Facts about Tracfone's Triple Minutes for Life Changes
Updated June 2020 |
| Facts about the Phase Out of Triple Minutes for Life from Tracfone |
There are lots of questions about whether phones will keep Triple Minutes for Life, if new phones will have it, and if Tracfone is really removing a very popular feature from their phones.
We have gathered information about the changes and contacted Tracfone directly, and want to provide the facts for everyone concerned about this.
Let's start with the simple facts:
Tracfone Triple Minutes for Life Changes
- Only Regular Airtime Cards are affected by this change, Smartphone Only Cards or Unlimited Cards are not affected, as they never offered double or tripling.
- Customers with phones or SIM kits that already have Triple Minutes for Life will keep them indefinitely
- New phones or SIM kits from Tracfone do not com with Triple Minutes for Life
- Regular airtime cards can still be added to non-TMFL smartphones, but only the face value will be given. (a 60 minute card will give 60 talk, 60 texts, and 60 MB data.)
- For a short time, Tracfone offered TMFL with any phone upgrade starting Dec 5th, 2017. This promotion appears to have ended.
But many Tracfone customers still use the regular airtime cards, especially the 60 minute card and 1 Year/400 Minute card. Plus, there are some great bonus codes for these cards which make them an even better deal.
The important information here is that no phone that already has triple minutes will lose that feature. But newer phones released by Tracfone will likely not include triple minutes.
This is a big change that Tracfone is making, and may make some long time customers confused, so why would they do this? Here is the response from the FAQ section on their website:
Why Tracfone is Making the Change to Triple Minutes for Life:
"As technology continues to improve, we found that more people were using smartphones and smartphone plans. People are especially using more data. So, we wanted to accommodate you by providing higher data plans with greater value." - Tracfone FAQ
While that may not make a whole lot of sense as to why they need to get rid of TMFL, it is true that the regular airtime cards are not a very good deal for data or texts.
Tracfone also cited 'technical compatibility' as another reason for the end of triple minutes, but that isn't very likely either.
Whatever the reason, Triple Minutes for Life will no longer come with new phones, but all existing triple minute phones will continue to keep it.
What if my phone has been deactivated or the account is past due? Will I be able to keep my triple minute benefit?
Yes. By reactivating your triple minute phone and getting your account in good standing, you will be able to keep your triple minute benefit so long as you stay with your current triple minute phone.
What if my phone has been deactivated or the account is past due? Will I be able to keep my triple minute benefit?
Yes. By reactivating your triple minute phone and getting your account in good standing, you will be able to keep your triple minute benefit so long as you stay with your current triple minute phone.
Tracfone Smartphones that don't have Triple Minutes
Phones manufactured before April 1, 2017 will still have the triple minute benefit. New phones that are currently rolling out will not have the triple minute benefit. And all future phones that are introduced will not have the triple minute benefit.Tracfone has phased out their Triple Minutes for Life policy and all new phones do not include it anymore. This is a surprising change for us, and many Tracfone customers.
Share your thoughts or questions about these changes below, and if you have additional information or corrections please also let us know.
Continue the discussion on our Facebook page where we post the latest news and info with our growing community.
Catch up on some of our recent posts including 10 Tips for Improving your Cell Signal and How WiFi calling Works.
We also updated our list of the Best Android Apps which includes a variety of the most popular and most helpful apps to have on your smartphone.
Don't forget to visit our Cell Phone Reviews page if you're shopping for a new phone, or the BYOP page to learn about bringing an unlocked phone to Tracfone.
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I prefer the regular cards because they give an extra 30 days of service time compared to the smartphone cards (90 days vs. 60 days). This is the best value for someone like me who has over 3,300 minutes and 3,600 texts in my bank and just wants as much service time as possible for the price. I also like buying new phones from QVC or HSN where they often times come with a year's service time already included. Tracfone is right about people using more data, but the data only cards are cheap. Thanks for this forum. Really helpful.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of folks with high residual talk/text balances, simply purchase the $50 annual service add on.
DeleteHi Peter,
ReplyDeleteHave been a longtime TMFL user. Enjoy this feature on Tracfone smartphones purchased before April 2017. Sad to see this go, as it was easy to buy data only or text only cards to "pad" whichever service needed padding. The reasons offered by Tracfone for the change seem, well, disingenuous; there must be unspoken reasons for the change Tracfone does not wish divulged; remember "Easy Minutes" of a few years back? Do we know if the cost of the 60 minute card will remain at $19.99? Really hope that Tracfone does not eliminate or further curtail the wildly popular "pay as you go" option in an attempt to corral its customers into "plans" that might not carry over any unused minutes or service days. Please keep us posted, and thanks for all the information you provide at this website.
Bs. I'll never go back to tracfone. Im out
DeleteDid you find a cheaper phone? I only pay $80/year for my phone as I don't use it that much. Tracfone is,the cheapest option for me
DeleteI have not seen any other phone company any better. I highly recommend them.
DeleteJust signed up again for service and I get tripple minutes on the unlock s9 plus
DeleteIf you purchase a new TMFL phone, can you still activate it?
ReplyDeleteSome online stores have stock of Android 6.0 phones with TMFL.
