Many university and high school students have credit cards in their wallets.

This may cause some parents to raise their eyebrows and pop questions like: Is it necessary for students to possess a credit card? Aren't they too young?

Will they be responsible and wise in using the card?

Ligwina Hananto said it was fine to provide your children with credit cards so long as you had a strong reason.

"If you have a good income and want to provide your children with a credit card in the hope that they can learn how to manage money, it is all right," Ligwina said.

"The most important thing is you should give them detailed information about credit cards, including their obligation to pay the bills before the due date," she said.

She said many parents tended to educate their children to save money, but forgot to teach them on how to spend it wisely.

"Money is payment tool for goods and services. That's the essential thing about money," she said.

"You can educate them step-by-step. If they can manage their monthly pocket money well, it is OK to give them credit cards even if they are in high school.

"The education will be useful once they work and earn their own money," Ligwina said.

Parents should instill in their children's minds that credit cards are only for emergencies, she said.

"It is also important to tell them that they don't own the money," she said.

She said it was now easy for parents to ask for supplement cards, with a certain amount of limit, for their children.

Many parents in the city have provided credit cards for their children.

Evi, for instance, gave her 18-year-old daughter a credit card a year ago.

"It *the credit card* is more practical than carrying cash. It makes transactions easier for her," Evi said.

"My husband applied for a supplement card with a Rp 1 million limit. We trust her. So far, there's been no problem at all.

"We always check the bills and find out that her spending is *normal'. She only uses the card to buy clothes or have lunch or dine at restaurants," she said.

Another mother, Santi, is also thinking of providing her 19-year-old daughter with a credit card.

"I've already consulted with the bank, which issues my credit card, to ask for a supplement card for her. The cards provide a monthly limit from Rp 500,000 to Rp 1,000,000," Santi said.

"I think it will be good for my daughter because she won't have to carry a lot of cash. It's also great to educate her about the credit card system," she said.

Jacqueline Hartono from Citibank Indonesia said that credit card holders who wanted to give credit cards to their children could apply for supplement cards.

"Every type of card has a supplement card with the same limit as the basic one, but a card holder can ask for a lower limit. It's very common for our customer to have supplement cards," Jacqueline said.

Another bank, Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia, also offers a similar service, with different limits depending on the type of credit card.

- JP/Triwik Kurniasari

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