Electronics

[Stargazer77]

I've been a Tracfone customer for over 10 years now, maybe even 15 years.  Back when I first started purchasing Tracfones, most of the phones were GSM and used AT&T's towers.  Over the past few years (maybe a little more), most of the phones are CDMA and use Verizon's towers.

Why do you think this change happened and why don't they offer a more equal amount of GSM and CDMA phones?

Verizon works a little better in my area, generally speaking, so my primary Tracfone is CDMA.  During Hurricane Sandy 5 years ago, my Tracfone was GSM and AT&T's tower near me was damaged and I did not have cell service for several days (my sister's cell phone with Verizon worked fine). 

After that experience, I decided I wanted to have two Tracfones...one GSM and one CDMA.  My primary Tracfone today is CDMA.  My backup Tracfone (aka my Batphone) is GSM.  It's an LG Sunset running Lollipop and it's pretty old and slow now.  Plus, it's 8GB and I haven't had the space to update apps in quite a while, which I don't like.  I've found it very hard to replace this phone because Tracfone offers so few GSM smartphones, so I just keep adding a 20 dollar card every 3 months to keep it active.  

Thanks for reading and if you have any opinions on this issue I would love to hear them. 

Also, if both Verizon and AT&T work well in your area, which phone do you purchase and why?

[x Hedge]

Its affected by buildings, bodies of water, elevation, etc. Neither is better.
Its just a matter of which gives a better, most reliable signal in your location.

CDMA works best at my home, whereas GSM delayed, or outright lost over 100 texts before I knew what was going on.
But drive 5 miles west and GSM signal becomes strong as Verision's.

Why the changeover to CDMA?
I believe Verizon gives TracFone a better deal, and TracFone gets fewer overall complaints from customers.

[Kachina624]

Ive had Tracfones for years and have no idea what CDMA and GSM are or what you're talking about.

[kittyloo]

ha ha ha. me too here. i have been a tracphone customer for years. no idea what the OP is talking about.  

[MKR14]

A recent article I found:

If you’re a U.S. customer and wondering what companies use which type of network, the split is right down the middle: AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM carriers, while Verizon and Sprint are CDMA. In truth, picking a new phone or carrier solely based on what standard it adheres to doesn’t necessarily matter because the services, features, phones, and service quality a network offers aren’t solely dependent on their network infrastructure. So unless you have a particular need for choosing one over the other, go with the carrier that best fits your tastes, needs, and budget.

I have known about this for a long time and try and pick a Tracfone with the best service in my area. I do like the CDMA ones the best in our area as I never have a place that I can not get phone service.

[Moonlady]

I've been a TF customer since 2003 and, even then, it piggy-backed on Verizon. I was dumbfounded because the contract I didn't renew had been with Verizon. And my husband was chagrined because his, through work, was with Verizon, also. Throughout my upgrades over the years, only one of the phones had ATT, about 6 or 7 years ago. Regardless, the phone coverage has always been good.

[deeva]

I prefer CDMA. AT&T has poor reception where I live. So my Tracfone works great here using Verizon’s network.