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What phone network/plan

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  • 11-08-2014 2:45pm
    #1
    Orion
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,807 ✭✭✭✭


    The kids are turning 11 next month and want their first phone. I've always been billpay but damned if I'm putting them on my bill - they'd eat it all up. So going pre-pay.

    Anyone here got any tips of what network has the best plans for kids? Preferably with free calls/texts included. We're both on meteor but I'd have no problem them getting free texts to me so I can call them back on my minutes instead of them ringing me so Meteor isn't necessarily the optimum.

    How much do people pay for their kid's monthly charges here?


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    #2
    hoodwinked
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,175 ✭✭✭hoodwinked


    well the meteor payg plans look fairly decent for €20 a month, here


    our daughter is 5 and has her own 'phone' (it is an ipod touch) but she has all the apps she uses on our phones on it and can facetime/message us on the rare occasions when babysitters are here with her, or she is in my mums,

    we have locked the whole thing down so she can't download or delete apps and took all the precautions you would as parents.

    i can only speak for her as i know her as you would know your child best but if she was 11 right now, i'd be buying her a cheap phone or giving her our older models. with a €20 per month payg plan, and a condition of which would be we as parents have unlimited access to her phone/texts..etc

    but thats just how we would do it.


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    #3
    Orion
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,807 ✭✭✭✭Orion


    That's already been explained to them - we will have access. Similar to the way they use the PC and tablet now so it's not a problem. And it'll be locked down as much as is possible. Cheap phone definitely - they don't need i-anything. It'll be one of the low end androids.

    Was looking for more like a €10 plan - some have free texts/calls with them.


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    #4
    CookieMonster.x
    Registered Users Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭CookieMonster.x


    Orion wrote: »
    The kids are turning 11 next month and want their first phone. I've always been billpay but damned if I'm putting them on my bill - they'd eat it all up. So going pre-pay.

    Anyone here got any tips of what network has the best plans for kids? Preferably with free calls/texts included. We're both on meteor but I'd have no problem them getting free texts to me so I can call them back on my minutes instead of them ringing me so Meteor isn't necessarily the optimum.

    How much do people pay for their kid's monthly charges here?

    If they are only 11 you probably don't want to spend too much. I am with O2 and pay €20 per month (credit) for 350 texts and then some internet. It takes €10 though so I still have €10 for calls etc. I think you can get unlimited texts for €20 top up per month and you still get to keep the full amount of credit so they could use that for calls. Are they getting a phone each or one between them? €40 might be a bit much to spend per month at that age but it's up to yourself obviously.
    I also checked Meteor's pay as you go plans and they seem to have some good ones. You can pay as little as €5 per month or up to €30. €5 in my eyes would be an ideal price to pay but it depends on what you want. For €5 you get Meteor texts and some internet (which they probably wouldn't use) and the €5 to spend. The only issue I would see is that you are restricted to Meteor texts only. I don't know anyone on Meteor and I would say (may be wrong though!) that most kids would start off on maybe o2 or Vodafone.
    You could also look into 48 months. You're supposed to be aged between 18 and 24 I think but apparently you don't have to show proof of age or anything. They do seem to have good plans. For €10 per month you get texts, calls, internet and then I think you get national calls as well. You could probably block them using the internet if you didn't want them accessing it. I was going to switch to 48 but you need to buy add ons for different things. I didn't switch purely because I go to the North a lot and you need to pay extra (which is quite expensive I think) for going out of the country. If you check the terms and conditions it may suit you. You could top up by €5 more just to make sure they can contact you if you forgot to top up the following month.
    The best bet would probably be to check out each provider for deals (the information I gave may not be completely correct!) . Some may suit more than others. It really depends on how much you want to spend.


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    #5
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Meteor have 10€ pm options but you only get unlim data or unlim calls, no text deals.

    o2 do the 10€ unlim talk or unlim text but you have to top up by 20 and have the rest left over.

    Three do top up by 10 for I think 300 texts, 500mb data and some weekend minutes to any network.

    Tesco do a top up for 15 euro and it gets you unlim calls to all networks and landlines and you can keep the 15 to spend on texts/data.


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