Neko
Supreme Overlord
Mar 8, 2005, 12:01 PM
Post #2 of 3
(2021 views)
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Hi ShaneInsane,
Your best bet would be to convince your parents of the benefits of a pay-as-you-go or prepaid plan.
Prepaid cell phone plans are ideal for kids who lack an adult's impulse control and access to cash. Industry watchers say it's the fastest-growing wireless segment. I can see why.
The concept is refreshingly simple: Buy a phone (available at places like Target, Wal-Mart, 7-Eleven, Safeway, Rite-Aid, and Best Buy and a batch of minutes (from $10 to $100) and start dialing. There's no credit check, contract, and -- if you're older than 13 -- no parental signature necessary. When the minutes run out, customers can buy more via the Web or a prepaid card (with a PIN number on the back), or by calling customer service.
Prepaid cell phone plans are offered by all the majors -- like Cingular Wireless, Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T), and TracFone. Even though signing up with a prepaid cellular provider can be a short-term commitment, don't treat the decision fleetingly. Many plans look like their contractual brethren, and that can be a problem. Depending on how you use your minutes -- off-peak, in-network, or out-of-plan -- you could eat up your money faster than necessary.
That said, there is a time (after a teen has demonstrated his or her grown-up ways) where a family or individual cell phone plan and a regular credit card make sense. But until then, setting limits with the newer offerings in the prepaid arena can help parents safely usher their teens into a world where most service providers bank on their (sometimes) inability to show any restraint.
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