Ways to Pay

Life Skills · Money & Finance · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which one lets you pay for something without using paper money or coins?
- Tapping a phone
- A shopping list
- A coin jar
Which of these is a way people can pay for something?
- A debit card
- A piggy bank
- A birthday wish list
When you tap a card to pay, no real money is used.
Circle one: True False
Why should you keep a card number a secret from strangers?
- So no one else can spend the money in the account
- Because card numbers are embarrassing
- Because numbers are hard to say out loud
Sam taps his mom's phone to pay for a sandwich. What happens to the money in her bank account?
- Nothing happens, tapping doesn't use money
- Money leaves the account, just like paying with cash
- The bank adds extra money as a reward
Leo buys a $4 pencil and a $3 eraser. He pays by tapping his mom's card. How much money leaves the bank account in total?
Answer: ______________
Jordan gets a message asking for his mom's card number to 'win a prize.' What should Jordan do?
- Reply with the password too
- Send the card number right away
- Tell a grown-up and keep the number private
Maya says tapping her phone to pay is 'free money' because she never sees any coins. What is wrong with what Maya said?
- She is right, tapping really is free
- Real money still leaves her bank account, she just can't see it happen
- Only cash counts as real money

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Tapping a phone · Tapping a phone sends money straight from a bank account. A shopping list and a coin jar are not ways to pay.
A debit card · A debit card is one of the ways to pay. A piggy bank is where you keep money, not a way to pay for something in a store.
False · Tapping still takes real money out of a bank account. You just don't see coins or bills move.
So no one else can spend the money in the account · Anyone who has the card number could use it to spend the money, so it needs to stay private.
Money leaves the account, just like paying with cash · Tapping still spends real money. It leaves the bank account the same as if Sam paid with cash.
7 · Tapping still uses real money, so the prices add up: 4 + 3 = 7.
Tell a grown-up and keep the number private · Card numbers and passwords should stay private. A grown-up can help check if a message like this is a trick.
Real money still leaves her bank account, she just can't see it happen · Not seeing coins move doesn't mean the payment is free. The money still comes out of the bank account.