How To Pick The Right Mobile Plan For Your Kids
There are legitimate reasons why your child may need to carry a phone. Perhaps you and your spouse are constantly traveling and need a way to keep in touch with your child. Maybe your teen needs to do some research for school while staying at the college dorm.
Most parents wonder what is best for the situation. Should you get a separate one for your child or get a group plan for the entire family? Is it wiser to get a plan with data allowance or go for plans that offer unlimited Internet?
With all the different mobile plans under different carriers, how do you choose the right one for your needs? Let us help you find the answers to these questions and more.
1. Identify their needs
Use your child’s age to get a general idea on potential use. For instance, younger kids may not know much about what a mobile phone or tablet can do and may only use the device to play a game or two. A basic phone with parental controls should be enough to keep in touch with your younger kids.
In the case of tweens and teenagers, by this age, they have already established stronger relationships. For them, phones provide a means to stay in touch and updated with their loved ones through calling, texting and/or use of social media.
Pre-teens and teenagers have a greater awareness of what a mobile phone can do. As a result, they may be more at risk of racking up charges on your plan.
2. Identify the biggest carriers in your area
There’s no point availing of the most enticing plans for you and your family if you can’t use the device where you live or where you typically go to. This is especially important if you and your family travel frequently.
Look into the biggest networks in your area to get an idea of which offers the best coverage. For instance, Zain offers the widest coverage in Iraq. In 2015, 42% of mobile device owners in the country subscribed to a Zain plan.
If you are unsure, ask around to verify which carriers are the best and most popular in your area. Ask your relatives, friends, and colleagues which carriers they use. You may also want to ask your kids what their friends use as well.
There are other benefits for going with the biggest carriers. Networks typically offer mobile phone plans that include free calls and texts between subscribers. By going with the more common or popular carrier in your area, you can save up on costs for calls and texts within the same network.
3. Look into different plans
Networks often carry a wide range of personal and group packages with different inclusions. Compare several plans from at least two carriers to see which may be better suited to your family’s needs.
Most parents find it more convenient to go for a shared group or family account instead of giving their child a separate line. Shared plans often have unlimited minutes and texts included. The price varies depending on the number of lines included in the account and the data allocation per month.
Family or group plans allow you to save more money as compared to signing up for several different plans. With one plan, you only get one bill. This allows you to monitor and control usage, a convenient option if you are paying for the bill.
Group plans also typically include free phones or gadgets. You can give the free phone to your child to use instead of buying a new one.
Regardless of what plan you choose to sign up for, it is important to educate your kids as early as you can. Explain what “allowance” means and what happens if the limit is exceeded. Your younger children may not be able to understand these terms immediately but through time and practice, they will learn to abide by the rules you have set.
- How To Pick The Right Mobile Plan For Your Kids - April 26, 2019
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About The Author
Al-Moottil P Antony
Al-moottil P Antony is a C-Suite Executive Support Professional for Zain, a leading mobile and data services operator with a commercial footprint in 8 Middle Eastern and African countries.