# Tracfone is pushing me to buy a new phone.



## Ruth n Jersey (Feb 13, 2020)

Has anyone who has a Tracfone getting messages and letters saying their phone is out of date and won't be able to handle the new features they are about to put into effect? I have a very old Tracfone but we use it only for traveling. Our reception on any phone is terrible where we live so it wouldn't pay to have a better plan. I have been buying $100.00 worth of minutes for a year which far exceeds what we need.
I have the internet on this phone but never use it. I just got it so I don't have to  push the keypad a million times as I text. 

My daughter says to keep the old one until it kicks the bucket and then get a new one. I just don't want it to go kaput while we are traveling.

Do you think they are just trying to sell new phones or is this for real?


----------



## Don M. (Feb 13, 2020)

I've had a couple of E-mails from Tracfone, regarding new "aps" they are adding to their service.  I use a small LG basic cell phone....small enough to fit into my shirt pocket...smaller than a pack of cigarettes...and it serves our needs.  I think I've had this small phone for well over 5 years, and it works good enough for us.  I get the 90 day renewals for about $7/month, and have enough minutes built up such that we could talk for days.  So long as this thing works, I have no plans to "upgrade"...I don't need any "Aps".  If/when this thing becomes obsolete, I'm sure I can find one that will work for $50, or less, at Walmart.


----------



## Victor (Mar 19, 2020)

Tracfone is a carrier service not a phone company itself. I just bought a LG Rebel4 with Tracfone minutes
to replace my very old LG with tracfone. I like my new phone a lot , inexpensive.. Best Buy activated it for me.
Only thing I don't like is the battery runs down too quickly, must be recharged. No contract, no plan. Very easy to use.It is misleading because Tracfone is written on the package in large print. Some store staffs do not know either.


----------



## cookiei (Mar 21, 2020)

HSN has TracFone phone plus 1500 minutes 1500 text 1500 data 1 year service for $50. I usually get this kind of bundle deal each year. It also often includes a case and a car charger.


----------



## cookiei (Mar 21, 2020)

I heard that they are going to shut down 3G at the end of this year so your phone might not work after that


----------



## Fyrefox (Mar 26, 2020)

Planned obsolescence is a real thing, and it doesn't just apply to Tracfone. After a couple of years of owning almost any electronic device, it will first cease to accept upgrades, and then cease to function altogether.  So much for the old ethics of keeping and using something until it wears out!  I also have a basic LG flip phone which is cheap to maintain monthly service, and I'll continue carrying it as a supplemental phone in my vehicle until it dies...


----------



## drifter (Apr 9, 2020)

I have a large numbers Alcatel I've had several yeaers with Tracfone. I had the phone for emergencies when I was out in my car. Now I have sold my car and my days have expired with Tract phone. I haven't renewed. When my days expired I had/have 3249 minutes left. It's only been two or three weeks vbut I miss my phone, just knowing it was there and i could use it. I have two land lines and don't need it. Still...


----------



## JaniceM (May 7, 2020)

I hope it's ok to post this here for anyone who has Tracfone:  I haven't been able to access their LiveChat the last times I've tried-  is it busy, or discontinued?


----------



## margie80 (Feb 17, 2022)

I have an alcatel flip phone and have always had good signal. My kids come to my house and can't get signal. This is ridiculous having to get new phones that are great. I will be losing all my pictures. It really sucks that you can't get any service from tracfone! Can't get anybody that speaks English that can be understanded. They also don't answer E-mails. Been trying to get a hold of them to find out how to keep my pictures to my new phone. I think this is a money racket trying to take over seniors who don't know how to do all this new crap.


----------



## Kaila (Feb 17, 2022)

I believe that there truly *will* be some date when the older phones that are 3G,
will no longer be functional, at all.

I wonder if tracphone is giving you legit messages informing you about that, based on your specific make/model of phone;

OR, if the messages you are currently getting, are instead, just the usual, constant barrage of promotional messages trying to entice you to spend more money on anything and everything.

@Ruth n Jersey
Notices that your old phone will not handle many apps, etc.....
makes them sound and *seem*, to be like  promotional advertising;

*But*, the extremely valid issue that you *will* want to know,
is whether or not your phone will cease to work, when 3G is eliminated, due to (the entire world) progressing to include 5G.

Whether we want it to, or prefer to keep using our older items,
the wheels of progress repeatedly mean, that at some point,
many of our old items, cannot work with modern systems.

