How Tracfone Pay as You Go Works
The Prepaid model that Tracfone uses is the Cost per Minute structure. You purchase minutes and at the same time you will get a service period to use those minutes.
You will start by buying a Phone and a Tracfone Minute Card. You can only use a Tracfone Phone for Tracfone service, you cannot use a Verizon, At&t, T-Mobile, Alltel, Net10 or any other phone with Tracfone Service. The Tracfone SIM card will not work in any other phone either.
Next you will Activate your 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 key in some numbers into your phone and then it is active. It is really easy.
Adding a Tracfone Minute card is even easier. You can add Tracfone minutes directly from the phone or from the Tracfone website. You will add the 15 digit PIN code into your phone.
When adding a minute card if you use a five digit Bonus Code you might get more minutes. Check out the Tracfone Bonus Codes.
Tracfone W376g and Lg 200c
Tracfone Service Time
Most Tracfone cards will put 90 service days onto your phone along with the minutes. If you do not have service time left on your phone it will not work even if you have minutes left.. The remaining Tracfone minutes always show on the display of your phone. The Service end date will also scroll onto your screen. It normally says “Add Airtime by 12/21/10 or service ends.” hwtracwrks and How Tracfone Pay as You Go Works.
Buying Tracfone Cards
Tracfone cards are available in multiple sizes. The different options are $20, $30, $40, $80, $100 and $200. The larger denomintation cards give you more minutes per dollar. With the first four cards you get 90 days of service time with the card. The twenty dollar card gives you three minutes per dollar while the eighty dollar card gives you 5.8 minutes per dollar. These numbers double with Dmfl installed. The $100 and $200 Tracfone cards give you a year of service time.
Tracfone DMFL Card
Be sure to check out what Tracfone DMFL is before you buy your Tracfone. Here is a great article on Tracfone DMFL. I would never add minutes to a phone without DMFL on it.
For the Best Deal and phone Selection go to Tracfone.com
Tracfone Service Time and Minutes Roll Over
Activation time and your Minute Balance will both be added to your current balance when you add a new card. Let’s say you have 60 days and 20 units left on your phone. Add a 120 minute card and you will end up with 150 days(60+90) and 140 minutes (20+120). With Double Minutes you would end up with 260 minutes (2+120+120) and 150 days of service.
The Most Common Tracfone Mistakes
Here is a great article on The Most Expensive 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.
How can I use my Tracfone as a Pager and how much would this cost?
Verizon Prepaid Wireless has different texting rates for their different Prepaid Plans. Check out the different Verizon Prepaid Text Messaging Rates.
Can I use my Alltel phone with Tracfone?
Even though many Tracfones use Alltel as their base network you cannot use an Alltel phone for Tracfone Service.
Motorola Razr and Tracfone Motorola W376
Can I Move my Phone Number to a Tracfone Phone?
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.
Famous Quotes
Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.
John Adams
How do I check my minutes on my Tracfone?
If your minutes left do not show on your screen you can go to your menu and click on prepaid. Then scroll down to “Airtime info.” Both your airtime balance and Due date will show. You must add another Tracfone card to your phone before the Due Date to keep your service active. Even if you have minutes left you will need to add another card to keep your service active.
Tracfone Wireless Annual Mobile Phone Plan
Tracfone has two annual plans.
$100 Tracfone Annual Plan
They market a $100 annual unit card that you receive 400 minutes (800 with Double Minutes for Life. This card nearly always has bonus codes available which will in most cases allow you to receive an extra 200 to 400 additional units. Check here for the most recent Tracfone Bonus Coupon Codes. If you only get 800 minutes using this minute card it will only cost you 12.5 cent units and only $9 per month for phone service. monspin-030110.
$200 Tracfone Yearly Plan
Also available from Tracfone.com is a $200 yearly program. This unit card provides you with 1500 units (3000 with DMFL) and also a 12 months of service. With DMFL these units are 6.6 cents each plus your monthly cost is under $17 monthly.
With either of these programs when you run out of Tracfone minutes before the year is over you are able to add extra units by just buying another phone minute card. Get $3 purchase discount on any Tracfone cell phone or accessory $19.99 or more using coupon code 23444
Motorola Razr and Tracfone Motorola W376
The $200 Tracfone Annual Plan
The $200 annual Tracfone plan is the best deal in prepaid cell phones. No other Prepaid phone company offers twelve months of service to use the phone along with the low minute price of 6.6 cents a minute if you are using DMFL.
