All offers / Money apps / Step
Examined Jul 27, 2026 Teen banking No figure published Step publishes no referral figure for the person joining. Its terms never promise one, either.
Step also notes that "referrals are available for active Step users, and may be capped", without saying at what, read three separate times on July 27, 2026.
What pays what
| You, joining through their invite | Rewarded, amount unpublished |
|---|---|
| Anyone who is not an active Step user, trying to refer | Not available |
| A direct deposit that is not in the joining person's own name | Does not qualify |
| Referrals past a cap Step does not publish | May be capped |
| Any reward Step decides not to credit, for any reason | $0 |
| Step Black, the premium tier | $4.99 a month |
Do this, in this order
- Get the invite from an active Step user, and expect a ceiling. Step's FAQ limits referrals to active Step users and adds that they "may be capped", without publishing the cap. If someone's invite quietly stops working, that is the likely reason and there is no number to plan around.
- Sign up through their link and read whatever figure the app shows you. Step's terms reserve the right to vary the amount at its sole discretion, so the only statement that applies to you is the one in front of you at signup. Believe the app, not this page and not a deal site.
- Expect a funding minimum, and expect it to be unstated. The terms require the referred user to meet qualification criteria "including getting sponsored by unique Users of separate Step Accounts, funding their Step Account with a required minimum amount of funds". Step never states that minimum. Ask the app what it wants before you plan around a number.
- Make sure the qualifying direct deposit is in the joining person's own name. Step states it outright: "The qualifying direct deposit must be in the referred user's name to be eligible." A parent's pay routed into a teenager's account does not qualify it.
- Do not count the reward until it is in the account. The terms are unusually blunt here: "Step reserves the right to decline to credit your Step Account for Referral Rewards earned at any time and for any reason." Earned and credited are two different states, and only the second one is money.
The rest of the fine print
Any reward is a point value first. Step's rewards are points that redeem as cash into the Step account, and the terms cover the redemption rate with the same sole-discretion language they use for the reward itself. Both halves of the conversion can move.
Ignore the October 2024 page. Step's own limited-time-offers page still serves an expired promotion from October 2024, and it is the reason so many summaries of this offer are wrong.
Is it worth your time?
If a fee-free debit card for a teenager is something your family actually wants, use a friend's invite, because it costs you nothing. What this is not, under any reading, is a reason to open an account. No figure is published for your own side, and the funding condition has no stated size either. Choose the account on its merits.
