Mobile Phone Costs

What kind of mobile phone costs are you talking about?

If your child is old enough to have a mobile, you probably appreciate the fact that they can contact you and you can contact them at any time. But keeping on top of the costs is something lots of parents worry about.

It’s important that you help your child to understand and stay in control of the costs, even if they don’t physically hand over money for the handset and every call, text or other service they use.

See what other families are saying about mobile costs in this video:

What do I need to know about mobile phone costs?

1. Choosing a mobile for your child:

The first decision is how much to spend on a mobile for your son or daughter – this depends largely on their age and maturity and what they need a mobile for, but it’s likely that they will have strong views on which mobile they want.

It’s worth encouraging them to choose a handset that you also feel comfortable with, so ask yourself: Do you want them just to have a mobile for emergencies or are you happy for them to call and text their friends too? Are you comfortable with them having a camera or internet access on their mobile? Will you pay their bills or will you expect them to cover the costs?

2. Choosing the right payment option:

Once you’ve chosen a handset you all agree on, you need to choose the right payment option: ‘Pay monthly’ or ‘Pay As You Go’.

‘Pay monthly’ customers must be over 18 and usually sign up to a 12-month or 18-month contract. You can set up a pay monthly mobile contract for your child so that you receive an itemised bill once a month on which premium rate services, like downloads, will be listed as extras and you can also check their bills online.

With ‘Pay As You Go’, your child will pay for calls in advance via TopUp vouchers that cost, for example, £10 or £20. You or they can buy vouchers in supermarkets and newsagents or top up online or at bank cash points.

The advantage of ‘Pay As You Go’ TopUps is that they can help your child to manage their spending (at the end of every call they’ll see their remaining balance on their mobile screen so they’re more aware of how much they’re spending on their mobile).

Some parents use TopUps like pocket money – once the credit has gone, it’s gone, and their children have to wait until they can afford to top up again before they can use their mobile.

There are downsides with ‘Pay As You Go’, however, including the fact that you don’t receive an itemised bill so you can’t see who your son or daughter is calling or if they’re downloading mobile content.

3. Premium rate services:

Before you get your child a mobile, it’s also worth discussing what calls, texts and other services might cost them.

It’s particularly important to discuss premium rate services (sometimes called phone-paid services) as they cost more than the standard call rates on mobiles and landlines. They are products or services, such as ringtone and game downloads, TV voting lines, news alerts and competitions, that are charged directly to the mobile account that uses them.

Did you know?

UK consumers spent nearly £1 billion on phone-paid services in 2008 and they’re very popular with young people. According to Phonebrain, nearly three quarters (74%) of 13 to 15 year olds in the UK have bought and downloaded a mobile ringtone, for example

In the UK, premium rate numbers usually begin with 090 and premium rate text services are usually “shortcodes” of 4 or 5 digits long (eg text ‘VOTE’ to 11111). Adult voice services usually begin with 0908 or 0909 and adult text services can often be recognised by a 69 or 89 prefix.

PhonepayPlus, the UK regulator for premium rate services, notes that these kind of services can cost between 10p and £1.50 per minute/call/text (plus any network charges). If the product your child buys costs more than £1.50, they’ll be charged through a number of text messages (eg for a £3 ringtone, they’ll be charged for two text messages costing £1.50 each).

In the UK, PhonepayPlus offers a Number Checker on its website so that mobile users can check who runs a particular phone-paid service and how much it will cost.

4. Roaming charges:

Finally, if young people take their mobile on holiday, parents should make sure they understand the potential roaming charges for calls, texts and data. Data charges in Europe have been capped at 50 Euros under EU roaming rules but if they’re travelling further afield, they could run up large bills without realising.

What can I do about mobile phone costs?

When you’re choosing a mobile for your child:

  • Do your research and ask lots of questions – get recommendations from friends and discuss various options with your mobile phone provider
  • Read this ‘Buying a mobile’ checklist for parents produced by the children’s charity Childnet
  • Don’t be pressurised into buying a certain type of mobile – children often have strong views about what they want but it’s worth trying to steer them towards a suitable handset and price plan
  • Consider the payment options carefully – would you rather receive an itemised monthly bill or let your child pay for their own TopUps?

Before your child uses their mobile:

  • Talk to them about how costs can mount up, especially if they’re making long calls, texting lots or using premium rate services
  • Check with your mobile network provider whether they block premium rate services for under 18s and how they respond to complaints about premium rate services
  • Explain to your son or daughter the general format of premium rate numbers and how much they might cost
  • Encourage your child to read the small print in adverts and on websites for premium rate services and to ask your permission before using them

Once your child has a mobile:

  • Talk to them about what they use their mobile for and how much they spend on it – either keep an eye on the monthly bill or check how many TopUps they buy
  • Show them how to use the PhonepayPlus Number Checker service – simply type the number of a particular phone-paid service into the box on the PhonepayPlus website and click ‘Check it’ to find out which company runs the service and how much it will cost
  • To unsubscribe to a premium rate service, explain to your child that they can text the word ‘STOP’ to the service – or you can contact the provider directly on their behalf
  • To make a complaint about a premium rate service, contact the regulator PhonepayPlus and your mobile network provider
  • If they take their mobile abroad, encourage them to turn off voicemail and data (eg email) functions on their handset, text rather than make calls, and avoid downloading and streaming content (eg video)
  • If you/they upgrade their mobile, consider selling or recycling their old handset – but remember to clear it of all personal data first

Where can I go for more information and support about mobile phone costs?

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