What is DMFL
Tracfone Wireless DMFL is Double Minutes for life of your phone. With DMFL you will receive double the minutes that are printed on the Tracfone Unit Card. This will work for as long as you use your cell phone. If you permit your service to lapse the DMFL will work when you reactivate your cell phone. I do not advocate ever adding units on a Tracfone that does not have Double minutes installed on the phone. Adding two DMFL cards will not get quadruple minutes.
Buy the Tracfone.com $200 Yearly plan and get one year of service and 3,000 minutes with DMFL. Please be sure you have DMFL installed Before adding the $200 card.
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Track Phone Prepaid Double Minutes for Life (DMFL)
The new Double Minutes for Life Card is available from Tracfone wireless for $20. Initially this card was $50 to buy and none of the phones came with Double Minutes for Life. Later after about a year the cell phones that Tracfone sold for $79.99 or more included DMFL.
The Double Minutes for Life card will give you twice the number of units on your phone as the phone card states. So the $20 60 minute Tracfone card will in fact install One-hundred-twenty units onto your phone. This gets the Tracfone Minutes down close to 10 cents per minute which means they are competitive.
Straight Talk, Tracfone prepaid and Net ten prepay LG Lg 200c folding phone and Samsung R451c Mobile phones
Seventeen Million
Tracfone is the largest Pre pay Mobile phone provider in the United States. At this time they have over 17 Million customers. With Tracfone prepaid you purchase the cell phone, activate it and then add Tracfone prepaid cell cards to it. Each phone minute card will give you a certain quantity of units in most cases 90 days of activation time.
Always on the Screen
Tracfone wireless mobile phones display your units on the display. With some other pay as you go phones after you get done with a call you will get a text message stating the amount of money you have remaining in your prepay account. Other pre paid firms you must call in and check for the balance. Using Tracfone pay as you go and sister companies Straight talk wireless and Net 10 Cellular the minute balance along with service expiration date are both available to check on your cell phone display screen.
Do Not Purchase a Double Minutes for Life Card
If your Tracfone does not have Double Minutes for Life on it you are better off to get a new Tracfone prepaid cellphone with DMFL installed rather than to spend $20 for a DMFL card. Ordinarily you are able to purchase a fresh Tracfone with DMFL for the same price or less than the price of a Double Minutes for Life card.
Do Not Purchase a Tracfone
Do not buy a Tracfone that does not have DMFL already installed. It is cheaper to purchase a Net10 wireless phone than it is to buy a typical Track Phone and add a Double Minutes for Life card. When you compare buying a Tracfone to purchasing a Net10 wireless cellphone remember to subtract $30 from the cost of the Net 10 cellphone since it comes with Three hundred units and the Tracfone will not.
The Double Minutes for Life plan brings the purchase price of the minutes to about what you will spend with Net10 prepaid.
Half Price Text Messaging
Your text messaging will cost half with Double Minutes for Life additionally. Many Tracfones charge .3 units per text message both to receive and send. When you buy your minutes with DMFL your texts will be half price additionally. Some Tracfone prepay models charge .5 units to send and receive.
Tracfone pay as you go Advantages
- No 2 year contract required
- No Credit Check
- No long distance or roaming expenses
- Obtainable in every area code within the US
- Minutes Rollover provided that you keep your phone active
- Affordable texting rates provided you buy bigger denomination cards
- Service Time rolls over so long as you keep your cellular active
- The $200 a year Tracfone wireless Yearly plan where you receive 3,000 units (with DMFL) may be the best yearly Pay as you go plan available.
- The $100 per year Yearly plan where you receive 800 minutes (with DMFL) is a good low-cost yearly plan.
Tracfone wireless Disadvantages
- High-priced rates particularly on the inexpensive cell phone minute cards. Without Double Minutes for Life the $20 card units are 33 cents each.
- No Smartphones or expensive cell phones.
How to purchase Tracfone prepay Minutes
Only install units on a Tracfone with DMFL installed. Purchase the $80 card and with DMFL installed your minutes will be less than 9 cents each. Buy the $200 Yearly card and with DMFL installed your units are going to be 6.66 cents each. When you purchase the $20 card your minutes will set you back 16.66 each with Double Minutes for Life. If you buy the $30 card your minutes will be 12.5 with DMFL.
Cost-free Tracfone pay as you go Phones
Often you can get a Free refurbished Tracfone with the purchase of phone card. Do not buy a Tracfone unless the phone comes with Double Minutes for Life. If you use the cellphone at all it is going to be significantly less expensive if your phone has Double Minutes for Life installed.
