Paying for kid's cell phones

[RE2Boys]

When my boys were about 13 and going places without us, I insisted that they have a cell phone for basic connectivity. The flip phones were $15 and it was $10 a month each to add them to our plan.

Later the older pushed for a smart phone, he bought and paid for a discontinued HTC for $99, told him his entertainment is his responsibility, he paid for the added data plan, I continued paying the $10 per month.

When each turned 16, we gave them a $300 credit to go buy the smart phone of their choice (they spent under $400). We continue to pay the $10 basic connectivity, they pay all other usage charges.

Since then we moved to a Cricket plan (the older boy did the research and porting over) where we have four phones for $100 a month. We still pay the $10 per month, each boy pays us $15 per month.

The younger one dropped his phone in a sink full of water. Turned it into a tablet...everything works except cellular radio. So he replaced his phone with his own money.

I'm still willing to support the initial agreement for connectivity at $10 per month, everything else is their responsibility. Even have a old flip phone that we can resurrect if need be.

I intend to continue until they finish college.

 

[Philliefan33]

While family plans used to be more affordable, things have changed and that is no longer true. We pay $20/mo for unlimited calls and texts and 100 mb of data and there are less expensive plans out there if your needs are more modest. For a few years we paid $10/mo, but our needs changed so we upgraded to the $20/mo plan.

It depends how the phones are used. All four of us on the family plan have smart phones. We share 15 GB of data per month. I just checked our current usage, halfway through our billing period. Collectively we have used almost 3 GB of data. DH has used hardly any, so he would be ok on a plan with only 100 Mb of data. The rest of us are well over 100 MB, so the cheap $20/ month plan wouldn't work for us. The service/fees/taxes on our family plan total $213/month, or $53 each. I don't think we could get the same amount of data for less on individual accounts.

Edit to correct: upon closer inspection of our latest bill, only $160/month for service/fees/taxes. $40 per line.

 

[Dawg52]

I have one friend who still pays for his daughter's cell phone service even though she is 25 and married. He even bought her a $700 phone not long ago. He's 64, about to go through another divorce and is paying for another daughters college education. And just has an average paying job(salesman at my old company) and thinks he will be able to retire at 66. I hope his daughters are off the payroll in 2 years because he will be in for a surprise if not.

 

[pb4uski]

It depends how the phones are used. All four of us on the family plan have smart phones. We share 15 GB of data per month. I just checked our current usage, halfway through our billing period. Collectively we have used almost 3 GB of data. DH has used hardly any, so he would be ok on a plan with only 100 Mb of data. The rest of us are well over 100 MB, so the cheap $20/ month plan wouldn't work for us. The service/fees/taxes on our family plan total $213/month, or $53 each. I don't think we could get the same amount of data for less on individual accounts.

Edit to correct: upon closer inspection of our latest bill, only $160/month for service/fees/taxes. $40 per line.

I agree that it depends on how the phones are used, and we both have smartphones too. My point was that for many people there are more affordable individual plans out there that would fit their needs as good or better than a family plan and those more affordable individual plans were not available a few years ago... I recall looking at plans when DD was moving to her own plan and the minimum was $50/mo... in those days family plans were much more practical.

 

[spncity]

We told our kids they could have cell phones when they could afford to pay for them.

We paid for most tuition and room and board with the understanding that there was a minimum GPA required (which was well within their abilities).

They had to pay for one semester of tuition. They also got their spending money by working.

Come to think of it, eldest flunked one class the last semester and had to retake same class - a requirement class she disliked (and thus had to pay for retaking the class).

I just about caved in on the phone thing when the youngest went to college in a big metropolis.

But it wasn't long until the fledgling decided to get a cell phone.

Can you spell parent r-e-l-i-e-f-?!

 

[Katsmeow]

We are currently paying the monthly add on for phones for 2 of our kids, but they will soon start reimbursing us.

But, they are different situations.

DD - Recently started her first full time working. She does not have a drivers license and takes the bus. A smartphone is good for her because it helps her to be able to check bus schedules. She gets off late enough at night that the bus doesn't run to where she lives so she takes the bus to as close as she can get and then uses Uber to get home. In a month or so, she will start reimbursing us for the additional cost of her phone (about $26 a month).

DS - College student and we have been paying his monthly cost. He recently upgraded his phone and took out a contract at Apple that he is solely responsible for. He is about to graduate. Once he does and is supporting himself, he plans to move his phone to a plan paid for by him. That said, I have no objection to his staying on our plan and reimbursing us.

