A low introductory price: calculate the months that follow too
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni3 min read
An introductory price tells you what the first payments cost, rather than the whole plan. If your family considers an optional service with your child, put the starting and later prices into separate periods. Use a defined time horizon so you compare the same number of months.
Make six boxes before calculating
In a hypothetical example, service A costs 10 units monthly for the first two months and 40 in each of the next four. Service B costs 30 each month for six months. Both meet the same intended need in the example. The terms and arbitrary prices are invented and describe no actual service.
For A, the first two months cost 2 × 10 = 20 units. The next four cost 4 × 40 = 160. Six months therefore cost 20 + 160 = 180 units. B costs 6 × 30 = 180. They cost the same over this plan despite A starting with a much smaller payment.
After only two months, the difference is larger: A has cost 20 and B 60. After four, A has reached 20 + 2 × 40 = 100, while B has cost 120. Only at six do the totals match. An average of 30 for A does not mean each month costs 30.
Show when the larger payment arrives
If your child reserves 30 monthly for A, 20 remain after the first payment and 40 after the second. In month three, 40 are paid from the 70 then available in that pot, leaving 30. Earlier unspent amounts can cover later payments, but only if they were actually kept aside.
A realistic snag is your child spending the 40 left from the early months and assuming the introduction price continues. Mark the price change and check the actual agreement before starting. An adult handles purchase and renewal conditions.
If your family wants only two months, investigate whether the actual agreement permits that plan. This calculation promises neither cancellation options nor refunds. Compare only choices actually available under the relevant terms.
Ask your family: “What does the whole period we actually plan cost, and when does the payment larger than the introductory price arrive?”
Carry the calculation into your family agreement
Kroni can keep track of your child's virtual balance. The app does not transfer money, so any actual purchase is paid for outside it. Agree on what you will record, then check the amount with your child afterwards. Do not deduct a possible cost as though the purchase had already happened. Read about allowance in Kroni.
