If you’ve never added funds to a PS4 child account, I got you covered. In this quick guide, I’m going to list all the steps that you need to follow in order to fund your kid’s account.
But first, let’s set some things clear regarding your master account and your child’s sub-account.
What you need to know about your PlayStation master account wallet
Your Sony Entertainment Network account contains one wallet which is available for each master account. You can use the funds available on the respective wallet to purchase content from the PlayStation Store.
Your main account can also be linked to a sub-account. The sub-account owner can use the funds available in the master account wallet to buy content and games for the PlayStation console.
But there’s a catch: only the master account can add funds to the wallet. The sub-account can only access the wallet to spend the funds, it does not have the rights to add funds to it.
Now that we’ve seen how Sony’s wallet system works, let’s see how you can do to add funds to your child’s PlayStation account.
Steps to add funds to a child account on PlayStation
- Select the Options icon.
- Go to Transaction Management.
- Select Add Funds.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to add the funds.
- Now, go to Parental Controls and set a limit for your child to use each month.
For more information on how to set spending limits, see Set Spending Limits on Child Accounts.
As you can see, you cannot create a separate independent PlayStation wallet for your child to use. For the time being, Sony does not support this feature. The sub-account actually draws money from the master account.
As Sony explains:
Child accounts do not have a wallet. Children can purchase content and services (within their spending limit) by using their family manager’s wallet.
Perhaps Sony will introduce independent wallets in the future. In this manner, master account owners can separate their purchases from the ones made by other family members.
Always set spending limits on Child Accounts
Always prevent your kid from having access to buy whatever games they want with your credit card. Setting up a monthly limit for your kid is crucial is you don’t want to have any unpleasant surprises.
Take all the precautions measures you can to avoid seeing your kid’s game spending go through the roof. Games are fun and kids like to try as many new titles and possible. But this can quickly drain your card.
If you want to completely eliminate that risk, here are some alternative methods to add funds to your kid’s PlayStation account.
Alternative solutions to add funds to a Child Account
- Buy a gift card. Then simply login to the child account and add credits from the code.
- Purchase a PlayStation card. You can find one at most gas stations or shopper drug marts. Simply enter the code on the back to add the funds.
Having a common wallet makes it a bit harder to track what each user does with the funds.
If you have any comments or suggestions on this guide, feel free to comment below.
References and Further Reading:
I had to search out how to get to my wallet first after reading this article. Other than that, thanks. And buying a gift card proved to only redeem on my master account.