Phone for tweens...help me decide?

[JElaineB]

Thank you so much for your responses!! Unfortunately, iPhones are not an option right now as it is not in our budget. We do have DH's old iPhone 5 that is DD1's iPod but my hand-me-down iPhone 5 is not functioning properly (I am still trying to fix it) so we cannot use it for DS. Having one kid with an iPhone and one without would wreak havoc in our household. So, the only smartphone option for right now, unless I can miraculously get my old iPhone 5 to work, would be the Microsoft phones. The kids do occasionally use phones in the classrooms for research, timers, etc. Although it is not mandatory, they are allowed at certain times.

There are plenty of smart phones on the Tracfone website for around $30 if that is your price point and which towers you need (Verizon or AT&T/T-mobile). Keep in mind you will need to add minutes and time to those phones, so my preference for a new activation is to buy a bundle from QVC or HSN which includes a year of service plus plenty of talk/text/data. However, the one benefit of the LG306G is that it will roam on AT&T outside of native AT&T towers, smart phones on Tracfone will only work on native towers (either Verizon, AT&T or T-mobile depending on the phone and/or SIM card activated).

[vonfirmath]

When we go to get a phone for my son (probably 6th grade when he will have to come home, likely to a empty house), it will be a cheap one. I want to not worry about it being desirable to steal because there are going to be situations he has to leave it in his backpack where he isn't watching it, etc.

[SASM]

There are plenty of smart phones on the Tracfone website for around $30 if that is your price point and which towers you need (Verizon or AT&T/T-mobile). Keep in mind you will need to add minutes and time to those phones, so my preference for a new activation is to buy a bundle from QVC or HSN which includes a year of service plus plenty of talk/text/data. However, the one benefit of the LG306G is that it will roam on AT&T outside of native AT&T towers, smart phones on Tracfone will only work on native towers (either Verizon, AT&T or T-mobile depending on the phone and/or SIM card activated).

ALL of this is very interesting! THANK YOU! I didn't know that the smartphones will not roam. I will definitely check QVC. I just scored a TON of 60min cards for $1 (see Bargain) so I THINK I am set for a while as long as they budget. THANK YOU!

[JElaineB]

ALL of this is very interesting! THANK YOU! I didn't know that the smartphones will not roam. I will definitely check QVC. I just scored a TON of 60min cards for $1 (see Bargain) so I THINK I am set for a while as long as they budget. THANK YOU!

If you do use a non-smart phone with those cards make sure to find and use promo codes as well, you can't use promo codes with smartphones on Tracfone either. The roaming thing isn't unique to Tracfone, most similar services (MVNOs) don't roam.

[american_mama]

There are plenty of smart phones on the Tracfone website for around $30 if that is your price point and which towers you need (Verizon or AT&T/T-mobile). Keep in mind you will need to add minutes and time to those phones, so my preference for a new activation is to buy a bundle from QVC or HSN which includes a year of service plus plenty of talk/text/data. However, the one benefit of the LG306G is that it will roam on AT&T outside of native AT&T towers, smart phones on Tracfone will only work on native towers (either Verizon, AT&T or T-mobile depending on the phone and/or SIM card activated).

Can you explain the last sentence in a little more detail? I am smartphone dumb and roaming has always confused me. Are you saying that when you buy a Tracfone, you have to simultaneously pick a telecom provider and add minutes with them? If it's Verizon or T-mobile, then the Tracfone will only work with those towers, so if you are in an area without those towers, no service? Does that mean no internet, text or calling, or is it just internet you would lose? But if it's AT&T, then you can use non-AT&T towers.... does it cost more per minute to use a non AT&T tower? Is roaming shorthand for saying "extra costs when out of your standard area"?

To OP, I can beat you on the limited smartphone front. I only got a smartphone formyself in August 2015, and none of my kids have any phone at all, including my oldest in 9th grade. We will be getting my 9th grader one at or before Christmas, possibly Google Fi option. I want her to have a good camera, and I want to text or call her while I'm at work. I am not wild about the enormous timesuck that I know will be involved with her having games and the internet on her phone; I would love if I could put a time limit on those features. Google Fi sounds more expensive than what you are considering. You have to get a google phone, but you pay for only the data you need. I really hate researching cell phones and everything connected with them (see: didn't own one until 2015) but I too am looking for good solutions for tweens.

