As a parent, it’s always nice to know you can keep in constant contact with your children. It’s made easier by mobile phones these days, but what happens when you have kids like mine and they are running out of battery all the time? Or worse, their phone breaks or is lost or stolen. How will they contact you then? Do you think they will remember your number? Do you know your own mobile number?! I’m ashamed to say I don’t even know my husband’s mobile number off by heart. I know my own, and that’s about it.
There is a solution to this problem, and some clever people have thought of it at a really affordable price. The lovely people at 0800PHONEHOME got in touch with me to explain their business to me and I was immediately struck with the simplicity of the service and that it is really accessible to all. I’m really pleased to be able to tell you about it so you can use it for yourself. I really think it’s going to be so helpful for a lot of families. My husband is also really rubbish when he goes out about having enough battery.
It’s really easy to set up. You can choose an individual subscription for £2.99 (on offer, usually £4.99) per year or a family subscription for £9.99 (usually £14.99) per year. With that price, you get to include up to 5 contacts per person. Don’t forget to add them to your dashboard and you’re all set up. Make sure your child knows how to use the system, and will remember their pin number. You do have to purchase call credits for it to work, this costs an extra £3 minimum for 15 credits. The credits work as a price per call and are a maximum of 5 minutes, which is plenty of time for that crucial information you need at the time. They also have no expiry date, so if you don’t use the credits up, they just rollover.
How it works
If you’re out and you need to use the service, Dial 0800PHONEHOME from any phone in the UK (mobile or landline or payphone) by using the letters on the phone’s keypad. It translates to the number 0800 746634663.
You’ll be asked to key in your own mobile number to identify yourself. You’ll have to remember your own number!
Next, you key in your 4 digit PIN, this can be set up in your dashboard so you can choose one that you’ll remember.
You can then either;
- Ask to have your contacts texted to the phone you’re using (handy if you’ve borrowed a friend’s phone)
- Or, the system will read out your contact names – you just pick which one you want and you will be put straight through!
It’s that easy! Now I have more peace of mind. My eldest son William is almost 12 and has started going to the park by himself to meet friends, and even when he does have some battery life left on his phone it soon runs down because let’s face it their devices are key to their interactions. I have been caught out before when his phone has run out and he wants to stay longer or ask me something and has had to come home. This way I know he always has a way to get in touch with me without the other person having to have credit or worry about costing them money on their phone bill.
I’ve gone through the process with him and chosen a super easy pin for him to remember. He’s memorised his phone number and we’ve practiced dialling the 0800PHONEHOME number too, so I’m happy he’ll be able to use it. It’s made him a lot more confident when out and about. He’s almost 12 for reference. My daughter is 10 and a half and I don’t think she will have a problem either.
There have also been plenty of times when my husband has gone out and we can’t get in touch with him or vice versa, so this will really help us out. Next year Phoebe will be getting a phone, and we’ll add her to the list.
What do you think? Would you use this sort of service, do you think it’s a good idea? Let us know in the comments below.
Disclosure: we were gifted the service and credits for one year. My review is open and honest.
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