Another Tracfone Question

[ColoradoMom!!]

Sorry! I did use the search - but need a quick question answered that I didn't see. I understand the whole concept except with needing to "keep current" to keep the phone activated. If I have minutes that don't expire for a year - am I good for a year, or do you have to add minutes every month or whatever the requirement is?? Does that make sense?

Also, we won't be using minutes much at all - so what is the cheapest I can get away with per month? I can add a line to my T-mobile for $9.99 per month - and share the minutes I already have and never get close to using. Can I do tracfone for less than $9.99 per month?

Thanks!!

 

[Imzadi]

With Tracfones, you need both service AND airtime minutes. Service is your "rental" of the phone number. Minutes are to actually talk, make & receive calls.

Your service can expire, while you still have unused minutes. Also, you can talk a blue streak and use up all your minutes while you still have 3 weeks of service left. (You retain the phone number, but can't receive or make calls. Voicemail will still work.) You need BOTH service and minutes to make & receive calls.

If you bought a 1 year card with minutes, then your phone service is activated for the year. You do NOT have to add more minutes or buy service time each month. If you have leftover minutes at the end of the year, they will rollover. If you use up all your minutes before the year is up, you will have to add more minutes in order to make calls.

If you buy a regular Tracfone minutes card, they are good for 90 days of service. Whatever amount of minutes you bought and don't use, will rollover for as long as you keep service going (by buying a new card.)

If you let service lapse, you may lose your existing phone number. Technically, Tracfone rents service from famous carriers like AT&T or Verizon. If you do not keep your service continually active, Tracfone doesn't know you are planning on renewing a day late. So the phone number is released back into the carriers.

I've kept my Tracfone service going for about 7 years now, and have had the same number. I love it!

While the $9.99/month is the lowest plan, when you buy a card every few months, you can add free BONUS minutes codes with each card. So minutes are cheaper than calculated. It is actually better to buy two 60 minute cards and add on a bonus code with each card, and get 90 days with each card, than it is to add one 120 minute card & just use 1 code and get 90 days.

Tracfone has specials all the time, for where you can buy two 60 minute cards and they give a free phone, for $19.99 Use up the 20 free minutes on that phone to call out to people, then donate the phone to a battered women's shelter, elderly living home, or for Phone cards for Soldiers. Then use the two 60 minute cards for both extended service (2x90) days PLUS the bonus codes for each card.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Your service can expire, while you still have unused minutes.

If you buy a regular Tracfone minutes card, they are good for 90 days of service.

Thanks! This is exactly what I was needing to know.

So, since mintues aren't a problem, I could get away with buying a card every 90 days, correct? That may come out to less than $9.99 per month, so it may be a better deal than my T-mobile additional line for $9.99.

 

[Imzadi]

Yep, that's how I've been doing it all these years.

With a: Two 60 minutes card and free phone package, you get 20 minutes for activating the phone + 30 days service. Add on the 2 phone cards for another 90 days each and that's 7 months of service + 120 + 20 minutes (plus - let's say 2 x 60 free bonus minutes) = 260 minutes for only $19.99 + $5 S/H. That's 7 months divided by $25.

You do not have to add the minutes cards on the very last day. When you get a good promo code, (there usually is one for free 60 minutes for adding on a 60 minute card,) you end up with 120 minutes + 90 days. (It's amazing how much time you use up being put on hold. )

Also, if you really need to add on another 30 or 60 days, as you are adding on a card, over on the right hand column of the web page, you can add them on for $5 and $10 respectively.

Plus, with the free phones you get, you can always swap out & upgrade your phone later, as the cellphone models get better, and still keep your current hone number. You simply call Customer Service and tell them you want to upgrade your phone.

The only downside to Tracfone is their outsourced, overseas customer service. But I so rarely have to deal with them, (maybe one call a year,) that it makes the overall deal worthwhile to me.

 

[unbroken chain]

What is the bonus code, to get 90 extra minutes on a 60 minute card? TIA

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Yep, that's how I've been doing it all these years.

With a: Two 60 minutes card and free phone package, you get 20 minutes for activating the phone + 30 days service. Add on the 2 phone cards for another 90 days each and that's 7 months of service + 120 + 20 minutes (plus - let's say 2 x 60 free bonus minutes) = 260 minutes

Thanks for all your help! Where do you find the free phone with two 60 minute cards deal? I don't see it on their official web site. Maybe I should wait for it, or is it through Wal-mart or something?

