topic Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father in Electronics

Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

NickNack — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:13:10 GMT

My 90 year old father has a flip phone that we pay $45 a month for. He really never uses it, but has had telephone problems at times in his Independent Living facility. That's the only time he has used it in the past few years. I think we're paying too much for it.

I was thinking about getting him a Tracfone or some type of phone where you load the minutes as you need them. Is a Tracfone the best choice? Does it end up being around $100 a year? That would be so much better than what we're paying now. Do they have a basic phone that doesn't have internet and text messaging? I think that might confuse him. I would prefer one that had the actual number keys that weren't on a screen, and they have a reconditioned one on their website.

Is it easy to set up? I would be the one setting it up for him. I assume they assign you a phone number? Thanks for any info anyone can give me. I have gone to their website but am still a little unclear.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

D Kay — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:19:06 GMT

I've used tracfones for years. I just buy minutes as I need them. - Why pay a monthly fee when he rarely uses the phone? Look on the tracfone website at their different plans. Also look at the Jitterbug phone website. They have phones for seniors with large buttons, etc.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

Nightowlz — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:23:09 GMT

Yes it's easy to set up. It probably costs closer to $130 per yr for 1 yr service, 1500 mins, 1500 texts & 1.5gb data.

QVC will have a TSV on the 26th for Tracfone LG Premier Pro 5.3" Smartphone w/ Case & 1500 Min/Text/Data For $85.96 free S&H. You can get to the link from the Tracfone website to take you back to QVC to order it now. It's for CDMA network. Won't work for me since we have to use GSM phones.

They have a reconditioned flip phone for $10 but looks like the 1 yr service is $199 plus the fees & taxes so it's more then the $130 1 yr smartphone.

He does not have to use the other features on the smartphone. He can just press the phone icon to make a call.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

chrystaltree — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:24:59 GMT

Sure, you will save a lot of money with a Trac phone but your real concern should be whether or not your dad can transition to new phone. Some advanced seniors would have trouble with that.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

NickNack — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:28:26 GMT

@D Kay wrote:
I've used tracfones for years. I just buy minutes as I need them. - Why pay a monthly fee when he rarely uses the phone? Look on the tracfone website at their different plans. Also look at the Jitterbug phone website. They have phones for seniors with large buttons, etc.

@D Kay Thank you so much for the Jitterbug recommendation. That looks like it's exactly what he needs.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

NickNack — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:30:48 GMT

@chrystaltree wrote:
Sure, you will save a lot of money with a Trac phone but your real concern should be whether or not your dad can transition to new phone. Some advanced seniors would have trouble with that.

@chrystaltree Yes, I don't think he could adjust to one where he touched the numbers on the screen. I looked at the Jitterbug for seniors that one of the posters replying to this suggested, and it looks good. It's a basic flip phones with actual keys to press. It has no internet access. I think he could get used to that. He may not need a phone at all though. We'll have to think about it some more.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

fthunt — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 19:54:44 GMT

I'll be the negative poster. Bought one from Q few years ago and never hated a phone so much. I gladly pay Verizon. Trac has been in a drawer ever since - just getting Contacts in -

If he's happy with the flip.............let him continue to flip

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

sunshine45 — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 20:01:45 GMT

we have a plan with verizon and we have my mom on that plan also. she has an lg flip phone with unlimited talk and text (does not include internet) for $20 a month. we told her we are not getting her a smart phone. she does not use her phone often and sometimes she doesnt even have it turned on. the flip phone holds a charge much longer also so she doesnt have to remember to plug it in that often. she will be 78 this year. it is mostly for her to have for when she is out and to keep near her bedside at night in particular. we told her to keep it in her pocket even when she is just walking in and around her home.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

Nightowlz — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 20:40:21 GMT

@sunshine45 wrote:
we have a plan with verizon and we have my mom on that plan also. she has an lg flip phone with unlimited talk and text (does not include internet) for $20 a month. we told her we are not getting her a smart phone. she does not use her phone often and sometimes she doesnt even have it turned on. the flip phone holds a charge much longer also so she doesnt have to remember to plug it in that often. she will be 78 this year. it is mostly for her to have for when she is out and to keep near her bedside at night in particular. we told her to keep it in her pocket even when she is just walking in and around her home.

@sunshine45 We tried to get our dad to keep the phone with him at all times indoors or outside. Even if you don't have any mins or service days left you can still call 911. Dad would not listen. He fell down & could not get back up. I don't know how long he was laying on the floor before someone stopped by?

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

Zhills — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 20:51:45 GMT

Tracfone has a flip phone if you think it would be more familiar to him to use.

I have a smart phone, Tracfone, and I only use the phone as a phone.

I have a desktop, a laptop and 3 tablets, why would I want a phone to go online?

During hurricane Irma, we were able to watch her eye go right over us on my Tracfone! Awesome!

I think he would be less likely to keep a phone with him if it were big and flat. The little flip phones fit in their pockets.

