Which Verizon phone for 12 year old DS

[Melbel]

We have held off on getting DS a phone until there was a "need". Now that he is back at school and we have 3 kids in 3 schools, things have gotten more complicated, not to mention, he still has health issues. During our meeting with his teachers/administrators today, they suggested that we get him a phone, which we were leaning toward anyway.

Many of DS' friends have iPhones, which I find extravagant, unnecessary and gives too much access to internet, games, etc. At the same time, we do not want to be under contract for two years on an outdated phone. We have a 3GS iPhone left over from AT&T (amazon is in the process of returning one of our 2 trade ins because there was an issue with the data???), but I do not think we can use it on the Verizon network. Is this correct?

We currently have a shared Verizon plan.

Any suggestions as to what we should buy? Where we should buy it?

[Melbel]

:BUMP:

Anyone? Is there a decent midlevel phone that is not $$$ overkill? Is it better to purchase directly through a Verizon store or third party (Target, Costco, etc.)?

Thanks!

[ahisma]

We have AT&T.

I've typically picked the nicest free (or close to free) phone for DD, now heading to 9th grade.

I won't buy her a smartphone because I don't want to pay the monthly data fees and I don't want her to be that "connected" - I feel that teens get sucked into that so, so easily and it's hard to self regulate. She disagrees and has written many letters to us begging for an iPhone - wholly unsuccessful.:ROTFLMAO:

Her priorities in a phone are:

Slide out keyboard (easier for texting)
Camera
Video
MP3 capabilities

(note - I have photo texting blocked from her phone to eliminate the sexting concern. I trust that she won't send inappropriate photos, but I don't trust that others won't send them to her - I've seen her classmate's FB pages!)

ETA: I've had good luck going through Costco online. We've gotten better packages (accessories, etc.) that way. I'm also a BIG fan of insurance on kids' phones. She's good with hers, but we have had to replace them here and there.

[wendmatt]

Have you contacted Verizon about using that phone and adding a line? I thought it was possible, I know my friend uses an iphone with t-mobile but I think they had to do something to the phone to allow that and I'm not sure if it's legal. I just have a pay as you go phone so don't know anything about smart phones and contracts etc!

[ahisma]

Looking at their phones, I'd probably pick one of these:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5725

http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/PhoneDetails/productId/5070

http://radioshackwireless.com/eCommerce/SpecialOffer.aspx?cid=25578_23d57d1dde9648a981c6f0 0aadb810f1&chooseaddaline=true

[AnnieW625]

:BUMP:

Anyone? Is there a decent midlevel phone that is not $$$ overkill? Is it better to purchase directly through a Verizon store or third party (Target, Costco, etc.)?

Thanks!

Not me. I don't get the whole expensive electronic equipment thing for kids at all.:bag x infinity. Bugs me to no end. My mom has been super happy with her pay as you go Virgin Mobile phone she got from Target in 2009. DH told DD the other day when she asked if she could have an iPhone when she is 12 that she did not need one or get one until she has her own job, and I completely agree. I thought about getting DH a pay as you go phone (as he rarely uses his phone), but I figured out it was actually about the same price to have DH on my Verizon plan for $10 more a month (I think my mom pays $20 every 2 months so the same price) and we got more minutes.

[new_mommy25]

We bought DS a no frills Trac phone. We didn't want to be locked into a contract with our provider, AT&T. We just needed a phone for emergency use only since DS catches the bus. Your needs may be different. The phone was $15, although there were cheaper option. We bought a $20 card that is good for 90 days, and the phone came with a promo that doubles your minutes for life. Also, the minutes roll over. This was the best prepaid deal I could find because all the others had minutes that expired after 30 days and did not roll over. For us, $20 every 3 months is cheaper than adding a line for $10 a month plus taxes.

However if you want a phone with games or texting you might want to add him on to your plan or check out the other prepaids. Most of them had texting deals. Tracphone might too but I only paid attention to the basic phones.

[Beth24]

My DS got his first phone in 6th grade when he started taking the public bus from school to swim practice. The kids really like a slide out keyboard for texting. Otherwise we just picked the model that was the cheapest and we could add to our account for the least amount. We have t-mobile so I cant help with the Verizon models. Get the replacement insurance though...kids are rough on their phones.

[queenmama]

We got DS a super-basic flip phone for Christmas two years ago. We have AT&T and they almost always have free phones (my last two smartphones were free), maybe Verizon does as well?

DS will not have a smartphone until he's in college. We are very much against letting kids "run wild" with internet access.

[wellyes]

For a kid, I'd get something from the Casio G'Zone line. They are build for durability, rubberized, drop-proof, water proof. Not the best phone in the world, but reliable and near impossible to wreck.

Like this one: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5721

[Melbel]

Thank you for all of the tips. It gets confusing when there are so many models and places to purchase. I am not against a prepaid phone, but thought it would be cheaper to simply add him to our Verizon account. I do not buy cell phones often and am not up on the non-iPhone options. I am not planning on giving him an iPhone, even if that is what "all" of his friends have. I am actually surprised at how many parents purchase their 12 ish year old kids smart phones. Not for us!