My kids go through stages of cellphone use. As a 13 yr old they get a basic phone and a texting plan. As they get
older they may want a better phone and they can use some of their own money to help pay for it.
Only my H has mobile data right now because he needs it for work. The rest of us mostly text, occasionally call and use wifi only on our phone.
But now that my D is going to college I want her to be able to use google maps if she should need it and there is no wifi available, so I’m going to “splurge” and upgrade her from unlimited talk and text which costs $30/mo to a plan that costs $36/mo and includes 1.5 GB of data. I think it’s well worth it.
@nycparent12, we have ATT gophone and have been happy with it for 5 years. It is customizable based on your needs. I minimally text so 200 txt for $5 usually lasts me, occasionally I add the $10 for 1,000 txt, unused ones carry over.
I can also call internationally for 250 min @$5, which I think is a steal.
My D was on unlimited text for $20/mo until recently. Then they came out with $25 plan which included 250 min. The $30 plan is new and it is unlimited calls and text.
I’m looking into Net10 for her now though, because it is only $36/mo on autopay and includes data as well.
I remember life before cell phones. And it was fine. There was a pay phone on just about every corner, and in most retail places and restaurants. Also, you could call home collect. Can you even do that anymore? Our dorm had one phone in the hallway that we all shared.
I have one kid on my family plan and that’s how it will stay for a while. She at least has a phone…and calls me every week.
As a rising junior at Duke, I really believe a smartphone is a must-have for college. A smartphone gives you access to your college’s app that includes live information on cancelations, buses, alerts, and more. Plus, being able to double check a location or time from your email or Facebook is much easier on a smartphone than a value phone. Just my $0.02.