Mom Must-Have: PASS from American Express

When I was in high school I was horrible with my money. Every babysitting dollar I earned went to clothes and shoes. I wasn’t “rolling” in cash, maybe making $50-75 a week, but I never saved it up. I always spent it.  When I was in college, I wasn’t much better. Instead of purchasing clothes and shoes, I bought airline tickets to visit my boyfriend who had graduated 2 years before me and was living in Pittsburgh. I actually remember the day my parents sat me down (they had been buying all of my tickets for me) and said, “That’s it… if you want to visit him, you need to get a job and pay for the tickets.” I got a job working at the Brown University Admission Office giving tours and doing various tasks in the Office. Again, I wasn’t rolling in the money… I wasn’t able to visit my boyfriend as much as I wanted to… but still, I wasn’t saving a dime. Everything I made, I spent. And just for the record… that boyfriend is now my husband. 😉

I never budgeted my money.

I never took true responsibility of my money (I was always begging my parents for money in high school and college!).

I never understood – I mean, truly understood – how quickly money can be spent.

Well, that was then and this is now. Fast forward 11 years out of college. I’m now a mom of 4 boys, and now it’s up to ME to teach budgeting and financial responsibility.

Enter the American Express PASS Card. (Moms… you are going to LOVE this.)


The PASS is a prepaid card for parents to give your teens. This is one of the smartest ways to teach budgeting to your kids. As soon as I heard about the PASS Card, I knew I needed to share – not only with my readers, but with every single mom friend in my life! Financial responsibility can be a difficult thing to discuss or teach your teen, I love how American Express is making it tangible and practical for parents through the PASS Card. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be an American Express Cardmember to have one or load funds for your child.

So what are the benefits of the PASS?

YOU choose the amount loaded. And YOU are able to access an online balance to see where the funds are going and how much is left on the PASS. So you will be able to see where the money is being spent and what it’s being spent on. I love this because I would want some insight on what the card is being used for… if only my parents had had this back in 1993! You load. They use. Both of you track and it’s fee free until October 2011.

And… the cool thing is that your teen will receive text alerts when you have added funds or when their balance is getting low.

To get a better feel of the PASS, I played around this morning on the American Express PASS Shopper Showdown. I was able to decide how much money to upload. Then I was able to go “shopping.” It’s pretty amazing how quickly you can “fly” through money…

As a mom, I know this is exactly what I would want my sons to have on them. Budgeting and financial responsibility is a skill I want them to have. Especially today… with so much readily available for them through technology, I want to know that they’re being smart with money. It’s something that’s so essentially important for them to know.

Thanks to my friends at SheSpeaks there’s an awesome offer for anyone who wants to sign up for the Card, enter SS25 when you apply and you will receive $25. Click here to get a Card or visit www.americanexpress.com/shespeakspass

So load them up… and feel good about it!

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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1 Comments

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