Don't know if the plans are the same or not. Didn't check that out. They have a good website.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

GCR18 — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 21:06:11 GMT

Jitterbug would be the way to go. My mother has issues with her tracfone. She's 83. Has trouble dialing, keys are too small, turns the volume down without knowing it. I see her roughly every 3 months and have to fix her phone. The kicker is she only uses it once a week to check an app on the phone. I have no idea how she's able to do that. 😁

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

NickNack — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 21:52:26 GMT

@GCR18 wrote:
Jitterbug would be the way to go. My mother has issues with her tracfone. She's 83. Has trouble dialing, keys are too small, turns the volume down without knowing it. I see her roughly every 3 months and have to fix her phone. The kicker is she only uses it once a week to check an app on the phone. I have no idea how she's able to do that. 😁

@GCR18 After reading about the Jitterbug I do think that's what we'll do if we decide to get him another phone. I'm not sure he needs a phone at all. He wears something around his neck to call if he has an emergency. If his phone went out he could just go to the office and use theirs to call my sister or me to get someone out to fix his phone. He gets very confused with new things, so the phone would have to be very simple.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

Daysdee — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 21:58:04 GMT

Agree you will have to get something simple. I have had a Trafone for years and am always able to transfer the minutes. Good phone, but I'm not very "cell phone savy" so I had to get some help. Get your Dad a phone that is very easy to use. I only carry mine in case of an emergency when I'm out. At home I have a device to get help if needed.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

ceekay — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 22:01:47 GMT

My mom (now early 90s) had a Jitterbug for several years. She had whatever the lowest plan was (less than $20 including taxes and such) and the monthly fee was billed automatically to her credit card. She NEVER used the phone but thought she needed it "just in case". She got to the point where she could not figure out how to use it and it was never charged when we checked so finally last year we cancelled her plan. But, for her (and our) purposes it was just what she needed until she got so forgetful. Sounds like the simple phone is a better choice than a smart phone for your dad.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

henderson — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 22:38:42 GMT

@sunshine45 wrote:
we have a plan with verizon and we have my mom on that plan also. she has an lg flip phone with unlimited talk and text (does not include internet) for $20 a month. we told her we are not getting her a smart phone. she does not use her phone often and sometimes she doesnt even have it turned on. the flip phone holds a charge much longer also so she doesnt have to remember to plug it in that often. she will be 78 this year. it is mostly for her to have for when she is out and to keep near her bedside at night in particular. we told her to keep it in her pocket even when she is just walking in and around her home.

My sister has my 99 yr old mom on a family plan also with Verizon. A few years ago my sister was trying to teach her how to text, but she would get so confused. Now she can't remember how to retrieve her voice mail. She doesn't really need a cell phone as her has a landline, but my mom was forced to give up so much lately, i.e. driving (yes at age 98), no cooking on top of stove and how having a caregiver 3 days a week. She was tested and has mild cognitive impairment.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

Kachina624 — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 23:35:28 GMT

Consumer Cellular, sold online and at Target, caters to Seniors and has the simplest of phones and plans for low use. They have some connection with AARP.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

lulu1 — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 02:33:47 GMT

When my father was still alive, I put him on my TracFone account. I bought him a flip phone with large buttons from their website for $15. It cost me $5 a month to put him on my account. He used the phone only when he was away from his home phone, which was maybe a half dozen times a month.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

AngelPuppy1 — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 10:51:24 GMT

DH & I have the most basic tracfones. We only use them for emergency or necessary things. We don't text or use the internet on them. You can take pictures on them if you like. We get the cards for minutes and only pay like $24 about every 2 months. They are flip phones and if he just needs one to make an occasional call, this might be all he needs.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

Stargazer77 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 03:07:58 GMT

@NickNack I think it's challenging to find a non-smartphone Tracfone nowadays. And it's too bad because Tracfone's price is right and a non-smartphone is still a good choice for some users.

My dad bought this a few years ago...

https://smile.amazon.com/Alcatel-Prepaid-Double-Minutes-Tracfone/dp/B00YNUCWQI/ref=sr_1_39?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1530073989&sr=1-39&keywords=tracfone

They don't make it anymore, unfortunately. The buttons were large and it was simple to use. It would have been a good choice for your dad.

I personally think the Jitterbug is a little pricey for your dad's needs. I feel the same way about Consumer Cellular. Although, both companies offer nice phones with larger buttons. The yearly fees for each of those phones are 180 (are there any taxes and fees added to the monthly plan?), plus the cost of the phone (75 and 50/30, respectively). The 30 dollar Consumer Cellular phone is nice. If you were going to buy a non-Tracfone that would be my choice.

If you were going to buy a Tracfone I would choose the reburbished flip phone for 10 dollars. I would add a lower-priced airtime card (I used to add the 20 dollar card every 3 months, but you have to remember to do it on time or you lose your service/phone number). If you buy a plan online there's another screen that comes up during checkout asking if you want to add another year of service for 50 dollars. It's a good deal. I've done that in the past. I added 5 dollars worth of texts and then the 50 dollars for a year of service. You would have to decide which best fits your dad's needs.

To answer your other questions, they give you a phone number and I think they're pretty easy to set up. I prefer using Tracfone's live chat feature for any customer services issues I have.

Re: Tracfone For 90 Year Old Father

NickNack — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 13:26:27 GMT

Thank you so much @Stargazer77. I think we have decided that my father doesn't need a phone at all. He would only use it to call us if his landline phone was out of order. I'm afraid he wouldn't remember how to use it. He wears one of those things around his neck for 911 calls.