Community Chat

[sipp]

We had a  non-smart LG360-- sent for a new LG Smartphone- I immediately charged the battery and then called Tracfone support because we had LOTS of minutes etc on the non-smartphone.. They are transferring our phone number and said they'd call back the next daygto make sure it did- - I checked the non smartphone and it has been de-activated -- but now comes the hard part- I asked if I should use the activation card that came with the smartphone- they said no- From here on I am totally confused what I should do. DO I have to open a google account to get apps (ie like from department stores for speical sale codes?) We don't use our phones much (and we have triple minutes) We don't need google maps (our car has it) so that's not an issue-- but really I'm at a loss of when (If) I should proceed and stumble through or will they help me? we need to transfer the minutes we have and then How do we know if they did that right? we don't really want to sign up for a "plan" we buy cards but we really don't use our phones all that much- more like "pick up something at store" or pick us up at the airport stuff. We text a little. we don't take pictures but we might since we can (although I do prefer to use a camera for special shots) I scanned the book that came with the new phone but I'm still SO nervous to make a mistake. How do I prevent junk apps? AND I have to teach my husband who didn't want a smartphone at all but oh well the 3g's we have will be done so I figured we'd take advantage of the deal we got. SO will the Tracfone people walk us through all this? TIA

P.s> I DO have a google (gmail) but it's never used --- do i start using that-and My husband will need his own? He's not going to be happy.

[Venezia]

@sipp- First of all, I'd say take a deep breath and relax.  Once you get used to it, I'm sure you'll love what you can do with your new smartphones.

If you called their CS to transfer the minutes, etc., they will have activated your phone for you.  You should be able to tell that just by switching it on and making a call.

You don't say which phone you got or where you got it from, but Tracfone has tutorials for all of their phones on their website.  A good idea is to check that out first.

Also, DH and I have had Tracfones for nearly 20 years now and we both set up accounts on the Tracfone site.  That way you can keep track of your balance and also add minutes, data or texts as you need them.

You can also text "Balance" to 611611 to get your updated info immediately.

I'm sure others will be able to offer helpful suggestions also, but just take it one step at a time and get to know your new phone!  (I doubt anyone at Tracfone is going to walk you through all the features.)

You can also google specific questions.  There's a lot of useful information on the internet.

[Kachina624]

@sipp. You're making this transfer far more complicated than it is.  You could have set it up yourself online, transferred your phone number and minutes, and completed the transaction in about 5 minutes.  Now that you've called TracFone, we don't have any way of knowing what's going on with the transfer of your minutes but it can be done instantly by TracFone.  You can go online and check your account for the minutes.  Your account can also be accessed on the phone.  TracFone no longer gives triple minutes

Does the phone work?  Call your number and see if it rings.  If you have accumulated minutes, all you need to do is once a year before your service expiration date, you need to renew your service for another year.  This is best done online.  You don't need to buy minutes unless you run out.  If you don't renew your service by the deadline, you'll lose your phone number.

You can use any browser you wish; you don't have to use google.  Set up any email account you want or use the one you are now using.  There are not a bunch of junk apps on the TracFones.  They use the Android operating system so you cal get apps at the Play Store which should come loaded on your phone..  If ever there is an app you don't want, you can uninstall it.

In the future, when writing long posts, please use paragraphs.  It's very hard on the eyes to try to decipher all that long fine print.  Please post again if you have other questions.

[sipp]

Thanks for the input- the freak-out was because I was transferring from a non-smart phone to a smart phone- and all the posts say my triple minutes will be transferred and they will still triple if i buy the usual cards I did before when needed as a courtesy

. 

Of course- I won't need any for a year (probably) since I don't use it a  lot anyhow- but I did have to buy a card every 3 months on my non smart one. 

[sipp]

Thanks for your quick response! My old non-smart one has now been de-activated but I am not showing that the number was transferred and nothing much is showing on any screen other than the choice of wifi. They are supposed to call back tomorrow morning..My minutes and contacts have not been switched either.

[cindyNC]

I belong to a few forums for cell phones and this is the answer I got when I purchased a new Tracfone from HSN and didn't want to lose the minutes from my existing Tracfone when activating the new phone. 

1 - use Chat. Ask the Tracfone representative at the beginning for the balances/days of your current phone, so the balance info will be recorded in the chat transcript. 

2 - Tell the rep you want to ACTIVATE your new phone WITH A TRANSFER from your old phone. Don't just ask for a transfer. 

3 - after the new phone is activated and has your current balances/days, the bundled units/days should be automatically added to that. 

4 - Ask the rep again for your balances/days. They should be your old balances/days plus the bundled units/days.  If they are not, tell the rep to fix it. 

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[cantdrive55]

You can also buy minutes on the Tracfone website. It's easy to set up an account.

Like you, I carried forward my triple minutes for life benefit, and was advised by CS to purchase regular minute packages, not the smart phone ones. The regular minutes packages will still triple, the smart phone packages won't.

as an example, I buy 4500 minutes, texts, and whatever in the data for $199.99 plus taxes and fees of about $19.00. I think it adds another year of service, too.

It is nice to have the data when you are out and about and want to check the price on an item, or get driving directions. I'll "plug into"  the WiFi at Panera or other places  (your phone will tell you what networks are available) or my internet at home to conserve the data.  
It is nerve racking to make the change, but once you going going, you'll enjoy your new phone.

PS the thing that drove me crazy was having to press & slide to open any of the features. Not too long ago, there was a thread here and someone posted how to change that in the phone's settings.

[sipp]

My husband was needing a new card so decided to go to a smart phone --- they have completely messed things up- he has had a non-smart phone for years yet his online account does not show that nor is it showing the new smart phone which is still not right and we went through 9 techs including supervisors who don't know about the 1500 and the year service- so my husband is in limbo and I am just overjoyed dealing with them as I bought the same one and MY account online ALSO has incorrect information including a contact number that I've never seen before (to call ME!) -- The first one activated the phone (didn't ask for the card sim etc) and that was it- from then on it was all downhill. His minutes from the old non-smart transferred but none of the perks and it still doesn't show on his page. so now have to contact them again! OH JOY!