Parenting

The Best Kids Phone Plans That Are Stupid Cheap & Super Convenient

by Keri Pina
best phone plans for kids
Getty Images/dolgachov

Modern kids are booked and busy, and the best kids’ phone plans make managing those packed calendars a little less daunting. It might feel like just yesterday that you were baby-proofing your house or pushing your kid around in a toddler stroller (*sniff*), so choosing a cell phone for your kid (who was playing with a toy phone not too long ago) might feel a little premature. And as those social obligations start to pile on, you might feel like your kid’s secretary if all the communication is coming through your personal device. If your kid has their own phone, a lot of that planning is taken off your plate, and you can go back to scrolling your feed as God intended.

There are a million reasons why your kid might want to contact you — they need a ride, or forgot their homework, or got weird vibes at a sleepover party and want to leave — and giving them a phone means they don’t have to bother a random adult or track down a phone booth. (And when is the last time you saw a phone booth?) It’s up to you to decide when your kid is ready for the responsibility, but knowing they can reach you whenever they need you will give you major peace of mind.

Of course, the number one reason to get your kid a phone is safety, but on the flip side, your kid with a phone might sound like a cellular nightmare waiting to happen. You might be asking yourself what type of phone to buy a kid who maybe isn’t so good at resisting the temptations of the internet. However, you’ll be happy to know that some kids phone plans have the option to only talk and text with a list of pre-selected contacts, so your child won’t be chatting away with randos. Other plans that include data have the option of blocking certain apps and sites so your kid won’t accidentally go viral for the wrong reasons. Once you determine your own family’s needs, there are plenty of plans ready to meet them. And lucky for you, many of these prepaid plans are cheap AF, so you can try it out without making some insane financial commitment.

So say hello to the best cell phone plans for independent kids and conscientious parents.

Best Kids Cell Phone Plans

Mint Mobile 3 Month Wireless Plan
$45
Verizon Wireless Just Kids Unlimited Plan

If you’re a votary of Verizon (or you’re looking to switch plans), the 5G Nationwide network offers a Just Kids unlimited plan that has all the features you could possibly want and more. You can pick up to twenty contacts for their address book, enable content filters, set their data usage, and block the sites and apps you don’t want them accessing. Your kids can even request a ride from you, which is fitting because you’re basically just their unpaid Uber driver, anyway. And if you find your kid is getting a little too phone-addicted for your liking, you even have the ability to pause their internet during school or dinnertime, so they can be more present in their real life. The plan starts at $50 but you can get it as cheap as $25 if you have a family plan with 5 or more lines attached.

$50
Tello Mobile Bring Your Own Phone SIM Card Kit
$2
Red Pocket 3GE Unlimited Plan

Red Pocket works with any AT&T compatible or unlocked GSM devices, so you can go iPhone or Android. Plus, you can chose to keep the phone’s existing number (which is great if your kid already has it memorized). You have the option to power your plan with one of the major carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, or AT&T) so you can pick the carrier that works best in your service area. If you need way more data to keep your kiddo happy, there’s also a 50GB plan for only $25 a month!

$10

Best Prepaid Phones For Kids

KidsConnect KC2 4G Kids Cell Phone and GPS Tracker
$89.95
Tracfone Samsung Galaxy A10e 4G LTE Prepaid Smartphone
$74.98

Best Teen Mobile Plans

US Mobile Prepaid SIM Card
$5.99
Reach Mobile Basic Plan

If your little chatterbox is tying up your line, the Reach Basic plan for one line offers up to 3GB of data and unlimited talk and text. You can purchase a phone through their site or use your own phone, too. If you don’t want to worry about running out of data, their All-In Unlimited plan is only $65 a month (which might be worth the cost of your sanity).

