Code Club Mobile Plan Challenge: Can You Beat your Family's Phone Bill?
Hey Code Club! Want to use your coding and research skills to help your family save real money? Here’s a fun challenge for you (and yes, you can earn a reward too)!
🧩 The Problem
Our family pays way too much for our phone plans! Here’s what we have right now:
- 3 SIM cards with 10GB of data each: £67/month
- 1 SIM card with 20GB of data: £10/month
- TOTAL: £77/month for 4 phones!
But I know there are cheaper deals out there with more data.
🚀 Challenge: Be the Smart Shopper!
Your Mission: Help your family find a better deal!
Here are the rules:
- Find a mobile (phone) plan with 4 SIM cards
- Each SIM must have at least 20GB of data per month
- The new total must cost less than £77 per month
- You have up to 4 weeks to do it & present your findings
💰 Prizes: How You Can Earn
If you find a better deal and explain it to your family, you’ll earn some of the money you save each month. The better your project, the longer you get paid!
| Level (How you Present) | What You Do | How Long You Get Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: Simple Facts | Write or say what you found (& how much we’d save) | 1 month of 50% of the savings |
| Level 2: Comparison Presentation | Make a table/chart to compare old vs new plans | 2 months of 50% savings |
| Level 3: Build a Simple Website | Make a website with a comparison table, logos and your choice | 4 months of 50% savings |
| Level 4: Website + Python Script | Also code a Python script to compare the old plan with the new plans and show the best deal | 6 months of 50% savings |
Example: If you save us £29 a month, you could earn up to £87 over 6 months!
📋 What Your Project Should Include
- At least 4 different mobile phone companies
- The monthly cost for 4 SIMs
- Data included in each plan (must be 20GB or more per SIM)
- Extra features (like free streaming or data rollover)
- Explain why you chose this plan
🧑💻 Where to Look
- Mobile company websites: giffgaff, Smarty, Vodafone, EE, Three and others
- Plan comparison sites: Uswitch, MoneySuperMarket, Which?
- Make your presentation in Google Slides/Docs
- The website can be hosted using Cloudflare pages as used before - link for instructions
🧠 Need Ideas? Try This!
- Make a chart with “Old Plan” vs “New Plan”
- Show how much money you save each month
- If you like to code, write a program to compare plans!
👨🎓 What You’ll Learn
- How to use the internet to find deals
- How to compare options and pick the best one
- Presentation & maybe coding skills
- (Plus you’ll get paid for being smart!)
💡 Real Money Example
If you find a plan for £48/month, we save £29/month.
That means your reward would be:
- £14.50 for 1 month (Level 1)
- £29.00 over 2 months (Level 2)
- £58.00 over 4 months (Level 3)
- £87.00 over 6 months (Level 4)
Not bad for a bit of smart shopping!
Will you take this challenge? Ask your family if you can try the Code Club Mobile Plan Challenge!