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Comment by victorbjorklund

3 days ago

Because no 16 year old kid ever got to buy anything on a card before.

My parents let me fill my tank with gas. They wouldn't let me open an AWS account. Aside from that, if it is misuse of a parents card, then then answer is "chargeback."

  • I am sure many parents would agree with ”I wanna learn using AWS and I need a card connected to the account. Look here it says you can be on the free trial. Don’t you want me to have the ability to learn AWS and get a better future?”

  • Chargeback sounds like trying to defraud AWS. If the parent authorises the child to use their card, then the buck should stop with the parent. AWS has done nothing wrong in allowing an account to be opened with a valid card.

    • Some banks make chargebacks so easy that people just click the chargeback button without trying to reach out to the vendor. I see this a lot - I work for a “vendor”.

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Generally no they don't because they have very limited ability to enter into agreements in the US. It was almost certainly an adult.

  • Isn't USA famous for letting parents take out credit cards on their newborns and pushing them into debt even before they learn to walk? I recall seeing at least a few snippets of movies and TV shows showing that.

    • If you mean parents using their children SSN to open a credit card, this is because US banking system is always decades behind the rest of the world, so they just accept the number blindly even though technically the children aren't allowed to open a loan yet, being minor.

      In theory once the child grows up and shocked that their credit score is ruined, they can file a police report to wipe the debt, but that also means their parents will go to jail, a large risk considering they're likely not in a good physical/mental health in the first place.

      Other countries solved this by either having national ID or a working KYC system.

    • It is possible to defraud a lender and cause your own child grief from bad credit reports and creditors but ultimately the debt isn't collectible or lawful as should be obvious.

Why would a 16 year old not use their own card?

  • Because 16 years old do not have a card with no spending limits, and with very low online spending limits. Most of those cards are even just for withdrawing

    • Spending limits don't particularly matter here.

      AWS doesn't check if your credit card will be able to handle a $5k charge before letting you rack that up, and in fact AWS doesn't support setting any spending limit.

      You just have to put in any valid credit card at all when you sign up, use AWS, and at the end of the month you'll have a bill. At no point does your credit card limit or a spending limit enter into things.

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  • Would they be given their own credit card, or would it be under the parents? Over here minors can't enter into debt contracts like credit cards, so it'd be a direct debit until they are adults.

    • The minor wouldn't be the actual person entering a debt contract here, the parents are agreeing to be responsible for the debt. The minor is only an authorized cardholder.

      Think business accounts. The name on the card might be some agent of the company but they're not directly responsible for paying the debt. The business is responsible for the debt.

    • I think you mean debit card? In the UK at least you need to be 18 to agree to agree to a direct debit too. Rarely comes up since they're mostly for bills, but e.g. for a phone/SIM on contract it has to be in a parent's name for that reason.

    • I don't think the type of the card really matters as long as the limits are reasonable.

      > Over here minors can't enter into debt contracts like credit cards

      In basically all of the western world minors can enter into debt contracts, but are generally not seen as particularly creditworthy.

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  • there are plenty of cards on the interwebz to use. ppl give em away like candies

    • I'm reminded of the bot @needadebitcard on Twitter 10(?) years ago, that reposted pictures of people's cards that they posted on Twitter for the public to see.

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