[JElaineB]

Can you explain the last sentence in a little more detail? I am smartphone dumb and roaming has always confused me. Are you saying that when you buy a Tracfone, you have to simultaneously pick a telecom provider and add minutes with them? If it's Verizon or T-mobile, then the Tracfone will only work with those towers, so if you are in an area without those towers, no service? Does that mean no internet, text or calling, or is it just internet you would lose? But if it's AT&T, then you can use non-AT&T towers.... does it cost more per minute to use a non AT&T tower? Is roaming shorthand for saying "extra costs when out of your standard area"?

Most pre-paid or no-contract carriers ("MVNOs") work only on the native towers of the network they are using to provide service to you. There are two main types - CDMA which is either Verizon or Sprint, and GSM which is either AT&T or T-Mobile. I believe there are some parts of the country that have smaller/local providers but these are the big 4 that are nationwide in the U.S. Which towers you will be on depends on your phone first (it must be capable to support the correct network and bands) and the SIM card in your phone. I am most familiar with Tracfone but it works similarly with other pre-paid/no-contract carriers as well.

With Tracfone, if you buy a Tracfone branded phone (smart or dumb) you are supposed to check if it works in your zip code. They will push you onto GSM generally speaking if they can. Any Tracfone branded phone that ends in a "C" is CDMA and "G" is GSM. Tracfone doesn't use Sprint network, so a "C" phone will be on Verizon towers and a "G" phone will be on either AT&T or T-mobile, depending on the SIM card. With a non-smartphone on Tracfone they will roam on the same network type (CDMA or GSM), even if you are not an an area with native towers, and for Tracfone it will not cost extra. With a smartphone (and again, this isn't unique to Tracfone, but true of most MVNOs) they will not roam and you will get service only a given carriers native pre-paid network (NOT "pre-paid roaming"). You need to look on the carrier's site to see the pre-paid map, for example Verizon: http://vzwmap.verizonwireless.com/do...fault.aspx?zip - choose "Prepaid" radio button. Roaming generally refers to talk and text, IIRC there are some reports data will in fact roam in some situations (but I am not 100% certain and haven't tested it myself).

If you "bring your own phone" (BYOP) it works pretty much the same, but you have to be a bit more aware of what network(s) your phone will work on and also choose the right SIM card. Some phones are completely unlocked (like my son's Moto G4) and you basically get to choose, but others if the phone was made for a certain carrier but is now unlocked may work best with a SIM card from that carrier.

Hope this helps. I learned most of this on Howard Forums which is a great site if you want to dig in a bit on cell phone info and plans, pre-paid/no-contract or regular plans.

[Neatfreak]

We go with a cheap smartphone for our 12YO. So far, she's had old Samsungs on a pay-as-you-go service. She lost her phone last month, too, so we're all thankful that we didn't spend the money on an expensive phone.

[SASM]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, everyone, for your input!!!! We are still trying to decide. This has all been so helpful! Keep it coming!


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[Pear]

We got DD a Blu smartphone on Amazon. I can't recall the provider we are using, but it was a $20 card at target that provides some minutes and data.

The nice thing about about the blu smartphone is that there are plenty of apps available. So DD can have a "fancy" phone and the same apps as her friends, but at $60 we aren't too worried about it getting destroyed.

DD is only 7 so she rarely needs the phone as a phone, but she has long dance rehearsals where we no longer stay. She can't reach the studio phone and since she is shy, sometimes hesitates to ask for someone to dial for her. If she needed me, I want her to be able to reach me no matter what her mood.

[SASM]

Thank you, everyone! Elaine's comments were really helpful. We actually decided to go with the LG 306G for both kids, as I really like the idea of the triple minutes and roaming capabilities, as they will have the opportunity to travel 2.5+ hours away for field trips and boy scout camping excursions. Although I LOVED the idea of giving them the crazy cheap yet very solid Microsoft 640's, it didn't appear that the app store would allow for any of the apps that they use in school. They would still need to bring their iPods to school, if needed. So...the cheap, triple-minute, & roamable non-smartphone won out. We now have 2 iPhone 5's available to give them after we see how they do with these little phones. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your input!! I greatly appreciate it!