Are they no longer triple minute phones if they haven't been activated before this announcement?
Good question.
DeleteI'd like to buy a PREDATED Tmfl phone before they're like disco, gone (sorry Stu!)
Some times id like to just purchase airtime only. I use my smartphone for travel and emergencies only. Is this purchase available?
DeleteThat's not right I bought triple minutes for life and that's what I want. Maybe we could get together with a class action suit. You cannot take something I already paid for that's like stealing.
DeleteDidn't they say if u already purchased TMFL u'll still be able to use it? My understanding is that in the future they'll no longer offer it. You should still be able to obtain your TMFL since u already purchased it. I purchased a phone with TMFL & I still get it when I purchase a service card. Should be the same for u. ��
DeleteWhen does this take effect?
ReplyDeleteSo will users with BYOF TracFone SIMS cards not continue to get TMFL?
ReplyDeleteVery disappointed about this. I was wondering why they didn't offer it anymore. Oh, well. I have four phones with triple minutes so I will have to make them last as long as I can or technology overtakes them.
ReplyDeleteall phones purchased on or before april 2017 can still enjoy triple minutes john dont worry
DeleteHmmm...the Tracfone web site still has Triple Minutes listed for the Pay As You Go plans - https://www.tracfone.com/shop/plans
ReplyDeleteTaking away the feature from SIM cards is really unfortunate. SIM cards make it really easy for users to upgrade phones, Tracfone doesn't have to worry about porting numbers or carrier compatibility.
ReplyDeleteIt's ultimately a small thing, just enough to annoy me.
I will definitely re-think whether I will still be a customer.
ReplyDeleteI've been using a BYOP Android for about a year and have also subscribed to their $10 monthly plan (50 units which triple to 150 minutes, texts, and MB), which I got before I switched to a smartphone. From what I can surmise from the info presented, I can keep the plan (phones and sim cards already with TMFL will keep TMFL). It's just the right amount of minutes, texts, and data I need and I love that my monthly phone bill is only $10.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information! :)
I was informed by someone at TracFone today that even existing stock of phones that say Triple Minutes for Life CANNOT be activated with that feature.
ReplyDeleteUnless we hear contradicting information, BEWARE.
I bet they get rid of the non-Smart Phone Only cards next because if you do most of your data stuff via wi-fi (or not at all) the standard cards are a much better deal. It would also kill all TMFL phones.
I'm going to seek an alternate phone provider.
Got this TMFL phone just in time. Will have to add cards. Or just go elsewhere. Been with TracFone a long time. And it is more and more looking like they are trying to be not the best deal out there.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Tracfone used to sell TMFL cards based on the account and not the phone? I wonder how this will be handled?
ReplyDeleteI do not use my phone often and the days of service are the most important thing for me. However i did notice that the pay as you go non smart phone cards are for 90 days at $20 for 180 min/180 text/180 data. I wonder if these can be used for smart phones? if yes than that is the same thing as the 60 min cards with triple.... that is if they can be used? i have not tried it has anyone else?
ReplyDeleteI've been using Trafones for years (the only cell phones I've ever had), but now it probably makes sense to upgrade to an iphone.
ReplyDeleteA quick follow up.
ReplyDeleteI spoke with someone at HSN.com. They say the phones they are advertising as Triple Minutes For Life are still TMFL. It is built into the phone and Tracfone can't prevent you getting that feature (at least from them). They still have 7 phones that say they are TMFL.
I pulled the trigger on a ZTE ZFIVE L LTE (Z862VL) tonight.
The reason? It is Android 6.0.1(!) for $79.95, TMFL with 1 year activation and 1200 minutes/1200 text/1200mb.
The time alone is worth more than the phone.
They also have the ZTE ZMAX Champ, which is slightly upgraded in all respects: screen size (5.5"), memory (1.5Gb), cpu (1.3Ghz), cameras (8 & 2MP), battery life, etc. for $99.95. IT IS ALSO MARSHMALLOW WITH TMFL.
Will report my success or failure activating it. Hopefully it'll be obvious if it is TMFL or not from the start. I know their non-smart phones never seemed to have that information anywhere you could find it.
I had two triple minutes for phone a Stylo 2 and replaced it with a rebel 3 which I got 1500 minutes 1500 text and 1500 megabytes of data for $58. I had a problem activating it but when I did activate it I was surprised that the minutes text and data all tripled can't beat 4500 minutes 4500 text and 4500 megabytes of data for $58 dollars.
DeleteHow do you get this I turned my phase be off in Nov due to health. Now whant to activate again
DeleteLots changing with Tracfone. I just saw a Tracfone storefront open in a shopping center near me. Is TF going to abandon being the low cost carrier?
ReplyDeleteI just contacted Tracfone and they said that all TMFL is no longer available. I asked even in phones that advertise this and they said no. I would really like to know. I was on their site yesterday thru chat, they tried selling me a phone with 3x minutes? so either rep didn't know what their talking about. Has anyone purchased and active one lately?
ReplyDeleteJust picked up another 60 min card for my AT&T BYOP LG Phoenix 2 that I use on TF with the SIM kit.
