Do you pay teens phone contract?

[Ittakesavineyard]

14 yo wants a new iphone for Christmas. Until
now he’s always had one of our old ones and a £10 data pack.
He wants an older iPhone, preferably with the button or an 11, he’s not so fussed about the latest one.
We can’t decide if to get him a new iPhone with contract circa £40 a month for 2 years or let him choose and bug an older iPhone cash for circa £300-400 which is what he will get for Xmas and let him manage the data/call pack situation with his pocket money. This is what I used to do, and if I ran out of credit and pocket money it was tough. That said, this is unlikely to happen to him he’ll probably always have enough to keep it topped up.

What do you all do? Pay phone contracts or expect them to top up or pay monthly themselves?

We pay for our 12 year old’s monthly contract and will continue to do so whilst he’s at school and uni. We pay for the phone outright. He’s getting a new one for Christmas - an iPhone 13.

Just bought a refurbished iPhone X on giffgaff for £160, pleased with it.
that’s for DS2 who is at Uni . The older two buy their own phones (usually refurbished) and I still pay everyone’s contracts for sim!

I pay for ds phone. I have an iPhone 11 that was 99 quid with a £20 unlimited data package so it doesn’t need to be super expensive.

Yes we pay

I'll pay for mine when they are teenagers- my parents paid for mine until I was 20, on the deal that I would call at least once a week.

Yes I pay the £8 monthly sim for decent data amount.
Generally she gets a "new to her" phone every 2-3 years. Usually a refurbed. Latest one was £400.
Don't pay £40 a month for an older iPhone!

Yes I pay for all of my 3 teenage kids phones and unlimited monthly contract. They usually get a new iPhone every 3 years for their birthday.

I'm paying half of ds phone bill until the end of this contract & then he is on his own. It ends in July next year, he will be 19 & can either pay the full amount & get an up to date phone or swap to a sim only deal, it's up to him.

I pay £10 a month contracts for 13 and 15 year old teens, 30gb data , unlimited minutes and texts so always contactable.
One has my old iPhone, the other I buy secondhand outright.

The DC's phones were bought outright. I pay for a £10 a month goodybag from Giffgaff.

We pay my SD15s iPhone 11contract £31per month it runs out this august so it will be going sim only... I don't think we will be offering her to upgrade or anything if she wishes she can pay the new monthly contract herself

Pay for iphones on contract. Usually Chriatmas presents. Phones are fairly new when bought.

DC 15, 20 and 21

Exactly the same here. If they wanted a fancier phone they'd have to save up for it themselves. We have a cheap family sim only contract. I plan to pay for it until they have left education and have a job.