If he were to stay on our plan and if DD stays on our plan we would probably start charging them an amount equal to the extra data we are getting that we wouldn't have if they weren't on the plan.

Oh, they have both had phones for years and generally they have paid out of their allowance for their own phones once they wanted smartphones. My daughter once lost her iphone when she was in early high school and it was $700 to replace it. We fronted the money but deducted it from her allowance until it was paid. Also, if they broke a screen they paid for it.

 

[bclover]

One of the issues is that usually family plans are a lot cheaper than 3 individual plans. I'm booting older son off as soon as our contract is up. Honorable son #2 is a college kid doing minimum wage so I'll cover him for av while.

 

[Pilot2013]

To have DD on our family plan is $9.99/month for that extra line. I would have to pay for the unlimited data anyway. What's the point in making her go out and get her own plan?

There's frugal and there's cheap...

And as for "I didn't have one of those when I was young", that can be applied to a lot of things going back... TV, CAR, REFRIGERATOR. Just depends on which generation.

 

[MOSAT]

I also hate to say it, but we have our DS and his wife (33 and 31) on our family plan. They pay their part. Up until recently we also bought them new phones. That stopped, but we did it because we could and it would have been hard for them financially to upgrade. Now they still pay their part and any overages in data or minutes they incur. DW and I are grandfathered in with unlimited data, so the plan stays. They've complained about data limits, (They are not unlimited) but my response has always been, you go over the plan you pay, don't like it, get a plan on your own. That stops the complaining since it's much cheaper to be on our limited plan than to get one of their own.

 

[travelover]

.............
There's frugal and there's cheap...

And as for "I didn't have one of those when I was young", that can be applied to a lot of things going back... TV, CAR, REFRIGERATOR. Just depends on which generation.

To each, his own. I think that an important part of parenting is teaching independence. And buying luxuries for young adults doesn't meet that definition for me. But, they are your kids, spend away as you like.

 

[bclover]

To each, his own. I think that an important part of parenting is teaching independence. And buying luxuries for young adults doesn't meet that definition for me. But, they are your kids, spend away as you like.

Definitely and I understand but that lesson can be learned in a variety of ways. My 22 year old has a measly job and he's about to start an internship that will pay him nothing. So we pick what we feel will give him the best opportunities to be independent. 20 bucks a month imo is a great trade off for him to get real life experience.

 

[tulak]

We have a few years before we have to figure this out, but right now at $90/month for four lines at t-mobile, I don't see how it could be much cheaper. The two additional lines for our kids cost $9/month each.

As for phones, we gave them $300 each for their first phones and since then they have pay for their own phones.

 

[wrl11]

Kids need to pay their own bills after college, period. I think parents that subsidize them are not doing them any favors. My sister is in her early 50s and still is a financial mess because people would bail her out in the past and pay for stuff and she became entitled to expect it.

 

[Pilot2013]

To each, his own. I think that an important part of parenting is teaching independence. And buying luxuries for young adults doesn't meet that definition for me. But, they are your kids, spend away as you like.

There was a time that your grandfather (Great grandfather, whatever) would have said "that car is a luxury". Personally, I can't imagine not having a cell phone in todays day and age. But maybe that's just the engineer/technical background in me.

And thanks for the permission!

 

[travelover]

There was a time that your grandfather (Great grandfather, whatever) would have said "that car is a luxury". Personally, I can't imagine not having a cell phone in todays day and age. But maybe that's just the engineer/technical background in me.

And thanks for the permission!

You are welcome.

But it is not "just a cell phone", is it? God forbid that Sunshine would have a mere Android smartphone or, shudder, a flip phone. Mommy and Daddy need to buy her the latest iPhone because all her friends have one, too.

 

[bclover]

You are welcome.

But it is not "just a cell phone", is it? God forbid that Sunshine would have a mere Android smartphone or, shudder, a flip phone. Mommy and Daddy need to buy her the latest iPhone because all her friends have one, too.

wait how old are we talking sorry but my sons stop wanting some thing because their friends had one when they were in jr high.

not sure the last time you went cell phone shopping but I'm on sprint and usually when it's upgrade time, we can get decent cell phones at competitive prices.

now I'll agree, I'm not getting a flip phone simply because I do, use my phone for a number of other things.

So 3 phones, nice samsungs, 1 contract is cheaper than 3 separate plans.

I guess I'm not seeing the blanket correlation of helping kids out=not raising independent adults.

My parents took all the kids and grand kids on a family cruise, all expense paid until they died. they paid my college tuition and law school for 1 brother. I don't think we turned into "entitled" adults.

