Best cheap sim only deal for a child

Bill_M_1238

Hi all,

first post so please be gentle!!

I have recently upgraded my phone, so have an older smartphone handset which I will give to my 10 year old son.

Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced sim only deal which will allow him to download some data, as well as make a couple of calls and or texts each month.

He will most likely only ever use the phone for emergencies to call home or send a couple of texts per week, and will mostly use the phone for internet access.

I cannot see him using the phone too much, so don't really want to pay £10 - £15 per month.

Can you still get sim's where you top it up once and only top up as and when its empty, or do they all need regular topping up to maintain the functionality?

Thanks

Bill M

HappyMJ

Ovivo PAYG. Now costs a one off £15 just once...never again and for that he will get 150 minutes, 150 texts an 400Mb of internet every month for free with no more to pay ever again. It isn't usually enough texts for kids but he'll get used to it.

I paid £5 about a year ago and my balance is still £5. My spend on mobiles is now £0 every month and I make a few phone calls and download plenty of data using free Wi-Fi hotspots wherever possible especially at home.

MillicentBystander

I'm with HappyMJ on this one, Ovivo is your answer at the moment. Although the only downside I can see is there is nothing stopping him spending that £15 credit (that you have to pay up front) in super quick time if he goes on a you tube-a-thon or some other adventure. But at least you are only risking £15 to see how he goes with a smartphone

macman

Bill_M_1238 wrote: »

Hi all,

first post so please be gentle!!

I have recently upgraded my phone, so have an older smartphone handset which I will give to my 10 year old son.

Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced sim only deal which will allow him to download some data, as well as make a couple of calls and or texts each month.

He will most likely only ever use the phone for emergencies to call home or send a couple of texts per week, and will mostly use the phone for internet access.

I cannot see him using the phone too much, so don't really want to pay £10 - £15 per month.

Can you still get sim's where you top it up once and only top up as and when its empty, or do they all need regular topping up to maintain the functionality?

Thanks

Bill M

How often have we heard this? A couple of months later you'll potentially be getting a bill for a big overspend. A 10 year old on an uncapped contract is a recipe for disaster. Would you entrust him with a credit card with no limit? Because that's what you would be effectively be doing.
Either use PAYG, or pick a capped tariff on contract.

avantra

I am with Ovivo and it is a fantastic deal (how long will they last with this crazy deal?) but for a child I will only get payg.

richard734

I have 2 Tesco capped contracts for my DD's, bith at £12,50 with 300 minutes, 5000 txts and 500mb data.
We got caught with a £50 bill once before tesco allowed capping but never had a problem since.

MrsX_2

I've just given my 10yr son a tesco mobile galaxy y.

For £7.50 per month he gets 500mb data, 5000 texts and 100 minutes. But the best thing is that its capped, so once he uses his allowance he cant go over.

I can log on to the account to see how much he's used, so I'll be able to warn him if he's using too much.

I've had words with him about how to make the best use of his allowance, we've installed viber etc.