[Closed] Kid mobile - cheapest way

Wife got one for eldest son from o2. its £15 a month, with a cheap but fully functional android handset. It comes with insurance cover, so every time he drops it and smashes the screen (twice already in three months) we just go back in the shop and they replace with a new handset for free.

so he will use voice so little that even if it cost for every call you wouldn’t notice.  All the messenger/instagram/WhatsApp apps provide alternatives to texts (via data) so unlikely he will even use much texts.  What I am saying - is it is all about the data!

my son is on a better deal with IDmobile than you were quoted by EE and I’ve not shopped around for a while so it’s probably not that good.

Like poly said, I'd bet he'll use 3 texts and 4 seconds of calls a month and you'll get a bill for £500 for going over data allowance. You can't give an iphone to a kid and expect them to only use it as a tracking device.

We also use ID, you can get 5GB for £10 and more importantly, there is no way to buy more via text, you set a cap (£5 min sadly) for 'extras' and that's it.

Too many of my mates tell tales of woe of their kids running up £000s even £1000 bills in a month because of data charges, they can burn through a 1GB of data on YouTube and IG in seconds it seems.

Try a SIM only from your BB provider.

We get SIM's for a fiver a month with BT.

Plusnet, SKY etc do similar I believe

Yup look at your landline provider BT do good family deals v

EE have said I can use my data 30gb, which I only use about 10gb of.  On EE data is capped so you can’t go over.

All interesting stuff though thanks, will investigate Sky and others

Plusnet (use the EE network) do some good sim only deals..

https://www.plus.net/mobile/plans/sim-only/

Budget for about 4 new screens in the first 6 months! 🙂

I got sim only with unlimited voice and sms plus 3GB per month for Nem Jnr for £8 a month on vodafone. Don't think the deal is still out there but I expect that's a good benchmark of what's out there.

Using data for tracking? Our kids phones have no data (wifi or we create a hot spot) which means £10 top up can last months. Kids generally watsapp friends etc.

For emergency / lost phone we use "Find my phone by SMS" by "Zelig Eran" there are others but we find this one works, doesn't use battery up either.

We went with an old dumb phone and a PAYG SIM from Vodafone.  I cannot imagine giving my 9yo a smartphone, she would be sucked in like the kid from Poltergeist into the TV.

Just had a look at ID Mobile and some very good deals. £5 for 500 mins, unlimited text, 3gb data.

Unfortunately though, even looking at their own coverage map, they have zero coverage in our area.

Will still call EE though and suggest I will go with ID unless they can do a better offer

they have zero coverage in our area.

All of these non-infrastructure providers use one of the big established networks.  Google would suggest that ID uses Three, so you should get coverage wherever Three is present.

If a kid's of an age where he needs tracking (presumably he's made of nitroglycerine or something) then I cannot imagine a scenario where giving him an iPhone is a good idea, not least because he's on his own with unfettered internet access.  And in any case, that wouldn't tell you where he is, just where his phone is.  For a My First Phone (which is for your benefit rather than his) I'd be looking at something like a Nokia 130.  #IAmNotAParent

"Three" 3-2-1 PAYG sim?

ive piggybacked my lads onto my three account.  i have a £13 pay monthly deal at 4Gb 700 mins and unlimited data (the most important thing in your lads case id say) and three regularly ring to see if i want anyone added to my account.  got both lads on a £7 deal for 2Gb data i think it is, unlimited texts and oooh i dont know, 400 mins maybe?

2Gb should be enough for general whatsapping, facebooking etc while hes away from home, when at home connect to wifi.

EDIT:  forgot to mention, three do this thing where all deezer and netflix streaming is free too if thats a consideration....

for the best will in the world, the most of the above deals are rubbish.

Voxi will give you 6Gb a month for £10, and anything you do on facebook/twitter/instagram/snapchat/whatsapp etc doesn't get included in the 6Gb - it's free.

no contract. Comes with unlimited calls and texts

Only available to people under 30, which sounds a bit ageist to me, but there you go

That's a good deal, especially with the video / audio bolt-ons.  Shame it's on Voda, mind.

Just signed a 12 month sim only contract for my nipper for the same reason. £15 a month on Three

12gb data, unlimited txt, unlimited voice calls.

He brought the phone himself for £100 out of his birthday money, an Honor 7s which is 4g compatible.

I wish I’d read the reviews of the phone first, but hey ho he seems happy enough with it, and he shouldn’t run out of data, which let’s face it is what kids really want anyhow.

Shame it’s on Voda, mind.

could be why it's under a new brand...

Two words -

Data cap.

Data cap.

you don't need a data cap on PAYG. Run out of data, it won't take any more money. You just won't be able to use it.

You'll need one on Pay Monthly of course. But my daughter is remarkably adept at finding free wi-fi everywhere.

you don’t need a data cap on PAYG

I never said PAYG, neither did the OP, hence the post.

If a kid’s of an age where he needs tracking (presumably he’s made of nitroglycerine or something)

I'm 46 and my wife tracks me.

I am  dynamite though.

I'm pretty sure mrs Panther will know where you are most of the time, trying to have a shite in peace seems a fairly common occurence! 🙂

I never said PAYG, neither did the OP, hence the post.

no animosity, just pointing out a data cap need isn't universal

I’m 46 and my wife tracks me.

I am  dynamite though.

trying to have a shite in peace seems a fairly common occurence!

Trying? ....Yes.

Succeeding? ....Not so much. 😉

https://www.carphonewarehouse.com/nokia/3310-3g.html#!colour=yellow&dealType=pg

this with pay and go... cheap, robust, not a status symbol, long battery perfect for communication.

if the first phone is iphone6 then expect that the next phone will be iPhone X.

If he does not want to be tracked or wants to do something/go somewhere the phone will run out of battery.

dont know the age of your son but smartphone, data, video, games etc just means distractions and worse grades. Or at least my productivity drops with a smart vs dumb phone.

I would add I am not a parent and all the parents I know make their kids leave smart phones and iPads downstairs and go through all the texts, apps online chats etc.

Some of the stories of what the kids are downloading or talking about even when strictly supervised 😲😬. Seems like a massive ball ache to me but gone are the days of a phone in the hallway

I know make their kids leave smart phones and iPads downstairs and go through all the texts, apps online chats etc.

Because everyone knows it's impossible to delete messages.

The plus net smart cap is good.  Basically you set you monetary limit above your allowance - say £10 - and for data above your allowance it wall cap it to 250mb per day, until the cost reaches £10 then it stops it altogether.   Your can set the smart cap amount yourself.

The also have bolt on data packages which closet exactly the same as exceeding the allowance - so you could “bolt on” and extra GB should you for example want to exceed but not be limited to the smartcap.

Plusnet smart cap user here too <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">for my boys.</span>

£6/mo, 2GB data and that's all I pay.

Anyone any experience of this?

https://www.moochies.com/Default

Anyone?

just been looking at this today Tesco mobile Motorola e5 maybe 6 the latest one live with 250mb 200 mins and 5000 texts is £7.50 a month, £9 to double the data. Can set a cap for overspending 24 month contract. Seems a good deal witht he handset as well.

Superdrug - £10pm SIM only = 4gb data with unlimited calls and text. Extra data is pretty reasonable too.