Monthly Bill for Family Plans on IPHONES?

[DawnM]

So data is only on ONE phone with this plan?

Dawn

Here is a breakdown of our costs
Rate plan 700 min w/rollover minutes- $60
Unlimited family text plan + any mobile to mobile - $30
-$10.50 discount on above
Data plan for my phone $10
Add a line fee phone #2 -$9.99
Add a line fee phone #3 - $9.99
Add a line fee phone #4 - $9.99
Iphone Data - $25
-$3.75 discount
911 fee x4 - $3.00 x 4 phones

Total $152.72 add another $10 for taxes, etc bill is usually @$162ish

I noticed that sometimes my daughters get charged @$1 or so for data charges, I think they sometimes accidentally hit the wrong buttons. Truthfully, I think it is me when I go on their phones. OOps!

 

[WVMomof3]

So data is only on ONE phone with this plan?

Dawn

I have a nonsmart phone, so my data plan is $10/month unlimited.
My husband has an Iphone, his is $25/ month for 2 GB.
2 phones with no data

 

[DawnM]

Thanks.

I have looked at the ATT website and can't make sense of it.....there are about 50 varieties of add ons you can get and I can't figure out if it is per phone or if you HAVE to have certain things, etc....

Dawn

I have a nonsmart phone, so my data plan is $10/month unlimited.
My husband has an Iphone, his is $25/ month for 2 GB.
2 phones with no data

 

[momto2inKC]

Thanks.

I have looked at the ATT website and can't make sense of it.....there are about 50 varieties of add ons you can get and I can't figure out if it is per phone or if you HAVE to have certain things, etc....

Dawn

We have family plan for minutes and texting, so that covers all 4 phones. Then each phone has to have it's own data plan, if it's a smart phone it's required. That's it. Everything else is just optional and can be added to just 1 phone or all phones.

 

[jakoky]

deleted

 

[DawnM]

Well, when you couch it with "This is a great life lesson, am I the only one who lets their kids learn through life lessons" type of way, it is going to be easy for people to get defensive.

I don't have an iPhone or any type of smart phone. DH has one through work but we don't pay for it.

HOWEVER, we do have an extra phone on our plan that is shared. If a child will be away from us and needs it to call us to get him, he is the one who can take that phone.

We only pay $7.50/mo for that phone and there is no texting or internet, so it is only a phone.

Maybe when my kids are old enough to get a job I will charge them the amount of the extra, but not now, no.

Dawn

We don't have iPhones , but all have smart phones...our bill is about 245/ month BUT, I have always only paid $10 of each of my kids bills. I decided that if they were old enough for a phone, they were old enough to pay for a bill, a great life lesson! Being the budget board, am I the only parent who does this? They have learned they need to budget for their bill at a certain time each month, and I believe this is a great tool for them. They also don't charge extra to their phones because they have to pay it, and if they do, they always tell me before the bill comes. The reason I pay 10, is because I love being able to reach them when I need to. Just curious if I am the only one?I should add my oldest dd was 15 when she got her phone, my son was 15 or 16, and my youngest dd was 12!

 

[momto2inKC]

We don't have iPhones , but all have smart phones...our bill is about 245/ month BUT, I have always only paid $10 of each of my kids bills. I decided that if they were old enough for a phone, they were old enough to pay for a bill, a great life lesson! Being the budget board, am I the only parent who does this? They have learned they need to budget for their bill at a certain time each month, and I believe this is a great tool for them. They also don't charge extra to their phones because they have to pay it, and if they do, they always tell me before the bill comes. The reason I pay 10, is because I love being able to reach them when I need to. Just curious if I am the only one?I should add my oldest dd was 15 when she got her phone, my son was 15 or 16, and my youngest dd was 12!

Nope, I want them to have their phones. I pay the bill. They do have to pay for things like Xbox points, new games, etc... They both get $10 a week allowance to pay for their 'wants'.

 

[jakoky]

I deleted my post, and if offended anyone i am sorry...I honestly didnt mean to, i read the budget posts all time, and people offer words of wisdom. I actually almost feel guilty now that my kids pay their own bill, but in my heart i do believe that i am doing the right thing for us. I know that i could buy them a basic talk and text phone and pay that 10 or 15 a month, but they want the smart phones with expensive bills, not in my budget...sorry again

 

[WVMomof3]

I deleted my post, and if offended anyone i am sorry...I honestly didnt mean to, i read the budget posts all time, and people offer words of wisdom. I actually almost feel guilty now that my kids pay their own bill, but in my heart i do believe that i am doing the right thing for us. I know that i could buy them a basic talk and text phone and pay that 10 or 15 a month, but they want the smart phones with expensive bills, not in my budget...sorry again

My daughter wants to badly upgrade her phone to an Iphone/smartphone. I have also told her that she will have to pay for the data package, as I am not doing it. Don't see anything wrong with it. I pay the 10/month add a line fee because I want her to have a phone where I can keep in touch with her. IMO, she does not need the data package at 13 years old. She does have a seasonal job refereeing soccer, so she could pay it, but when she sees it will be her money, she doesn't want it that bad.

