Smart phones on Tracfone

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scottydl

scottydl

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Land of Lincoln
Like many folks here, I have a cell phone on Tracfone service.  $100/year.  Works great for phones used occasionally, which is mine at work.  My "home" cell phone has unlimited service through Boost Mobile.  $30/month.

Starting last year, I upgraded to an LG Optimus smart phone with Tracfone.  It's been a nice little Android but lags quite a bit sometimes and has a pretty small screen.  I'd like to upgrade for this coming year, and Tracfone offers a "Bring Your Own Phone" service now.  I'm in the market for a used iPhone (probably 4S) or Samsung Galaxy (probably S3) to activate with Tracfone.  Has anyone else used this program yet, and have any experiences or comments?
 
I used a 4s on Tracfone and was very happy. I upgraded to a 6 so I had to switch to Straight Talk. I got my 4s used on Amazon for $150 last year.
 
scottydl said:
Good to hear, thanks Tom.  Still got that 4S?  ;)
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Nope, I donated to some needy friends. I was shocked that I liked Tracfone because I used to have TF ten years ago and hated it but it seems they have solved most of their problems.
 
I hadn't thought to look on Amazon for used stuff, will do that also.  There's nothing decent in my area Craigslist yet, but I'm not in a big hurry so something might pop up in the next month or two.
 
The 2 Tracfones + airtime I have had so far I bought from "shopcelldeals" who have large e-stores on both Amazon and Ebay.  For around $100 I have gotten the phone plus 1 year of airtime, which basically makes the phone free.  I'll see what new phone offers they have available too.

Example: Motorola Moto E + a year of service (1200 minutes/texts/MB data) for $129.99.  Tracfone's retail price on that airtime is $99, so the phone is essentially $30.  Not bad for a well-reviewed smart phone with a good track record.  I may be ready for an upgrade from budget phones though, which is why I keep coming back to an iPhone or Galaxy S-series.
 
We've used Tracfone for years. 

I also recommend "shopcelldeals".

I just added a phablet (wanted larger screen for internet use) to be able to use Tracfone data plan as I don't think using a TF phone as a hotspot is approved.  I got a NeuTab (AT&T) from Amazon and a TF sim card activation kit (from WalMart I think) and activated online at TF.  Absolutely no problems what so ever.  The sound quality of the NeuTab is not very good but it gives us an extra phone that would work in a pinch but great internet capabilities.

 
Another vote for "ShopCellDeals". I currently have an LG L41C "Ultimate 2" Android 4.4 phone that has a mid-sized 4.5" screen that I've found to be very good for reading books with the Moon+ Reader app as well as using other high visual content apps. At that size, the phone is not too bulky and is easy to handle. Android 4.4 "KitKat" is quite snappy with the 41C's 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 4.73GB of user internal memory (8GB total mem) and up to 32GB of external SD memory. The "Gorilla Glass" screen is another plus. This is my third Tracfone triple minutes/text/data Android smartphone, and each one has been better than the last one. My average cost per month for service is about $8.
 
Great stuff Dutch, same here on price although this year I have added a couple extra packs of text messages (SO  glad that is a separate option now) for $10 each.  Even 2 of those only add a couple dollars each month, split across the entire year.  I can't believe how many folks still routinely pay 5x-10x more per month for newer smart phones and are also tied into multi-year contracts.  (I know the on-the-road RV crowd REALLY uses their data on monthly plans, but most folks with home wifi aren't so dependent on it but still pay the big bucks.)

How does your LG L41C handle group texting?  The 4.5" screen is about what I want, which is what the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S both have... My smaller LG is 3.5" and doesn't do group texting or multimedia messages well.  All messages come in separately and don't give any notice of arrival like standard texts.  I don't routinely initiate group texting because it uses up my "text bank" faster, but sometimes I get included in others' group conversations, and it's a pain to follow along and respond.
 
I have been using Tracfone since 2006 and think I want to add a Smart phone I have also been looking at the Motorola moto E Android Scott wrote about and the Samsung Galaxy Stardust S766C for triple minutes for Tracfone.
Can anyone give me their thoughts on the S766C and also the S766C vs. the moto E.  Dick nvrver
 
What are you looking for in a smart phone?  Either of those two models would probably be fine but they are restricted to 3G data speeds as are most other cheap smart phones (like my LG Optimus Fuel).  Plus the processing power and memory will be inferior to their "smarter" counterparts like the newer Moto G and the Galaxy S3 and up.  My LG can run any modern android app which is nice, but it does so quite a bit slower and apps lag/crash somewhat often.  Features like camera quality and other options are better on the 4G phones too.
 
scottydl said:
What are you looking for in a smart phone?  Either of those two models would probably be fine but they are restricted to 3G data speeds as are most other cheap smart phones (like my LG Optimus Fuel).  Plus the processing power and memory will be inferior to their "smarter" counterparts like the newer Moto G and the Galaxy S3 and up.  My LG can run any modern android app which is nice, but it does so quite a bit slower and apps lag/crash somewhat often.  Features like camera quality and other options are better on the 4G phones too.
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Looking for limited data use, checking gas buddy and email when not staying where there is wifi for my laptop.  Dick nvrver
 
My current Tracfone Android smartphone is the LG "Ultimate 2". My first Tracfone smartphone was the ZTE "Valet", which was replaced by the LG "Fuel", which has now been replaced by the "Ultimate 2". The U2 has a larger internal user memory, a larger screen, both front and rear (with flash) facing cameras, and is much snappier running Android 4.4 "Kit Kat" than my previous phones. I don't expect to replace this phone for quite awhile...
 
Thanks Dutch for the recommendation.  I checked on shopcelldeals E-Bay store and found the LG Ultimate 2, LG L41C Smartphone - One Year of Service Included - Tracfone, One Year of Service - Free Priority Mail Shipping for $129.99
My present Tracfone is a LG235C flip phone and it works great on Verizon.  All the current smart phones I?m looking at would also be on Verizon.  Dick
 
Just purchased the LG Ultimate 2 LG L41C Smartphone - One Year of Tracfone Service Included w/triple minutes for life on Aazon.com shipping free from shopcelldeals for $109.99 .  I also added a 32GB microSD? Card from Amazon.  Should have the LG Ultimate 2 by Wed. 12/9.  Dick nvrver
 
That might be the direction I go... the Ultimate II has really good reviews on Amazon.  I'm still trying to decide if it is really worth buying an iPhone 4s or Samsung Galaxy S3 or S4 outright for $75-100, then still having to pay separately for a year of airtime.
 
nvrver said:
Just purchased the LG Ultimate 2 LG L41C Smartphone - One Year of Tracfone Service Included w/triple minutes for life on Aazon.com shipping free from shopcelldeals for $109.99 .  I also added a 32GB microSD? Card from Amazon.  Should have the LG Ultimate 2 by Wed. 12/9.  Dick nvrver
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That's the same deal I got there, Dick. When you consider that a 400 minute (triples to 1200)/365 day card alone sells for $85 or more, we got the phone for about $25.  ;D
 
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