Electronics

[GCR18]

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.  😁

[NickNack]

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@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.  😁

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@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.

[Daysdee]

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.

[ceekay]

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.

[henderson]

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@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.

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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.

[Kachina624]

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.

[lulu1]

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.

[AngelPuppy1]

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.  

[Stargazer77]

@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=wireles...

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.

[NickNack]

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.