Rating: 
Summary: Avoid Tracfone. They "deactivated" my prepaid cards!
Review: At first, I liked Tracfone, right up until they deactivated all of the "Plus3" prepaid airtime cards I'd purchased from Amazon by "discontinuing" this product. They purposefully made the cards unuseable, by removing the PIN numbers from their system.What this means is that purchasers of ANY prepaid Tracfone Airtime card product that Tracfone decides to "discontinue" will have bought worthless cards!... This is what happened to me, and to a friend who also purchased these "prepaid" airtime Tracfone cards. I will never do business with a company like Tracfone again!...I hope this does not happen to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Tracfone - Problem solved by self service.
Review: Good product TERRIBLE service. Could not activate online however customer service will give 10 bonus min. If you get through. Second phone I got for my wife de-activated 4 days after start. Web site was useless and could not get through to cust serv. E-mails returned said to call cust serv. I HATE LOOPS! Read reviews and got scared. One review I read said to use new activation line on phone site to get a person. I did not get a person however I did get a prompt to activate the phone so I gave it a try. It worked! Problem solved for now.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Product
Review: I bought a TracFone just for "emergencies" as I am not a hard core cell phone user; I use it mainly while traveling. In that respect it is a great phone. I have not found a spot (outside) where I could not get a signal. I have purchased "time" only on the TracFone web site, which is very convenient and painless. You do need to buy the "1 year" card to keep your same phone number, or never let your time run out or "expire". I now have two phones (give one to the kids to carry--if it is lost, no one is going to run up a big phone tab). You can get a reconditioned digital phone and free minutes. All-in-all a very practical phone (customer service--when needed--is good).
Rating: 
Summary: Good for only temporary usage
Review: I decided to purchase a tracfone after reading all the positive aspects. Little did I realize that getting a pre-paid cell phone service such as tracfone revealed some hidden secrets. Like many people these days everyone purchases almost anything online. Tracfone had it's own website and purchasing some minutes was a convenient. The problem is that you can only do two (2) transactions on their website per month. If you needed to add more minutes you would have to purchase a card from a store that sells one a tracfone card; and you could either redeem it thru their website or by calling the number on the back of the card. Also with tracfone you cannot make any international long distance calls. The Nokia 5180i phone that was issued to me by tracfone happened to be a popular phone three years ago but now it's out-of-style. The phone itself is very bulky and heavy and lacks features that are popular on today's cell phones. It has text messaging but you can only type in 88 characters compared with today's quality of 140+. The phones that tracfone issues are old models- it's brand new, but out of style. If you plan on making a lot of cell phone calls it is best to consider a monthly pay plan with companies like Verizon, T-Mobile, Att Wireless, etc. It can save you money and some headaches from always having to buy minutes. Besides you can get a lot more minutes with a cell plan then from a pre-paid card.
Rating:
Summary: Good for only temporary usage
Review: I decided to purchase a tracfone after reading all the positive aspects. Little did I realize that getting a pre-paid cell phone service such as tracfone revealed some hidden secrets. Like many people these days everyone purchases almost anything online. Tracfone had it's own website and purchasing some minutes was a convenient. The problem is that you can only do two (2) transactions on their website per month. If you needed to add more minutes you would have to purchase a card from a store that sells one a tracfone card; and you could either redeem it thru their website or by calling the number on the back of the card. Also with tracfone you cannot make any international long distance calls. The Nokia 5180i phone that was issued to me by tracfone happened to be a popular phone three years ago but now it's out-of-style. The phone itself is very bulky and heavy and lacks features that are popular on today's cell phones. It has text messaging but you can only type in 88 characters compared with today's quality of 140+. The phones that tracfone issues are old models- it's brand new, but out of style. If you plan on making a lot of cell phone calls it is best to consider a monthly pay plan with companies like Verizon, T-Mobile, Att Wireless, etc. It can save you money and some headaches from always having to buy minutes. Besides you can get a lot more minutes with a cell plan then from a pre-paid card.
