To begin with you will buy a Tracfone and a Tracfone Card. You can only use a Tracfone Cell phone for Tracfone prepaid service, you cannot use a Verizon, At&t, T-Mobile, Alltel, Net10 or any other phone with Tracfone Service.

Next you will have to Activate your Tracfone wireless phone. You can do this by going to the Tracfone website or by calling Tracfone on a different phone. This can take up to ten minutes.

You will have to type in some numbers into your phone and then it is active. It is really easy.

Adding a Tracfone Card is even easier. You can add Tracfone units directly from the phone or from the Tracfone website. You will add the 15 digit PIN code into your phone.

You always want to check for a Bonus code when you are adding a Tracfone card. Bonus Codes are a five digit number that you enter while adding a card to your phone.. Check out the Tracfone Bonus Codes.

Tracfone W376g and Lg 200c

Tracfone Service Time

You will get 90 days of service time on most Tracfone cards. If you do not have service time left on your phone it will not work even if you have minutes left.. The remaining number of minutes and the service end date will usually show on your display. hwtracwrks

Buying Tracfone Cards

Phone cards for Tracfone come in different denominations. You can spend $20, $30, $40, $80, $100 and $200. As you spend more money on the card you get more minutes per dollar. With the first four cards you will add 90 days of service time with the card. The twenty dollar card costs you three minutes per dollar and the eighty dollar card gives you 5.8 minutes per dollar. These numbers double with DMFL. The $100 and $200 Tracfone Yearly cards give you a year of service time.

Tracfone DMFL Card

Be sure to check out what Tracfone DMFL is before you pay for your Tracfone. Here is a great article on Tracfone DMFL. I would only add minutes to a Tracfone with Double Minutes on it.

For the Best Deal and phone Selection go to Tracfone.com

Tracfone Service Time and Minutes Roll Over

If you add minutes or service time before your phone has completely run out both the minutes and service time will carry forward. For instance if you have 20 minutes and 60 days left on your Tracfone and you add a 120 minute phone card you will end up with 140 minutes and 150 days left. With Double Minutes it would be 260 units (2+120+120) and 150 days of service.

The Most Costly Tracfone Mistakes

Here is a great article on The Most Costly Tracfone Mistakes.

Get $3 off on any Tracfone or accessory $19.99 or more with coupon code 23444.

Here is a great article on How Tracfone Pay as you Go Works.

Cricket Wireless is one of the fastest growing Prepaid Cell Phone companies. The Unlimited Cricket Wireless plans are great if they are available in your area.

Since Net 10 is a division of Tracfone does the Net10 prepaid cell phone service the same as Tracfone? How does Net 10 Work?

How Verizon Prepaid Works

Verizon Prepaid has several options

Prepaid Basic which offers 25 cent minutes.

99 cents per day which allows you unlimited calling to other Verizon Wireless phone users and then you will pay 10 cents a minute on all other calls. Every day that you use your phone you will pay the 99 cent fee. Texts are 10 cents to send and receive.

199 cents per day which allows you unlimited calling to other Verizon Wireless phones and then you will pay 5 cents a minute on all other calls. You also get Unlimited Nights and Weekend calling with the $1.99 plan. Every day that you use your phone you will pay the $1.99 fee. Texts are 5 cents to send and receive.

399 cents per day which allows you unlimited calling to other Verizon Wireless phone users and then you will get Unlimited calling every day. Every day that you use your phone you will pay the $3.99 fee. Texts are 1 cent to send and receive. This is basically their Prepaid Unlimited Plan. $3.99 per day for Unlimited Calling to any phone in the United States.

Text Message Bundles

If you are on any of the Verizon Prepaid Plans you can get the Message Bundle Plans. For $20 per month you get Unlimited Messaging. For $10 per month you get unlimited texting to Verizon Wireless phones and 250 additional messages. If you go over the 250 you will pay 20 cents per message with the Basic plan, 10 cents with the 99 cent plan, 5 cents with the 199 plan, and 1 cent with the 399 Unlimited plan.

How Tracfone Works

Tracfone is a simple Cost Per Minute prepaid cell phone company.

You purchase the Tracfone phone and a Minute card.

Then you activate the phone by calling Tracfone on a land line or by going online.

