Electronics

[Just Bling]

@Jordan2 

Back in July you didn't want a Tracfone, you said you were having all kinds of problems with it.....now you changed your mind???

[Nightowlz]

@Jordan2 

If you use the minutes before your service ends you can buy more minutes.

Look on their site to see the prices for the airtime they sell which shows how many minutes, days service you get for the price etc.

You can also add another 1 year card so you don't have to mess with it for another year or until you run out of minutes.

They have monthly plans too but I have never used it. 

Buy your year card on Black Friday when they have a good deal under $100. 

All Tracfones sold on QVC/HSN are locked. They will never be unlocked. 

I have an unlocked phone but only because Tracfone is only selling CDMA phones. I need GSM.

I used BYOP from Tracfone to set up my unlocked phone.

Just because you have an unlocked phone does not mean it will work with another carrier you may want to use. You would have to go to their site to check it.

Don't forget Verizon bought Tracfone so don't know what kind of changes are coming? 

I use my phone basically for texting. I generally add texts. I have so many minutes I don't need.

They should make a texting only phone. LOL!!!

[Jordan2]

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@Just Bling wrote:

@Jordan2 

Back in July you didn't want a Tracfone, you said you were having all kinds of problems with it.....now you changed your mind???

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@Just Bling I don't think it was me who complained about Tracfone. I will probably use my cellphone as my main phone, I'm thinking this might not be the best phone plan for me anymore. 

[Frangelina]

YES, if you use up your minutes before 1 year you can change to a monthly unlimited plan of your choice.  

YES, you can unlock your phone after 1 year, it doesn't happen automatically, you have to go to their website or call a special number for unlocking.I have unlocked my Tracphones after owning one year, just in case I want to change carriers, but as someone else said, not all unlocked phones are compatible with all carriers, GSM and CDMA comes into play.

BTW, the best and cheapest Tracphone here on QVC is the $49.99 LG Rebel K31 for $49.99. It is 32gb, 2 gb ram, octacore processing and a pretty good camera.

[Ainhisg]

There is some misinformation in this thread.  To answer your questions, you can get a monthly plan with unlimited talk, text, and a certain amount of data.  They currently have two monthly options:  1)  a $20 plan, or 2) a $40 plan.  The difference in price is how much data you are wanting per month.

If you buy a Tracfone BRANDED phone, it cannot be unlocked to use with other carriers.  The Tracfones sold on the Q or HSN are branded phones.

[dmeasy]

I had a tracfone for years.  Then i switched when I needed a different card for texting.  I thought it was too expensive.  Also didn't use my phone that much.  I am much happier with Consumer Cellular.  I pay a bill once a month and the cost is measured by what I use.  Check the company out.

[Frangelina]

RE: Unlocking Tracfone phones, yes, they can be unlocked AFTER 1 year, I personally have done it a few times.

tfwunlockpolicy.com

[Frangelina]

People keep saying you can buy another year of service for $49, I do not believe that is available any longer, and it is NOT on Tracfone's website, so if it is true where is that available exactly?

[gardenman]

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@Frangelina wrote:

People keep saying you can buy another year of service for $49, I do not believe that is available any longer, and it is NOT on Tracfone's website, so if it is true where is that available exactly?

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If you go to eBay you'll find all kinds of options for adding service starting at $54.99 for one year with no extra minutes, talk, text, data. There are also 395-day plans, 425-day plans, and lots of weird stuff there. There are more options there than on Tracfone's site. 

As to unlocking, any phone can technically be unlocked. In some cases, it's very easy. (Simply swap the SIM card.) In other cases, it's very hard. It all depends on the phone manufacturer and the provider. Most providers don't want you wandering off to someone else, so they make it as hard as possible. You typically have to wait until you've had their service for at least one full year. Sometimes more. If you meet their requirements (phone paid off, been a customer long enough, you ignore their repeated efforts to convince you to stay, and insist on the phone being unlocked) they'll then go ahead and remotely flash the phone's BIOS so that it can be unlocked. Then you swap out SIM cards and the phone is unlocked. (Well, until you sign with a new carrier who will then lock it to their service.)

If you're insanely handy, have a hot air soldering station, are comfortable working on surface-mounted devices, and have a stockpile of ROM chips with a working phone BIOS on them, you can physically remove the existing ROM chip from the phone's motherboard and replace it. (Assuming it has a standalone ROM chip and many don't these days. They're often incorporated into the SOCs these days. SOC is a "system on a chip" by the way.) Any phone can technically be unlocked though. They just don't make it very easy.

[Frangelina]

Thanks, it's easier to buy the phone bundle for $50, plus I get a new phone. I did see that Tracfone has an ebay store with the phone bundles and the service cards,, free shipping and 20% off right now, until 8/31/21 use code INSTANT20 at checkout.