Rating: 
Summary: Road Warriors Friend
Review: I have had a TracFone for 7 months. I think it is a fine product/service. I realize that I am only giving this product (TracFone 300 minute phonecard) 3 stars, that is because average cell phone users use more than 300 or even 500 minutes a month. It is ideal for a small market of low usage consumers. However, it may be even better suited for a larger market of those who travel across the country constantly. Roaming charges on a standard cell/digital phone service plan can get very expensive and may not have true nationwide service. The reason I purchased the TracFone 7 months ago was for the event of an emergency while traveling on vacation across a number of states. No contracts, and nationwide coverage. I will continue to keep my TracFone activated on a yearly basis for less than a "few bucks" month with the Plus 3 card, as vacations are an annual event. I will also purchase other 120 and 300 minute phone cards for their value. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: I love this plan 99.9%.
Review: I have had my 2 Tracfones for about a month now, and I agree with most of the options I have read on this site, so to sum up. 1. I love this plan 99.9%. More on that .1 percent later. 2. I use the Tracfone occasionally, and my brother relies on it as his primary phone, and we both are happily saving 50% from our prior cell plans (even though it costs about 50 cents per minute). I suppose that it is not so great for heavy users. 3. They have many purchase plans to choose from, and it is not too difficult to do the math and determine which one is right for you. I am thinking about the one year 150 minute plan for my next purchase. 4. My phones arrived 24 hours after I ordered. I have never gotten anything so fast. (You must be home to sign for them, and that can be a problem if you work!) 5. I had a problem activating one phone because it arrived set to the wrong public system selection. (Possibly because it was a reconditioned phone?) Customer service debugged and fixed that pretty fast. Their 1-800 number is helpful if their automated menus address your problem, however the trick to get a live customer rep is to choose the "new phone setup" option and ask for the person who can help with your particular problem. 6. The Web site is nice and fast, although I have found that they do not give clear specifications (or inconsistent specifications) on complex promotions and programs, leaving me with more questions than when I started. However, the non-complicated stuff (like activating the phone and buying time) is a pleasure to use, and they should give an award to the person who designed that part of their web. 7. I have seen complaints that the provided phones are a year or two old. Okay, I suppose that if having the latest looking phone is important (and I know it is to some people), then you will not like Tracfone. I got a couple of Nokia 5125's and except for the fact they don't vibrate (without the special battery) and are hard to lock, they are fine. I even ordered some cheap new colorful faceplates so now I'm "hardcore phat" again (or whatever). 8. OK - That .1% to watch out for: I ordered a phone for my wife and myself, and my brother "referred" each of us, which should have earned him twice the award. However, since both his referral emails went to our one email address, Tracfone said that it counts as one, even though we bought two phones, got ESN's and two sets of minutes. All would have gone well if he had used one of my other email addresses, but they have a rule about same email address. When I pointed out that this rule was not documented with their other limitations, they claimed that it was part of their "Other conditions and restrictions may apply". When I asked to see the "Other conditions and restrictions", they said that they were not available for viewing, and that is why customer service is there. So I guess that we are supposed to call customer support for all information before initiating anything on their web page. Well, I said that was ridiculous, and can I speak to a supervisor. Ten minutes later the rep (no supervisor) said that they would extend the award. I did get my free minutes, but my brother is still waiting for his. I am sure that he will need to call in and argue too. It seems that they will only grudgingly give you the added perks that you thought you earned. - Also, sometimes the rep has a heavy foreign accent and is difficult to understand, and sometimes the phone connection is bad (odd for a phone company!), and sometimes you get both situations! Best bet there is to hang up and try again. But then, if you really don't like Tracfone, use up your minutes, throw the phone away, and sign up with someone else.
Rating:
Summary: I love this plan 99.9%.
