Smart phones on Tracfone

I was about the pull the trigger on an LG Ultimate 2 (or Alcatel One Touch Pop Icon, seems very similar) from shopcelldeals on Amazon, but now I see that neither of those phones are currently being sold with the 1-year card... just the phone by itself.  It may be a timing thing and I can wait a few more weeks to see if the phone + airtime option becomes available again.

I'm also considering a Samsung Galaxy S3 through the Tracfone BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) program if I can find a decent used one.  I've decided against the Iphone 4s because I learned it only has a 3.5" screen and I want at least 4.5".

Have any of you considered one of the NUU or BLU unlocked phones?

Just got a moto g 2nd gen at Best Buy for $99.99 + 4.99 for Tracfone activation kit. Phone updated to Android 5.0..2 as soon as turned on. So far very impressed with it.

How are you guys liking your LG Ultimate 2 smart phones so far?  After a couple months of researching features & watching prices, I'll probably go with that model.  Although I missed out on the bundle with 1 year of service, as shopcelldeals (nor any other retailers that I can find) sells the phone WITH the airtime any more... so I'll have to buy the refill PIN separately from Tracfone.  I'm assuming Tracfone has reduced their wholesaler discounts and it's not worth the price for 3rd-party sellers to bundle them anymore. 

scottydl said:

How are you guys liking your LG Ultimate 2 smart phones so far?  After a couple months of researching features & watching prices, I'll probably go with that model.  Although I missed out on the bundle with 1 year of service, as shopcelldeals (nor any other retailers that I can find) sells the phone WITH the airtime any more... so I'll have to buy the refill PIN separately from Tracfone.  I'm assuming Tracfone has reduced their wholesaler discounts and it's not worth the price for 3rd-party sellers to bundle them anymore.

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Re my LG Ultimate 2, I really have not used it much as we have not been traveling.  Around town it easier to put my flip phone in my pocket and go.  Hope DW gets feeling better soon and can give it a good try out.  Dick nvrver

My wife and I both use our LG U2's extensively daily for everything from making/receiving phone calls and texting to getting directions, checking the weather, and reading books. They're a definite improvement over our previous Tracfone Android smartphones and we're very pleased with them...

Thanks Dutch, good info!  The comparable models I was considering were the Alcatel OneTouch Pop Icon (5" screen and fast processor/RAM, but less than 2GB available internal memory) and the Motorola Moto E (no front facing camera).  But the LG U2 seems to be the best combination of decent features.  Now I need to find the best price.  I can buy new for $59.99 but some decent used/refurb models have popped up on Ebay and elsewhere for $40-50 so that's probably the route I'll go.

I'll keep my current LG Optimus Fuel (decent phone, just small 3.5" screen and limited storage) as a backup, and will probably activate again later this year for my son (11, approaching 12) to have a phone for occasional use.

Last month I decided to upgrade my backup phone from a ZTE Valet, which is a bottom of the line Android to something a bit more modern. I got an LG Power reconditioned for $49 and I was blown away. It is a 4.5 inch Android running Lollypop and I found I actually preferred it to my Samsung S6, which was my main phone. The biggest advantage was the fact it did not have buttons on the edge. The on/off and volume buttons are on the back. My biggest complaint about the S6 and the iPhone 6 I had that preceded it was that it was almost impossible for me to take it out of my pocket without accidentally pushing a button and making a call, turning down the volume, shutting off the phone or taking a photo. The problem was it only has a 5 mp camera and with Tracfone I could not use it as a hot spot. But since it was only my backup these were not really issues. I got to looking around and found out that MetroPCS, the carrier for my main phone, offered an LG Stylo for $129. It offered the same buttons on the back, a 13 mp camera and it is usable as a hot spot. It has a 5.7 inch screen, two gigs of ram, 16 gigs of memory and even though it has a larger screen than the iPhone 6+ it has a smaller footprint. So I sold my S6, bought the Stylo and pocketed the $300 difference. The Stylo comes with a Stylus that is very useful. I have been using it for a month and I am thrilled. Only $30 per month for unlimited talk and text and one gig of data.

Unfortunately the Power is no longer in stock at Tracfone but they do get it in stock occasionally for $89 new and $49 refurbished from time to time. Metro PCS does sell the exact same phone under a different name, the LG Leon (huh?) for only $29. It is the biggest bargain in the cell phone market right now. Beautiful screen, blazing fast and dirt cheap.

https://www.metropcs.com/phones.html

do you folks think a tracphone would be good for a middle school aged kid
who would be mostly texting
a little bit of email or internet browsing
and a few calls per month
usually in wifi areas
?

I think it's an excellent choice for that purpose, and that's what I plan to do with my old phone (give to my 11yo son when needed) when my replacement arrives from Ebay in the next couple days.  You can buy a service card for $100 and it will last an entire year with light use, netting $8.33/month for good reliable cell coverage.  Or $20 cards will last 90 days each, but they won't include nearly as many minutes to use.

Tracfone smart phones triple the minutes and split them 3 ways, so a 400 minute / 1 year card ($100, the amount that I was referring to above) puts 1200 talk minutes, 1200 texts, and 1200 mb of data on the phone.  It's a good responsibility tool too, as the child can be responsible for refilling the minutes with their own money if they use them too fast.  You can now add 1000 texts at any time for $10, which I think I did twice this past year.  1200mb doesn't sound like much data, but the smaller phones don't use much as long as you limit them to wifi most of the time (i.e. no data deducted from phone).  Doing that with mine, with occasional e-mail/games using my data... my original 1200mb has lasted me well over a year.

Tracfone has smart phone specific plans now too (with varying other amounts of talk/text/data) but they only last 90 days, then you have to add another card of some kind to keep the account active.  That's the only downside, but otherwise the Tracfone prepaid plans keep you from having to pay monthly for a bunch of minutes that you (or your kid) will never use.

In addition to what Scott said, note that you do not need to wait until that 30, 60, or 90 card runs out to add more days or minutes. You can add them any time, and the totals and service date will automatically adjust. My current Tracfone service end date is in June of 2019. When I see a good deal on minutes cards, I grab them. When it's an online deal, sometimes all you get is an emailed code, so I add them right away so the code won't get misplaced and I can be sure it's valid.

Good point Dutch, thanks for mentioning.  Where do you find the best prices on Tracfone cards?  So far Ebay seems to have some mass sellers that knock a few dollars off (a $100 card for $99, that might otherwise cost $105 from Tracfone with taxes and fees) but I'm interested in any other tips you might have from the way you buy refills.

Yep, I usually find the best deals on eBay, Scott, although sometimes HSN, Best Buy, etc., have phone/minutes deals at a price where you can sell or give away the phone and just keep the minutes. Those deals are getting harder to find though, since Tracfone started clamping down on third-party package deals. The key for me though, is to grab the deals when I see them, instead of waiting until I need them.

Next time you find one too good to pass up, share it here! 

scottydl said:

Next time you find one too good to pass up, share it here! 

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Will do! Unless it's tagged as only one left...