what is the youngest age you have to be to get a cell phone account in your name?

Question

my teenage daughter wants to get a cell phone. but, i cant put it in my name because my credit is shot. she doesnt want to do prepaid phones and she gets an allowance. she said her friend also gets one in her name. but i dont know whether to believe that or not. also what's the best cell phone plan . because i know absolutely nothing about cell phones.

Answer 1

You have to be 18 to have credit in your name or have a co signer

Answer 2

You should have posted what city you live in. Like if you were in My credit was shot and double shot. lol Sprint charged $125 deposit for me to get a phone.



San Antonio, then I would tell you to get her the pocket or cricket phone for a flat $37 a month. UNLIMITED minutes, UNLIMITED text messages, free long distance, 3 way calling and caller ID. This is the phone that a parent dreams of for their kids. Cuz you know you only pay a certain amount each month. And the kicker is NO CONTRACT. Check the papers especially the Sunday papers for any companies that may be in your city. These two companies are not in the Dallas or Houston area, but they will be soon. When my Sprint contract is up, I am going to them.



THINGS TO DO

Get a notebook to check the different plans for the cell phone companies and this way you can see what she can afford.



Go by the companies and see what it would cost to activate a phone. Normally the age is 18, but check anyway.



Her friend may have got one in her name, but it is the mother who pays for it too. The mother got it for the daughter to use, but the mother co signed I bet and so of course it is in the girls name. But if she does not pay, then the mother will have to. Unless, she bought a prepaid phone now and did not want to admit it.



If a company says you have to pay a deposit, and you can do it. Then go thru the internet and google the various sites that will sell a phone from that company. Reason is a certain Razr phone is $129 with Cingular and then get the EXACT same phone for $29. But you have t o google all this.

Answer 3

She would have to be 18-19 yrs old (depending on your state) to get a "real" cellphone.. this includes contract and monthly bill. She would also have to pay a deposit if she has little or no credit record. They can range from $50.00-$125.00 (typically - unless she already has bad credit). If she is a minor, you can try metropcs.. I would say prepaid is the way to go. She can go with Cingular and it offers a "Pick your Plan" service which is just like having a monthly plan but she would be required to setup a bank account (you can always get a prepaid visa though) and the payments automatically come out of the prepaid visa. You can get text messaging and internet features and the phone is just the same as a regular service but there is no contract. Its always best to go prepaid if she is a minor because if the phone gets lots/stolen, or over used (and is no longer affordable) you can just cancel it. It also teaches responsibility.

Answer 4

you don't say how old your daughter is so i'll assume she's a teenaged minor. when my daughter turned 18, she and i went to switch our cell phones to a different provider and were told she had to be 25 (where we live) and have established credit already before she could have an account in her name. she's legally an adult and very financially responsible but that was meaningless to them. i don't know if those decisions are made by each individual carrier or if there's some law regulating them. i highly doubt anyone would give a teenager an account in their own name with no credit anyway, regardless of where you are, since minors can not legally be held accountable for any contracts they sign before they're 18.

Answer 5

with metropcs no contract so any age and at metro the best plan is 45 dollars includes unlimited minutes (all plans have unlimited minutes) unlimited text unlimited long distance calling and much more just go to:



www.metropcs.com



its a very good service just know that when you u put in your area code its going to tell u whether your able to have it if you say in the district of availibility because i stay in atlanta im able to get because its in the range

Answer 6

i assume 17