Everything in this post is my present comprehension, but if anyone knows more and is better informed on this issue than I am,
then *please correct me if I am mistaken!*


----------



## Devi (Feb 17, 2022)

Re pictures on your phone, you can probably use a search engine (google, duckduckgo) to find instructions on how to download them to your computer (presuming you have a computer).


----------



## Marie5656 (Feb 17, 2022)

*I get that once in a while.  But I use my phone mainly for texts, so I am fine with what I have.  I did buy a new one a couple years back as I lost the one I had.  I deactivated the old one and transferred my number.*


----------



## Tommy (Feb 19, 2022)

I've been getting messages from TracFone for a couple of months telling my that IN MY AREA my phone will stop working on February 22 because 3G is going away.  They offered a free replacement phone.  I've had TracFone for a long time and I recall something like this happening once before, a decade or so back.

Ten days ago I ordered my FREE replacement phone per their offer.  No shipping or other charges of any kind.  Didn't even ask for a credit card number.  The phone arrived on Tuesday and I activated it on Thursday.  Activation was a bit of a pain but their customer service person was extremely helpful.  It seems to work fine now.  (I actually am getting better reception than I did with the old phone.)

The downside is that this is a "smart" phone (touch screen).  My old one was a flip phone so there's just a bit of a learning curve.

I use this phone rarely.  I've been buying a one-year card each year and have something over 4000 minutes on the account.  The minutes all transferred to the new phone and my end date remains the same.  I can continue buying the same one-year cards ($99.99/yr) as long as I don't want to add "data" (which I wouldn't use anyway).

That's my recent experience.  HTH


----------



## Don M. (Feb 19, 2022)

Tommy said:


> I've been getting messages from TracFone for a couple of months telling my that IN MY AREA my phone will stop working on February 22 because 3G is going away.  That's my recent experience.  HTH



I had to do the same a few weeks ago,  I also had to replace my old 3G phone, and I got a Samsung from Tracfone for $20.  After I activated it, I spent a couple of hours getting rid of all the APs, etc., and finally got it set up just as a basic, calls only, phone.  I, too, have enough minutes built up to talk for days, but we just carry it when away from the house, and seldom use it.


----------



## Autumn72 (Feb 25, 2022)

Devi said:


> Re pictures on your phone, you can probably use a search engine (google, duckduckgo) to find instructions on how to download them to your computer (presuming you have a computer).





Devi said:


> Re pictures on your phone, you can probably use a search engine (google, duckduckgo) to find instructions on how to download them to your computer (presuming you have a computer).


How about a flash drive 
Photo 28 finder for phones as in androids
Has a adapter to plug in.
UOEOS ADAPTER 
Best buy could help.


----------



## Autumn72 (Feb 25, 2022)

I myself is confused..
I ordered a phone flash drive online and receive another kind no where near the one I wanted online.
I recently ordered online by Amazon a toy by pinterest sent to great grandson only to be informed of the downside of it by his mother  stating two vehicles were missing. A Montessory Learning toy.
Because I am unable to sign in to my yahoo account I can not check to see the order verification delivery by mail to contact the company. What is happening with my 3rd android???
Oh. Yes pets not forget a order for those sliders shown online with the leveling tool in red on this pinterest ads. Still waiting I believe is from China. Yet the add are still there. Instead I receive a  blouse I don't remember ordering from Grace & Chili from Korea. This is overwhelming.


----------



## bob mccormick (Nov 18, 2022)

I fell for this bs, got the free phone tracfone offered, they sent the wrong phone would not exchange it. They told me if I did not like the smartphone they sent, I could BUY another one. Eventually I decided to switch my service to their new phone, that's when the nightmare started. 

The new phone would not connect to a cell, after hours with "customer service" they could not get it to work, I finally gave up, however they refused to restore my old phone. I went out and bought the flip phone I wanted in the first place, they transferred the service, it works EXCEPT when I dial out, it sends a migration support message instead of the number dialed. More hours with customer support and corporate ,what ever that is, I still do not have a working phone.

I like the idea of  of a one year plan with no monthly billing however any time I have to interact with the company it is always a nightmare. If it wasn't for all the minutes I have accumulated I would simply quit. My service plan is about to expire, if they can't pull their heads out of where they have them stuck in the next few days, I will not renew.
Do not buy tracfone


----------

