Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Influence-Central for Virgin Mobile. I received a sample device to facilitate my review and a thank you item for participating.
One of the bigger decisions almost every parent faces at one point is when is the right time to give your child a cell phone. I, myself, have struggled with it a lot over the past year. I think too many kids are given phones at too young of an age and as a result, are opened up to online bullying and peer pressure a lot sooner than us adults were exposed to it as teenagers. I honestly don’t see why an 8-year-old needs a cellphone.
My daughter is currently 12 years old and involved in school sports, as is her brother and step-siblings. On top of their various activities, I also work full-time from home and volunteer at my son’s school. To help keep track of everything going on, I write everyone’s schedules in an agenda book that I have. The thing is, though, I’m not perfect. Far from it. And I worry one day that I will slip up and forget where I’m supposed to be. Or my daughter will come home instead of having practice or a game, and I won’t be there. I need a way for her to get in touch with me, and a phone would definitely give both of us a sense of security.
I have to admit, though. I’m afraid of my daughter having a phone. I worry about her starting a Facebook or other social media account, which is not allowed in our home.
I’m also afraid she download apps like Snapchat and use it.
I’m afraid she’ll end up a victim of cyberbullying.
I’m also worried that she may go over her minutes and we may end up with a high bill we aren’t expecting, which we can’t afford.
I’m not the only parent with similar concerns. That’s where Virgin Mobile Custom Plans come in.
First off, this phone is a light little thing. My daughter and I were both surprised by how light it is. It’s not clunky in the least like many cell phones out there. 
And considering the price of other phones out there, $129.99 for this one isn’t bad. If that’s still out of your price range, there are two other phones to choose from. (See below for info.)
I do need to look around for a case for her phone, though, because my daughter isn’t the most careful creature on the planet. She has a tendency of dropping things. And I don’t think this phone would do well if it was dropped. I’m afraid it would crack.
Second, I love that I can pick the amount of talk, text and data that I want, and that I can adjust the amounts at any time. Do you know what that means? No high phone bills! Yay!!
And if we add another line, we can share the talk, text and data between them. Sweet!
(I can also monitor in real time how many minutes have been used, texts sent, etc.)
My favorite feature on the custom plans is the ability to change settings on her phone so that she can’t receive calls and texts after a certain time, or play games or do anything she shouldn’t when she should be sleeping.
I also have it set so there’s only certain people she can call during school hours in case of an emergency. I can even block certain apps. That makes me one happy momma. This feature is an additional security blanket for me.
I also should mention that alongside the phone, I was sent pamphlets to give out to other parents so they could see how a Virgin Mobile Custom Plan would work for them. And I have no issues with sharing the info. I honestly feel these plans are perfect for parents with concerns like mine.
We also got three t-shirts, and as you can see, they were loved. Our daughters snagged them right up, and my daughter wore one to school. She was a walking human billboard…and she loved it.
Virgin Mobile Custom Info
- Available only at Walmart and on Walmart.com
- Three phones to choose from: LG Unify ($129.99), LG Pulse ($79.99) and ZTE Emblem ($59.99)
- Additional lines cost $6.98 each
- Lowest plan is $6.98 and includes 20 mins of talk, 20 texts and 0mb of data.
- Can customize plans further:
- Talk: 250 mins for $3.00 up to 3,000 mins. for $21.00
- Text: 250 texts for $2.50 up to 5,000 texts for $23.00
- Data: 20 mb for $1.40 up to 6,144 mb for $52.50
- Additional Special Offers to choose from:
- Unlimited Facebook (monthly) – $5.00
- Unlimited Pinterest (monthly) – $5.00
- Unlimited Twitter (monthly) – $5.00
- Unlimited Instagram (monthly) – $5.00
- Unlimited Social which includes all of the above (monthly) – $15.00
- Unlimited music (monthly) – $5.00
- Unlimited maps & navigation 50 mb (1 day) – $1.00
- Unlimited maps & navigation 135 mb – $3.00
- Talk with Mexico, Canada, India, Dominican Republic or worldwide
- Facebook page
- Twitter page
A long time ago I had a Virgin Mobile phone and loved their no contract options. I honestly wish I never let Matt put me on his Verizon. It’s so expensive.
Chrystal @ YUM eating recently posted..Skillet Brownie
It is expensive. I’m on Verizon with Chris, and for two phones, we pay $164 each month.