Inexpensive au pair phone options?

[Anonymous]

I’m not excited about acquiring another iPhone for the au pair. Anyone have suggestions for less expensive options? The rest of our family (three of us) have iPhones and we could probably give her a REALLY old one that hardly functions, but I don’t really know what else is out there. I’d also prefer to separate and limit her data use as compared to ours (issues with use limits). Ideas?

[Anonymous]

Doesn't she have her own phone and you can just pay for her plan?

[Anonymous]

I don't think you need to provide any kind of date plan personally. She needs a phone she can text on and make calls on.
If she wants extra she can provide her own.

[Anonymous]

Goto www.swappa.com to find gently used and mint condition phones that will work on your cell network.

Also check your cell network for deals.

[Anonymous]

Mint, for prepaid service that's pretty simple to use. You'll need to bring a phone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mint, for prepaid service that's pretty simple to use. You'll need to bring a phone.

DH is using Mint and we are happy with it. About as cheap as it get, and no reception issues.

[Anonymous]

I just added my APs to my phone plan, and it was an extra $15 a month. Household rule was to stick to Wi-Fi as much as possible, no streaming videos while using data. Our APs from over five years ago were more responsible and had more self control over their cell phone and data usage. My more recent APs need their cell phone fix no matter what. If you don’t provide reasonable data or a reasonable (AP-peer-worthy) phone (ifAP doesn’t already own one), then you will have an unhappy AP lookingfor a rematch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just added my APs to my phone plan, and it was an extra $15 a month. Household rule was to stick to Wi-Fi as much as possible, no streaming videos while using data. Our APs from over five years ago were more responsible and had more self control over their cell phone and data usage. My more recent APs need their cell phone fix no matter what. If you don’t provide reasonable data or a reasonable (AP-peer-worthy) phone (ifAP doesn’t already own one), then you will have an unhappy AP lookingfor a rematch.

Not true. Our last two got their own personal phone plans. We have a limited high speed data (2g) and unlimited low speed, no limit talk and text plan. However, the prior AP asked that we provide her a phone, so I put the parental control on of not being able to download apps, so she could not use any social media (outside of Safari, but I don’t think she was that clever). And she had her own iPhone, so I have no idea why she insisted we buy her a separate work phone.... Current AP uses her own phone and blows through her high speed data in the first week or two. I have no idea why she bothers with a second phone, but she came to us in rematch, so it may just be a contract that she’s stuck with...

[Anonymous]

We have a prepaid phone plan through MintSIM and it has been great. Our AP had her own unlocked phone.