Tracfone question/help

[zoemurr]

Yes, I do have trouble understanding them sometimes, but they have always been helpful and solved any problem we have. We have been satisfied with their service for almost 10 years.

If you need a new phone of SIM card they will send it 3 day FedEx. My DH's phone came without a SIM by accident,and it was here in a few days.

 

[Imzadi]

Hi Imzadi, I finally gave up last night, I was on information overload. Jim was very helpful and answered many questions. But have to admit it is all alot and many choices....he said about the sims card...the one in the phone is a TMobil one and I need ATT but he said when I get the ATT one it might not work some of the advanced functions of my phone. That I needed a new phone from them??? does that matter? I like your idea but wonder if that would be the same? Would you consider PMing me with you email address so I could forward his email and you could see what he said.... maybe you could understand. Thanks Carol

No, you do not need a new phone from Tracfone. You need a new SIM Card with the right carrier: AT&T.

I just opened the back of my Motorola 376g and it has an AT&T SIM card in it. I checked online and they do sell it for AT&T. So it does work with AT&T.

As for advanced functions, I thought you are basically going to use his phone for emergencies and at WDW? Are you going to be using the Web access to download ringtones? Will you be doing a lot of text messaging to send pictures you took on the phone to email? The phone should still work for that anyway.

Just do what I said in my last post and get a cheap Tracfone from Walmart and swap out the SIM card.

After you've come back, you can call Tracfone or go online and get a new SIM card to get the Walmart phone working, so you can get the minutes off that. They will send a new SIM card, (as a pp mentioned in 3 days by Fed-Ex.)

IF for some reason you still can't get the phone working, you have 30 days to return the phone for a refund. Deal with it when you come back.

 

[granmanh603]

Aw! Can you run to Walmart and get a new, cheap Tracfone quickly? They might have the $10 or $15 phones in. You can take the SIM card out of that phone and put it in your Mot 376g and continue with the activation, using the tutorial. ALL Walmart phones have AT&T for their carrier.


Don't activate the Walmart phone.

Then, later, after you come back, Tracfone will have sent the right SIM card to you (for free.) At the end of 90days, you can then put that in the Walmart phone, activate it and transfer the 20 minutes and the 90 days onto your Mot 376g.

Ugh! It's a lot of work, but at least you will get the phone you WANT activated correctly.

And I'm glad Jim was helpful and got back to you in a timely fashion to let you know it was NOT you.

Hi, I called Tracfone and they are sending the new Sims card 3 to 5 days....I would go and buy the $10 tracfone at Walmart but am wondering....when I tried to activate the phone yesterday, one of the problems was there was no place to add the sims #...when I put in the serial number there was no line/box to put in sims # just click submit and then I got the screen that said to call tracfone, I need a different sims card. Everything I ever do is different and difficult. I have a little cloud. Just thought I would let you know where I am at with this process.

 

[granmanh603]

No, you do not need a new phone from Tracfone. You need a new SIM Card with the right carrier: AT&T.

I just opened the back of my Motorola 376g and it has an AT&T SIM card in it. I checked online and they do sell it for AT&T. So it does work with AT&T.

As for advanced functions, I thought you are basically going to use his phone for emergencies and at WDW? Are you going to be using the Web access to download ringtones? Will you be doing a lot of text messaging to send pictures you took on the phone to email? The phone should still work for that anyway.

Just do what I said in my last post and get a cheap Tracfone from Walmart and swap out the SIM card.

After you've come back, you can call Tracfone or go online and get a new SIM card to get the Walmart phone working, so you can get the minutes off that. They will send a new SIM card, (as a pp mentioned in 3 days by Fed-Ex.)

IF for some reason you still can't get the phone working, you have 30 days to return the phone for a refund. Deal with it when you come back.

Funny we must have been typing at the same time...OK I see. Yeah that is what I thought, I won't use those funcitions anyway, just get the Walmart one tomorrow if they have one(we had a snow storm again last night) and try to do the activation do you think on line will work.... Carol

 

[Imzadi]

try to do the activation do you think on line will work.... Carol

Yes, it should work. Follow this tutorial --> http://thejmart.com/newsim.htm

Remember, open a REAL Tracfone website page also and do all the steps on the real page. That tutorial is so "real" you may forget and start clicking the buttons on it, trying to make it work. Don't ask how I know.

That turorial is to request a new SIM card right now for the Motorola 376g. It will automatically DE-activate the old SIM card from the Tracfone computer system. (You can take out & toss the old SIM card at that point.)

