dlf Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Since I live in the states in the moment . . . . my parents want to change the phones we all have (and use) in December, currently we use Sprint (& my phone anyway) uses HTC. Thinking of changing to: Tracfone anyone have an(y) experience withTracfone? And suggestions for phones we should try to get? Preferably, Android I'd presume and something more recent (4.0 or later) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I use Tracfone. It is cheap alright. But sometimes my call won't go thru the cell tower, for unknown reasons. If you need to call Tracfone support, you probably won't get someone who speaks clear English. I have gone many times around and around with their support people. They argue a lot. I have read some horror stories that people lose their paid-for minutes, and Tracfone won't restore those. I have not had that experience so far. You must keep up your prepaid minutes, or you may lose all you had built up. Overall, if you don't make many calls, Tracfone will do. I would buy TF's best phone with the Triple minutes. And make sure you get the triple minutes that you paid for. I don't think Tracfone uses any android type phones at the moment. I stand corrected: http://www.tracfone-orders.com/bpdirect/tracfone/PhoneDetails.do?action=view&productVariantExtensionId=33649142 Be aware, a Tracfone will easily, unintentionally connect to wi-fi when you don't want it to, and burn up your minutes, thru browser data use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Tracfone is like cheaper than anything cheap their phones obviously are old and cheapy as well. Made only of thin plastic, running some outdated OS and no texting on the model I got. Ditched them and moved to the Lumia 521 for only ~$100, only Tmobile pre paid 1000 minutes for 100 dollars for 1 year, always refillable,and I never ever looked back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGHammer Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Since I live in the states in the moment . . . . my parents want to change the phones we all have (and use) in December, currently we use Sprint (& my phone anyway) uses HTC. Thinking of changing to: Tracfone anyone have an(y) experience withTracfone? And suggestions for phones we should try to get? Preferably, Android I'd presume and something more recent (4.0 or later) I have , and I have only some complaints. Tracfone is an MVNO - they sell and provide wireless services using the networks of other carriers (primarily T-Mobile). Safelink Wireless (a lifeline-services provider) remarkets Tracfone (phones and all) via the Lifeline Services Program. My complaints are NOT about Tracfone's phones per se - they are generally very basic - this includes the Android phones they are now reselling; my complaints with Tracfone are primarily about T-Mobile's network, especially in suburban, exurban, and fringe areas. If you are in one of those sorts of areas, you are going to have coverage issues with T-M (it reminds me of when AT&T had issues in those same areas - it got so bad they were called, rather sarcastically, "AT&T Immobility"). I am now with TotalCall Mobile - like Tracfone, they are an MVNO. TotalCall Mobile uses Verizon Wireless' network - which is a lot more usable for what I use it for - phone calls (along with SMS/text-messaging). It's not my first time using Verizon Wireless' network, either - I had previously gone prepaid with Verizon Wireless directly. My experience with VZW's backbone is a major plus over the same experience with T-Mobile's backbone - to the point that I refuse to recommend either T-Mobile (or Tracfone) to anyone - and that is entirely due to the problems with T-Mobile's network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Tracfone is like cheaper than anything cheap their phones obviously are old and cheapy as well. Made only of thin plastic My Samsung Tracfone is made of metal and does not bend like the iPhone 6 :laugh: Ian S. 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 My Samsung Tracfone is made of metal and does not bend like the iPhone 6 :laugh: Which model? The only ones available here are plastic flip phones or blackberry knockoffs :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztidbeans Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Using StraightTalk (which is owned by Tracfone) is another good solution that is used on all 4 major backbones (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mo, Sprint). I wouldn't use their phones (considering they are rebranded from Tracfone) but instead opt for the bring your own device program. For $45/mo and a 3GB data limit it's not a bad deal, just buy a phone that uses a good backbone in your area. I've had experience with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mo and have never had any issues. AT&T and T-Mo allow LTE data on the network but I am not sure about Sprint. Verizon just allowed MVNOs to start using LTE data this month, but no telling when StraightTalk will start allowing this. Considering PagePlus (owned by Tracfone) just started LTE activations, soon I would hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts