# Cell plans that suspend service instead of charge for overages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759 "2009-04-20T18:58:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/1 "2009-04-20T18:58:45Z")
I’m looking into cell phones for my daughter and would like to find a plan which would not have the possibility of overcharges. Most plans offer xxx minutes per month and charge .xx for any minute over that. And xxx texts per month and .xx for each text over that. Instead, I want the plan to suspend service if all the minutes are used up. So if you’ve used up all xxx minutes of the plan, no more phone calls. Are there any plans like that? I thought about getting a prepaid, but the per minute charge can be relatively high. I would prefer to get a normal monthly plan with some limitations put on it so it will not have the outrageous overage charges. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/2 "2009-04-20T19:11:14Z")
I think your only option is prepaid unless you can convince the company to cut the phone off. Of course it’s not in their interest to cut off after the 300 minutes are used up. My son has prepaid and I think that is popular with a lot of parents unless the parents really trust the kid not to go over. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/3 "2009-04-20T21:32:59Z")
Probably not the solution that you’re looking for, but you can monitor the useage online and then confiscate it when she goes over. Or lock the settings so that she could only call 911 and you with it. Not automatic, but effective. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/4 "2009-04-20T21:38:45Z")
Just flipped over to another window and found [this](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2009-04-20-prepaid-prices_N.htm?csp=15) story about prepaid plans. > [@](#): > > In January, Sprint Nextel Corp. made a bold move to capture a larger share of the prepaid market, launching a service with unlimited calling, texting and Web access for $50 per month under its Boost Mobile brand. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/5 "2009-04-20T22:33:37Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Just flipped over to another window and found [this](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2009-04-20-prepaid-prices_N.htm?csp=15) story about prepaid plans. Interesting. Thanks for posting that. At least the price is more reasonable. Unfortunately, it’s an unlimited plan. It may sound weird, but I actually would prefer a **limited** plan for her. I’d rather have my daughter limit her time on the phone. If it was unlimited, I’m sure she’d do her best to try to reach that limit. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/6 "2009-04-20T22:34:17Z")
How old is your daughter? Would making her responsible for any overages work? That would teach her good habits. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/7 "2009-04-21T03:31:25Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Interesting. Thanks for posting that. At least the price is more reasonable. Unfortunately, it’s an unlimited plan. It may sound weird, but I actually would prefer a **limited** plan for her. I’d rather have my daughter limit her time on the phone. If it was unlimited, I’m sure she’d do her best to try to reach that limit. Well _she_ doesn’t have to know that it’s unlimited. 😛 You get the plan to minimize your expenses, but tell her that she’s limited to a thousand minutes or whatever and check her useage online once or twice a week. She goes over, fall back to plan A of collecting her phone until the next billing cycle. She has a limited amount of time/texts to learn budgeting and respomnsibility. You’re protected from hundred dollar overages. Everyone wins. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/8 "2009-04-21T05:04:16Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I thought about getting a prepaid, but the per minute charge can be relatively high. What makes you think that? Something the cell phone company told you? As I recall from a recent Consumers Reports (Jan or Feb, I think), they said that in many cases prepaid cell service was cheaper than any of the various plans the companies offered. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/9 "2009-04-21T14:22:05Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Well _she_ doesn’t have to know that it’s unlimited. 😛 > > You get the plan to minimize your expenses, but tell her that she’s limited to a thousand minutes or whatever and check her useage online once or twice a week. She goes over, fall back to plan A of collecting her phone until the next billing cycle. > > She has a limited amount of time/texts to learn budgeting and respomnsibility. You’re protected from hundred dollar overages. Everyone wins. If she’s able to use a cell phone, I’ll bet she knows how to use the internet and look up info on BOOST Mobile. She will know it’s unlimited. Best not to lie to your kids, it sets a bad example 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/10 "2009-04-23T03:08:43Z")
Wasn’t T-Mobile or Cingular advertising the ability to monitor family plans and adjust them and assuming they are adjustable (one month marty get’s 500 min and 500 texts and next month he has been bad so they drop his min to 100/100) the phone will not operate once the allotted minutes are used up? ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/11 "2009-04-23T20:18:36Z")
> [@Pixilated](#): > > Wasn’t T-Mobile or Cingular advertising the ability to monitor family plans and adjust them and assuming they are adjustable (one month marty get’s 500 min and 500 texts and next month he has been bad so they drop his min to 100/100) the phone will not operate once the allotted minutes are used up? I was just comparison shopping AT&T and Verizon 2 weeks ago, for family plans. Both offered some options. AT&T offers [Smart Limits for Wireless](http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/parental-controls/). You can set when they can call, who they can call, how much they can text, but oddly enough, you can’t limit how much they call. $5/month charge. Verizon calls it [“Usage Controls”](http://support.vzw.com/faqs/Features%20and%20Optional%20Services/usage_controls.html#item1). Looking into it, it’s about the same. You can limit when, who, how much texting, and you can set a call minute limit, but all it does is sent an alert when the limit is met, not actually cut off the ability to call. Again, $5/month. Try going to your supplier’s page, and search under “Parental Controls” to see what they offer. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-plans-that-suspend-service-instead-of-charge-for-overages/493759/12 "2009-04-23T20:23:54Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > I was just comparison shopping AT&T and Verizon 2 weeks ago, for family plans. Both offered some options. > > AT&T offers [Smart Limits for Wireless](http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/parental-controls/). You can set when they can call, who they can call, how much they can text, but oddly enough, you can’t limit how much they call. $5/month charge. > > Verizon calls it [“Usage Controls”](http://support.vzw.com/faqs/Features%20and%20Optional%20Services/usage_controls.html#item1). Looking into it, it’s about the same. You can limit when, who, how much texting, and you can set a call minute limit, but all it does is sent an alert when the limit is met, not actually cut off the ability to call. Again, $5/month. > > Try going to your supplier’s page, and search under “Parental Controls” to see what they offer. Verizon’s plan sounds like a reasonable solution. You might get SOME overages, but the idea is you are alerted when your child goes over, so you can demand the phone be given to you until the next month’s allotment. Set the alert threshhold below her actual thresshold, so you get some leeway before you start getting nailed by overages, etc.