How to lock a card through the parent view

Sometimes you need to put a card on pause — maybe your child is travelling, you’ve noticed unexpected spending, or you simply want to limit access over the school term. Locking a card in KiddyCash is instant and reversible, so it’s a low-risk way to stay in control without removing the card entirely.

Note: Locking a card stops all new transactions but does not cancel the card or affect the wallet balance. Unlock at any time using the same steps.

Before you start

Make sure the card you want to lock is already issued and active. If you haven’t set one up yet, see how to issue a payment card for a child first. You’ll also need to be logged in as the parent or guardian on the account — child profiles don’t have access to card controls.

Steps to lock a card

  1. Open the family dashboard. From the main navigation, select Family, then choose the child whose card you want to lock.

  2. Go to the child’s payment card. Tap Payment Card under the child’s account section. You can also navigate directly to the card using your card’s unique link: https://kiddy.cash/family/kiddy/account/payment-card/:payment_card_id — replace :payment_card_id with the actual card ID shown in your app. For a full walkthrough of what you’ll see here, read how to view a child payment card.

  3. Open card settings. On the payment card screen, tap the Settings icon (the gear or three-dot menu, depending on your device). This opens the card management panel.

  4. Tap “Lock card”. You’ll see a toggle or button labelled Lock card. Tap it. A confirmation prompt will appear — confirm the action to proceed.

  5. Check the status. The card status will update immediately to Locked. Any attempt to use the card — at a till in Nairobi, an online checkout, or via M-Pesa-linked transactions — will be declined until you unlock it.

  6. Notify your child if needed. KiddyCash doesn’t automatically send a notification to the child’s profile when a card is locked. If your child is old enough to manage their own spending, a quick message avoids confusion, especially if they’re out and need to make a purchase in KES.

Unlocking the card

Follow the same steps above. In step 4, the button will now read Unlock card. Tap it, confirm, and the card becomes active again within seconds. There’s no cooldown period and no need to reissue.

When locking isn’t enough

Card locking pauses spending but doesn’t change allowance schedules, wallet balances, or subscription access. If you need a harder stop — for example, if a card is lost or compromised — consider cancelling the card and issuing a new one. The onboarding improvements covered in What’s new in onboarding in KiddyCash and A closer look at onboarding in KiddyCash explain how card issuance fits into the broader family setup flow, which is useful context if you’re managing multiple children.

For recurring situations — like locking cards every school night — the scheduled controls feature (where available) lets you automate this without manual intervention each time.