Youngsters and financial management

Research shows that young people are incurring debts at an increasingly young age and that the use of mobile phones plays a role in this. Hi, the young people’s brand of KPN, which is oriented to youngsters of 18 to 24, wants to do something about this. In collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Platform Centiq Wijzer in Geldzaken, Hi aims to help young people manage their finances better. In 2010 the Belstatus app and the SMS update were introduced for this purpose. The Belstatus app is a mobile site and application for smartphones where Hi customers can view the current credit on their subscription at a glance. The SMS update is a reminder SMS that customers receive when they have used up half, three quarters or all their credit. Through these facilities Hi hopes to help people avoid unexpected call charges.