Making Cents: What to know before buying your child their first phone for Christmas

primary education, friendship, childhood, technology and people concept - group of happy elementary school students with smartphones and backpacks sitting on bench outdoors

One of the most popular presents for young people at Christmas is a first phone.

In our digital world, the mobile phone is much more than just a communication device, it is a music player, gaming device, camera and provides access to the internet.

But there are a dizzying array of both phones and plans on offer from the various providers in Ireland and it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to choosing what to buy for your tween or teen.

One of the first decisions you will be faced with is between bill pay and prepay for your child’s phone. There used to be a very clear distinction between the two ways to pay for your phone, with prepay users buying X amount of credit and making calls and texts until the money ran out. 

But, as calls and texts become less important and the amount of data available more so, the distinction has blurred significantly. Now, prepay packages generally offer a set amount of data, calls, and texts in return for a set monthly payment or top-up, rather than simply running down your credit as you use the device.

One of the key factors in making this decision now is the phone you have in mind or your budget for the phone itself. If you are in the market for a very recent model or high-spec device, you are likely to reduce your upfront costs by going for billpay.

For example, the upfront cost of an iPhone 11 from an Irish provider is up to €379 (at the time of writing). But you can get the phone for just €49 or even for no upfront cost. However, to get the handset for less you have to commit to a monthly bill, in some cases of up to €80, for 24 months. The iPhone 11 is just one example but the principle holds for most devices, paying a low amount for the handset means higher monthly running costs.

There are two sites I recommend to help parents get a clear picture of the deals on offer and to help compare costs.

The Commission for Communications Regulation has a very useful comparison tool on its website, comreg.ie. It allows users to compare costs across every provider operating in the Irish market. 

You can make comparisons based on average monthly cost, upfront cost, total costs, or the amounts of data, minutes or texts available.

If you have a mobile phone in mind, the comparison tool at switcher.ie will allow you to see how much that particular handset will cost with various Irish providers.

An important point worth bearing in mind for parents worried about the cost is that, particularly for a first phone, the exact model is not the most important thing.

Most young people want to be able to listen to music, use photo and games apps and access social media networks (to whatever degree their parents are comfortable with them doing so). 

If someone else in the family is due an upgrade, their old phone can be unlocked and used with any sim. If that isn't an option, there are lots of places selling used, unlocked smartphones. 

Buy one of these, for the fraction of the cost of a new handset, and you can then choose a relatively inexpensive sim-only package. Switcher.ie allows you to compare SIM-only deals and choose the best one for your child’s needs.

When you have chosen a phone and package for your child, it is worth getting a good cover for the device as part of the Christmas present. There are shops everywhere selling covers for all of the most popular phones on the market, but many of these are more about making the phone look snazzy than protecting it. Smartphones are delicate, and many adults will be familiar with cracked screens and backs. It is worth investing in a sturdy cover for phones for younger users. Brands like Otterbox and Spigen will cost more than some covers but are a worthwhile investment to protect the phone from rough handling and the inevitable drops.

Connect online

Irish mobile provider Three has launched 3Store Connect, an online shopping experience where customers can browse and shop as though they are in store but from their own homes. Customers can now go to www.three.ie/3store-connect.html and speak to a retail expert face to face via video link. 

The idea behind the service is to bring the store experience home in a convenient, user-friendly environment. 

To celebrate the launch of 3Store Connect, online shoppers can avail of offers of 10% off Three’s accessories range shopping via 3Store Connect today, December 8, traditionally Ireland’s busiest shopping day. 

Customers can avoid the hassles of festive queuing and avail of some great prices by using the 3Store Connect online personal shopping experience. 

Three also has a fully dedicated sales number of 1800 944 788 which is up and running to support customer sales.