SolveWise is built for kids, including kids under 13. A federal law — the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA — says a company like ours can't collect anything from a child until it has real consent from a parent. Not a checkbox. A checkbox only proves someone clicked, and a child can click.
The law asks for a method "reasonably calculated" to make sure the person consenting is actually the parent. Regulators publish a short list of methods that qualify. A card used with a real transaction — one the cardholder gets notified about — is on that list. It fits how SolveWise already works, so it's the one we use.
To be precise: the law doesn't require a card. It requires verified parental consent, and a card is one accepted way to verify it. If you'd rather not put a card down, email us — a short video call with us is another accepted method, and we're glad to do it.
The trial is still free for 30 days. Nothing charges until day 31, we email you twice before that date, and if you forget to cancel, email us within 30 days of a charge and we'll refund it. No form, no reason needed.
One more thing worth saying plainly: most general-purpose AI chatbots avoid these rules by telling under-13s to stay out. We went the other way. SolveWise is built for your kid — which means the rules apply to us, and we'd rather meet them properly than pretend they don't.