Ting or something else?

[FiguringItOut]

Hi.  My kid right now has a cell plan from Kajeet for $21.99 per month.  She had it since October, but barely uses it.  I just went through her usage from Oct and it was a total of 51 talk minutes and 437 txt in 5 months.  For this I have paid $109.95 (5 months of $21.99).  She has no data on her phone.

I want to switch her to something else that is cheaper and uses Sprint (so we don't have to get a new phone). 

I looked at Ting, and at her current average usage it comes to $12+surcharges.  But on month to month, some months she pushed into the next ting bracket for $14/mo.   Still cheaper than current $21.99.

I'm trying to decide if switching her to Ting is the best choice or if there is anything else I should look at?  I'd like for her to have the phone and be able to call me/husband/nanny if she is staying late at school or going to the friend's house. 

I'm thinking that with Ting, we can reduce her txt number by having her use whatsapp or something similar, but without data, she can't txt from school using these apps.  So at least some txting is desired. 

What do you all suggest?  Would Ting be the best choice here?
And also, for those who have Ting, how much are their surcharges on top of the bill amount?
 

[skunkfunk]

I think I paid some 4 dollars in taxes and fees last month. Should be lower for you, though, since most of it is sales tax.

All of her friends have phones? If so, she could just memorize your number.

[FiguringItOut]

Thank you for the info on taxes.  That's helpful.

She knows my cell number by heart, that's not a problem.  I have a huge issue with "use your friend's phone" scenario.  She has borrowed her friend's phone before and let her friend use hers too.  But to always mooch off a friend does not sit well with me.  She has to have her own phone (I WANT her to have her own phone) even it it's a cheep android and her friends have latest iphones. 

[SunshineGirl]

I switched myself and two kids to Ting, and what's really nice about it is you can keep data off or turn it on as you wish, and you can cap the number of texts and talk minutes. I have one kid who texts a lot and the other who seldom does, so my one gets her texting ability "locked" after she reaches her preset limit.

My point: As your child ages, her usage may increase, and this handles that nicely. I pay for the miniumums on our plan, and my chatty child pays for anything that bumps us into the next category.

[FiguringItOut]

SunshineGirl, a quick question - does Ting physacally locks/limits number of txts and minutes or it is your agreement with you child to pay extra if he goes over the set usage? 

At the lowest level Ting should be $12+tax for my kid.  It's better then $21.99 we are paying now, so I am considering it.

Thank you

[SunshineGirl]

You, the account owner, can set it in the account. You can have it cut off at a certain level until the next billing cycle, or until you go back in and override it. You can set the limits at whatever you want, or not set them at all. I really find it a great company that keeps customers happy with their policies.

Here's my referral code if you switch and would like to use it: https://ztplgm1m924.ting.com/

[NinetyFour]

FiguringItOut--

I'm glad you are considering Ting.  I switched to it a few months ago, and think it's great.

If it helps, here is what my most recent bill said:

Here is a summary of charges for this period:
 
Plan SMS Usage XS->S           75 messages                    $3.00
Plan Minutes Usage XS->M       220 minutes                    $9.00
Line Fee                       xxx-xxx-xxxx                     $6.00 Feb 02 - Mar 01
 
Taxes:
Universal Service Fund (Wireless)                             $0.31
Sales Tax                                                     $1.64
Fed USF Cellular                                              $1.10
E911 Tax                                                      $1.30
FCC Regulatory Fee (Wireless)                                 $0.02

[laserlady]

If you want something even cheaper, you might also consider PureTalk.  At those usage levels, you could probably go with either a $5 plan or a $10 plan.  The $5 plan gets you 50 minutes per month, with no rollover minutes.  The $10 plan gets you 130 minutes per month, with any unused minutes rolled over.  For both plans, one minute = three texts. 

Those prices include all taxes and fees.  You wouldn't be able to use your Sprint phone, but you can get a free flip phone when you sign up for their service.

I've been using PureTalk for about a year, on the $10 plan, and it's great.  The reception isn't quite as good as it was on my previous Verizon phone, but it's definitely worth it for the price difference.