You will have to type in some numbers into your phone and then it is active. It is really easy.

Next you will add a Tracfone Minute Card.

When adding a minute card if you use a five digit Bonus Code you might get more minutes. Check out the Tracfone Bonus Codes.

Basically you buy Tracfone minutes on a card and add them to your phone. You will get 90 days of service time on most Tracfone cards. You must keep minutes and service time on your phone to use it. The remaining number of minutes and the service end date will usually show on your display. vzprepaidvstrac

Be sure to check out what Tracfone DMFL is before you purchase your Tracfone. Here is a great article on Tracfone DMFL. I would only add minutes to a Tracfone that had DMFL on it.

Tracfone Service Time and Minutes Roll Over

If you add minutes or service time before your phone has completely run out the remaining minutes or service time will roll over.

Get $3 off on any Tracfone or accessory $19.99 or more with coupon code 23444.

Can I Move my Phone Number to a Tracfone?

Yes. It can take as little as ten minutes and up to seven days. Transferring a number can be a problem. Your previous company must release the number and then Tracfone has to get the cell phone company that will control your number to activate it. Tracfone does not have a cell tower network, they buy their service from most of the major cell phone companies in the US like At&t , Verizon, Alltel, US Cellular and T-Mobile.

Often the problem you have porting a number is not the fault of the company you are porting to but the company you are porting from. If you can just change to a new number I would not port my number. If your old number is important then have at it.

Check out other Verizon Wireless Phone and Plan Options.

This is one of the most basic flip phones made. It has a few simple functions like a calculator, alarm clock but it really is just a phone. You can easily text and talk. I do use the clock all the time as my watch. The calculator works well also.

I Like this Phone

I have been using this same LG 200c model of phone from Net10 for the last two years. I have dropped it hundreds of times, and it still keeps working. It is easy to use, fits well in my pocket and it never messes up. The ringer stays at the level I set it.

Keyboard view of the LG 200c CDMA phone from Straight Talk, Tracfone and Net10

No External Keys

I really like the fact that there are no buttons on the outside of the phone. It never accidentally makes calls in my pocket. It does not have a camera or anything else. I also have a Verizon phone that has external buttons to turn on the camera and to adjust the ringer. I will be sitting down and if I move just wrong it starts taking pictures.

If all you want is a phone

This is the phone for you. From Straight Talk you will pay $30 for the LG 200c and then if you get the unlimited card that will be an extra $45 or if you get the 1000 minute card it will be an extra $30.

Great Little Texting Phone

This is a great little phone to text with.  It is light and well balanced to hold in one hand and text with.  It is faster to text with one hand than to use the qwerty keyboards.  There have been several races held and the fastest messagers are actually using morse code but the second fastest are using the 10 key pad to text.  If you learn to use the I-touch or T-9 system you will be able to text pretty fast.

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Buy the Straight Talk LG 200c Prepaid Wireless Phone if you are wanting a simple light durable prepaid phone.  The Straight Talk payment plan is better than any of the contract or prepaid plans.

I have a review of the Samsung R451c which is a very nice Qwerty keyboard phone for texting.  I have used one a bit and the full size thumb keyboard has a good feel to it.  Check out my review of the Straight Talk Samsung R451c Slider.

Motorola Droid and Iphone

I have friends with the Droid and the Iphone and Blackberries. They are always running out of battery. Most of them have bought a charger for their car so if they run out of charge they can plug in. Many of these phones will barely make it a day on a charge.

They always seem to be losing them, getting them stolen or breaking them. Most of them are paying $70 to $150 a month on their phones.

Straight Talk LG 200c Battery Life

The Lg 200c has the best battery life of any phone I have had. I easily get a week out of a charge. This will change if you use your phone a lot. I use 150 to 250 minutes a month. The more you use your phone the faster they drain the battery.

If you just want a cell phone to talk and text the LG 200c is a very good choice.

Side view of the Clamshell Straight Talk LG 200c Prepaid Phone.

If you want to check your email or search the internet on your phone the Straight Talk LG 200c is not for you. This is a basic phone. Talk and Text, that is pretty much it.

Who is Straight Talk?

