To ask how many people pay for their teens phone?

[SGlass]

DS (17) is after a phone contract. Obviously it would have to go in my name. He currently gets £10 a week pocket money so the phone contract would replace this. He also works on a Saturday. The contact would be £35 a month.

Is it unreasonable to fund his phone? Or should he be self funding it??

[NapQueen]

I'd fund the contract. Stop the pocket money now he is earning. If he overspends on the contract he pays the additional.

[MillionToOneChances]

I pay a 7.50/month phone contract as part of my DD's pocket money. I've told her I think a phone contract should be proportional to your income, so I'd be very worried if she was spending a high percentage of her income on a phone.

Ultimately it's her choice, though, provided the income is steady. Presumably if the contract replaces your DS's pocket money he won't be asking you for extra money?

[pointythings]

My DDs are 13 and 15 - they have their phones as part of a family contract, works out at £12.50 a month and it's capped. They also get £40 a month allowance into their bank account - all non-school spending comes out of that so clothes, going out, presents for friends - the lot. It's taught them how to budget - DD2 is saving to go to ComicCon in October.

At their ages I wouldn't want them to have a job, I want them to have a life and focus strongly on school. I never had a job as a teenager and I have managed to be a productive member of society, it isn't an essential if family finance allows for it to be otherwise.

[19lottie82]

£35 is a lot for a phone contract. Teen or not.

It usually works out cheaper to buy the phone outright then get a cheap PAYG or sum only deal. Would t be an option for your son to save up and buy them phone and you to fund the calls / texts / data?

[familygermsareok]

I pay for my 14 year old's phone contract. He also gets a monthly allowance to teach him how to manage money. He uses it for all his personal outgoings, cinema/swimming pool/ out with friends/ Xbox costs etc and if he runs out he has to do without till next month. I was originally going to make him pay the phone cost himself but adjust his allowance so that he was more aware what it costs (£25/month) but never got round to it.
He has never gone over his contract but would have to pay from his allowance if he did.

[OddBoots]

A contract is rarely worthwhile. Look at giffgaff.

[Thunderblunder]

DD1 we pay £11 a month for a sim only contract.
DD2 we pay £10 a month and she pays £30 a month. That's for a phone and sim contract.
DD3, DS1 and DS2 have phones bought for them as either Christmas or birthday presents and we pay £5 each every 30 days for a bundle.

DD1 is at university. DD2 is 15 and has just done her GCSE's. They both have jobs during the week for holidays and weekends for term time. Neither get any money other than for their phones..

[Quietlygoingmad67]

I do for my 14yo (who also get pocket money) and my 19yo uni student - who doesn't get an allowance but has a part time job.

[Minniemagoo]

DD1 is 12 and I pay 20 euro a month for unlimited data and calls/texts on a family contract. She also gets 10 euro every 2 weeks spending money.
The phone is just as much for me as her, being able to contact her now that she is getting more independent is worth it.

[DuckAndPancakes]

If you're gonna do it, put blocks and limits on it.

My parents paid my phone contract until I was 20 (idiots) and there were often months where it would be £80+
Though, phone contracts etc are MUCH cheaper now.

[CharleyDavidson]

Neither of my DD's are on contract. They both use their pocket money to fund their payg credit. I have offered DD1 (15) a contract sim but she has refused. And DD2 doesn't really use her phone much yet.

I'd be sticking them on the Virgin £5 contract if they wanted it. I'm only on the £8 one myself. Their phones were bought as a Christmas gift through Amazon.

[GeorgeTheThird]

That's an expensive contract. Would it be cheaper to buy the handset outright and pay for airtime?

[OhTheRoses]

I pay for both of mine and will until they finish uni. Probably £25ish pcm each. A small price for them to keep in touch with me. I pay for their gym membership too

[dementedma]

We pay for Ds contract. He is 14. He also gets £20 a month allowance.
Dd1 and Dd2 pay their own way via part time jobs.

[GoldBear]

We pay for phone. It's capped. Have a deal through DH's work. I intend to pay for it for a while yet!

[blueskyinmarch]

My DH pays for a contract on all our phones. Even for DD2 who is 23 and earning well. He says he gets a good deal having all four phones on it. I think is about £17 each, monthly for unlimited everything. He is happy to pay it and no one appears to be complaining!

[ThornyBird]

My older 2 pay for their contracts out of their pocket money - so yes we pay it indirectly but they are 13 & 14 so not easily able to earn a wage! We provided them with a basic Samsung and they have each chosen to buy a 2nd hand iPhone 4S.

[TheHobbitMum]

I pay for my teens contracts (2 at the moment and 3rd will get a phone next year) and I guess we will keep paying until they start full time work. Although we don't have the most expensive contracts for them, I'd be tempted to lower the pocket money and pay for Contract

[bigbluebus]

Yes but not at that amount. DS is 19 and at Uni so we are funding him anyway. He has a phone on contract on an account in DHs name (I do too) and it costs about £11pm for each phone. That gives more free texts and calls than he needs and usually enough data - athough he has used the data up a couple of times since he's been away and DH has topped up a small extra amount of data to see him through to the next monthly period. All our contracts are capped at £40 so can't go too far wrong without DH being notified.
I would never spend £35 a month on a phone contract - don't see the point.

[AChickenCalledKorma]

We do, for the security of knowing that she will not run out of credit at a critical moment. But it's a £7.50 per month contract and there is no way on earth if be paying £35. If he's desperate for a particular phone and your happy with him having it, why not share the cost.

[Eva50]

I pay for ds1's (20) contract. He is at university and doesn't have a job as he has s/n's and university is enough for him. I also pay for ds3's (9) PAYG. DS3 gets £20 a month allowance. and countless other handouts .Ds2 (18) has a job and pays his own PAYG.

[ThornyBird]

Oh and mine are both on £7.50 per month contracts - different providers but both capped. Little or no data but unlimited texts and a lot of minutes. I figure there is enough wifi about for the data my to be essential yet and they both seem happy.

[SheDoneAlreadyDoneHadHerses]

I pay for DS14's phone. It's £30 a month, unlimited calls, texts and about a gig of data (dunno, he doesn't use it as I've put the fear of God into him about ragging it for videos)
I also pay £10 a month on Spotify Premium as he listens to music offline on his phone when to/from school and when he travels the 15miles to his dads at weekend.

He doesn't get a scrap of pocket money out of me though.

[DurhamDurham]

I pay the phone contract for my youngest and she is at uni, I'll pay it until she leaves and then it's up to her. I did the same for my eldest and she's working full time now and totally self sufficient.....some people would have you believe if you help them out as teens they never learn how to manage money but that's not been my experience of having teens

[MrsJaxTeller]

We paid for all of our DC's phone contracts until they finished uni. All were unlimited data texts and minutes. They all had contract phones from age 14. We funded all 4 through Uni.