Posted 18 November 2023
Phone for kids: PAYG or Contract
We've finally caved in and agreed to get out kids (twins) phones for Christmas but are unsure the best way to go.
There's some great sub £10 SIM only options, but then there's the upfront cost for two handsets.
For a few quid more a month, we can get the same phones on contract, with no upfront.
My concern is, is there a risk to my credit rating taking out two additional phone contracts in my name?
What's the best way to do this?
What have you guys done with your kids?
Using old handsets isn't an option as we only have one and we can't give one kid a second hand phone and one a new one.
There's some great sub £10 SIM only options, but then there's the upfront cost for two handsets.
For a few quid more a month, we can get the same phones on contract, with no upfront.
My concern is, is there a risk to my credit rating taking out two additional phone contracts in my name?
What's the best way to do this?
What have you guys done with your kids?
Using old handsets isn't an option as we only have one and we can't give one kid a second hand phone and one a new one.
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15 Comments
sorted byNot convinced long-duration contracts are best-suited to potentially excitable/clumsy pre-teens.
There will be resentment to continuing to pay for a contract handset if the handset has been busted and long gone. The concept of "look after it as it will not be replaced" is a big ask, but arguably a blunt life lesson.
SIMO including no-contract & no credit check plans plus you choice(s) of handset(s) provides greater flexibility to up/downgrade both airtime and hardware at whim and when circumstances unexpectedly change.
This also suits no-drama replacement on breakages or for special events such as birthdays, achievement rewards, etc.
Obvious downside is upfront handset purchases, although two modest handsets may be tolerable.
Best part about Smarty is the simple manageability for multiple sims. You create a family group and the group manager can manage all of the other Sims in the group very easily, all sims in the group are billed from the same account. useful for keeping an eye on the kids usage.
You also get 10% discount on each sim in the family group.
Finally each Sim account has a referral code, use this to code to sign up the extra sims and both the main account and the additional accounts both get 1 mth free
smarty.co.uk/all…ans
They are already good with games and not doing microtransactions. Any payment has to be approved by me.
They shouldn't use a lot of data as it will be mainly used at home.
ams.event.mi.com/uk/…day
Only thing I will say is be sure to add a bill cap to the accounts so they can’t overspend and leave you responsible for picture messages, premium texts, excess data etc.
1. 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB data for 99p a month for 6 months then £4.40 a month.
2. Unlimited minutes, texts and 5GB data for £1.99 a month for 6 months then £4.90 a month.
These are via MoneySavingExpert.
Smartphones can be found for cheap as £50 each if you look on here. Look for Motorola, Nokia or Xiaomi.