Review: I have had my 2 Tracfones for about a month now, and I agree with most of the options I have read on this site, so to sum up. 1. I love this plan 99.9%. More on that .1 percent later. 2. I use the Tracfone occasionally, and my brother relies on it as his primary phone, and we both are happily saving 50% from our prior cell plans (even though it costs about 50 cents per minute). I suppose that it is not so great for heavy users. 3. They have many purchase plans to choose from, and it is not too difficult to do the math and determine which one is right for you. I am thinking about the one year 150 minute plan for my next purchase. 4. My phones arrived 24 hours after I ordered. I have never gotten anything so fast. (You must be home to sign for them, and that can be a problem if you work!) 5. I had a problem activating one phone because it arrived set to the wrong public system selection. (Possibly because it was a reconditioned phone?) Customer service debugged and fixed that pretty fast. Their 1-800 number is helpful if their automated menus address your problem, however the trick to get a live customer rep is to choose the "new phone setup" option and ask for the person who can help with your particular problem. 6. The Web site is nice and fast, although I have found that they do not give clear specifications (or inconsistent specifications) on complex promotions and programs, leaving me with more questions than when I started. However, the non-complicated stuff (like activating the phone and buying time) is a pleasure to use, and they should give an award to the person who designed that part of their web. 7. I have seen complaints that the provided phones are a year or two old. Okay, I suppose that if having the latest looking phone is important (and I know it is to some people), then you will not like Tracfone. I got a couple of Nokia 5125's and except for the fact they don't vibrate (without the special battery) and are hard to lock, they are fine. I even ordered some cheap new colorful faceplates so now I'm "hardcore phat" again (or whatever). 8. OK - That .1% to watch out for: I ordered a phone for my wife and myself, and my brother "referred" each of us, which should have earned him twice the award. However, since both his referral emails went to our one email address, Tracfone said that it counts as one, even though we bought two phones, got ESN's and two sets of minutes. All would have gone well if he had used one of my other email addresses, but they have a rule about same email address. When I pointed out that this rule was not documented with their other limitations, they claimed that it was part of their "Other conditions and restrictions may apply". When I asked to see the "Other conditions and restrictions", they said that they were not available for viewing, and that is why customer service is there. So I guess that we are supposed to call customer support for all information before initiating anything on their web page. Well, I said that was ridiculous, and can I speak to a supervisor. Ten minutes later the rep (no supervisor) said that they would extend the award. I did get my free minutes, but my brother is still waiting for his. I am sure that he will need to call in and argue too. It seems that they will only grudgingly give you the added perks that you thought you earned. - Also, sometimes the rep has a heavy foreign accent and is difficult to understand, and sometimes the phone connection is bad (odd for a phone company!), and sometimes you get both situations! Best bet there is to hang up and try again. But then, if you really don't like Tracfone, use up your minutes, throw the phone away, and sign up with someone else.
Rating:
Summary: 50 mins of free time..
Review: I just got my new TracFone in July, I got me a 150 min card.
Went on there web site actvate my phone and got 10 free mins
for that 10 free mins for new activation and 30 free mins
with the promo code.
30+10+10 = 50 free mins
I love this phone and the plan is great.
also this is my first cell phone too.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent deal, very easy to use and activate
Review: I love these phone cards and I love Tracfone. They have great bonus offers when you buy these larger denomination cards, sometimes for double minutes, sometimes for extra bonus minutes. It averages about 23 cents per minute. The older Amazon reviews from 2002 and 2001 are outdated here. You only use 1 unit per minute if you are calling inside your home calling area (which are normally pretty big). If you are outside your area, you use two units per call. Long distance is free anywhere because you use units based on what area you are in, not who you call. They never had a promotion for 50 free minutes when one bought phones. They only had a free 30 minutes promotion, so the user who had the hassle with Tracfone over 50 minutes didn't read their box or info correctly. They created their own customer service hassle. I've never had a problem with Tracfone or their CS dept, because I read my materials. It's a great deal. If you go to Tracfone's website, they usually have better deals that retailers.
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