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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

first mobile phone, what's best payment options?

49 replies

FrameyMcFrame · 15/05/2011 18:16

Hi, just need educating on the best way to go about getting DD a mobile phone.

Is there a way you can get a joint parent and child contract so I pay her bill and mine? Like a deal where it's cheaper?

Or is pay as you go the best way forward? Or will there be constant arguments about top ups?

If she gets a contract phone how do I stop her from going over the allocated amount of minutes/ texts?

She wants an iphone or android internet type phone obviously... I don't want to pay more than £20 to £30 per month though..

How do others go about it? Confused

OP posts:
readingurz · 15/05/2011 18:51

Best to go for pay as you go. Networks won't guarantee
They. Will stop extra mins and texts being used

Ponders · 15/05/2011 18:54

PAYG much safer for first phone, but then you have to pay for the phone, obv. I wouldn't get an iphone for a young teen anyway (but I know a lot of parents do)

Trouble with contracts is as reading says, it's too easy to rack up a big bill, esp if the phone is lost/stolen & not reported instantly.

Original poster
FrameyMcFrame · 15/05/2011 20:40

Thanks for the advice, why is an iphone a bad idea for young teen? Is it the internet aspect?

OP posts:
OddBoots · 15/05/2011 20:42

Most (if not all) the teens I have known with mobile phones have lost at least one of them.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 15/05/2011 20:43

There's the internet aspect, there's also the "it's guaranteed to get lost/stolen" aspect.

Cheapy PAYG, £10 pcm top up, and that's it.

cookielove · 15/05/2011 20:50

You will only get an iphone or some similar type phone on a contract for free, pay as you go means you have to pay for the phone, iphone first came out on 02 so look there if you want to get a cheaper one, also we bought dps i phone off ebay.

Ponders · 15/05/2011 21:09

It's a bad idea mostly because of the value & desirability of the phone & the cost of replacing it if lost or stolen. You can get amazing contract bundles with free iphone (or similar) & 100s of minutes & texts, & free internet, but you can almost guarantee the phone will be lost before the contract runs out.

However both O2 & Orange do monthly insurance at £6-7 which does cover loss (I think)

I'd make her show she is reliable with a cheap phone on PAYG to begin with (another mean mummy Grin)

Ponders · 15/05/2011 21:14

My DS2 went through a lot of PAYG phones in his early teens - mostly because of carrying them in the unzipped side pocket of a pair of trackies Hmm.

He managed to keep his last phone for 2-3 years so I finally let him get a Blackberry; but he is 18 now & a bit less casual!

Original poster
FrameyMcFrame · 15/05/2011 21:49

I see, thanks. Didn't think about the lost/stolen prospect!
will look at less expensive options on PAYG first then :)

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 15/05/2011 22:12

Expect her to go through her first few top-up in about a day a couple of weeks, but hold firm to what ever budget you decide.

TheVisitor · 15/05/2011 22:14

Cheapy nokia 6300 or similar and then look at www.giffgaff.com. Their £10 a month does 150 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet on PAYG. Am in the process of shifting all my kids over to this.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 15/05/2011 22:18

Unlimited texts a very good idea.

scotlass · 15/05/2011 22:18

Def PAYG

DD lost her first one and had to wait 6mths till xmas for replacement, she's very careful now Grin

Also we have the rule £10 per month, use it wisely! She kept stum when she tried out the internet connection and had no money after 1 week

We've agreed when she's paying herself she can have a blackberry or iphone

mrswarthog · 15/05/2011 22:25

you can set a limit with your phone provider though. You can ask them to put a stop on it after a set amount has been reached eg £15 /20. A lot of the android phones have good data & text bundles as part of the contract.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 15/05/2011 22:38

Maybe it's got better, but I have heard of phone companies where parents have thought a limit had been set, but the company didn't actually enforce it. Angry

ImtheDD1 · 15/05/2011 23:32

Pink Samsung touch screen

My sister has had this phone for ages, about 2 years. Has landed in the bath, puddles, damaged screen etc etc - still works.

Plus is touch screen useless faff very "on trend" and pink :D

gingeroots · 16/05/2011 08:24

So.... if you buy an iphone ,can you just put the sim card in from your old ,cheap ,pay as you go network ?
Or is it restricted to certain networks ?
( We use Tescos ,which I think is O2 ) .
I don't understand these things !

Danthe4th · 16/05/2011 08:38

If you want an unlocked phone you'll need to get it from carphone warehouse or mobiles.co.uk, my dd has just bought herself a refurb blackberry for £90 from there and they are always unlocked.
She has had the tocco for a while its a good first phone. She has to put her own credit on age 14 she does a paper round.
My rule is they must always have at least £2 of credit for emergencies.
My other dd 16 has a viewty and has a £10 per month contract for free texts and £300 mins but no internet access.
Minimum contract for an iphone would be £30 possibly £35. If you just want a smartphone you could get a free phone and a contract for £20.
Orange used to do a family account but they don't now and i'm not sure if anyone else does.

Danthe4th · 16/05/2011 08:41

If you use tescos then you'll need to get the iphone from tescos as they can't be unlocked straight away. If you are going to use an iphone on payg make sure it has internet access and tell her to do all her downloads using wifi as it will just burn the credit.

Original poster
FrameyMcFrame · 16/05/2011 19:17

Interesting... thanks, I'm learning a lot here :)

OP posts:
MedusaIsHavingABadHairDay · 17/05/2011 07:54

Also in the process of switching my teens from contract to Giff Gaff pay as you go... it's a fab deal, and no contract as long as you have an unlocked phone it's ideal.

I would NOT have a contract phone for a teen.. I learned the hard way. My DD has been fine.. never gone a penny over (she has unlimited texts and 200 mins) but DS... several near £200 bills to his long distance girlfriend....:(
His contract just ran out and its Giff Gaff from now on!

Iphones BREAK.... I have one and my eldest has one (she paid!) and we have both had to replace the screen several times...

generalhaig · 17/05/2011 11:20

ds1 had cheapish payg model for the first 3 1/2 years of secondary school - he went in y6 and had a train journey so did really need one, rather than just wanting one iyswim

Because he proved he could be responsible with his phone (managed not to lose it for 3.5 years - and this is the boy who can lose pretty much anything else that's not physically attached to him at all times), we got him a Blackberry curve for his 14th birthday. At the moment he never goes over his call allowance but thank god we got unlimited texts!! he also pays £5 a month for BBM which allows you to send unlimited messages to other blackberry phones (pretty much all his friends have got the same model). It cost me £20 a month and the phone was free (18 month contract) - no way would he be getting an iphone at this age (and iphones are for old gimmers acc to most young teens!)

gingeroots · 17/05/2011 12:13

okaay.... get her to do all her downloads using wifi -
not sure I understand what you mean here Blush
ummmm .... link it with laptop and download stuff ???
Please help an old woman .

SoupDragon · 17/05/2011 12:21

"he also pays £5 a month for BBM which allows you to send unlimited messages to other blackberry phones"

He need to look at an App called Whatsapp which is available on Blackberry and iPhone and allows free texts/MMS to other users.

DS1 (12) has his eye on my iPhone when my contract is up for renewal but I am not convinced he should have it. I won't be upgrading until the successor to iPhone4 is out though so I have time to decide.

Definitely PAYG. I put £15 on DSs phone at a time but will not top up more than once a month. If he went over this I would probably top up early once and then "fine" him by making him pay for the next top up if it happens again.

CandiceMariePratt · 17/05/2011 12:31

I added dd on to my Orange account for an extra £15 a month which has unlimited texts and internet and about 200 minutes talk time. She has a free Blackberry phone which is quite good

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