Looking at ATT’s web site, it looks like you can get a smartphone plan for $25 + data, which starts at $20 for 300 mb, $25 for 1 GB, $40 for 2 Gb, etc. Then add a phone - the cheapest is $10/month for 20 months, after which this charge goes away, or you can bring your own, or pay for the whole phone up front.</p>
<p>Or for $40/month, get a GoPhone with unlimited text and 500 Mb of data, plus a refurb smartphone for $50-$100, or get one on eBay.</p>
<p>We also have an unlimited data plan that is also grandfathered in – so far we’ve changed phones twice with no problem. Because of this, I suspect my daughter will be on my plan forever, unless she gets an employer or a spouse who can offer her the same deal.</p>
<p>She doesn’t pay us – which is a sore point between my husband and me. Since she’s planning on going to grad school soon, I’m not making waves to change anything now – but once she’s done with school and back to earning money, I will have to decide whether this is worth arguing with my husband about. He thinks it’s absurd to ask her to pay us for her portion (which would be about $40/month). I suspect this is a battle I can’t win. </p>
<p>At Verizon, we have not been grandfathered with unlimited data on the family plan. But we have 2GB each and rarely get near the limit. DD’s line costs $10 + $30 data + $10 I charge her for tax. She agrees its a good deal, but the problem is we don’t think her phone can limp along til next renewal available in Nov. So trying to research now. </p>
<p>fireandrain,
are you married to my husband? He thinks its silly to ask the boys to pay us. However, sometimes they get reimbursed from their employer for some part of the phonebill. So they are making a profit. Its ok with us- just funny.</p>
<p>S1 is living at home and started working last week.This is the last month we will pay his cell phone or car insurance. On September 1, everything switches over to him. We are on a no-contract plan and I told him he is free to make any changes he wants and he very well may, since he wants a “cooler” phone than we provide for him. After September 1, it’s his problem. </p>
<p>No, jym, but clearly our husbands have similar philosophies on this issue.</p>
<p>For everyone whose 20something kid is still on their plan – ever go and check who they are calling and texting? Probably once a year when I’m on the AT&T site, I notice how many texts my kid sends, and I go look at the list and marvel. (I think if she knew I did that, she might reconsider being on our plan.)</p>
<p>I know for phone calls I can see the numbers (and only the numbers) if I drill down into the bill far enough. I don’t know if I can do that for texts…</p>
<p>And I don’t really care anyway, as both of my kids are adults. I might care if they were 13 and sending thousands of texts a month.</p>
<p>Our bill doesn’t show who the calls or texts are made to. Once, though, we needed some documentation of texts and calls (for us, not the kids) so had to go onto the AT&T website to print the complete bill with that information. It was… wait for it… 87 pgs long. No joke.</p>
<p>Haven’t read through the entire thread, but I’m guessing we’re in the minority. Both kids got their own plans around freshman year of college. The oldest because we were with AT&T and coverage at his school was pretty bad. The younger because he wanted a data plan when we were only willing to share voice plans. As soon as our younger son got his own phone plan, my husband immediately bought a data plan and upgraded his phone (my phone is through my employer). Even though it probably would be cheaper for both DH and D2 to be on the same account, wew’re happier that he’s on his own. At this point his phone bill is probably his biggest incentive to find a job now that he’s graduated.</p>
<p>My kids do a lot of text, especially DD. But the number can be misleading I think when lots of group texts/reply-all. That’s how DS and friends announced tentative group events in hs. That seemed lots better to me than endless phone chains like in my day. We have unlimited text. </p>
<p>Personally, as long as it’s not a huge hardship for us, I figure we will keep our kids on our phone plan and pay the bill; we do have more disposable income than them at this point. It may change at some point, but so far, we are OK with it and it doesn’t seem worth being concerned about.</p>
<p>I finally remembered to cut off my older daughter’s today. Verizon doesn’t reach her remote village, so she can only use it when she’s in Anchorage. She did use it then, but those trips are rare, so I suggested she get a pay-as -you-go. She has a plan for AK-only calls that she can use, so I’m wasting good money keeping her on our plan.</p>
<p>My kids are married and have earned incomes higher than ours but they are still on my family plan, but their spouses are not. It doesn’t bother me because as I see it, they are spending their inheritance. Only thing that bothers me is that my son doesn’t ask for data plan reimbursement from his company which he is entitled to.</p>
<p>I remember when I first got DS13 his cell phone back in 8th grade. The first bill came and while we had unlimited txt the bill told me that he had over 1,000 txt messages. I called thinking it was a mistake and the customer service rep laughed at me. She told me that on average teenagers use about 4,000 txt messages a month. </p>
<p>We will take D. off our support whenever she starts her residency. We hope that it will happen nex year (she is applying this year). This will include ALL expences, not just phone or whatever. I am past FRA, but have no immediate retirment plans. So, whenever I am kicked out or my H. does not tolerate me working anymore, that is when my retirement will start, I will not volunteer to give up my job. </p>
<p>My D is a medical resident in NYC and still on our Family plan. Though her salary looks reasonable on paper (and would go further in many other locations), after taxes…fuggedaboutit! She texts almost exclusively. We also help her (a little bit) with rent.</p>
<p>Just throwing this out there - Virgin Mobile has plans at $35/mo and up with unlimited data and text, varying minutes. No contract, buy your own phone. I do pay for my kids right now but if/when I stop, they simply start paying themselves, no effect on the rest of the family at all.</p>
It may change at some point, but so far, we are OK with it and it doesn’t seem worth being concerned about.</p>