Mobile data and DD11… what to do?

[Cookingbynumbers]

Dd is 11 and started high school this week.
She travels by bus, about 20 mins each way although yesterday traffic was awful and it was 50 mins coming home. This is not unusual as there seem to be accidents and roadworks constantly!
She has a top-up phone and has used the £10 I put on it in 5 days, mainly on mobile data. She admits she hadn’t realised how much YouTube uses and she’d been watching that on the bus.
So I can’t work out what to do for the best now.
I have deleted YouTube for the moment, she still needs mobile data on for other apps etc that they may need in school.
I think it would be better to go to a contract but can’t work out how much data is sensible. I use very little myself away from home.

What contracts have your high school kids got, how much data allowance? Trying to get an idea of what to go for now.

[quote MrsCatE]@SoupDragon - off to read a book on the commute - I have lots of other activities - (erhmm) hobbies - not sure if they’d be welcome if enacted on OPs daughter’s school run. Obviously, I’m talking about my XFactor rehearsals. Off to re-read ‘Crime and Punishment’.[/quote]
So, you do things other than read. As does the OP's daughter.

I got my DD a pay as you go O2 sim which if you too up once a month gives unlimited calls and text and 16gb data for £10

Voxi pay as you go sim! All social media is free data!

Did your books not teach you that the Internet is vast and there is more on it than towie and love island, some of it is even educational

And I will put a pound in that she is watching mince and not deliberating over the likes of Chaucer or Shakespeare.

If she can’t manage to stay within her limits, then maybe she should have a book in her bag for when she runs out of credit.

I get that people need to decompress. But things cost money and I feel that just upping limits doesn’t necessarily help for the real world.

I’m old. But if I spunked my monthly pocket money week one, I didn’t get extra.

I just got an O2 sim only deal that gives me 20gb at £10/month. Might be time to ditch PAYG!

Another option is for her to download a couple of her favourite programmes/films from Netflix or disneyplus if you have them. It's what I sit and watch whilst Dd is at her activities. She'll just have to remember to download others once she's watched them.

I'm a huge book worm, love reading and I love the feel of a real book. Kindles just aren't the same.

However, reading on a bus/car/train makes me throw up, I get really travel sick very quickly. Even moving my head around too much to talk to passengers in the back makes me feel queasy. I went on the Teacup ride at a fair once - I threw up as soon as I could stagger off. I am that shit with movement.

With YouTube or other phone content, I don't have to stare intently at it - I can half watch, half listen or if I'm feeling queasy, just listen.

Doesn't mean I'm not passionate about reading and books just because they're not my go-to entertainment for travelling.

And as for being on here or doing other things for entertainment? I get that too.

But we all have a budget and a limit to live to and school age is a good time to learn that.

My son has Voxi. Endless social media which doesn't use up your data and £10 per month for 15gb.

I'm on EE and have a sim only deal linked to my account for DD she's gets unlimited text and calls and 10gb a month and because its linked to mine I can gift her some of my 25gb which I barely touch since working from home. I can also cap her spending as well just in case she goes over and doesn't notice.

If she has Spotify, Premium she can download music so it's offline. With 2 teens who like listening to music, family plan works well.

Disney plus and some other services have download to device too

@MrsCatE you seem to be unspeakably ghastly.

And I will put a pound in that she is watching mince and not deliberating over the likes of Chaucer or Shakespeare.

She's watching videos to do with her hobby. if only you'd read that post rather than a book... 😉

I have it in my head that adult DD is on 8 GB/month package.
For £8/month
Previous was 4 GB/month for 4 GB data
DH grumbles but I just can't be arsed to worry about £1/month
Better things to worry about

4 GB for £7... oops...

DS has 20gb of data, unlimited calls and texts for £10 a month which is attached to my Vodafone contract.

Time to ditch PAYG. Shop around. If you look at uswitch or a similar comparison site, it will give you a good indication.

Kids at our school can use phones in school for work so he does use a lot of data. If that’s in your school, I’d go for 10 + per month. I think you’d find she’d run out if it were 2 or 3 gb a month.

Sorry soup. If it is all on hobbies then that is commendable.

I’ve no time to read books any more sadly. 15 hour days and caring for 3 family members kind of fucks with that.

We had a couple of huge phone bills when my eldest started high school, before we both realised just how much data his bus ride activities were using up. I set a limit on his account so he couldn't over-spend and then together we looked at which apps use data (plenty don't) so he switched his data off and just switches it back on when he needs to use it for a particuar app, then switches it back off again (no good if you want to track their progress home but she could text when nearly at her stop or something if you wanted an update).
It does sound like your current set-up is an expensive way to do it, a sim only deal would probably be much better value. I recently got my DD an ID mobile sim only- I think it's £5 or £6 a month and she gets 4G data which is plenty.
It's all just a learning curve, I'm sure she didn't intend to use all her data in one go.

I would start by checking which mobile providers have good coverage in the areas on the way to your DC's school and then see which companies piggyback off them before choosing a provider.

There's no point buying a 25347gb package for £2.50 per month if you can't use it due to poor coverage.

You could also check to see if there is free Wifi that she could avail of on the bus, this is what my DC use when going to after school activities. We are in Ireland and there is free Wifi on most public service buses (along with charging points) and often on private coaches too.

@Bluepop09

My daughter has an ID mobile monthly sim? £6. The monthly contract sims are way cheaper than payg

Yes, ds did too.

I'd really, really recommend Voxi, as I can see others have already. Its an offshoot of Vodafone so coverage is brilliant. I switched when I had to ditch my ridiculously expensive contract after I got divorced (and poor, but very, very happy!) and they're excellent. They have various plans available with all sorts of add ons if they're needed. I went from paying £56 per month to £12 for a better calls/data/text/mms allowance. Yes, I dont get a new phone every 18 to 24 months but with the money I save i dont care. Its cheaper to save and buy one.

Smarty is super cheap sim only deals. I really recommend them. I get 8gb for £7 and can get 30gb for £11 I think.

Voxi, Giffgaff or ID.

www.buymobiles.net/sim-only/smarty-sim-card/smarty-30gb-10?data=30000-999999&lr=0-11.00&n=26

My dd uses her phone in school taxi to pass the time, I don’t think it’s that unusual. Smarty have 30gb of data for £10 a month on a rolling monthly sim only.