You MUST do this step first or your phone is still registered with the OLD SIM card. It will not work with the new SIM card unless you do this.

Then, tomorrow after you get the new phone, just take out the SIM card, slip in the new one and follow the tutorial again for transfering from a CDMA phone to the new phone. It should go through this time.

 

[granmanh603]

Yes, it should work. Follow this tutorial --> http://thejmart.com/newsim.htm

Remember, open a REAL Tracfone website page also and do all the steps on the real page. That tutorial is so "real" you may forget and start clicking the buttons on it, trying to make it work. Don't ask how I know.

That turorial is to request a new SIM card right now for the Motorola 376g. It will automatically DE-activate the old SIM card from the Tracfone computer system. (You can take out & toss the old SIM card at that point.)

You MUST do this step first or your phone is still registered with the OLD SIM card. It will not work with the new SIM card unless you do this.

Then, tomorrow after you get the new phone, just take out the SIM card, slip in the new one and follow the tutorial again for transfering from a CDMA phone to the new phone. It should go through this time.

OK the new Tracfone 376w is not active(it shows up not activated on my account on the Tracfone site)....I tried to do that yesterday (there was no place to enter the sims #)and got the message about the wrong sims card and to call Tracfone for a new one (wrong carrier) called Tracfone already today and they are sending new one in 3 to 5 days. So do I just take out the old sims card. Oh looking at toutorial I never had the phone on and got any message except no active. Do I go thru this process anyway again? Sorry for all the complication. Carol

 

[Imzadi]

Did you put in a NEW SIM card from a phone from Walmart after you called up Tracfone? Once you called Tracfone and they said they are sending you a new SIM card, or you used the online deactivation webpage, you should NOT be turning on the phone with the old SIM card in. All that will do is relock the OLD SIM card to your phone again. You need to to put in the new SIM card.

If you tried turning your phone on and with the old SIM card, you will have to call up Tracfone again to deactivate that card again from the system.

If you did try it with a new SIM card. Wait a few hours. Maybe it is just taking longer to make the transfer.

Other wise, I really don't know what to else tell you. You need to call Tracfone directly and try to do a transfer over the phone with them.

 

[granmanh603]

Did you put in a NEW SIM card from a phone from Walmart after you called up Tracfone? Once you called Tracfone and they said they are sending you a new SIM card, or you used the online deactivation webpage, you should NOT be turning on the phone with the old SIM card in. All that will do is relock the OLD SIM card to your phone again. You need to to put in the new SIM card.

If you tried turning your phone on and with the old SIM card, you will have to call up Tracfone again to deactivate that card again from the system.

If you did try it with a new SIM card. Wait a few hours. Maybe it is just taking longer to make the transfer.

Other wise, I really don't know what to else tell you. You need to call Tracfone directly and try to do a transfer over the phone with them.

OK NO it have not gotten to Wal Mart, doing that today(we had snow yesterday). I did not turn on phone since Sunday, called Tracfone yesterday for new sims but still says inactive on line....so take out old sims and get new one today. Then do not turn on the new 376 phone, but try to activate on line? Have I got that right? Sorry to be such a pain. As I go thru the process again I will know I am in trouble if I don't get a space to add the new sims card #. Have I got this all right....
I hope people are not following this thread....they probably think I am an idiot

 

[granmanh603]

Well went down to my Walmart and they have NO Motorola phones and no phones with sims card....this is very interesting. I guess I will go off to the Walmart farther way in the big city. This has been a nightmare.

 

[granmanh603]

HI Imzadi, It's me again with a new problem...I went to new Wal Marts, Radio Shack and could find no phone with sims cards...
Finally the new sims card from Tracfone arrived Fri after I left for my daughters and found it last night frozen in an unsealed plastic bag frozen in a puddle in my drive way....I litteraly had to chop it out of the ice, it is now thawing....
Do I have any chance of this sims card working or should I even put it in the phone....also I leave to Disney on Tues (go to daughters tomorrow she takes to airport) and I need a phone ..should I just stick with old one until I return?
Sorry for all the questions about this but a I am totally confused...Carol

 

[zoemurr]

people have had their phone work after putting them through the washing machine, so you probably have a chance.

Why are you so against calling Tracfone? Just see what they say and activate the new phone. If you have trouble understanding the first person that answers then call back. They really are helpful.

Good luck.