“Straight Talk” is a new company that is a joint project between Tracfone, Verizon and Walmart. All calls made with Straight Talk phones will use the Verizon Network, the largest cell tower network in the US.

The new Straight Talk program has two Prepay Options.

Unlimited for $45 a month

• Unlimited Talk
• Unlimited Texting and picture messages
• Unlimited Data
• Unlimited 411 calls

All You Need Straight Talk Plan for $30 a month.

• 1000 minutes
• 1000 texts
• 30 mb of data for
• unlimited 411 calls

Unlimited 411 Calls

This is really unusual.  Most of the cell phone companies want to charge you 95 cents or $1.25 or $2.00 to call to check a number.  Both Straight talk plans include unlimted 411 calling.

The Best Prepaid or Contract Cell phone deal in the US

I have written a lot about Prepaid and Contract cell phone plans in the US. These two plans are the best value. No limitations if you use more than 200 minutes a month then one of these plans will be the best for you.

Straight Talk Prepaid Unlimited Talk, Text and Data for only $45 a month.

Straight Talk Prepaid for 1000 minutes and 1000 text messages for only $30 a month

LG 200c Prepaid Cell Phone from Straight Talk

• Calendar, Calculator
• Battery Talk Time up to 2.5 hours
• Includes Charger and Services Guide
• Hands-free Speaker
• Voice Mail and Caller ID
• Alarm Clock
• Phonebook with up to 300 Entries
• Standby Time up to up to 10 days
• Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) Rating: M4

The LG 200c is a very good value at $29.99 plus a $30 monthly phone card or $45 Unlimited monthly phone card from Straight Talk Prepaid

**Samsung R451c Review**

The New Samsung R451c has a lot of options for a prepaid phone. This is not your father’s Tracfone. This is a fully usable MP3 music, 1.3 megapixel camera, Qwerty keyboard, slider phone.

Picture of the Straight Talk Samusung R451C

Picture of the Straight Talk Samusung R451C

The new Straight Talk program has two prepay options.

Unlimited for $45 a month

• unlimited minutes
• unlimited text and picture messages
• unlimited data
• unlimited 411 calls

All You Need plan for $30 a month.

• 1000 minutes
• 1000 texts
• 30 mb of data for
• unlimited 411 calls

Straight Talk Prepaid for 1000 minutes and 1000 text messages for only $30 a month

Check out this Frequently asked Straight Talk Question Review

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Tracfone and Net10 are two of the largest Prepaid phone providers in the US.  They are actually the same company but they have different pricing strategies.  Here is a simple comparison.

Tracfone Advantages

• The Phones can be very inexpensive
• You can call Mexico for the same price as calling in the US.
• DMFL card will double all minute cards you put on your phone.
• If you buy the 1500 minute card for $200 and you have DMFL you will get 3000 minutes for $200 or 6.6 cents a minute.
• You can spend as little as $6.67 per month to keep your phone active.

Net 10 Advantages

• The Phones always come with 300 minutes and two months service on activation
• The minutes are always 10 cents or less.
• The phones are very inexpensive (or Free) when you account for the 300 minutes you get on activation.
• Their phones will roam without having to pay extra.
• The top of the line phones from Net10 are cheaper than Tracfone.
• The top of the line Net10 phones are nicer than Tracfones.
• Remember to subtract $35 from the price of a Net10 phone to compensate for the 300 minutes included with the phone.

Tracfone Disadvantages

• The minutes can be very expensive if you buy $20 cards and do not have DMFL.
• Minutes are more expensive with Tracfone unless you spend $80 for three months and you have DMFL on your phone.

Net 10 Disadvantages

• You will spend at least $15 a month to keep your phone active.

Summary Tracfone vs Net10 Prepaid Cell Phones

If you only use your phone for emergencies then Tracfone is the best deal at $6.66 per month including 20 to 40 minutes per month.

If you will use your phone more than 30 minutes a month then you are probably better off with a Net10 phone at $15 a month including 150 minutes per month.

If you want to buy your minutes in $30 chunks Net10 is a better deal.

If you purchase minutes in $200 chunks you will get more minutes per dollar with Tracfone.

