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??

I do pay it - I don't mind helping my kids as long as I can.

I pay for both my teens' contracts £30 each per month. Dd19 will be out of contract at the end of the year, so it'll be up to her then

I don't pay anything towards DD's phone. She's 14 and, since she was 12, has budgeted for her phone use out of her £10 per week allowance.

I grew up poor so budgeting and learning how to control spending is a big issue in our household. She's got very good at using the home wifi for WhatsApp rather than texts and only calls if absolutely necessary.

Phone was a birthday present, there's wifi at home and we pay £8 a month PAYG. It's barely on my radar.

I pay £10 a month for two BT sims. For £5 each we get 200 mins. 500mb data and unlimited texts . It's this cheap because we have bt broadband. We hardly use our data allowance because every where we go the phones tap into whatever wifi is available, at home and work also. The signal is good too because they use the EE masts.

Tesco sells off phones cheap instore sometimes. We got a Samsumg trend thing for £29. We then top him up £15 a month and it gets free credit added so he's got £45 in total. He gets £10 a week on top of that for helping around the house, and an extra £5 if he does some work with his Dad.

DD's first phones were DH's cast-offs, now has an iPhone which was an xmas present. Always PAYG. She uses wifi at home and (now she's in the sixth form) school so no data charges - so top-ups are infrequent.

I do x3
As much for my benefit as for them. I give them a lot more freedom than I would if I didn't know they could always contact me or an über

A contract is rarely worthwhile. Look at giffgaff
Once you include the cost of the phone then giffgaff isnt particularly cheap.

We limited our to about £20 a month when they were younger which was always unlimited calls and text and at the time unlimited internet. once ds was older and wanted a better phone he paid the difference.
DD 18 now has a Samsung S6 for £27 a month which is unlimited calls and texts and4 gb data, but she forewent her pocket money for that and she has p/t job

We use buymobiles.net or mobilephonesdirect.net. They always have very good deals on those sites and much better than i can get directly upgrading directly with my own contract.

I pay for DD's. Hers is £30. I've only got one child so its more manageable. I don't mind at all. She gets pocket money too but only £5-10 a week depending on behaviour/helpfulness around the house. She does have DH wrapped around her little finger though so I'm sure she gets more

Mine have sim only contracts and get given our old phones when we have new (we're sim only as well - buy handsets outright) and then I sell the old handsets to get some cash back...

The contracts are capped - I have to buy more data if they reach their limit and i don't - they have to wait till the next month

I was previously of the opinion that I worked as a teen so they should too, but I have come around to thinking that provided they understand money and budgeting, it isn't so important

They originally got their phones and £5 a week - but DS is now driving too so i give him £20 to include petrol too - I save his bus money for school and I no longer have to drive to activities

In return he is also expected to give DD lifts when needed - so I have my evenings free as well

I expect help around the house generally but will pay extra for some jobs

I pay for ds1 at £29 a month unlimited, only after he looked after his previous phone for 3 years on a £10 sim only deal. I agreed to pay it rather than increase his allowance same difference really DD has my old iPhone on a sim only deal which is only £10 a month.

I pay for 3 teens, 2 contract 1 payg.
Works out about £80 a month, I'm happy to pay it.

Contact yes but find a cheaper one!

If he wants the more expensive one he pays the difference. He also needs to pay for any out of contract useage

We pay £34 for ds who is 16 and £24 for ds who is 13 - low income household but never have holidays, very rarely go out for dinner and it ended up that eldest was given an iphone from a generous friend so we paid for unlimited sim - youngest was given old samsung and had unlimited sim, but youngest got upset that eldest had iphone so we took out 2 year contract for birthday. Since then, eldest broke iphone and we ended up getting him another - I've always wanted an iphone but can't afford one for me or dh. I know - I know

... forgot - and because they are not unlimited and don't get much data even though extortionate prices, they are now going over on data and I will have to take phones off them if it happens again.

YANBU if that's what you want to do, but I've never funded any of my dcs phones.

If you are already giving him £45 a month, then I'd leave it to him to pay it - I bet you he'd soon find a MUCH better deal than £35 pm

I pay for contract phones for both of my children, we live in a fairly rural area which has woeful public transport. I like to make sure they have phones with lots of text/minutes/data . They've never abused it, and I'm happy to do it. Part of their monthly money allowance. We're not affluent, and they're both earning too :)

I've never paid (and would never pay!) £35/month for a phone. Like lots of other PPs, I buy sim-free handsets and separate packages for data, etc. My two teenage DDs wanted iPhones and bought second-hand ones themselves with birthday money. We're currently on fantastic deals through TalkTalk - but BEWARE. As we're on the same (my) account, ALL 3 OF US have had our phones blocked WITHOUT ANY WARNING when one of the DDs has gone over her data limit - particularly not funny when the younger one needed hers for lifts/security at a party some distance away. Can't understand how they can get away with this and not give the account-holder any warning? I paid DS's until he was 20 - intend to do the same with the others. This has alway been in addition to their allowances, which they lose when they leave school. Time for them then to take responsibility.

we pay for both dc's phones and will till they earn full time money and can pay for them themselves

We pay for ds 16) and (14) phones, approx £15 each per month. £35 sounds a lot for a teen.

Thats too much. A frien'ds daughter was on 10 gbp per month for a 24 month contract (with family). it was super capped. Serves 2 purposes - saves money and otherwise kids will be on whatsapp, fb, other online stuff all day.

£35 is a lot. I pay for my uni age DC, their totally unlimited contracts cost £20 each.

That's a lot isn't it? I pay for all the phones in this family (5 people) and I pay about £35 a month for all of them put together.

I would do a deal tbh. If he wants a £35 pm phone, he has to pony up some dough. DD has just upgraded hers to a £12.50 pm one and will be paying me £5 of that (she is 15 and does a paper round so can easily afford that).