 

[Imzadi]

What is the bonus code, to get 90 extra minutes on a 60 minute card? TIA

I have never seen a 90 minute bonus code for a 60 minute card. The most I've seen is 60 minutes for the 60 minute card. (I may be wrong though. )

Thanks for all your help! Where do you find the free phone with two 60 minute cards deal? I don't see it on their official web site. Maybe I should wait for it, or is it through Wal-mart or something?

You have to wait for that deal. Right now they've been having a different deal because of Mothers Day & Fathers Day. But the 2 60 minute card deal has been happening often.

Oh, and if you are thinking of getting a second phone, even though 2 cards come with one phone, they aren't dedicated to that phone. If one of you uses up more minutes, you can give that other person the extra card. (Although they lose service time from not activating the card themselves.)

You can also receive free text messages. To send one, it costs .3 minute units. So, if you need to send a message to, like DD, you can text her: "Come home NOW!!!" and she receives it for free. Meanwhile, you can text her this 3 times before it's deducted as a full minute.

 

[PrincessMom98]

I just bought a Tracfone Motorola W370 with double minutes for life from Amazon for $24.99 (39.99 -15.00 online rebate). Free shipping too! Here is the link Tracfone Motorola W370. It doesn't mention the double minutes on Amazon's page but I googled it and read about it here and it worked for me.

 

[disneymarie]

Thanks! This is exactly what I was needing to know.

So, since mintues aren't a problem, I could get away with buying a card every 90 days, correct? That may come out to less than $9.99 per month, so it may be a better deal than my T-mobile additional line for $9.99.

My husband and son have a tracfone, Husband has the 40 minutes and 30 days for !0.00 a month, the son is a %5 charge only if he is going to run out of time on his phone to give him 30 days to use with the time he carries. They only charge the $5 if it is needed to keep service active, not every month.

Adding the 9.99 line won;t they also have additional fees and surcharges added to the bill? That is why I kept the tracfones with my verison for myself.

di

 

[roselark]

If you don't use a lot of minutes, I recommend getting the one year card. If you buy it online, you will also be given the option to extend it by a year for another $50.

I just did this last month. I have a phone that gets double minutes for life and I had a code for 200 bonus minutes with a one year card. The one year card at $99 came with 400 minutes and I took the one year extension. So, for $150 I got 2 years of service and 1000 minutes. That comes out to $6.25/month. This is perfect for me since I only use it occasionally.

 

[Imzadi]

My husband and son have a tracfone, Husband has the 40 minutes and 30 days for !0.00 a month, the son is a %5 charge

Are there typos here? I don't understand what you wrote?

If you don't use a lot of minutes, I recommend getting the one year card. If you buy it online, you will also be given the option to extend it by a year for another $50.

The only caution I give about buying a 1 yr card is that you really have to know your usage beforehand.

If you are buying a 1 yr card for a teen, and it's his first cellphone, 1000 minutes seems like a lot. But that's only 83 minutes/month for 2 years. If he ends up calling 8 friends in the first week and spends more than 10 minutes on the phone with each friend, he's gone through is monthly allotment already. If he calls those same friends each week (& they call him & back) he could conceivably go through all his minutes in 3 months.

While he still has "service" and a phone number for the leftover 9 months, he will still need more Tracfone minutes to make & receive calls. Since service automatically comes with buying minutes, you will have needlessly paid for extra service.

If you're an adult who knows the phone is going in the glove compartment, and only used for emergencies, then, yes, a 1 yr plan may be right for you. You don't want to be wondering every few months when you have to renew. (You DO get Tracfone email & telephone alerts, however, as to when your Tracfone will expire.)

Also, ALL cellphones - even Tracfones WILL automatically call 911, even if there are no minutes or service. As long as the cellphone holds a charge (by cable or battery) during the call, it will access 911. 911 is a radio frequency band designed specifically so all cellphones can access it, (assuming you are in an area that has cellphone reception.)

That's why donating an old cellphone to a battered woman or an elderly person is good. They can dial 911 even if they do not normally have cellphone service.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

I just bought a Tracfone Motorola W370 with double minutes for life from Amazon for $24.99 (39.99 -15.00 online rebate). Free shipping too! Here is the link Tracfone Motorola W370. It doesn't mention the double minutes on Amazon's page but I googled it and read about it here and it worked for me.

OK - they had me at hello. (thanks for the link Princess Mom98 ) I have to admit that I preferred a flip phone so I may convince my hubby to use this instead of his work phone to "phone home" as his work charges for personal calls too. SO - I bought this on Amazon. Hopefully it will be easy to activate and I can get all those good deals on minute cards. This phone is supposed to come with "Double minutes for life" which is the deal on this phone on Tracfone.com - but Amazon was cheaper.

Thanks for all the great info everyone! I love this board!