you’ll need to do first.
Join Clean Energy Credit Union
Our online application makes it easy to join our credit union. A parent or legal guardian must complete the application and a State issued ID is required.
Download our app and register for Online Banking
Watch your email for online banking registration instructions. Then, access the Clean Energy Credit Union app through your App Store.
Fund your Carbon Zero Teen Account
There are numerous ways you can deposit your money into your new Clean Energy Credit Union account. Visit our Join page to see all the ways you can transfer money.
Save & spend as you please while supporting clean energy
Debit cards arrive within days of opening your account and you’ll have access to mobile wallet via Apple, Google, and Samsung Pay.
What is the Impact of Your Dollars?
Ready to see your impact? Enter your current balance to calculate the carbon offset of your account.
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.
The Carbon Zero Teen Account is a youth checking or savings account that is available for teens aged 13-17.
A parent or guardian with government-issued ID is required to complete a membership application with the teen. During the membership process, we recommend adding the teen as the primary on the account.
Yes, but a parent/guardian is required to complete the membership application.
Typically, the teen is the primary account holder and the parent is the joint account owner.
Savings accounts require a $5 minimum balance to maintain the account (and to maintain your membership in the Credit Union). Checking accounts require a $25 minimum deposit to open the account, but no ongoing minimum monthly balance is required. Money market accounts require a $2,500 minimum balance to maintain the account.
At age 18, the account will be transitioned to our standard checking or savings account with the option for the parent/guardian to remain a joint account holder.
The Carbon Zero Teen Account does not offer access to bill pay or accounts transfers. However, the account does have access to free ATM withdrawals from any MoneyPass ATM along with the ability to share online banking and eStatement access with the parent/guardian.
Minor custodial accounts (UTMA/UGMA accounts) and teen accounts are both financial tools designed for minors, but they differ in various aspects.
- In a minor custodial account, the account is opened and managed by a custodian on behalf of the minor. The custodian has control over the account until the minor reaches the age of majority (usually 18 or 21 years old). Whereas a teen bank account is a joint account opened by the teen and the parent or guardian with the teen as the primary account holder.
- With a minor custodial account, the custodian has full control and authority over the account. They make decisions and transactions on behalf of the minor, and the minor typically has limited access to the account until they reach the age of majority. With a teen account, the teen can manage their money, make deposits and withdrawals, and have a debit card.
- With a minor custodial account, the custodian is legally responsible for managing the account and acting in the best interest of the minor. They have a fiduciary duty to handle the funds appropriately. In a teen bank account, the minor assumes more responsibility for their financial decisions, although some level of parental or guardian oversight may still be present.
- Minor custodial accounts are ideal for long-term savings while teen accounts help with learning financial responsibility.
To see more details on the difference between these account types, check out our infographic.
If your parent is a member of Clean Energy Credit Union and chooses to link your teen account to theirs, they will have access to view your accounts and easily make transfers from their own savings or checking accounts directly to or from yours. They will not have access to any card controls or to block any purchases. Any card controls for the teen account will need to be set up through their own online banking account.
If your parent is not a member with Clean Energy Credit Union, they may access your account through your own online banking username and password, or, you may set up a shared access through your online banking portal (under the self-service tab select “share access with others”).
If your parent would like to apply for a Clean Energy Credit Union membership, please visit our join page to start an application. If your parent applies for an account, we will reach out to them to ask if they would like to link their new account to yours.
Please note that only the teen can have a debit card for the teen checking account.
If your parent is not a member with Clean Energy Credit Union, they may access your account through your own online banking username and password, or, you may set up a shared access through your online banking portal (under the self-service tab select “share access with others”).
There are many ways to make deposits and withdraws from your teen account including mobile check deposit, shared branches, ATM network, Coinstar kiosks, mailing a check or transfers from your parent’s linked account.