It would be financially an unwise decision to have a separate plan from the family plan. Your plan with your parents probably costs them about $40 a month. A separate plan would cost $75 a month. What else is left to say?
You may think that you won't mind forking over $30+ a month extra to have your own plan (assuming your parents will pay the other half), but college students rarely have an extra $30 a month leftover EACH and EVERY month that can just go for nothing...which is what you'd be doing. You'd be essentially burning $30 a month for nothing that you don't already have thru your parents plan.
Is it because Verizon offers some phone that you want that you can't get on your parents' plan? What is this REALLY about? You asked if it would be "cheaper and better" and it OBVIOUSLY is NOT cheaper to have a separate plan (did you really have to ask that????)
It can be cheaper than a family plan, strongly dependent upon what features are needed/used.
Page Plus uses the Verizon network of towers (although it's not Verizon). It's prepaid, $29.95 (no taxes or fees) for the Talk and Text 1200 which includes something like 1200 voice minutes, 2000 text, and 100mb of data. Extra data can be purchased for 10 cents per megabyte.
That can be much cheaper in some cases, especially if you have to buy the extra data plans with the big names.
I don't know many college kids who have a phone that don't use a data plan and 100 MB is not a lot. My kid using 1-2 GB/month and he doesn't spend a lot of time on the web.
Paying $30 a month without data is a waste when he could probably get the same on his parents plan for about $10 a month...which probably includes unlimited text.
The student is looking at a Verizon plan thru school with is about $70...I'm guessing that incudes data plan ..which I'm guessing the student definitely wants if he's considering that price.
I'm using Straight Talk cell service with a used iPhone I bought from friend for $100. Paid Straight Talk $15 for new sim card for the iPhone, popped it in, and now have "unlimited" talk, text, and 4G data service on AT&T network for $45/month.
A smartphone is almost a "must' in college now to keep up with things while attending college.
