To not buy more phone credit

[RoseMartha]

Dd age 13 wants more credit.

She uses wifi at home.

In two days used up all her data. Mainly making tictoks and using sm to message friends photos and videos when out.

Now she wants more data.
I have told her she needs to learn how to budget her data over the month. I am on fairly tight budget.

She still has unlimited texts and 500 mins of calls left.

I know if I pay for more it will be used up just as quickly. AIBU to say no?

2g is nothing. My Dd's have the £10 Giffgaff package. It's £10 for 6g.

@SoupDragon

Hmmm... 2gb is tiny. I'm not surprised she uses it all up (although it's what I have and I don't use it all!).

Really? I run a business from my phone and I have 2GB!

There is obvioulsy a whole other world out there...

But yes, SIM only deals could be your saviour here, OP. Get HER to do some research and decide how much SHE is going to pay per month.

She is never content with anything. As soon as she gets something she wants she is onto the next thing and cant enjoy what she does have. I feel I need to keep to it to make point. Make that point. Teach her the value of the things she uses! She'll soon learn to enjoy what she has. That's basic psychology by the way. Free things have no value. The more expensive something is to an individual the more it is valued, looked after, treasured.

I think you're being fair, she has plenty of texts and minutes left if she needs to make contact in an emergency or whatever, and can use the WiFi at home. 2gb isn't much, and there are better deals out there, but if you wanted to look for one for now she will have to wait. As you say, there will always be a want for more and more.

2gb for a 13 year old is sufficient! I'm pretty sure I had 500mb at that age.
Wait till Christmas and expand it as a gift. Then she wont expect a repeat and she's had some practise managing her data better.

Firstly I'd make sure WiFi assist was off on her device. If she's in a part of the house where is WiFi is weak, she'll be eating through her data without realising. Also make sure she is using the WiFi at home. My DS6 learnt the hard way (he only has 1GB) that watching videos in his bedroom wasn't sensible as the WiFi in there isn't great and he soon out of data. He didn't ask me for any more though.

She'll have to help more at home to earn more data. Doing the washing up or vacuuming isn't exactly hard.

Check the wifi connects to her phone properly, at home my phone doesn't connect properly in certain rooms and I was going through data really quickly.

@Nottherealslimshady

2gb for a 13 year old is sufficient! I'm pretty sure I had 500mb at that age. Wait till Christmas and expand it as a gift. Then she wont expect a repeat and she's had some practise managing her data better.

And when you were that age presumably credit actually meant something, but now teenagers don’t text and they don’t call, and everything they do all the time uses data.

So what may have worked for you years ago does not work now.

On giffgaff the golden goody bag gets you 10gb per month, compared to £8 for 2gb.

For the sake of an extra £2 per month (if you can afford it, I’d just increase it next time it recurs - you don’t actually have to tell her you’ve increased it! How would she know? My kids have gift gaff accounts that I control through the app on my phone - they have no idea how much their data allowance is!

@Nottherealslimshady

2gb for a 13 year old is sufficient! I'm pretty sure I had 500mb at that age. Wait till Christmas and expand it as a gift. Then she wont expect a repeat and she's had some practise managing her data better.

When I was 13 mobile phones didn't exist, does that mean no 13 year olds should have one now?

You know it's 2020 now?

I think 2GB is plenty, it’s what I had pre-lockdown and I’ve gone down to the 500mb goody bag now. That was for browsing the internet during my 3 hour daily commute and it was enough - she needs to learn to budget!

2gb is small but not tiny. I did have 20gb before on my phone as it was cheap but when I upgraded they said I rarely went above 3/4.
Certain apps obviously use a lot more data. Facebook is a big one - I deleted the app and go on the webpage and that saved a lot.
It is doable, maybe compromise and go up to 3gb?

I feel really old, I have 500mb and it lasts me a month!

IM never sure why everyone does not have unlimited data.

@Nottherealslimshady

2gb for a 13 year old is sufficient! I'm pretty sure I had 500mb at that age. Wait till Christmas and expand it as a gift. Then she wont expect a repeat and she's had some practise managing her data better.

That’s a really good idea to couch it as a Christmas present so it’s seen as a one time only occurrence!

IM never sure why everyone does not have unlimited data

Because for most people they'd be paying for something that they don't need and never use so are throwing money away every month.

IM never sure why everyone does not have unlimited data

Because 500mb a month is enough and costs me less 5 pounds a month. Why would I pay for something I don't need?

@FabbyChix

IM never sure why everyone does not have unlimited data.

Cos it costs more than £5 / month!

I used to have an unlimited phone but realised that I rarely used much of the minutes, texts or data! Even when working in places with terrible coverage I manage to run my business on my phone, via an App. I just don't know how anyone who works for a living could use enough of anything to warrant paying for unlimited data etc.

Try VOXI. I can send a referral link if you like. You get 12 GB for a tenner a month (rolling contract) AND free social media use on top of that.

How about telling her the budget per month is £8. She won't be getting any more data this month, but if she wants to take the time to research a better deal from a different provider for more data she can, and if she wants to top up £2 or more a month then she needs to do the research and pay up out of her own savings or if she doesn't have any, come up with ideas to earn it.

To those saying 2gb is nothing, she's at home, she's used it all in 2 days. She can still text and phone. And she can make tiktoks etc at home.

If she's used 2 GB in 2 days then 8 GB isn't going to be enough for a month anyway, so she needs to use the WiFi more or pay for an unlimited allowance but either contribute to the cost or make other sacrifices so that it's affordable on the OPs budget.

Otherwise she needs to reduce her usage to under whatever allowance is affordable.

YANBU.

I would have said that if it's the first time, give her extra credit once (get a "bolt on" or equivalent because paying for data directly from the credit is extortionate). I'm sure everyone's got caught out by using too much data at least once. But if you think she won't be able to handle that then that's out.

2 GB is plenty if you normally use your phone connected to Wifi. I just use satnav and ocassional browsing when I'm out and it's enough. But it won't go far if you're a heavy mobile data user.

Regarding switching networks. Make sure you check the actual network that's used on a signal coverage checker. I made the mistake of switching to a network using a signal that was bloody awful at my home, and I was missing calls and texts because of it.

Smarty sim only are good value

My eldest gets 80gb a month with giffgaff for £20 a month.

We do have wifi but we live in the sticks and its not great, so I get her the biggest package.

I havent done anything yet because while I can see 2gb is not loads, since posting my first message I discovered she had been texting friends last week at school sneakily when she was in lessons and phones are not meant to be out and I dont feel she deserves me to up it to £10 and 8gb.

Which would be my max for her and is what I have for myself. As I said previously I am on a fairly tight budget.