# Tracfone phone questions



## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

I have a old tracfone flip phone. So far no problems adding minutes.
Good phone, good reception. A keeper.
...........
I also have a android tracfone that I just added minutes to. It is 3x my minutes
that I buy. I use this phone rarely but I like it because it has a GPS.
Which is my back up plan if I am driving and can't find something.
So the message was, I need to replace this phone by end of the year or it
won't be supported. Well after I hit continue on the website, it did add my
minutes. So me needing answers I call tracfone. And yes I am supposed to
buy a new phone  Some time this year. I happen to have another android
here and tried switching everything over to it. It's also in the same situation,
it won't be working later this year. So now I am shopping for another
tracfone. It will have to be the same brand because I refuse to lose over
3000 minutes. I need to transfer my minutes to another tracfone.
I don't need anything fancy ,because I don't use a phone a lot. But it
does come in handy. And the gps is a must for me.

So anyone have a newer tracfone smart phone ? Suggestions are needed.
And or I move all the minutes to my flip phone, and lose my second mobile
phone number. SIGH


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## Chris in Mich (May 13, 2002)

As you may already know, tracfone model choices vary by zip code -- my wife recently got a reconditioned Samsung J7 Crown for $50 that she seems happy with.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Whatever kind you get, it has to be at least 4g. Hubby is in the same situation, his is only 3g. 
They don't offer triple minute phones anymore either. It makes it really hard to keep on with Tracphone once they switch over. He has been using all his minutes but has several thousand texts and quite a bit of data rolled over.


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## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

Thank you for the replies.

They did ask my zipcode but I did not know why. They did not explain.

I like the android because I can text on it better if I need to.
My little flip phone is a plain phone and I hope to keep using it for awhile yet.
Hubby has a flip phone, does not text. Just wants a simple phone to have on him.

Technology is good. New and improved is great but I like old, and why replace it
if I don't have too.

I do have a Amazon fire 7 that I bought used from a friend. But that has no
phone. I can access my online email if I can find a wifi connection when I am
out and about.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I think many of us luddites out here being forced away from 3G phones we are perfectly happy with. I have no direct experience with Tracfone, but did have two hotspot only gizmos from two of Tracfone's spinoffs, StraightTalk and Net10. At that time I got my cell phone service from company called PureTalk. I had a $10 a month plan and built up quite a reserve of minutes since I rarely make calls, it was just cheap phone service for emergencies and my reserve minutes would literally let me talk for several days constantly if I had to. Like Tracfone though the unused minutes carried over. There was no data. They had raised prices for new customers and transitioning to plans rather than minutes but as old customer i was grandfathered in. 

And I lost my Samsung flip phone I was using for PureTalk. It was freebie when I signed up with PureTalk (by this point they offered no free phones and just replacement SIM for $3 and couple high dollar new phones) I got replacement smart phone, an ancient 3G only Samsung Eternity (BADA not Android) locked to ATT off ebay. PureTalk was on ATT network so I could use a phone locked to ATT if I wanted. Worked ok, but this had got me searching what was currently available. Ran across an article about Red Pocket which is reseller of all four networks. You prepay for plan and pick your network. Once you pick one, its locked in, cant change without a new plan. And they have an annual sale on their 360 day plans around Black Friday and into December (sale price on Ebay store only, no sale on their plans at Amazon store or their website). Found I could get a 360 day plan with unlimited voice/text and 15GB data every 30days for lump sum that works out for equivalent of $23 every 30 days (regularly $30 I think). Sort of like twelve 30 day plans daisylinked to automatically run in sequence. 

The cherry on top they state upfront, that tethering a computer is perfectly fine!!!!!!! They offer no technical support for tethering but if you can figure it out, ok by them. Oh and the only limitation, Apple phones wont work for tethering on GSM (ATT) network. Some kickback Apple wants and the independent resellers dont agree to.

This was so much cheaper for DATA that I ditched PureTalk and StraightTalk and Net10. Meaning the hotspot gizmos were useless. My built up minutes on PureTAlk were meaningless since I have unlimited voice on Red Pocket. The price of DATA ruled everything since that was the expensive thing for me. My only internet connection.

Note during that Black Friday sale they also offer a $50 360day plan that is mostly voice and text with smidgen of data (nobody seems to offer voice only anymore). Think its 400 or 500 minutes every 30days. If I didnt need data, thats what I would have went for, $50 a year for phone service would work for me. I make less than half dozen phone calls per year. Being a hermit has benefits. Unfortunately these minutes dont roll over. You use them or lose them, but if you think of cheap plan like this as emergency only insurance.... Again this is a daisychained twelve 30day plans. But not having to think about phone service and data but once a year is great. I hate those like Tracfone where I have to keep track of bunch nonsense to buy every so often, so I dont lose my rollover minutes. I truly hate having to think about paying monthly bills. 

Now as I say my old Samsung Eternity which is 3G only days are numbered. Too bad as it still works well and I could use it for an eternity with an occasional new battery. Stays cool when tethering, it just always works. I bought a like new (I think it is new) Sonim XP5 locked to ATT network for $24. After doing all sorts of contortions to finally get APN set to Red Pocket so I could use data, I got that done only to find ATT had locked down native ability to tether or set up hotspot on this phone. Believe me you dont want to use the browser on this phone, it works but incredibly painful to use. I havent messed more though think its possible to either root the phone and restore tethering or else sideload an app called EasyTether to do an end run. The phone uses Android 4.4 but no touch screen and no access to Google store. Its not sold as a smart Android phone, just uses a limited version Android to run it. So not easy. 