$30

SHOP THE STORY

Mint Mobile 3 Month Wireless Plan

If you have an old phone you want to re-gift to your kid, Mint Mobile offers a plan that is BYOP (bring your own phone) and it includes a 3-in-1 SIM card (standard, micro, and nano sized) to fit the device of your choice. Mint uses T-Mobile towers so you can rest assured you’ll have good service. You get three months of unlimited talk and text, and 4GB of highspeed data to boot, so your kid can stay connected without draining your bank account.  

$45
KidsConnect KC2 4G Kids Cell Phone and GPS Tracker

If the idea of giving your kid unsupervised screen time is panic-inducing, then this is the option for you. This super simple cell phone provides cell service and a GPS tracker in one. It includes an SOS button feature, supports three speed-dial numbers, and has a 15-number address book, so only those 15 numbers can call your child’s phone. Your kid can access you and the other emergency contacts of your choosing, but more importantly, they can’t access any apps or the internet, so you don’t have to worry about burning through a bunch of data. You can pick a plan that works best for you on KidsConnect, and all the plans are carried through either T-Mobile or AT&T, so you know you’ll get good coverage (just check the map to see which works best for your service area). And if that’s not enough, KidsConnect also offers GEO-fencing, so if your kid wanders into some unknown neighborhood, you’ll be alerted.us mobile

$89.95
Tracfone Samsung Galaxy A10e 4G LTE Prepaid Smartphone

For kids who are ready for a more sophisticated phone, this Trackfone Samsung Galaxy includes a sim card and has 32 GB of storage.  You can purchase a 30 day prepaid Tracfone plan with unlimited talk and text and 1 GB of data for $23.99, which is just enough to keep your kid out of trouble but not enough for them to get into trouble, if you know what I mean.

$74.98
Tello Mobile Bring Your Own Phone SIM Card Kit

If customization is what you want, Tello Mobile lets you build your own plan for as little as $4.50 a month. You can purchase this sim card kit for $2, activate your existing phone, and choose a plan that works for you. So if you want unlimited texting but only enough minutes for emergencies, Tello has it for less than the price of a fancy coffee. Plus, it’s a great way to put any old cell phones you have laying around to good use.

$2
US Mobile Prepaid SIM Card

US Mobile is like Build-A-Bear for the perfect cell phone plan. Purchase this SIM card for $5.99 then activate a plan of your choice. You can get unlimited talk and text for as little as $10 a month. But if your kid needs data, you can add that for up to $45 a month depending on how much your kiddo plans to burn through. And since most devices work with US Mobile, you can use a phone you already have (and the number already assigned to it) or purchase a new one.

$5.99
Verizon Wireless Just Kids Unlimited Plan

If you’re a votary of Verizon (or you’re looking to switch plans), the 5G Nationwide network offers a Just Kids unlimited plan that has all the features you could possibly want and more. You can pick up to twenty contacts for their address book, enable content filters, set their data usage, and block the sites and apps you don’t want them accessing. Your kids can even request a ride from you, which is fitting because you’re basically just their unpaid Uber driver, anyway. And if you find your kid is getting a little too phone-addicted for your liking, you even have the ability to pause their internet during school or dinnertime, so they can be more present in their real life. The plan starts at $50 but you can get it as cheap as $25 if you have a family plan with 5 or more lines attached.

$50
Reach Mobile Basic Plan

If your little chatterbox is tying up your line, the Reach Basic plan for one line offers up to 3GB of data and unlimited talk and text. You can purchase a phone through their site or use your own phone, too. If you don’t want to worry about running out of data, their All-In Unlimited plan is only $65 a month (which might be worth the cost of your sanity).

$30
Red Pocket 3GE Unlimited Plan

Red Pocket works with any AT&T compatible or unlocked GSM devices, so you can go iPhone or Android. Plus, you can chose to keep the phone’s existing number (which is great if your kid already has it memorized). You have the option to power your plan with one of the major carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, or AT&T) so you can pick the carrier that works best in your service area. If you need way more data to keep your kiddo happy, there’s also a 50GB plan for only $25 a month!

$10