Tracphone: so for a 10 to 12 year old..

[JB2K]

...best to determine which cell phone services work BEST in your local area, as Tracfone almost exclusively uses either AT&T or T-Mobile towers to carry their calls.

In other words, if you know AT&T or T-Mobile work well in your area, you're good to go.

Tracfone does make use of the Verizon network for certain phones sold in Montana/Wyoming (though it's rarely mentioned, as AT&T and T-Mobile are TFs "preferred" partners, since they get better carriage rates from them).

 

[DawnM]

Thanks.

I really think this is the wave of the future.

When I signed my last contract with Sprint in 2011, there weren't nearly the options that there are now out there!

I am just thrilled that I can use an iphone on a pre-paid now!

Dawn

Don't forget to add Boost Mobile and Net10 to that list - both are large, national prepaid operators who sell refill cards practically everywhere!

 

[kiki02]

Don't forget to add Boost Mobile and Net10 to that list - both are large, national prepaid operators who sell refill cards practically everywhere!

Yes. but last time i checked boost and net 10 they were not as cheap as tracphone.

 

[JB2K]

Thanks.

I really think this is the wave of the future.

When I signed my last contract with Sprint in 2011, there weren't nearly the options that there are now out there!

I am just thrilled that I can use an iphone on a pre-paid now!

Dawn

Actually, Dawn, prepaid is the #1 choice in countries other than the U.S. (Europe and Asia has been doing it from the beginning).

About 10-15 years ago, U.S. prepaid phones were typically "bottom-of-the-barrel" models, and were marketed to those with poor credit histories (and outrageously-priced, accordingly).

Fast forward to 2012 - we now have a variety of carriers/options to fit nearly any budget, and even "the big four" have prepaid offerings of their own. Phones/refill cards are commonly available at nearly every major retailer, and online, too!

I ditched being handcuffed to the #1 carrier, last year and haven't regretted it...

 

[JB2K]

Yes. but last time i checked boost and net 10 they were not as cheap as tracphone.

No, Boost is not priced like Tracfone (and as far I am concerned, both BM and TF are two distinctively different carriers offering a unique service to their customers) -- I just said Boost and Net10 should be added to a (growing) list of prepaid providers.

 

[Fire14]

Not option for everyone but when I priced out getting Dnephew a phone it was cheaper to put him on my contract than do a prepay one. Maybe it was What he "required" or just my lack of luck in shopping dept.

 

[scootch]

They have worked well for us. You can even get qwerty keyboard ones. Tons of extra codes out there and also buy cards off amazon/ebay cheaper. Actually our almost 13 year old has an iphone and hubby and I who rarely if ever use phones have tracfones.... then for travel... we have the iphone with all its gadgets if we need it.

The other thing.. my mom originially bought the tracfone my husband is using in Dec 09 and it still works great!!!

 

[sksjasams]

DH and I both have tracfones. I made sure we got the kind that were cdma technology rather than gsm, since that is a better signal in our area. Our phones get double minutes for life and there are always promo codes on the internet to get bonus minutes. They are great little phones, very inexpensive and very reliable.

DS got a phone at the start of 6th grade. He really wanted a "cooler" phone, so we got him a slab style phone (looks like a blackberry but it is made by samsung) from net10 (also cdma). I knew it would cost more per month and no bonus codes, but he really wanted it. As PP said, it is $30 for 300 min every 60 days.

Texts are 1/4 of minute incoming and outgoing. I thought he may possibly run out of texts, but the novelty wore off quickly and he rarely uses it unless he needs to ask a friend a specifc question or text me at work. He now has over 3000 minutes accumulated! He asks when he can get a different phone - um, never. Well, that's not true, he can get a new one when he is old enough to have a job and pay for it.

Anyway, if you can find a tracfone your DD likes I would go with that. They do make "cooler" phones now and it is less expensive.

 

[kiki02]

DH and I both have tracfones. I made sure we got the kind that were cdma technology rather than gsm, since that is a better signal in our area. Our phones get double minutes for life and there are always promo codes on the internet to get bonus minutes. They are great little phones, very inexpensive and very reliable.

DS got a phone at the start of 6th grade. He really wanted a "cooler" phone, so we got him a slab style phone (looks like a blackberry but it is made by samsung) from net10 (also cdma). I knew it would cost more per month and no bonus codes, but he really wanted it. As PP said, it is $30 for 300 min every 60 days.

Texts are 1/4 of minute incoming and outgoing. I thought he may possibly run out of texts, but the novelty wore off quickly and he rarely uses it unless he needs to ask a friend a specifc question or text me at work. He now has over 3000 minutes accumulated! He asks when he can get a different phone - um, never. Well, that's not true, he can get a new one when he is old enough to have a job and pay for it.

Anyway, if you can find a tracfone your DD likes I would go with that. They do make "cooler" phones now and it is less expensive.

great. promo codes on the internet? do you mean, ebay? thanks!

 

[sksjasams]

great. promo codes on the internet? do you mean, ebay? thanks!

You can just google "tracfone promo codes" and then check the sites. They are free five digit codes you enter on the tracfone website when you add time to your phone. They give you bonus minutes - free.

In re-reading my post I wanted to make sure it was clear the 1/4 min per text was for net10. Our tracfones are 1/3 min per text. Make sure whichever phone you decide on, that you read the specifics for that phone.

 

[niffer5150]

check your current carriers for add a line promotions. we were able to put our daughter on our t mobile plan for cheap. $10 a month and her phone was free after rebate. it's not fancy, she doesn't have a data plan, there's almost no games on it, and she's not allowed to call people other than her dad and i because that actually uses minutes (it's free mobile to mobile for the family)BUT it works and she has unlimited texting.

 

[Ephany]

For those who have Tracfone, does the region where you activate it matter? I want DD's phone to be the same area code as ours, but we're temporarily living in a different area code. How do they assign phone numbers?

 

[MomToOne]

I started out DD12 with a TracFone but quickly realized I didn't like it because I couldn't get a listing of the numbers she was calling and texting. I want to be able to monitor the numbers she is in contact with periodically to make sure she is using it responsibly. I switched her to the Real Paygo plan with PlatinumTel, which I like a lot. Texts (incoming and outgoing) are $.02 each, calls are $.05/minute.

 

[JB2K]

For those who have Tracfone, does the region where you activate it matter? I want DD's phone to be the same area code as ours, but we're temporarily living in a different area code. How do they assign phone numbers?

Phone numbers are assigned based on the ZIP Code you enter on the Tracfone website during the initial activation process.

Plus, since TF plays-up their "nationwide coverage" in their advertising, the region where the new phone is activated shouldn't matter, since (for the most part), they will always use AT&T and/or T-Mobile towers.

The only exception is a few areas in Montana/Wyoming, where the phones sold/activated there are supported by the Verizon Wireless network.

 

[Ephany]

Thank you!