I finally did it. The kids have their own mobile phone now.
This was something coming for quite a while. There have been instances where one or the other would go one place or another and it would be nice to get a hold of them or they needed to get hold of us to be picked up early or whatever.
So I started shopping around a couple of months ago.
I was loathe to simply add a line to our already existing cell phone plan. there were two things we wanted in the phone for the kids. First was a “pay as you go” type of scenario, and secondly we wanted a phone that would have a GPS so we could track the phone.
Initially I thought I would be able to buy a rudimentary phone for $30 (give or take) then buy a card to put some minutes on it. Turns out that scenario is going away. Yes, you can get the phone, but the minutes are another matter. The industry is moving to a scenario where you pay a certain amount of money for minutes, but they expire after a certain amount of time. This wasn’t what I wanted because there would be months when none of the minutes would get used, or very few of them. I really did not want to pay $25 a month just to have the minutes not get used up.
After exploring the standard “over the counter” options at the local retailers within walking distance I decided to go to Best Buy. I figured they would have more options for me to sort through.
It took a while but I finally got to sit down with somebody (it was busy for a week day) and go over what I was looking for. I wanted a GPS phone and a way to load it with minutes that didn’t expire after 30 days or whatever.
10 minutes into helping me I was handed me off to somebody else. The guy simply could not find a way to get me a phone that would take prepaid cards that weren’t tied to a expiration. The whole of the industry is moving to unlimited text, talk and data, or you spend a certain amount a month to get a certain amount of data and minutes – but you need to pay every month.
After looking into my wireless plan, it made more financial sense to switch over to a new contract – even adding a 4th line. I was skeptical, but the numbers seemed to make sense, so I jumped in. I didn’t go in wanting to re-up with a new two year contract, but the savings, even adding in another phone, seemed the practical thing to do.
The phone associated with the kids’ number is probably even nicer than my own. It’s newer at the very least and the camera has more pixel power.
I do not plan on adding a bunch of numbers to their phone. Because both Dela and August will be using the phone I do not want either one to have phone dominance, nor is it planned to be used as a social tool for them, rather simply a way for them to stay connected to home as necessary such as when they walk to or from school on their own.
That’s four phone lines, mine, Laura’s, Kyle’s (yes, still paying for his) and now this one.