My Summary Opinion

Buy the Net10 phone because they are very simple and even at $15 a month it is really cheap to own and use. If you know that the user will almost never use the phone Tracfone is cheaper to keep active.

The first Net10 Purchase Discount Code is 34567 and will save you $3 on any 19.99 or larger Phone purchase.

When Buying a Tracfone or Net 10 Phone

If you are comparing prices remember that Net 10 phones come with 300 minutes so subtract $35 from the price of the Net10 phone to compare prices.

Adding Tracfone and Net 10 Minutes

It is really easy to add either Tracfone or Net10 minutes online.  There are often purchase codes or discount codes from Tracfone  Bonus Codes.

The Tracfone Purchase code is 23444 and will get you $3 off any $19.99 or larger phone purchase.

I have found this link to Net10 Purchase discount Codes.

I am going to compare buying three different Tracfones and spending around $100.

1. The least expensive Tracfone phone I can buy the $9.99 Motorola W175.
2. The Motorola W376 Refurbished for $29.99.
3. The $99.99 LG 225 DMFL camera phone with One year card.

With the cheapest $10 phone  I am going to add $90 in phone cards.  Three $30 cards.

With the $30 DMFL phone I am going to add $70 in phone cards.  One $30 and one $40 card.

With the LG 225 DMFL Camera phone I am going to just activate and use a bonus code.

Moto C139, Motorola W376 DMFL, LG cg225 DMFL Camera Phone

Cheap $10 Phone –Total spent $99.96–560 minutes–11 months*
I used bonus codes for 60 extra minutes on the three $30 cards and I got 180 minutes times 3  equals 540 minutes plus the 20 minutes when activating.  560 minutes

I received 90 days x 3 for 9 months plus the two months by activating.  Eleven months.

$30 DMFL Phone –Total Spent $96.96–820 minutes–11 months*
With the $30 phone card I got 120 x 2 + 60 (bonus code) for 300 minutes.  With the $40 card I got 200 x 2 + 60 equals 460 minutes.  I also got 20 minute on activation.  I got 780 minutes.  8 months or 240 days

LG 225 with One Year Card –Total Spent 96.99–1120 minutes–14 months*
I activated the phone and got two months and 20 minutes.  I used a bonus code for 300 minutes when activating the One year 400 minute card.

400 minutes x 2 dmfl + 300 bonus minutes equal 1100 minutes and 20 minute for activation 1120 minutes.

I received 12 months plus two months for activation equal 14 months.

Moto C139, Motorola W370 DMFL, LG cg225 DMFL Camera Phone

Summary  of Tracfone vs Tracfone DMFL vs Tracfone LG 225 with One year Deal

It becomes obvious that the LG 225 phone for $100 is a far better deal.  First you get a much better NEW camera phone instead of refurbished, you get twice as many minutes as buying the cheap phone, and a third more minutes than the DMFL phone and you get three extra months of service.

Tracfone Purchase Discount
I also used a Purchase discount code which worked on the DMFL phone and the LG 225 for $3 off.  Check here for Tracfone Purchase Code.

Get the Moto W370 refurb + 60 Minute Card = $ 19.99  + Free shipping from the Tracfone Website.

* For simplicity I am considering 30 days of service time as a month.

Will I have a monthly payment with Tracfone Prepaid?

No but you will have to add Tracfone minutes at least every three months. With Tracfone Prepay you can spend as little as $20 for three months. As you run low on Service time or prepaid minutes you will have to buy a card. The larger denomination Track phone Minute cards give you more minutes per dollar spent.

Tracfone W370 DMFL Prepaid Cell Phone

You can get Tracfone service on a Monthly plan. You can sign up for the Value plan and have a monthly payment for service and minutes. If you use all of your minutes before the month is up you can buy more minutes at a favorable rate. You can use either a debit card, checking account or charge card to purchase minutes with the Tracfone Value Plan.

How do I find my Tracfone Serial Number?

The Serial number is accessible from the “Prepaid Menu” on your Tracfone. The serial number is on the package the wireless phone came in. The Serial number is also on a Red paper that comes with your owners manual. The Tracfone web site has detailed instructions on finding your Serial number. Your Serial Number will be an 11, 15, or 18 digit number.

What is Tracfone Service Time?

