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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

ds wants a contract phone and I feel a bit odd about it

42 replies

hercules1 · 08/02/2009 10:08

We've all always had pay as you go but I recently got myself my first contract phone (good deal at tescos for £20 a month). Ds really wants one too.
I tend to top up his phone at the moment each month for £10 but he could easily use it more if he had the opportunity.

It's not about the money I just wonder if it is a reasonable thing for a 13 year old to have a contract phone or if most have pay as you go.

So who is being unreasonable- me or him?

OP posts:

Ponders · 08/02/2009 12:28

Calls & texts are better value on a contract, but once a child (& 13 is still a child) knows they can make as many as they like without having to top up they are likely to let rip.

Also if he lost it, anybody who found it could run up a huge bill before it was blocked.

My 15-yr-old is still on PAYG & pays for it himself. His is with O2 where a £10 monthly top-up includes 300 texts on top of the £10 - I'm not sure if they still offer that exact deal but I think there may be a £15 equivalent.

I have an O2 simplicity sim with 200 minutes & not-sure-how-many texts for £15 a month - 4 of us are on O2, & calls between us are free (I think!)

Original poster

hercules1 · 08/02/2009 12:28

Thanks. I feel the same.

OP posts:

Ledodgy · 08/02/2009 12:30

I'd also be wary about getting him a good phone because of the appeal to muggers. Young boys with good phones are often targets.

oxocube · 08/02/2009 12:47

ditto smudge

Ponders · 08/02/2009 12:47

O2 text anytime

I'm v glad I came on to this thread (thank you, hercules!) because I've just discovered that my £15 200 mins/400 texts tariff has been improved to £14.67 (VAT reduction presumably) with 300 minutes & 600 texts so I've rung them & asked to change.

I'm a bit that they don't do that automatically, or notify users that it's changed - bit like banks where they change the interest to 0.05% on the account you have when they bring out a better one...

nelix2000 · 08/02/2009 13:13

I have 02 payasyougo. For £15 top up every month i get unlimited phonecalls and texts to other 02 users....just get everyone on 02! lol

SugarBird · 08/02/2009 14:30

DS2 has just turned 15 and he has a T-mobile contract where if he uses up all his minutes and texts, he has to top it up with pay as you go. So he can't run up a big bill. I pay the £15 per month contract, and if he wants to use it more than this (doesn't happen often!) he can pay the extra.

SugarBird · 08/02/2009 14:33

Just checked and it's called U-fix. Hope that helps

larry5 · 08/02/2009 16:23

Dd is on Tesco payg which allows her 500 texts per month if she pays £15. She tops up her phone about every other month so the first month the texts are included and the second month the £15 credit is spent. Dd doesn't make many phone calls.

Mind you, she frequently gets extra texts added at the end of the month - so 1000 free texts for her £15. We are not sure why this happens but she is not complaining.

beanieb · 08/02/2009 16:25

A friend of mine got her son a contract phone (he was 12) and ended up with a £500 bill because he'd been downloading pictures of Hollyoaks babes

I think unless he can pay for any big bill he might run up then it's a bit risky.

mumeeee · 08/02/2009 17:40

It is not the norm for a 13 year old to have a contract phone.
DD3 17 has got a pay as you go phone as she says she would easily spend to much on a contract phone. I

TheThoughtPolice · 08/02/2009 17:45

No, 13yo's do not need contract phones. IMO they don't need phones at all, but if you must then a PAYG is more than adequate.

Stargazer · 08/02/2009 17:45

Absolutely No! No! No! My DS (also 13) decided that he wanted a Blackberry no less and that it would be fine as we (poor parents) could pay for the contract. Once my DH and I finished laughing, we realised that DS seriously thought this was possible.

We've told him that once he's earning his own money and living in his own flat - if he wants a mobile with contract - then he can get it. He's not been very happy with us since about January 1st - still the up side is that it can be quiet in the evening

MitchyInge · 08/02/2009 17:49

my teens have both had contract phones for a number of years - only once has one of them gone madly over the limit and that was a genuine mistake (she thought a psychic line was a normal landline number)

there is of course, or was, a good combination of payg/contract from t-mobile - mix it or u-fix it was called, you set the monthly amount and once they have used that they can either top it up or wait for next billing cycle

I hate the idea of them not having credit or being unable to contact friends/me when needed but we live in a rural area where everyone is very scattered, so when staying with/visiting friends they can be a long way from anywhere

not that there is always a signal of course!

SugarBird · 08/02/2009 18:01

Yes it's U-fix and once they've used their monthly allowance they can't make calls or texts unless they put some pay as you go on there. Works well for us.

2shoesformyvalentine · 08/02/2009 18:03

sorry late to thread.
ds has only just got a contract, he is 17(on tuesday) and can pay for it himself. no way would he have had it at 13

lottiebunny · 11/02/2009 00:08

I would never take out a contract in my name for my kids. Mum paid for my first contract phone and even then I had to wait until 18, put the contract in my name and she just transferred the money into my account before the bill came. There is always a risk that the bill is too much to pay and you end up with a bad credit rating.

Perhaps you could help him save up for a better phone, saving his pocket money or giving him extra cash for doing more chores. You can get a decent phone for around £100 at the moment.

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