There’s plenty of debate as to when children should be given their first phone. Some think that 11 is the right age, while others believe it should be much later.
But whatever you decide, you’ll probably want to pair the smartphone with a contract, which reduces the risk of racking up a huge bill. Rather than paying off a flagship phone over 24- or 36 months, a SIM-only deal will probably be more cost effective.
For this method, you’ll need to buy the device outright first, so consider opting for a budget phone. But after that, the monthly costs are much lower, and you can still get plenty of calls, texts and data each month.
However, with so many options out there, deciding which is best for your child can be a daunting task. This article aims to simplify that, highlighting some of the best SIM-only deals for children and what to look out for.
Best cheap SIM plans for kids with data
If you’re looking for a low budget low data SIM deals, consider carriers such as iD Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and Asda Mobile, all of which offer competitive data plans for under £10.
iD Mobile uses the Three network, and currently has ridiculously good rates of 50GB of data for £10 per month or 100GB of data for £12 per month. These are rolling 30-day contracts, so you can quit at any time. And they include data rollover, meaning any unused data carries over into the next month.
GiffGaff, which uses the O2 network, is another provider that offers low-cost data plans. The highlight right now is 40GB of data for £10, which lasts for six months for dropping down to a still-respectable 25GB. Its cheapest plan is 6GB of data for £8. Both are 18-month contracts, but monthly rolling plans are also available.
Smarty, which also uses Three, is another provider to consider. You can also get 40GB of data for £10 here, or 100GB for £12. Various other plans are also available, including ones where you get paid back for any data you don’t use each month. All SIM-only deals from Smarty are on one-month plans.
There’s no doubt your child will want to watch content while on their phones – a lot of it. Thankfully, some network providers bundle streaming services and social channels with their contract plans.
O2 plans include up to six months of free Apple Music, plus up to six months of another subscription (often Disney+), which is sure to keep your child happy. The best plan is 150GB for £19.99 per month on a 24-month plan, but there are plenty of alternatives.
For a lower data limit, there’s Vodafone-based Voxi’s 30GB plan for £10 per month. Voxi plans include unlimited access to social media apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook Messenger, meaning you can use them without eating into your data allowance.
Some plans also include unlimited usage of music and video streaming services, such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. The cheapest plan currently gets you 90GB of data for £15 per month. Again, all the Voxi plans are on a 30-day rolling contract.
Best cashback SIM deal – Cheap data plans with a high data allowance
If you don’t mind cashback, the best SIM deal for 100GB data right now is with Vodafone for £8 per month, available from Mobiles.co.uk. You’ll just need to claim every few months by sending your bill to Mobiles through the online account. Here’s how:
Family SIM plans and discounts
If you’re already on O2, you qualify for multi-save discount while also consolidating your and your child’s bill into one. You can add up to 20 connections on a Family plan with O2 and get up to 20% off from your fifth connection and onwards.
In fact, most major providers offer family plans to existing customers, so it’s worth checking if your current provider has any Family SIM deal programs in place.
Vodafone, for instance, offers up to 15% off for existing customers while EE offers 20% off every additional line and a 1GB data boost.
Parental controls on SIM
All the major phone networks in the UK – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – automatically block 18+ content – though this is via a mobile data connection and not Wi-Fi.
If your child primarily uses Wi-Fi, you may need other parental controls in place. Here’s how to enable parental controls on Android and iPhone.
Additionally, software such as Qustodio and Net Nanny are some of the best parental control software for filtering out inappropriate content to keep your kids safe online, while also offering tools to monitor and limit your children’s device and net use.
Data capping or not?
Most often SIM plans will automatically stop service once you’ve reached the limit, or text you when you’ve used up a sizeable portion.
Parents, however, might still want to consider data or usage capping features when buying a SIM for a child. You might be prompted to sign up for this option when you buy the SIM from the network provider. This helps limit charges that are out of contract such as picture messaging, long-distance calls or additional data usage.
You can choose to set a £0 cap, which means your child won’t be allowed any additional spending outside the plan’s limits. Alternatively, you can set a budget beyond the base value of the plan if you want flexibility. This might be a helpful safety net for your child if they need additional minutes or texts to reach you. O2, for instance, allows a spending cap of up to £200.
