DALLAS -- PAYjr, a financial education firm and online servicethat specializes in helping parents teach children about moneymanagement and budgeting, has rolled out a prepaid Visa card aimedat teenagers.

The PAYjr Visa Buxx Card is issued by BankFirst, Sioux Falls,S.D., pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc. The program isavailable to parents and teenagers via PAYjr's Web site and throughPAYjr's growing number of bank and credit union partners, the firmsaid.

The new PAYjr Visa Buxx Card provides parents with a valuabletool aimed at teaching teens, ages 13 and older, how to managemoney and provide hands-on experience using a card forpayments.

Different than a typical prepaid card or debit card, the PAYjrVisa Buxx Card gives parents complete control and visibility intoall the spending activity. It provides teens with a level ofindependence while still giving parents supervision. In addition,the program does not charge NSF fees and will decline transactionsif beyond the available prepaid balance.

"Forcing teenagers to learn how to manage money using cash isthe equivalent of teaching teenagers to conduct research with acard catalogue at a library," said David Jones, the CEO of PAYjr,"My kids are unlikely to ever write a check or even use cash; weare moving to a cashless society and I believe it is very importantto teach young adults how to use these tools while still underparental supervision. Our program does not advocate credit carddebt, our program advocates education."

In addition, the firm said the new card can be personalized in away that other prepaid cards cannot. The firm uses technology fromServerside Graphics, a London based company, to enable teens toupload, enlarge, rotate, move and flip their chosen photos insidethe PAYjr Visa Buxx Card template, so teens can get just the cardthey want.

The firm has also launched a card design competition,encouraging teenagers to show off their design skills for a chanceto win an Apple Macbook and the opportunity to earn royalties fromtheir card designs.