Cellular Phones For Teenagers

It's tough being a teenager. Not only does a teen need to keep up with the latest styles and fashions, but they need to keep up with the latest cellular technology as well. Think about it, a cell phone is cool, and yeah, if a teen has one, a teen could probably be viewed as cool too. Of course, it begs the questions since a teen does probably has no credit history, credit cards or a lot of money to purchase a phone, how does a teen go about purchasing one? How can a teen pass a credit check without credit history? We can share a few tips and tricks to get a cellular phone for a teenagers over sixteen. More importantly, learn how to build credit as a teen.

To start cellular phone shopping, enter your zip code: Compare Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and more!

Have Any Doubt? Have Your Parents Order A Phone In Their Name

If you are below sixteen years of age, or even if you are about sixteen years of age or higher, the easiest option for a teenager to get a phone is have their parents sign up for a phone, it the parents name. Parents have better credit, they have credit, and have a way better chance of getting approved for a cellular phone then a teenager would. If a teenager does not want to use their parents to signup, but would like to try and signup themselves, be prepared to face a stiff credit check by the cellular phone carrier. Before a credit check is even performed, be advised that you must have a valid credit card in your name to even attempt to purchase a plan.

As a teenager, our first recommendation is if you don't pay your credit card yourself, to check with your parents to make sure that you can purchase a cell phone plan. Keep in mind that a teen passes the stringent credit check, the teen will receive a cellular phone and a one year commitment - a contract. This contract cannot be broken unless a hefty cancellation fee is paid.

After you get permission, or if you don't need permission, the best thing a teen can do is eliminate any if all outstanding debt. The lower debt amount you have when applying for a cellular phone, the better your chance of success. Over time, by paying off your debt consistently, you will establish a solid credit history that will also help you when applying. Cellular carriers look for people who have had past financing has been paid. It shows that someone else was willing to give you credit.

A teen may also want to close all outstanding credit cards that they don't use. This helps reduce revolving credit, and a cellular carrier will see less revolving credit as less risk. For example, if you have three credit cards, one Visa with a $1,000 credit limit, one JC Pennies with a $200 credit limit. You now have over $1200 in revolving credit. By eliminating the JC Penny credit line, cellular providers will consider less money that you yourself have access to a positive, because it is then more likely you will pay them back.

Our last tip is to know your credit history. Since a teenagers credit history should be quite limited, if there are any outstanding debts or items that are overdue or maybe even show up in error on your credit report, try and fix your credit report before applying. The cleaner your credit report, the more likely you will get accepted for a cellular phone offer.