A parent messaged us recently, a little frustrated: “I’ve loaded my daughter’s Junio card, it’s working fine, but it won’t let me keep more than ₹10,000 on it. Is something wrong?” Nothing’s wrong. That ₹10,000 ceiling is exactly how a new prepaid card is supposed to behave — and lifting it is a single, quick step called V-KYC. Since both my daughters are on their own cards, I’ve been through this myself, so let me walk you through what it is and why it’s worth ten minutes of your evening.

Why a new card starts at ₹10,000

When you first set up your child’s Junio card, it’s what the rules call a minimum-KYC prepaid instrument. Under the RBI’s framework for prepaid payment instruments, a card at this stage can hold up to ₹10,000 outstanding at any time. That’s the consumer-protection design at work: a card that’s been opened with only basic details is deliberately capped low, so that if anything goes wrong before full verification, the amount at risk is small. It’s a sensible guardrail, not an obstacle — the low ceiling is protecting your money, not getting in your way.

For a lot of families, honestly, ₹10,000 is plenty. If your child’s pocket money is ₹1,000 or ₹1,500 a month, you may never bump against the cap and may never need to do anything more. The limit only starts to pinch when you want to keep a larger balance on the card — a bigger monthly load, money set aside for a specific goal, or a buffer you’d rather not top up constantly.

What V-KYC actually is

V-KYC — video KYC — is the step that upgrades the card from that minimum-KYC state to a full-KYC prepaid instrument. In plain terms, it’s a short video verification, recorded by you, the parent, that confirms your identity to the standard the RBI requires for a higher-limit instrument. You’re the account guardian, so it’s your verification that unlocks the child’s card; the child doesn’t need to do anything.

The reason a video call is required — rather than just ticking a box in the app — is again the protective design. A higher ceiling means more money can sit on the card, so the rules ask for a stronger, in-person-equivalent check before that’s allowed. Once it’s done, the same card your child already uses simply gets a much higher limit and full-KYC features switched on.

The step-by-step, start to finish

Here’s how it goes in practice. Set aside about ten minutes and have your ID handy.

First, open the Junio app and go to the card’s settings, where you’ll see the option to complete V-KYC or “increase limit.” Keep your PAN and Aadhaar within reach before you start, so you’re not scrambling mid-call.

Second, you’ll be connected to a short video verification. This is a live check: good lighting, a stable connection, and your original ID document in hand. The agent will guide you — it’s brief, and it’s the same kind of video KYC you may have already done to open a bank account or a broking account.

Third, hold up the ID when asked and answer a couple of straightforward prompts. There’s nothing to prepare beyond being yourself and having the document ready.

That’s the whole thing. Once the verification clears, your child’s card moves to the higher tier.

Get the Junio app. Complete V-KYC once and lift your child’s card from ₹10,000 all the way to a ₹2,00,000 ceiling. Set up Junio.

What you get after it clears

Once V-KYC is complete, the card becomes a full-KYC prepaid instrument, and the outstanding limit rises from ₹10,000 to as much as ₹2,00,000 as permitted under the RBI’s rules for fully verified prepaid instruments. Practically, that means you can keep a larger balance on the card, set up a bigger recurring monthly load without hitting the cap, and park money for a specific goal without topping up every few days.

Worth being clear about what this doesn’t change, because parents sometimes assume more than it does. V-KYC lifts the balance ceiling and switches on full-KYC features; it doesn’t, by itself, turn the card into a bank account. Loading is still simplest from inside the Junio app, using your own UPI app, debit card, or netbanking, and the child spends from that balance. (Separately — and this is a different feature from what V-KYC unlocks — Junio now holds its own RBI Certificate of Authorisation to issue prepaid instruments. Building on that licence, your child’s card is getting its own UPI handle so family can send money to them directly; that piece is still in build and expected to go live around September 2026. Until it does, loading stays parent-led. V-KYC itself is purely about the higher balance limit.)

Skip V-KYC if…

If ₹10,000 comfortably covers how your family uses the card — modest monthly pocket money, no large balances parked on it — there’s genuinely no need to do V-KYC at all. The minimum-KYC card works perfectly within its limit, and there’s no benefit to a higher ceiling you’ll never use. Do it when you actually run into the cap, not before.

The ₹10,000 limit isn’t the card being difficult. It’s a deliberate protection on a not-yet-fully-verified instrument, and V-KYC is simply the RBI-prescribed way to say “I’ve verified myself, please raise it.” Ten minutes, one video call, and the same card your child already uses gets a great deal more room.

Have questions about your setup? Email [email protected].