The best mobile plans for kids and how to choose
If your child was gifted a phone recently and you have no idea where to start when it comes to purchasing a phone plan, we've got you covered.
With so many telcos out there and all kinds of plans on the market, it's hard to know which ones offer the most value or best suit their specific needs.
Below we've outlined the best plan for kids, a selection of long-expiry plans and the best plans by the Big Three telcos — Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Plus we'll dive into what to look for when purchasing mobile phone plans for kids.
Best mobile phone plan for kids
Why we love this plan: Vodafone-powered telco, Kogan Mobile, offers a $20 per month plan with 15GB of data, which is around the average Australian's usage per month. It comes with unlimited calls and texts for added peace of mind and boasts a data rollover of up to 200GB.
For other affordable options, check out the telcos below and their plans sorted by lowest price first:
Best long-expiry mobile plans for kids
For those who have slightly older children who want (or perhaps need) to learn some responsibility, a long-expiry plan is an interesting alternative. They require paying closer attention to data usage and, as a bonus, actually work out slightly cheaper overall. Above are the most affordable prepaid plans under $150 with an expiry of at least 360 days.
Best Optus mobile plans for kids
Optus is a solid middle-priced option for your child's first mobile plan. Parents can choose from a range of expiry ranges — from one day right through to 365 days. To keep things simple, however, here's what you can expect to pay for Optus' 28-day plans:
Best Vodafone mobile plans for kids
Vodafone keeps costs down thanks to its 'no bells and whistles' approach. All its prepaid plans include unlimited talk and text and have 'endless data' capped at speeds of 1.5Mbps.
This means even if your kids use all their monthly data allowance, they can still get online in an emergency.
Check out Vodafone's affordable prepaid plans below, which are perfect for first time phone owners:
Best Telstra mobile plans for kids
While Telstra isn't known for its affordability, it does have the widest network coverage across Australia at 99.98%. If you know your child will need the best mobile coverage possible, whether you live rural or move around a lot, here's what you can expect to pay for a prepaid mobile plan with Telstra:
Alternatively, a smaller provider that uses the Telstra network (aka an MVNO) may be the better choice if you want a cheaper plan but can't waver on your coverage needs. Here are some Telstra MVNO plans suitable for your kid's first mobile plan:
Keep in mind, however, Telstra MVNOs have about 98.8%, by comparison, except for Boost Mobile, which has access to the full Telstra network.
How to choose a suitable mobile plan for kids
There are a few key features to look out for when it comes to choosing a phone plan for kids:
Prepaid over postpaid: These are generally cheaper month-to-month. They also won't result in shocking excess data charges — once data is used up, there's no more to burn through unless you recharge early.
Unlimited talk and text: Most plans these days come with unlimited talk and text but make sure yours does, so your kids will always have a way to phone home, even if they use all their data allowance. It's important to note, PAYG prepaid plans do not include unlimited talk and text.
Explore family plans: A number of telcos offer family plans for households looking to bundle multiple SIMs onto the one plan. These can be a handy alternative to individual plans because they can save you money, allow data sharing between connected accounts and combine your bills into one easy payment.
Telcos such as Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, ALDI mobile and Yomojo all offer either a dedicated family plan for multiple SIMs or offer generous discounts when bundling up to six plans maximum under the one telco. If you're looking for mobile plans for multiple kids, this could be the way to go.
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