Has your teenager been hounding you about buying him a cell phone? When used properly, cell phones can be a useful tool. However, when cell phones are overused, the fees are out of proportion. Many teens do not realize this, and they may not pay attention to how many minutes they have used. Nowadays, teens spend the majority of their time on the phone. Aside from computers, cell phones are their main form of communication. As a result, they use up their minutes without even realizing it.
If you own a cell phone (as many people do), you already know that cell phone plans come with a limited number of minutes, depending on the service you use, unlike the alternative of prepaid cell phones. For example, most plans stipulate approximately 400 or 450 minutes of call time per month, and anything over that amount costs extra. If your plan includes 400 minutes and you use 425 during your billing cycle, you’ll end up paying extra for those minutes. Many phone plans charge up to $.10 a minute for those overages, which can amount to quite a bit extra over a period of time
Prepaid cell phones offer a good alternative to standard monthly plans because your kids can use them without paying overage fees. Go ahead and buy your children prepaid phones with a fixed number of minutes. When they use all of their minutes, the phone stops functioning. You can also decide whether or not you want to add more minutes — it’s entirely up to you.
Help your children learn to be responsible with their cell phones by starting with a prepaid option.