Sixty percent of American tweens (ages 10-14) own a cell phone, according to C&R Research.
Many tweens will only use the phone to contact mom or dad or for occasional calls or texts with friends. For many children in this age group, the look of the phone is of utmost importance as they want to be seen with the newest, coolest looking phone. Many parents feel stuck between wanting the latest and greatest for their children, while balancing responsibility and accountability.
Tweens need to learn how to self-monitor so they grow into teens who understand limits and costs. For these reasons, a pre-paid plan may be the best option for a first cell phone.
What is a Pre-paid Cell Phone Plan?
In this type of plan, consumers buy minutes in advance and then replenish them as needed. There are no long term contracts or monthly fees. Most major cell phone carriers such as Cingular, Verizon and T-Mobile offer a less publicized pre-paid option. Other carriers such as TracPhone, Boost Mobile and Net 10 are companies that only provide pre-paid cell phone services. Most carriers of pre-paid plans allow users to buy more minutes by phone, by computer or with pre-paid cards sold at major retailers such as Walmart and Radio Shack.
Typically, any phone can be turned into a pre-paid phone. The purchaser pays full price for the phone, not the listed price that has the asterisk noting "with a 2-year contract". Full price for phones with all the latest technology, such as sliding keyboards, touch screens and cameras, may cost hundreds of dollars. This is a one-time expense, though, and tweens could be given a budget for an average phone knowing that they will have to make up the difference to get the fancier phone.
Close monitoring of minutes is a must as they typically expire after 30 or 90 days. If a re-fill has not been made by the expiration date, the minutes are lost. T-Mobile offers a gold member plan that gives minutes for one year. For this plan, a refill simply needs to be made just before the annual anniversary date.
Advantages to Getting a Tween a Pre-Paid Cell Phone Plan
- Parents can set a budgeted price for the phone itself and tween can choose whether or not to add own money to get a more expensive phone.
- Tween can learn responsibility by keeping track of expiration dates of minutes and when re-fills need to be made to the account.
- Tween can receive additional minutes as gifts from relatives.
- Tweens can earn more minutes through chores or small jobs.
Disadvantages to Getting a Tween a Pre-Paid Cell Phone Plan
- There is a risk of losing minutes if the expiration date passes.
- Currently, pre-paid minutes cost two to three times more than minutes with a contract plan. Tweens with high cell phone usage may burn through minutes quickly. Newer pre-paid options, such as one by Boost, include a pre-paid monthly fee for unlimited talk time.
- Pre-paid phone numbers cannot be transferred to a monthly plan. Users will need to get a new phone number if they leave the pre-paid world in favor of the traditional monthly plan.
Talk to tweens about how the phone will be used and the costs associated with a cell phone. Make them part of the decision making process. This process will teach tweens how to shop around and make appropriate and sensible decisions.
Join the Conversation