How much is a lost tooth worth? Significantly less than two years ago, according to Visa's annual Tooth Fairy survey, which has been published to promote a new app and Facebook calculator for guilt-tripped parents.
Visa's survey of over 4000 US households found that American children are receiving an average of $3.19 per lost tooth this year, a decrease of 24 cents from last year. Kids can expect to receive approximately $64 on the road to adult teeth, down from $74 only two years ago. 2015 marks the second year in a row that the Tooth Fairy has left less under pillows, showing that even fictional creations are not immune to austerity-era household budgeting.
In conjunction with the survey, Visa is releasing its first Practical Money Skills app for Android, an updated iTunes Store app, and an updated Facebook calculator all to help the Tooth Fairy determine the appropriate amount children should receive for lost teeth.
The apps and calculator use Visa's 2015 survey data and factor in demographics such as gender, age, home state, family size, marital status, income, and education levels to formulate how much money the Tooth Fairy is leaving in comparable households.
"Visa created the Tooth Fairy apps and calculator so that anyone - from the first time mother to the father of three - can get an idea of what the Fairy is leaving under pillows in other households," says Nat Sillin, Visa's director of global education. "It's a fun and helpful glimpse at next door, or thousands of miles away."