Find Back-to-School Savings on a Child’s First Cell Phone With TextNow

A new school year is upon us, and the cost of needed (and wanted) back-to-school supplies continues to increase, prompting parents to find extra savings wherever they can.

Along with the usual pencils and notebooks, many parents are considering whether or not to buy their child’s first cell phone. TextNow, a company that has offered free talk and text to consumers for over a decade, is a great option for a child’s first phone.

Parents can find savings on familiar supplies by taking advantage of back-to-school sales and discounts, buying the most-used items, like pens and folders, in bulk. Some supplies from the last school year may even be in good enough condition to reuse.

Another way to bring down costs is to pack school lunches, saving parents money on cafeteria food and saving children time in the cafeteria line.

It's now the norm for school-aged children to have cell phones, and typical plans are a significant expense. Even prepaid phones can result in large bills when minutes run out.

Parents can keep in touch with their kids before and after school without hefty phone bills by using a free phone service. TextNow is the leading mobile app offering free wireless and WiFi-enabled phone service in the U.S.

With TextNow, users can make unlimited nationwide calls and text messages for $0 per month with the ad-supported free plan. Parents can purchase a SIM card from TextNow for $4.99 and use it in any unlocked Android or iPhone device.

The free plan does not include data, helping parents exercise caution about their children's phone use, but kids can still connect their phones to Wi-Fi to use the internet or other apps.