How to Remove Yourself From Your Parents' Cell Phone Plan
Figure out if it’s Actually a Good Idea
So, as mentioned in the opening paragraph, there are lots of good reasons to get off your parents' plan. Freedom, independence and all that jazz. But, there are also advantages to staying on the plan. One of them of course, if your parents are covering the cost, it’s cheaper for you. That might just seem like mooching, but you might actually be helping them out. By adding more services to an account you can often get bundled discounts. So you might actually be saving them money. Also, parents like to feel like they’re supporting their children, and this is a great way to do it. In fact, 40% of the parents of millennials pay for their children's phone plan. So ask if it’s even worth it.
Figure out What You Need in a Plan
Once you’ve decided that you do in fact want your own plan, you’ll need to figure out what you need out of the plan. There are so many options out there, and what you want out of the plan can hugely affect the price.
The three main things are of course minutes, texting, and data. All of which are nice to have unlimited. But, do you need the unlimited. With data, for example, most places now have wifi. You’re for sure going to have wifi at home, friends places, restaurants and school. You’re also going to probably have it at work and maybe even on the bus. So, is it really worth hundreds or even over $1000 a year?
The same goes for texting and minutes. There are many options available for free or cheap over wifi that you can use instead. So, how much do you really need and what’s it worth?
Find a New Provider
Once you’ve decided what you need it’s time to find a provider. You could just, of course, go with whoever your parents are using. The problem with that is that lots of times parents are using larger older companies because that’s what they grew up with. In the time since your parents were young, there have been many many new phone companies that have come up. The big companies are often charging two or even three times more for sometimes literally the exact same service. So shop around. An easy way to get a good idea of whose cheapest is to Google “cheapest cell phone plans my city.â€
Pick a Phone
Just like with plans, there are many options for phones as well. You might be tempted to get the latest phone. But, those phones often come with a huge price tag. They’re also often not all that different from the other phones that are half to a quarter of the price. So, consider getting a cheaper one. Used or refurbished can be great options as well.
The other advantage of getting a cheaper phone is that you’ll likely be able to buy it outright. When you do this you can often get access to even cheaper plan options. It can also be useful as you’re not on a contract. This will give you an edge in any negotiations with the company down the line, and the option to switch to a better option if needed.
Get off Your Parents Plan
This is going to be a little different depending on what provider you're with. Basically, though it’s your parents that are going to have to do most of the work, as it’s their name on the plan. They might just have to call in, or you both might have to call or you both might have to go down to the store to get it done. It all depends.
Something to consider though is if you want to keep your current number or not. If you want a new number on your new plan (or aren’t getting a new plan) it doesn’t really matter when you get off your parents' plan. If you want to keep your current number though you should get your new plan first and get them to request your old number. If you cancel the old plan first someone might snap up your old number before you can get it.
Sign up for Your New Plan
This is fortunately usually quite easy. Generally, you just have to go to whichever provider you’ve decided on and say you want to sign up. If it’s a contract you’re looking for they’ll likely have to run a credit check, so bring some photo ID and your SSN. Once that’s done they’ll activate your phone for you and you’re good to go. A tip is to ask them to waive the activation fee. This is a one time fee of usually around $30 dollars that they charge. They’re also usually happy to waive it if you ask directly.
If you’re doing prepaid it’s basically the same process. You go in and buy your SIM card and some minutes, then call the number they give you to activate the phone.
