tracfone - no longer allows transfer of double minutes

[spiceycat]

got told could not transfer to my new phone (old one stopped working).

when before it was not a problem.

so now the lifetime - is the lifetime of your phone. Not your lifetime.

sounds like they are taking lessons from Disney. Anyone remember when the refillable mugs were good for YOUR lifetime.

 

[Imzadi]

I know you probably talked to an "overseas" customer service rep. So the nitwit didn't explain the situation accurately. That's the only down side to Tracfones - their lousy customer service.

Minutes and phone numbers ARE transferable to a new phone. The DOUBLE minutes plan is not transferable to a NON-Double minutes phone and to expect them to turn a NON-Double minutes phone into a double minutes phone. (That was always the case.) You would simply have to buy a new Double minutes for life phone and continue on getting double minutes with that phone. Since they are both double minutes plan it wouldn't matter. You'd still get the same plan.

You have 30 days to return your new phone. Go exchange it for a Double Minutes for Life phone. (Not all of the models are.) You also don't have to call Customer Service to transfer or upgrade phones. You can do it online now and never have to deal with the nitwits.

Click the link below for a tutorial to walk you through the process. Scroll through the page to see which type of phones you have and how to do the transfer. If you have a SIM card (little white cardboard card) underneath your battery in your phone, you have a GSM phone. If you do not, you have a CDMA phone.

http://thejmart.com/links.htm

You can also check out the current Tracfone deals here:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/834707
The thread is maintained by the same guy who wrote the tutorials.

 

[CajunDixie]

I had tracfone long ago and my double minutes for life weren't tied to what phone I had bought. I bought a double minutes card at Sam's Club or WalMart and used it with the phone I already had at the time. THere was no such thing as a "double minute phone" when I used tracfone.

As for the mugs, I still have my Dixie Landings "good for life" mugs.

 

[Imzadi]

Oh, is that what the OP meant? I never bought one of the Double Minutes cards. I upgrade phones too much. Yeah, I'd be pissed too if I paid for that and found out that wasn't transferable. It should be. It should go with the phone number and not the phone.

Still, OP, my suggestion is to get a Double Minute for Life phone. Here are two at Walmart.com for $14.99 + $0.95 shipping.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/search-ng

 

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, I've got my TracFone instruction book right here. On the page that shows the airtime cards, the text with both the 'plain old' double minutes card and the 'one year of service and double minutes' state, "Doubles the airtime minutes you add, for the life of your current TracFone".

Even the phone'spackage states, "includes unlimited double minutes a $49.99 value
you get 1 free minute with every future minute you buy and add for the life of this phone".

 

[Sandy321]

Imzadi great links - LOTS of information.......... overwhelming, but I do need to get a phone for DD - and one I know she will lose or break... probably!! (she's 13!!)

 

[Imzadi]

Oh, BTW, if you find a model phone that you really like and it's NOT a Double Minutes for Life phone, what you can do is buy that phone AND a Double Minutes for Life phone (or keep reusing your old Double Minutes for Life phone.)

What you do is activate and transfer the existing minutes and phone mumber to the NON-Double Minutes for Life phone, the one you want to continually use. The next time you need to add minutes, buy minutes and put them on the (old) Double Minutes for Life phone. (This will temporarily re-activate it.) This way you get all the doubled minutes and the free minutes for using a promo code. Then TRANSFER all those minutes to the NON-Double Minutes for Life phone (but not that phone number.)

If your Double Minutes for Life phone is a GSM phone, meaning one with a SIM card, (most are) you can transfer the minutes on line without transfering that phone number and losing the phone number you want to keep on your NON-Double Minutes for Life phone.

Does that make sense? You would only need to do this every 3 months or as you need more minutes. Yes, it is an extra step, but this way you get all those free double minutes. So it's worth the time, if you have a NON-Double Minutes for Life phone you'd prefer to use.

You would also have to get a fresh, new SIM card for the Double Minutes for Life phone every time you want to temporarily re-activate it to get the minutes. Make sure you do this in time before you have to add on minutes. Tracfone sends them for free. Just order a new one after you've transfered off the minutes.

There are tutorials on how to both transfer the minutes and how to get a fresh SIM card on line at that link I provided above.

 

[Imzadi]

Imzadi great links - LOTS of information.......... overwhelming, but I do need to get a phone for DD - and one I know she will lose or break... probably!! (she's 13!!)

Sandy, if you know DD will either lose or break her cell phone, do NOT put a lot of minutes onto it at one time. With a "normal" type of cell phone, if you lose it or it breaks, you simply call your cell phone company, they look up your account and transfer service onto your new phone easily.

With Tracfone, the minutes are programmed into the phones. Depending on the phone and the issues, usually Tracfone makes you input various codes into your OLD phone, so they can make sure it's deactivated and the minutes wiped off, THEN they transfer them to the new phone.

If DD loses her phone and it has a lot of minutes on it, you may lose ALL those minutes.