 

[Mom21]

Thanks.

I have looked at the ATT website and can't make sense of it.....there are about 50 varieties of add ons you can get and I can't figure out if it is per phone or if you HAVE to have certain things, etc....

Dawn

Look online and see what family talk package you want. The price you see is for 2 phones. Each additional phone is charged 9.99. Family texting with unlimited mobile to any mobile calling is a flat $30 and covers all lines on the account. Just to clarify you are not required to have texting, but I know most people do have it these days.

If you want a smartphone you must have a data plan. You would pick either the $15 for 200 MB or the $25 for 2 G. That would be charged per phone. If you choose a phone that is considered quick messaging you are not required to have a data, but you can get it for $10 unlimited if you choose.

That is it. Anything else (insurance, smartlimits, navigator, etc) you get is your choice and I can say most are per phone. If you have specific questions about a feature feel free to ask.

 

[DawnM]

See, THAT I can fully agree with.

I have a basic, basic, basic phone for my kids. If they want more, we will have to decide what we will do at that time.

It was only the wording I had an issue with. And I admit I was a little irritated already with the other thread bashing parents for buying their kids electronic gadgets.

Dawn

I deleted my post, and if offended anyone i am sorry...I honestly didnt mean to, i read the budget posts all time, and people offer words of wisdom. I actually almost feel guilty now that my kids pay their own bill, but in my heart i do believe that i am doing the right thing for us. I know that i could buy them a basic talk and text phone and pay that 10 or 15 a month, but they want the smart phones with expensive bills, not in my budget...sorry again

 

[Darcy03231]

We have four phones on our plan. 1400 anytime minutes, unlimited texting, incoming calls & texts are free, nights (after 7 pm) and weekends are are free. We have 2 regular phones (me and DH) and two smart phones (DD & DS) on the plan. Total bill with taxes and fees runs about $195/mo. Both kids pay the $30 each for their unlimited data plans, so total cost for me is $135. I really didn't see the need for smart phones as both kids have a laptop and an Itouch, but they wanted them so they pay for the data plans.

 

[tar heel]

I'm another one who is really interested in this thread!

We have a Verizon family plan with five basic phones. Unlimited texting and more minutes than we've ever used b/c the "Friends and Family" list means most of our calls don't count. We pay $176 a month.

DH and I are thinking about giving ourselves Iphones for Christmas if the price isn't too atrocious. One "child" would like a smartphone and will pay for himself. The other two will probably have to wait until they are off my payroll.

 

[delmar411]

We have a family plan through Verizon.

3 phones with 1500 mins to share, unlimited texting, all 3 have unlimited data. After taxes and fees it's $230/mth.

The unlimited data portion is $30/mth x 3 (plus taxes & fees).

 

[DISdreamin']

Wow, it has been interesting to read all these threads! I keep thinking of getting DH an iPhone, as I think he'd find it FAR more useful than he thinks. I'm still debating, but this thread really drove home how much more we'd be paying each month if we did it!

 

[dcfromva]

Wow, it has been interesting to read all these threads! I keep thinking of getting DH an iPhone, as I think he'd find it FAR more useful than he thinks. I'm still debating, but this thread really drove home how much more we'd be paying each month if we did it!

I believe there must be an AP that makes you forget how much your paying each month....

 

[jsmith]

on Verizon we have 4 phones-three on grandfathered unlimited data plans, one non smart phone since my husband prefers to have a seperate personal phone from his work.1400 minutes, unlimited texting,and an aircard that we no longer need and the contract will expire on in December
base plan 109
3X30 data 90
3x10 extra lines 30
air card 50
20 percent discout from work
taxes, fees and a 10 dollar month supscprition i just caughton my bill-280 a month

 

[Chelley00]

We have

1 Iphone with unlimited data pkg
1 Iphone with unlimited data pkg
1 Iphone with 2GB data pkg
1 "not so smart phone"

We have the unlimited family texting plan, 1000 minutes, free nights and weekends and free mobile to mobile.

Our total bill is $190/month with DH's PepsiCo discount. DS18 pays us $25/month for the data plan on his Iphone, but we pay the $9.99 a month fee for his phone line. I figure the phone is a *necessity* but the Iphone/data plan is optional.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Don't forget, if your company offers it, you can get a 25% discount on the 2GB data plans through AT&T, which brings the cost down from $25/month to around $19. They do not offer this on the 200MB plans ($15/month). I'm not sure of the exact numbers with other carriers.

 

[DawnM]

Is there an app to replenish your bank account?

I believe there must be an AP that makes you forget how much your paying each month....