The best assortment as well as price on Tracfones is always at Tracfone prepay.com
Net ten prepay Phones
Typically you may get a better deal on a Net10 phone if you consider in the free 300 minutes you get with a Net10 prepaid new or refurbished phone. Get $3 off on any phone or accessory $19.99 or more with coupon code 34567 Net10 and Tracfone are the same company. If you regularly buy the $30 phone cards you will get more minutes with the Net10 card. Get a Motorola phone 300 minutes for just $49.99. Save $40!
Are You Spending $30 a month with Tracfone Wireless?
If you are spending close to $30 a month with Tracfone the new Tracfone Straight Talk plan is a much better deal.
How Tracfone Straight Talk Prepaid Works
Straight Talk, Tracfone and Net10 LG 200c and Samsung R451c Phones
The Straight Talk programs have been designed to compete with 2 year contract cellular plans. A 2 year contract phone plan will require you to sign a one year or two year 2 year contract to get service. Tracfone Straight Talk is prepaid which means that you pay for your service before you use it and if you use up all your units or the time period expires you lose cell service. You will not have a termination fee and if you want to commence service again you may purchase a Straight Talk Wireless Prepaid mobile phone card and reactivate your cellular phone.
Tracfone Straight Talk is a joint venture with Walmart, Tracfone prepaid and Verizon Wireless. All phones are CDMA and work on the Verizon Wireless network.
Straight Talk Wireless Prepay has A pair of programs the $30 per 30 days Straight Talk All You Need plan and the $45 per thirty days Unlimited plan.
Straight Talk All You Need Plan
This plan offers 1,000 minutes per month, 1,000 texts per month and 30 meg of data transfer per thirty days. This Straight Talk Wireless plan will cost you $30 per 30 days.
Straight Talk Unlimited Plan
This Straight Talk program serves up unlimited calling, unlimited text messaging and unlimited data for $45 per thirty days.
You can invest in your Walmart Straight Talk Phone or service on the web at Straight Talk.com or at Walmart.
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Get the Best Deal and Selection on Phones at Straight Talk prepaid.com
If you spend over $20 a month on your Cell phone You have to look at this.
Straight Talk Prepaid Wireless is the newest Prepaid Cell Phone company. It is a joint project between Verizon, Walmart, and Tracfone. All the phones use the Verizon Wireless Network. The phones will only be sold at Walmart and Online. Tracfone will provide the Software in the phones and the customer service.
The Straight Talk Pricing is Cut throat.
$45 a month for Nationwide Straight Talk Unlimited Calling, Unlimited Texting, and Unlimited data on the Verizon CDMA Network. Also included are unlimited 411 calls.
-or-
$30 a month Straight Talk Plan for One Thousand Minutes, One Thousand Texts, and Thirty meg of data. That comes to 3.3 cents a minute and free texts and data or with Net10 the texts alone would be $50 a month and 1,000 minutes would be $100. Also included are unlimited 411 calls.
Not only is this the Best Prepaid Cell Plan Pricing this is the Best Contract Pricing also.
The Straight Talk LG R451c Qwerty Keyboard Slider Phone
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The Straight Talk Phones
- Lg 100c Basic Bar style phone $30
- LG 200c Basic Clam Shell phone $30
- Lg 220c Basic Clam Shell Phone with Bluetooth $40
- LG 290c Basic Slider Camera Phone with Bluetooth $80
- Motorola W375 Clam Shell Camera Bluetooth Phone $80
- Samsung R451c Qwerty Keyboard Mp3, Camera, Bluetooth Slider Phone $100
- Motorola Razr V3c Clam Shell Camera, Bluetooth Phone $100
- Samsung Finesse R810c Touch Screen, Mp3 player, Bluetooth, High speed EVDO, $329.
From the simple and bulletproof LG100c and LG 200c to the New Samsung Finesse, Straight Talk has a nice variety of prepaid phones that all use the Verizon Network.
The phones are a little more expensive than from Tracfone and Net10 but the phone rates are so much cheaper than any other cell phone plan.
Check out Straight Talk Pricing at Straight Talk.com
Samsung R451C + Unlimited Plan for $144.99
All of the Most Frequent Straight Talk Prepaid Wireless Questions Answered.
How Straight Talk Prepaid Wireless Works.
Check out this reveiw of the Straight Talk Wireless Samsung R451c
Check out Straight Talk Pricing
The New Straight Talk LG 200c Prepaid Wireless Phone is a very Basic Clam shell folding phone.
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.
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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.
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
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
