Advice on new Tracfone, best camera

SandGirl · ‎03-09-2010

I love having Tracfone, have saved SO MUCH money over the last 4 years and no issues so far with service and only about 50.00 to renew each year, love it.

But, I'm ready for a new phone, I have Samsung J7 and it's fine but we are going on vacation this year and I normally use my phone for photos instead of lugging around our camera, would really like to upgrade my phone but all the phones avail. on QVC and HSN are EXPENSIVE and really bad reviews. I want to stay with Android.

Is there somewehre else to buy phones or do you have any phone suggestions maybe even the ones with bad reviews that the phone isn't really that bad?
I remember my J7 there were really bad reviews and I haven't had even one issue with it all these years and I do use it daily and reload text on it all the time.

Anyways, just looking for some suggestions /. options.

Net52 · ‎03-28-2016

I have used Trafone for at least 5 yrs and agree you save so much money. I have the Samsung Galaxy A21. I have not had any problems with it and it has 4 cameras on the back. My service date was coming up and I was looking on HSN and QVC and like you I was disappointed in the reviews. Decided to keep my phone and extend my plan until I found something better. I mostly was looking for somethng with more storage. I think I got my phone on HSN. Hope they still offer it. I really like it.

MarkeieMark · ‎06-24-2012

@Net52 wrote:
I have used Trafone for at least 5 yrs and agree you save so much money. I have the Samsung Galaxy A21. I have not had any problems with it and it has 4 cameras on the back. My service date was coming up and I was looking on HSN and QVC and like you I was disappointed in the reviews. Decided to keep my phone and extend my plan until I found something better. I mostly was looking for somethng with more storage. I think I got my phone on HSN. Hope they still offer it. I really like it.

Love my Samsung Track phone from HSN!!!! Got the silver glitter holder, and looks like diamonds... So many compliments!

cindyNC · ‎08-01-2019

Try HSN or the ebay Tracfone store or Tracfone website. You can also buy a Straight Talk phone and ask customer service at Tracfone to switch it from Straight Talk to Tracfone.

Turk Forums is a message board for all things Tracfone. Lots of phone info and everyone is very nice about answering questions.

Ainhisg · ‎03-09-2010

@SandGirl I tagged you on a thread I started several days ago about a phone @gardenman (a very tech-savvy individual) and I are happy with. (Moto Stylus on sale right now on the Q) I don't mean to sound harsh, but when I read the reviews on HSN and QVC for phones, I take them with a grain of salt, because many of the reviews are from people who don't know how to operate smartphones correctly or don't know alternate ways to activate service.

The downside to the phone I'm recommending is that it is heavy because it is large, and while I've not experienced battery issues like some of the reviewers, the battery does not last for days and days and days. I keep wi-fi/data/bluetooth turned off when I'm not using it, and I do get several days out of one charge. But if a person were going to leave any of these battery drainers on, then I could see needing to charge it every day.

ETA: the camera on this phone is the best Tracfone camera I've ever had. I buy a new phone every year and usually buy a more expensive one, because it will have better specs. The camera on this phone is super easy to operate with multiple features, and there are YouTube videos about using the camera on this phone to its maximum capabilities. I certainly don't get the one review that says it doesn't take good photos--nothing could be further from the truth.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

I'll just second what @Ainhisg said. The Motorola Moto G Stylus is a great phone. 128 GBs of memory, really good cameras, good (not great) battery life, and a very nice screen. At its current $129.96 (on sale) it's a great buy. And don't forget, that includes a full year's service so for $10.83 a month ($129.96 divided by twelve months) you're getting a great, do-it-all phone. I've been seriously considering buying it again as a spare phone at that price.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

SandGirl · ‎03-09-2010

@Net52 wrote:
I have used Trafone for at least 5 yrs and agree you save so much money. I have the Samsung Galaxy A21. I have not had any problems with it and it has 4 cameras on the back. My service date was coming up and I was looking on HSN and QVC and like you I was disappointed in the reviews. Decided to keep my phone and extend my plan until I found something better. I mostly was looking for somethng with more storage. I think I got my phone on HSN. Hope they still offer it. I really like it.

@Net52 I bought the A21 when it was on sale but it wouldn't activate, I spent 2 hours on line with cust. service at Tracfone one day and another hour another day and they finally told me to send it back and it was maybe defective so I just never bought another one after spending so much time on it, I really wanted it to work because Samsung is all I've had and they have all been great phones. My work phone is a year old Galaxy and it's amazing but I can't use it for personal use...

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

@SandGirl wrote:
@Net52 wrote:
I have used Trafone for at least 5 yrs and agree you save so much money. I have the Samsung Galaxy A21. I have not had any problems with it and it has 4 cameras on the back. My service date was coming up and I was looking on HSN and QVC and like you I was disappointed in the reviews. Decided to keep my phone and extend my plan until I found something better. I mostly was looking for somethng with more storage. I think I got my phone on HSN. Hope they still offer it. I really like it.
@Net52 I bought the A21 when it was on sale but it wouldn't activate, I spent 2 hours on line with cust. service at Tracfone one day and another hour another day and they finally told me to send it back and it was maybe defective so I just never bought another one after spending so much time on it, I really wanted it to work because Samsung is all I've had and they have all been great phones. My work phone is a year old Galaxy and it's amazing but I can't use it for personal use...

@SandGirl

There's typically a phone number included with the Tracfones bought through the home shopping channels that's exclusive to them. I've found that using that number works the best for me and my phones. I've had no issues activating the phones when I use that number. I've had issues before trying it online, but that number never fails me. It's an automated voice system with fairly simple prompts and it just works.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

SandGirl · ‎03-09-2010

@Ainhisg I order the Moto Stylus today so I'll let you know how it goes, thx for the recommendation, hoping it sets up smoothly, I have had at least 4 Tracfones, it's a hit and miss with ease of set up. Wish me luck!

Ainhisg · ‎03-09-2010

I wish you all the luck in the world. I always take a screen shot of my minutes/texts/data just in case there are issues. Then I use the chat feature on the tracfone website to port my service. I tell them I'm wanting to transfer service to a new phone, they ask me some questions about the new phone, they do it all on their end, and voila! It's done! Other people use the phone number provided in the box and have no issue.

Here are a couple of YouTube videos that show some neat tips concerning the phone/camera. I just took a screenshot of the titles as the mods sometimes delete posts with links.