Got a Tracfone!

[JoAnn]

Thanks to all..I bought a Tracfone for DH & DS to use while on their hunting trip. So now we have two technologically challenged MEN on the loose with a cell phone...neither has ever used one before.

I typed out all the phone #'s they will need, plus put them in the phone. And I made a simple list of things to do for them to use the phone i.e. punch in the numbers on the sheet of paper I made up for them, push the green button (this is after they turn on the phone) and they have their party on line. Also told them to turn the phone off when not in use, and how to look to see if the battery is low and how to charge it up. I can hardly wait until I either get a call from them (unlikely) or hear their stories when they return home next Saturday night.

I had a $25 gift card from CVS, so the phone cost $0. However I had to buy more time and for 60 units, I paid $19.99, which was added to the time that came with the phone, giving the guys 80 units. It took a while to activate the phone (why did they need ALL those numbers????). So now we have 2 cell phones, which we can pass around to various members of the family to use. Or for our daughters BF to use so he can sit in the cell phone lot at RSW waiting to pick her up on Thursday night. Maybe he will be convinced to get a cell phone then

 

[The Conch Man]

Very smart purchase JoAnn ~~ We've had one now for two years ~~ I use it only for emergency's & of course ~~ Hurricanes ~~

 

[westrougers]

Cell Phones and Long Distance

We are travelling from Toronto to Florida at end of January and will not return until early March. Long distance plans from Cdn carriers are very expensive and for Cdn cell phones even worse.

Is it possible to buy a phone in US for a low price, which one can then use to call locally when necessary, and also use for calling back to Canada?

Are these tracphones reasonable?

Remember we would not likely use phone after that although my son may be working in US so he may be able to use until contract (if one is necessary) expires.

Thanks

Mike

 

[DeniseM]

We are travelling from Toronto to Florida at end of January and will not return until early March. Long distance plans from Cdn carriers are very expensive and for Cdn cell phones even worse.

Is it possible to buy a phone in US for a low price, which one can then use to call locally when necessary, and also use for calling back to Canada?

Are these tracphones reasonable?

Remember we would not likely use phone after that although my son may be working in US so he may be able to use until contract (if one is necessary) expires.

Thanks

Mike

The Tracfones are only about $20 and you can buy the minimum number of minutes for another $20. There is no contract what so ever. You just buy phone cards as you need them. Long distance will cost extra. They offer lots of coupons and discounts if you provide your email address and you can also buy discounted phone cards on ebay. www.tracfone.com

 

[bogey21]

Is it possible to buy a phone in US for a low price, which one can then use to call locally when necessary, and also use for calling back to Canada?

If you can't directly call Canada from the US on the cheap using one of the cheap phones, do what I do with my regular cell. Open an account at One Suite which can be used to call Canada (from the US) for somewhere between 2 and 3 cents a minute.

If you program everything correctly and can store One Suite's number in your phone's memory, call One Suite via one touch; One Suite will recognize your phone so you don't have to enter your 14 digit access code; then dial your Canadian number. In fact you can store your commonly called Canadian numbers in One Suite's memory.

For example I have a Canadian friend's number so stored. To call him I one touch One Suite's number; when prompted hit 30 (where I have his number stored); and the call goes through. One Suite does require you to deposit $10 in advance. I think you lose the unused portion if you don't use it in 6 months.

GEORGE

 

[tashamen]

Is it possible to buy a phone in US for a low price, which one can then use to call locally when necessary, and also use for calling back to Canada?

Are these tracphones reasonable?

The tracfone that I have, which I bought in person in a store in the US and for which I add minutes to online, works just fine in Canada, even though per their website it was not supposed to be in the covered territory. It worked perfectly in Ottawa and in Mont Tremblant - in fact the strongest signal I think I ever got anywhere was on the deck of our ts there. (Don't know about other provinces though.)