When you add a Tracfone Card to your phone you also get Service time also known as Activation time. With most cards you will get 90 days of service time when you add the card. Keep your Prepay service active and your minutes will roll over.

What is DMFL?

Tracfone DMFL means you will get Double minutes on any minute card you add for life of the phone. This means for the as long as the phone works if you add Minutes the minutes added to your phone will be double the number on the card.

The doubler card feature usually cannot be transferable to your next Tracfone if the phone it is on quits working or is lost or stolen. Most of the nicer Tracfone Cell phones now come with Double minutes. The Double minute for life is such a better deal than a one of their phones without DMFL, do not add minutes to a non-DMFL phone.  

Do Tracfone Minutes Roll over?

Yes, as long as you keep your service active your Minutes will roll over. Currently if your Tracfone service time expires and you reactivate within two months you will get to keep your minutes. This rollover policy is different than almost every other prepaid phone service which do not roll over minutes or service time. If you run completely out of minutes or do not refill before your service expires you will lose your Tracfone phone number.  At least you will not be charged $35 service fee for reactivating your phone.

Currently the best deal on a Tracfone is the LG 225 with one year card for $100.

This Camera phone comes with DMFL and buy using a bonus code you will get 1000 to 1120 minutes and 14 months of service for $100.

Normally with a refurbished phone the case will be replaced and the working parts will be recycled from another phone.  You cannot tell a refurbished phone from a new one by looking at it.  The refurbished phones I have had looked brand new.

Free Tracfones
You can almost always get free Refurbished Tracfones. When you are in the “Buy Phones” section of the Tracfone website you will be offered a free refurbished Tracfone with the purchase of a phone card. These are usually good deals.

Tracfone Motorola W376, W375 and Nokia 1600 Refurbished Phones

My Refurbished Experience
I have had good luck with refurbished Tracfones. I sold a lot of Tracfones on eBay during the refer-a-friend deals and so I have activated and used hundreds of Tracfones. Sometimes the refurbished phones would not work right out of the box. If you follow my buy two advice this won’t be a problem.

Buy Two Tracfones
Do not just buy one. Buy two refurbished Tracfones with phone card, then you will have a backup phone. The second phone will be free with the purchase of a phone card which you will need eventually. This will also mean you have an extra Tracfone charger that you can leave at work or at the girlfriends house or whatever. If your phone isn’t working very well you can activate the second one and see which one is working better. You will have 20 free minutes on your second phone to see if it will work better.

A Spare Battery
If you buy two Tracfones (the same model) you will have a spare battery also. As phones get older the first thing to go is often the battery. When traveling you will have a spare charged battery to take with you. This is really handy.

Buy two Tracfone Minute cards and get two Free Refurbished phones at Tracfone.com.

If you currently use a Net10 phone check out how I get Free Net 10 Airtime.

Tracfone December Special Phone

DMFL

Do not add minutes to a phone without DMFL. The Tracfone DMFL Double minute for life card will cost you $50 to upgrade any phone. Buy one of these New phones with DMFL for less.

Good Tracfone Deals

These are really good Tracfone December Special Deals with Free Next Day Air 12/20/08 and 12/21/08.

Tracfone LG 600g The Best Tracfone with DMFL $49.95

Tracfone Motorola W376g Camera, Bluetooth with DMFL $29.95

Tracfone LG 600g and Motorola W376g

The Best Tracfone Phone Deal

The best deal for a Tracfone and Minutes is the New LG 225 Camera phone with One Year Card. This deal is no longer highlighted at the top of the page.

Scroll down the page you will see LG 225 + 1 Year Card. I recently purchased one of these for a friend and activated it with Bonus Code 55118. We got 1120 minutes 14 months service and the Brand New LG 225 Camera phone for $99.99.

We used the $3 off Buying code (23444) so it came to $96.99. Free Next Day Air Shipping December 20th and 21st.

Tracfone LG 225 Camera Phone with One Year 800 minute Card

Buy Tracfone December Special On Saturday or Sunday December 20th or 21st and get Free Next Day Air Shipping.

Remember you bought the service because it was Cheap

If you get a Free phone and pay $10 a month how much can the company spend on customer service? Often the people that spend the least on their phones need the most help!  I needed a lot of help at first.  I have been happily saving money with Tracfone and Net10 since 2003.

