Mobile phone plan for a 10-11 year old?

[ChristmasTidyings]

What data, call and sms allowances do you have on your DC's mobiles? We took the lowest for DD, she has a prepaid with 10 MB/month data. This is eaten up just by the basics of running the phone when she's out and about (system services), she hasn't been actively using her data and she's only taken her phone out a couple of times in the month. I've turned mobile data off for now.

She will soon start to go by bus alone to one of her clubs and I want (her) to be able to:
check the bus time table in the app
track where she is

i.e. I need to leave mobile data running when she's out and about. How much data do you think she would need for this?

The next prepaid plans are 40MB, 200MB, 400MB.

I’m starting to wonder whether this thread is a wind up. You’ve been given excellent advice, none of which is what you are seeking.

@Shitfather the question is there in my OP:

I need to leave mobile data running when she's out and about. How much data do you think she would need for this?

The next prepaid plans are 40MB, 200MB, 400MB.

I then clarified to say I didn't want to be told recommendations for a deal, I am only asking about data volume.

400 would possibly be just about enough if she turns her phone off as soon as she gets to school and then turn it on once on the bus. If settings allow make sure no data is used by any other apps bar the tracking app. It will be difficult to manage though.

I use around 900 a month .

@JustAnotherManicNameChange Thanks. She's not allowed her phone at school so that's not an issue yet. It will be only to go to her club at the moment and maybe if she starts to go further afield with her friends towards the summer. At the moment she leaves her phone home when she goes out to play.

DS has 2Gb. I think he used to get 500Mb on the same deal (£6pcm on Giffgaff) and that was also OK.

Obv make sure it only does updates when it's on WiFi.

A bit of headroom so she can send the odd photo to friends may well be appreciated though.

Cross posted, DS takes his to school every day

How long are the contracts for? Can you start on a 200 one, see how data gets used and how much, then reassess before she'll need it on the bus/going to school?

It seems so bloody expensive for what you're getting tbh, but it would be a good trial run. If she has loads left, then keep going with it for he first half term and decide then. If she runs out with minimum usage now, then you'll know it won't be enough come September .

@ISawFreeShips she has no friends on yet. (Her choice, three classmates had a chat set up and caused no end of problems so she decided to stick with just family for now.)

I pay £6 a month on Sky for my 10yo. He has 2GB data and sometimes goes over but we have all of our sim cards on that account and all the unused data rolls over. We currently have 85GB in the piggy bank so giving him an extra 1GB here and there is easy!

Oops, just skimmed further down! Ignore my last comment.

Basically DS10 uses between 1-2GB. Sometimes over, but not often.

OP I'm not sure people can answer your question. In the UK data is so cheap that you can get several Gb for under a tenner a month, the cheapest is probably about 2 Gb for £5, no-one bothers with even 400 Mb plans because it lasts hardly any time at all even if you don't do much with your phone, because apps use quite a bit unless you're very careful. I pay £7 a month for 15 Gb of data but probably only use 3 or 4, but will save hardly anything by reducing my allowance.

Chances are that the 400 Mb plan will not be used up if she forgets to turn off her data while out.

Are those plans really all that is available where you are?

recomendations for a deal seem sensible to me?

you can’t really calculate how much she’ll use, if buses are on time she’ll use a lot less than if one is cancelled or she misses one and she needs to google alternative routes.

better to have too much than underestimate and she finds herself unable to use her phone to get home.

so best bet is to get the cheapest deal for a reasonable amount.

mine has 8gB for £6. I don’t think you can get much cheaper tbh.

My DD10 has 4gb with unlimited texts and calls she has an iPhone 13, this costs 40 per month. I do occasionally have to gift her some of my data

Is she tied in?

I’ve just got dc an iPhone 13, unlimited calls/texts, 50 GB of data.

£32.99 a month.

@BarbaraofSeville yes those are the best deals available. I can't believe there's such a difference, I assumed data costs and usage would be similar everywhere!

My 10 year old is currently going through the phase of being on face time to her best mate as much as possible when out and about of the house - she's used 11gb this last month but she's a bugger for sitting watching YouTube when she's out and on mobile data and stuff. She has a 15gb data allowance and she knows when that's gone her phone becomes a stupid phone for the month... I need to go through and just double check nothing's running in the background and eating her data allowance cos I haven't done that for a while and I do it habitually with all our house devices every now and then.

You need to get her something like a gift gaff goody bag for a month with more than she’ll need. Let her do all the things she’s going to and see how much she’s used after the month. Then you’ll know what she needs.

Which country are you in?

I assumed when you said that was all that was available in your region you really meant that was the only network you could pick up at home.

Fine, but I prefer to provide a bit of overhead so she can grow into the next stage IYSWIM. Whether that's whatsapping you a location pin, or sending a pic of a llama to her friend, is beside the point - it's still developing towards independence. We have tried to keep a bit of to and fro going on WhatsApp with our kids, finding excuses for them to ring us for a lift etc, just so it's normalised and they develop the skills they'll need in an emergency. By cutting it to the absolute bone so she can't do much with it, you might risk her having a phone she is not empowered to use when she really needs to. Just something to consider - like I say, DS has an absolutely minimal deal at £6pcm so we are not big data users, but it is enough that we can keep that to and fro going.

Are cheap contracts available where you are? Your prepaid plans give such little data that it will be used up if she as so much as sneezes when out.

@Kpo58 I'm on the cheapest contract, the 2gb for £17.50 one, as is DH.

Do these contracts include phones, or are they sim only? They just seem so very expensive compared to the UK.

Examples of what people can get in the UK. And these are the 1 month rolling contracts (which aren't always a contract, they work more like PAYG). 2 Gb would be under a fiver a month.

Where in the world are you? No one pays that much for so little data in England. I think thats why you aren't getting the answer you want, people don't think about SIM only contacts like that imo. They really are so cheap that no one needs to ration their data, there's no "shoulds" or "needs" involved

Sim only. DD has been given MIL's old phone.

DC has 100MB (yes MB) a month on iPhone and that’s more than enough to play the games they play for over an hour a day to and from school. I got them a £34 Sim from 1Pmobile for unlimited txts and calls and 100MB data for a year! It’s now £36 a year with 250MB a month.

You need to get wise as to what apps / settings can use data.

Some operators seem to eat way more data than others too.