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The Top Cell Phone Plans For Kids That Fit Within Your Budget

By
Sara Nuss
February 2, 2023

compare phone plans and save up to 80%

While cell phone plans are essential for adults and even teenagers to have nowadays, the next question to think about is if they're necessary for children. Cell phones have made the lives of parents a lot easier because they are able to use them to keep track of their children by checking in on them, seeing where they’re location is, and ensuring their safety.

Many parents are on the fence about getting their kid a cell phone plan for plenty of reasons. Whether they think they’re too young to have a plan, or they just don’t know if their child will be responsible for one, are all valid reasons to consider.

If you want to get your child a cell phone plan to check up on them while they’re at school, consider checking out the best cell phone plans for kids!

If you are looking to switch cell phone carriers, then consider looking into Really to help you with all of your phone services needs! At Really, you can compare phone plans to get more bang for your buck, and you can see what carriers and plans are in your area, sort by price, best value and more, and even click on the plan you wish to learn more about in an instant. 

Why You Should Get Your Kid a Cell PHone Plan

Not sure if a cell phone plan is reasonable for your kids, make sure to check out why we think it’s a good idea!

There are a lot of great reasons to get a kid a cell phone plan from ensuring their safety, for easy communication, and even to keep them social. Image courtesy of Nashville Parent

Getting a cell phone plan for your child under the age of thirteen can seem like a little much. Since we all know how cell phones can impact children—being a distraction while they’re trying to do homework, the negativity of social media, and other dangers that children can face. However there are many positive reasons why they should have a cell phone.

General Safety Reasons

While many parents don’t like their children having cell phones, one of the biggest reasons why many parents decide to cave and get their kids a plan is for their own general safety. Cell phones can help keep your children safe more than you know, and they play a part in how to efficiently teach kids proper communication. 

In case your child were ever to be in an emergency situation that requires 911, they would have a cell phone readily on hand to be able to communicate to police, the fire department, or even paramedics. A cell phone can also help them call you whenever any kind of issue happens where they may need to be picked up from school. 

Better Communication Skills

Not only can a cell phone plan help to keep your kids safe, but they can also help to teach your kids better communication skills with their parents and other loved ones. It is important for children at a young age to be able to learn good communication skills with their parents, and cell phones are an easy way to do this. 

If you as a parent have to go into work early in the morning before your kid gets on the bus, a great reason to get a cell phone plan is to ease your mind and have your child text you if they made it to school or not. Even if your kid needs to be picked up from school early for any reason, they have a way to contact you.

Learn Responsibility

Cell phones can also be a way to teach children responsibility, which is essential to know from a young age. If you really want to test your child and see how good they do at taking care of something expensive, then a cell phone can be something to put them to the test.

Cell phone plans are something that can help teach your children responsibility in tons of ways. For example, if your child tends to break things easily, you can give them a cell phone to test how responsible they will be with their phone. While it gives you peace of mind with knowing where they’re at whenever and wherever, it can also test them to see if they won’t lose or break their cell phone in any way. 

Build Trust

Another great reason to give a cell phone to your children is to help them build trust with you as the parent. It is important to have trust with your child and it should be a two way-street, so a cell phone can help to easily establish this through making responsible decisions on and off of the phone.

Letting your kid have a cell phone can definitely be a tough decision, but trusting your child is just as important. A cell phone can help see if your child is doing responsible things with it, such as downloading kid-friendly apps, and not letting it interfere during or after school. 

Socialization With Other Kids

As we stated before, there are a ton of kids that have cell phones of their own for some of the same reasons that we listed above. While getting your kid a cell phone plan is something that you may be on the fence about, it can also help your child with socialization in school and allow them to talk to their friends.

There can be a ton of reasons why you may be on the fence about getting a cell phone plan for your kid, but just know that it can be a benefit to them too. Cell phones can allow your kid to feel like they fit in with their peers, and it can be a great way for them to talk to their friends, or even ask about certain assignments they may be stuck on as well.

The Best Cell Phone Plans For a Kid to Have

Choosing a cell phone plan can be difficult so here are the best plans!

Find a cell phone plan that not only fits your budget, but works for your kid to responsibly teach them how to have a cell phone. Image courtesy of AT&T.

Getting your child their first cell phone is a big decision to make on your part as a parent.

Here are some of the best cell phone plans to sign your kid up for and also a selection of the best phones to get them!

Mint Mobile

If you are looking to switch your family to an MVNO where you can save money on your cell phone plan, then you should consider looking into Mint Mobile right away. Mint Mobile is a plan known for their flexibility in the plans that they have to offer, such as three-month, six-month, or year long set data allotment or unlimited plans.

There are a lot of features that you can get through a Mint Mobile cell phone plan that are important to mention and they include:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Set data allotment plans or unlimited plans offered
  • Three-month, six-month, or year-long plans available
  • T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G coverage
  • High-speed 5G data 
  • Free calling to Mexico and Canada
  • Free 3-in-1 SIM card included when you sign up
  • Free mobile hotspot included in all plans
  • Wi-Fi calling and texting
  • Keep your current phone or buy a new one
  • Keep your current phone number or get a new one
  • Keep your contacts, photos, and apps when you switch plans
  • Mint Mobile app available to make payments and more

You can get your kid a single-line through Mint Mobile, or you can make it easier and make it a family plan instead where you can choose from the following plans:

  • $15 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB of data
  • $20 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
  • $25 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data
  • $30 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data

US Mobile

There are a ton of reasons to choose an MVNO whenever you’re getting a cell phone plan for your child and it’s mainly because of how affordable they are and the fact that you can get the same features from a big carrier plan as well. An MVNO that you just need to see to believe and is great for kids is one through US Mobile.