Motorola Razr, Motorola W370, LG 225 Prepaid Camera Phones

Avoid Customer Service
Tracfone cell phone problems occur. If you can avoid dealing with Customer Service that is always your best bet.

If there is any way to solve the problem try to do it without contacting TracFone Customer Service.

If Tracfone says they will call you back, do not hold your breath. It usually doesn’t happen. Expect to have to call them back.

Be Prepared
If you must go to Tracfone Customer Service be prepared.   Write down your serial number in large enough print so you can easily read it while on the phone. Have the Phone number, number of minutes and expiration date written down also before you do anything.

Call from a land line. They will often put you on hold for several minutes during the conversation. They will not reimburse you for Tracfone minutes while talking to Tracfone Customer Service .

Tracfone Customer Service 1-800-867-7183

Since you got this far you want to remember that getting mad will get you nowhere.  All of the Customer Service agents for Tracfone are overseas.  For many of them English is not their first langauage.  They are reading everything from a Computer Script.  They have to stick to the script or they will lose their job.  I have always been able to get my problem solved but sometimes it can take several calls back.

Tracfone Executive Level Complaint numbers

1-800-876-5753  or 1-800-339-9345

I have read that these numbers work better.

Refurbished or New Tracfone?
Most refurbished phones will work fine. Given a choice I will always take new TracFone over Refurbished. You cannot tell the difference except the new phones come in a plastic retail package and the refurbished usually come in a white cardboard box.

Most Common TracFone Problems

Porting your Number
If it isn’t really important to keep your old number don’t. Many problems with Tracfone come from trying to port your number. Porting a number involves the vendor your number is currently with Tracfone and the vendor you will be moving to. Since Tracfone does not own a network they buy time on other networks. This is why porting a number can be difficult because there are three different companies involved.

Broken Phone
If your phone doesn’t work properly you can probably get a new phone from Tracfone, even if it is out of warranty they will probably send you a refurbished phone for free. Be nice, and persistent. Nice people are rewarded by customer Service agents.

I didn’t get my minutes
I have added minutes to my phone and they did not go on my phone. Turn your phone on and off again, Try that a couple of times. I have gone back to the website and added them again. Sometimes it works the second time without having to call Tracfone Customer Service.

Here are some other Prepaid Wireless Cell Phone Articles

The Most Expensive Tracfone Mistakes

Cure for a Tracfone W376 Weak Battery

What is Tracfone DMFL

How to use Bonus Coupons and buy Tracfone Minutes

The Best Tracfone Wireless Deals

Verizon vs Tracfone Prepaid

Buy a LG 225 phone with One year card at TracFone.com and get DMFL, 14 months 800+ minutes, and free shipping! I Recently purchased one of these for a friend and I got her 1120 minutes, 14 months, DMFL, and a new camera phone for $100.  I used Bonus Code 55118 from Tracfone Bonus Coupons for 300 bonus minutes.

It is simple if you Use your Phone for Messages you will save with a prepaid phone.

If you use your cell phone to chat you will spend a lot of money on minutes.

There are Prepaid Unlimited talk plans with most the major contact cell phone companies but they will only work if you are talking to people on their network.

Motorola W376 and Lg 225 Prepaid Camera Phones

The Secret to using a Tracfone without spending a lot of money is to keep your messages short, don’t talk for 20 minutes when 2 minutes will get your message across.

Text Messaging Can Save Minutes
If you text message it will cost you .5 minutes to send and to receive on most Tracfones and all Net10 phones.  A simple text to get a message to someone is quick and cheap.

If you banter back and forth with text messages you can eat up minutes quickly.  Again chatting on a cell phone is expensive.  A friend of mine’s son regularly has over 2000 text messages a month.  His plan gives him unlimited text messages so it is only around $60 a month for his phone.

The Other Tracfone Secret is the Tracfone Coupons. With a Tracfone coupon when you purchase Tracfone Minutes and add the 5 digit coupon code you will get a lot more minutes. Also the larger denomination Tracfone Card you buy the less expensive the minutes.  Here is a simple link to find Bonus Coupons and buy Tracfone Minutes.