 

[RetireAge50]

If you are using a flip phone maybe you still:

Have a still camera
Have a video camera
Have a flashlight
Have a Dictionary
Have a Calculator
Have a set of Encyclopedias
Go to the library
Go to the bank
Read the Newspaper
Write Letters
Have photo albums
Have a Wall Calendar
Have a Sony Walkman
Have a VCR
Use a Paper Map or GPS

All of this has been replaced by a simple but powerful tool in your pocket. There is a reason everyone has one. Might as well obtain it at the cheapest possible price by splitting the cost with members of your family.

 

[Pilot2013]

You are welcome.

But it is not "just a cell phone", is it? God forbid that Sunshine would have a mere Android smartphone or, shudder, a flip phone. Mommy and Daddy need to buy her the latest iPhone because all her friends have one, too.

And you know the type of phone how? You're response and assumption betrays your attitude, and therefore will get all the attention it deserves.......

 

[travelover]

........ sorry but my sons stop wanting some thing because their friends had one when they were in jr high.
............

You've got some great kids. Heck, I still want stuff because my friends have one.

 

[Pilot2013]

If you are using a flip phone maybe you still:

Have a still camera
Have a video camera
Have a flashlight
Have a Dictionary
Have a Calculator
Have a set of Encyclopedias
Go to the library
Go to the bank
Read the Newspaper
Write Letters
Have photo albums
Have a Wall Calendar
Have a Sony Walkman
Have a VCR
Use a Paper Map or GPS

All of this has been replaced by a simple but powerful tool in your pocket. There is a reason everyone has one. Might as well obtain it at the cheapest possible price by splitting the cost with members of your family.

Wow, what a novel idea! Yes, my DD, who I gladly leave on my plan for $9.95/month, graduated from a University in the "required" 4 years (God forbid I would have to help her if she took an extra semester ). I think she has turned out OK despite my lavishly helping her out with a 10 spot for her phone each month.

When I have to forego these kinds of things so I can retire early, I'll just keep working.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

I paid for the cell until they graduated college. Now while still on my cell plan, they pay cost. Have also made college grads get their own health insurance, despite being able to stay on my plan till 26. Two kids completely off the payroll, one to go (one more year of college)

 

[fosterscik]

I'm yet another in the "why not pay" camp. Even though I use Verizon (read expensive) I pay for my kids lines. I my case $15/kid. Our 10Gb data/unlimited talk & text plan easily covers everyone. I pay $140/mnth rather than $110 if just me and DW. I'm in no rush to save that kind of money if it helps out. An extra $180/yr/kid is really a very small gift.

Even worse I pay for Amazon prime and have my kids on the plan...

 

[Philliefan33]

[QUOTE

Even worse I pay for Amazon prime and have my kids on the plan...[/QUOTE]



Me too-- the girls get free shipping and sometimes log in as me to use the video streaming. But only the free shows, they don't rent videos on my account.

They also use my Netflix login and HBOGo subscription. And the youngest doesn't have cable tv, but will occasionally watch ours with the Slingbox.

 

[Texas Proud]

If you are using a flip phone maybe you still:

Have a still camera
Have a video camera
Have a flashlight
Have a Dictionary
Have a Calculator
Have a set of Encyclopedias
Go to the library
Go to the bank
Read the Newspaper
Write Letters
Have photo albums
Have a Wall Calendar
Have a Sony Walkman
Have a VCR
Use a Paper Map or GPS

All of this has been replaced by a simple but powerful tool in your pocket. There is a reason everyone has one. Might as well obtain it at the cheapest possible price by splitting the cost with members of your family.

Just a couple of points on this....

The phone cannot take as good of a picture as my Nikon.... it is great for some, but not for really good pics...


The GPS does not work when there is no signal... when we were driving around Montana DWs phone had no signal.... the GPS worked just fine...


Yep, use flashlights when I need them.... the phone just does not have enough battery to do all that people try to do.... I hate it when I DO want to use DWs phone for a GPS and she complains that it is running down her battery... even if we have it plugged in!!!

I never want to use a phone as a TV.... I like BIG... I have a 65 inch.... with DVR...

Just sayin....

 

[RetireAge50]

Gotcha. I like big too. Really I use the phone to find the movies out in the sky somewhere and then send it over wirelessly to the big screen tv.

Also, I should add, the phone GPS works without cell signal with google maps.

But really I would get rid of the cell phone and my whole list just to go swim in a lake or something like that.