There are so many features that are included in a US Mobile cell phone plan that can range from the following:

  • Uses Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile’s 5G nationwide coverage
  • Unlimited talk and text plans
  • Set data allotment plans and unlimited data plans available
  • Free SIM card with phone purchase
  • 30-day risk-free trial
  • Mobile hotspot available on most plans
  • 24/7 customer service available
  • Entertainment perks

Now that you know that you can also take advantage of the benefits of Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile’s network and save money, here are some of the US Mobile plans that are offered:

  • $10 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data
  • $15 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data
  • $20 per line per month for for unlimited talk, text, and 25GB of data
  • $35 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data
  • $45 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and high-speed 5G data

Visible

Many people have cell phone plans through Verizon Wireless, but did you know that you can take advantage of their incredible 5G nationwide coverage through their own MVNO? Visible by Verizon is their incredible MVNO that their customers can take advantage of their two great unlimited cell phone plans for a great price.

There are a lot of reasons to choose Visible by Verizon and it is mainly because of the features that are offered on their plans. These features include:

  • Unlimited talk, text, and data
  • 4G LTE or 5G nationwide coverage
  • Unlimited mobile hotspot
  • Spam protection
  • Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada
  • 5G ultra wideband on their most expensive plan
  • Unlimited roaming in Mexico and Canada on most expensive plan
  • International calling and texting to 30+ countries
  • International texting to 200+ countries
  • 24/7 access to customer service
  • Add a smartwatch for and extra $5 per month
  • No hidden fees 

Visible offers two simple phone plans to make your life just a little bit easier when choosing the best plan for your kid. These plans are the following:

  • Visible Plan - $30 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot, and 4G LTE and 5G nationwide coverage
  • Visible+ Plan - $45 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot, 4G LTE and 5G nationwide coverage, 5G ultra wideband, and premium network experience

Tello

There is nothing better than getting a cell phone plan for your kid that you know is well within your budget, and it gives them everything that they need. We know that this is the type of cell phone plan that you are looking for and we think that you can find the perfect one through an MVNO called Tello.

Tello offers a lot for its customers that are essential to check out for yourself. Some of the features that they offer include the following:

  • T-Mobile’s fast high-speed 5G nationwide service and coverage
  • 4G LTE and 5G speeds available depending on your cell phone
  • Unlimited texting available on all plans
  • Free mobile hotspot included on all data plans
  • Can use minutes in over 60+ international countries
  • Plans automatically renew every thirty days
  • No contract prepaid plans
  • Can cancel at any time with no early termination fees
  • Can upgrade or downgrade plan at any time with no extra fees
  • Wi-Fi calling available
  • Bring your own cell phone and number
  • Buy smartphone if needed through online store
  • Incredible customer service

There are also a bunch of different customization options when it comes to choosing the best cell phone plan for your child and some of them include:

  • $10 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of data
  • $14 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data
  • $19 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 5GB of data
  • $24 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
  • $29 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data

Ting Mobile

Another great MVNO that you can’t miss out on when choosing a cell phone plan for your kid is through Ting Mobile. Known for using T-Mobile’s awesome 5G network coverage, this is a great MVNO that can provide set data allotment and unlimited data plans that can fit within your budget.

Some of the features of a Ting Mobile plan will have you switching to them immediately, and they can include:

  • Unlimited talk and text on all plans
  • All plans except the Flex plan include an allowance of 4G LTE and 5G data
  • Once data cap is reached, high-speed data will slow down to 2GB for the remainder of the billing cycle
  • No hidden or extra fees
  • Mobile hotspot on all plans

With so many reasons to get a Ting Mobile plan, we think that you need to check out some of the great plans that they offer their customers as well. These plans are as follows:

  • Flex Plan - $10 per month plus $5 per shared GB
  • Set 5 Plan - $25 per month for 5GB of data
  • Set 12 Plan - $35 per month for 12GB of data
  • Unlimited Plan - $45 per month for 22GB of data
  • Ollo Unlimited Prob - $55 per month for 35GB of data

Finding the best cell phone for your little one can be tough and it can almost seem like they’re growing up so fast by getting them one. We assure that a cell phone plan can help to keep them safe and you should consider getting them one of the ones that we mentioned right away!

compare phone plans and save up to 80%

compare phone plans and save up to 80%

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your questions,
answered

does this phone service work everywhere?

Yep, we offer premium wireless service on the the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network. If you are in our dewi coverage areas, you’ll also get access to our decentralized phone network powered by the people which will give you even faster speeds and better coverage.

is there a contract?

Nope, it’s pay as you go.

is this prepaid?

Yeah! You put your card on file and prepay each month so that you never experience any disruption.

does my phone need to be unlocked?

Yep, but it’s super easy to unlock your device as long as it’s paid off. Chat with us and a real human can help you here.

what if I want a new phone?

We have some recommendations on what we think you should get, from iPhones to Droids. Check out our list here which includes affordable places online to get a good deal.

what does decentralized wireless (dewi) mean?

It means we are building a phone network that is powered by the people. Your neighbors put small radios on their roof and help extend the phone network to cover deadzones™ and get even faster speeds. Right now our DeWi network is available in Austin, but we’ll be expanding to other cities REALLY soon. Learn more about DeWi here.

can I keep my phone number?

yup! you can port your current number in a snap. need help? hit up your VIP concierge.