When to have children pay for own phones

[Anonymous]

My husband, who is 39 and a partner in a large consulting firm, is still on his parents' family plan lol

[Anonymous]

My 23 year old is still on our plan and we're about to pay off her most recent phone. I may kick her off or ask her to pay her share the next time she wants or needs a new phone, but will keep her on the family plan for now.

[Anonymous]

My parents kicked me off their plan when I got married at 25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m 35 and I have an MD and my parents still pay for my phone because we’ve been on a family plan for years and no one has bothered to change it. I’ve offered to pay them of my share but taking a few hundred bucks a year from me seems petty to them.

So to answer your question, maybe never.

Pathetic.

[Anonymous]

When they graduate college? No clue really but it's really not that much more a month.

Now for the actual new phone barring any technical issues, they will definitely pay for their own post college.

If they break or crack a screen they have to pay a portion of it. Kids are 18,16, and 12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m 35 and I have an MD and my parents still pay for my phone because we’ve been on a family plan for years and no one has bothered to change it. I’ve offered to pay them of my share but taking a few hundred bucks a year from me seems petty to them.

So to answer your question, maybe never.

Lol yes my sister is an MD, I have a masters and we all own our own homes, have our own children and support ourselves completely. Except… the family plan. My parents maintain that it makes no sense for us to spend hundreds when it costs them very little to add a couple extra phones on. We’ve offered to pay the difference they pay monthly but they just say to not worry about it. We are not unique among our friend group for sure..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My young adult kids are still on our plan. They do pay for new phones themselves.

+1

[Anonymous]

My 25 and 28 year old DCs are on our family plan. Heck, so is my mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 35 and I have an MD and my parents still pay for my phone because we’ve been on a family plan for years and no one has bothered to change it. I’ve offered to pay them of my share but taking a few hundred bucks a year from me seems petty to them.

So to answer your question, maybe never.

Pathetic.

In the big picture of life it is not pathetic. My single adult sister and my 85 year old grandmother share a plan. It’s under my sisters name, but it really doesn’t matter. This is what happens when family plans are more affordable

[Anonymous]

I pay for the service for my adult children because it is so much less expensive to have a family plan than a bunch of individual plans. They buy the phones themselves. I'm pretty sure most people do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 35 and I have an MD and my parents still pay for my phone because we’ve been on a family plan for years and no one has bothered to change it. I’ve offered to pay them of my share but taking a few hundred bucks a year from me seems petty to them.

So to answer your question, maybe never.

Lol yes my sister is an MD, I have a masters and we all own our own homes, have our own children and support ourselves completely. Except… the family plan. My parents maintain that it makes no sense for us to spend hundreds when it costs them very little to add a couple extra phones on. We’ve offered to pay the difference they pay monthly but they just say to not worry about it. We are not unique among our friend group for sure..

Same, though not a doctor. Pay my own devices, but gosh, the family plan they locked in 10+ years ago is so much cheaper than any plan these days…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean for the line or for the actual device?

OP answering - I did mean for the line and not device, but guess it applies to both if say the phone breaks during high school or college.... thanks for replies.

Never. I have friends who have family plans with very large extended families. If the kid ever wanted to leave a family plan I wouldn't care, but I also would never kick them off.

[Anonymous]

Never thought about it until this thread. My kids are early 20’s and maybe when my DD gets married next year? Not even sure how to take her off the plan. How do you do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never thought about it until this thread. My kids are early 20’s and maybe when my DD gets married next year? Not even sure how to take her off the plan. How do you do that?

good lord. seriously?

It's ironic that you don't know how to get someone off of your *phone* plan by using your phone. A smartphone isn't just for texting and checking social media. It does also work as a *phone* so you can call your service provider. It can also allow you to login to your account to manage your account.

I can see why you never thought about it.