In meantime I should be shortly getting a factory unlocked Asus Zenfone for $10. Its a gamble, but had bought from this Ebay seller before, he uses dire discouraging disclaimers of "parts only" to avoid people seeking trivial refunds through ebay. Usually though he gives hint that item does work at least to some degree. Just not an obvious hint. His cheap prices that nobody tends to bid up got my attention. So its a $10 lottery ticket... though think good chance its usable, maybe bad battery or something. Its full Android smart phone that does 4G LTE and being factory unlocked (aftermarket GSM phone) should allow tethering or at least ability to add EasyTether app that can do end run around tethering blocks. I prefer the Sonim since its in effect new dumb phone despite running on Android, but need to put more time into it.

Now that I have rambled forever, what really saying, compare actual monthly or annual cost of service you are needing. The double and triple minute thing is a gimmick to lock you into keeping with Tracfone, and may or may not be cheaper actual annual cost. I know, cell phones and cell phone plans are incredibly convoluted and complicated. On purpose, no doubt. And as other point out Tracfone is trying to transition people to monthly payment plans rather than rollover minutes. There being no further triple minute phones should be clue this will be ending since imagine 4G triple minute phones either dont exist or are exceedingly rare.


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

Like someone else mentioned, they ask your zip code so they know what phones to offer you that will work in *YOUR* area. I imagine this has a lot to do with which cell towers are available where you will MOSTLY be using the phone. In addition, some phones use CDMA, and some are GSM...and then there are some that use BOTH. Then there are phones where you can have TWO phone numbers on ONE phone!

Seems to me, as life gets easier, it gets more complicated.

Mon


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I am sorry, that $50 360 day Red Pocket plan is only 100 minutes per month. And regular price is $60, so.... https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Mo-Red-P...Plan-Kit-100-Talk-100-Text-500MB/133058476404

Actually kinda amazing it offers 500MB of data every 30 days. Thats actually enough if you set computer up right to log in, let email client grab email (limit size of downloaded mail) and log off. 100 minutes would be enough for me, but be really limiting (on purpose) for most people. Still even $60 a year for this little service is quite attractive. Basically an emergency phone and way to grab email if you set it up right.


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## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

Thank you all for the replies 

My flip phone is easy to keep track of. I was buying a $ 40 card for 3 months of use.
That is 200 minutes doubled for my phone. Plus I find a promo code free for about
40 to 60 minutes when I do add the minute card. So about 450 minutes for 3 months.
For a period of time, I was using more minutes so the 3 month card lasted me 2 months.
So I would add another card. Finally I found on their website, that if a person had time
but needed minutes, you can add 200 minutes for $ 10. So I been using that add on,
because I have time built up for over 2 years. Which has been about $ 50 total since
August last year, so about 7 months. So $ 7 a month. So as long as I keep time on my
phone, I get to keep all my minutes I have not used. So it is NOT a month to month thing.
I know all this because I keep track in my ledger when I add minutes. I also track my
husbands phone so I know when to add. I been using that 200 minutes for $ 10 for
him , because he has time built up also.

So the smart phone, tracfone will just have to go as long as it can. I use a $ 20 for 3 months.
60 minute card, times 3. No extra promo minutes are allowed. So I will research phones now.
I want to keep that phone number and I don't want to lose those minutes I have built up.
So it will have to be another tracfone.

We also have a landline phone. Which is now $ 10 a month plan through Spectrum.
Spectrum keeps offering us a mobile package for the cells. Which is $ 45 a month for EACH phone.
That is so NOT happening.
When the Spectrum tech was here last fall, doing the installation, he commented
on my old kitchen phone on the wall. I laughed and said, well it might be old, but
as long as it keeps working, I am not going to replace it. He agreed with me


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## Tammy1 (Aug 31, 2011)

I also have the Samsung Galaxy J7 Crown. I like it a lot. I pay about $125 a year for my plan and tend to purchase a new phone every couple of years. If you go to https://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/p/tracfone-promo-codes.html They will have savings codes and I just wait until the best one comes up. Generally just before black friday. Sometimes I need to purchase additional text but it's only $5 for a 1000 and I have wifi at home now so don't use much data. I use to use the savings codes a lot because I always needed more data. The Samsung is still being updated so although an older model it doesn't seem like it.


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## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

I was reading the tracfonereviewer site and found this.
https://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/search/label/Tracfone News and Updates

The biggest thing to happen in 2019 was the 3G CDMA network closure that was supposed
to take place at the end of 2019. However, because Verizon delayed their 3G network closure,
Tracfone has also delayed theirs until December 2020.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TracFone-C...-4G-LTE-Prepaid-Smartphone-Black/124106649235

The phone Tammy1 mentioned still available but these auctions say "Tracfone" as network and dont mention which actual network its for. Tracfone is a reseller. So an ATT network Tracfone not going to work if you need Verizon network Tracfone.


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