ReplyDeleteeverything tripled as usual, even the bonus code worked and added more than the usual 180 min to the phone calling min.I still wish they would just sell "service time cards" only. I don't much use all the other stuff. Or If you could just trade text for min or time would be good.
The only phone I see competing with this LG Phoenix 2 still today is the Samsung J3 Luna Pro, which I bet will be on sale for 29.95 at the black Friday sale at best buy like the Phoenix 2 was.
Not happy about tracfone changing there TMFL plan. Please reconsider or come up w/ a viable option for the moderate user. Ex: 150/150/1g 5mo. for 25.00
ReplyDeleteI live in calif. They tax everything here. Always bought a new tracphone(Various brands) from hsn with triple min. Calif. State board of equalization(all democrats, everywhere) put a $3.00 and change tax on a tracphone 60 min. Card last year. You want to beat that tax, get the phone with the free min, and guess what-no tax, unless one of them sees this post. I have almost 3000, min. In my acct. like they say, all good things must come to an end. Too bad for us seniors on fixed incomes. Joe w.
ReplyDeleteTracfone needs to update their service plans for the pay as you go "cards" and service levels. It was obvious that feature phones are dead in this era and smart phones are the new technology of current customers. However, the smart phone cards never kept up with the service days, except in bundles. That's when customers kept buying new phone bundles and transferring unused buckets as the norm. This also left those who had to buy service with 30, 60, 365 days of service. Gone is the 90 days or anything in-between.
ReplyDeleteThe cost of cellular has gone up and it will be nearly impossible to buy a year of service for under $100 by 2018 (unless bundled with a REALLY cheap phone).
However, it is still possible to offer customers some type of unlimited hybrid plans starting @ $15 a month with unlimited talk/text/1gb data (with throttled data the rest of the month). Therefore, we would see yearly phone service under unlimited bundled with phones for $175 - $275. Whether this becomes part of the pay as you go side or just offering lower tiers through straight talk, does not matter.. but this corralling will have two end customers: those who want buckets, and those who can afford yearly unlimited at more than 1/2 the savings of a straight talk plan-- but comes as part of a yearly upgraded phone (option)-- of course this would be open to BYOP as well but @ 10% discount for buying the year upfront vs month by month.
I'm currently thinking about jumping ship to mint sim, but I'm still trying to find a phone I can justify the cost of in addition to the service. Trying to find a phone that has 90% of the features of a $400-$500 phone but as close to $150 as possible.
As of today (October 2017), this is the info I got from Tracfone about which phones maintain Triple Minutes:
ReplyDeleteArne: I will be providing the phones that no longer have triple minutes plan and those are:
Samsung Galaxy Luna J3 Pro, ZTE Zfive2, ZTE Majesty Pro and LG Rebel 2 phones.
Arne: The rest of the smartphones have triple minutes plan.
Screw TracFone for this idiotic move. All they're doing is making minutes more expensive and trying to get people to move to monthly plans, which is exactly the OPPOSITE of why I bought in to TracFone to begin with (NOT having to deal with bullshit recurring monthly charges).
ReplyDeleteI want to just buy a shit ton of minutes/data/texts once a year, and have it triple, and be done with it until next year. NOT have to deal with paying an extra bill every month. NOT lose the ability. Not have them *jack up* the price of minutes by reducing the number of prepaid minutes a dollar effectively buys.
By removing this option, they're shooting themselves in the foot, IMO. Screw 'em... May or may not take my business elsewhere if they continue this trend of jacking up prices and/or moving people toward monthly bills again.
I was pleasently surprised, looking at the chart on this site:
ReplyDeletehttp://nocontractcellular.org/tracfone-ends-triple-minutes-for-life-new-smartphone-only-plans-offer-improved-value.html
It looks like the "smart phone only" plan will be only slightly worse than the "triple minutes for life" promotion for me.
I usually buy the largest, one year activation including minutes, text and data. According to nocontractcellular.org research, I will only pay $25 more per year of activation when switching to the "smart phone only" plan.
This really suxors for new accounts. I see that the replacement is SINGLE time... not even DOUBLE time. I'm an old-timer for 12 years, and DOUBLE MINUTES should still be allowed for noobs. Carlos Slim (owner of Tracfone via America Movil ADR: NYSE AMX) has been cutting off his fingers lately, and has already lost all his toes. This has been a fine brand and service for 'phone. Cutting noobs off at the ankles is not the way forward in a financial sense.
ReplyDeleteRegards
PS in CT
My wife and I have been Tracfone customers for years, but will probably switch to another carrier now that they are jacking up prices. Too bad for us low usage customers. Agree with a previous post- screw Tracfone!
ReplyDeleteWell, a little bit ago i noticed the old Verizon based voice-mail on my Tracfone handset disappeared and in it's place came a less compelling voice. The new voice mail narrator stretches out the moments of time necessary to retrieve or leave a voice-mail. I said to myself, oh-oh, they're back to this type of stone-age revenue raiser. So, something indeed is going on at Tracfone which we would consider negative, along of course with the huge matter of Triple Minutes. On the positive side, their telephone based customer service is quite good now. But all told, I'm afraid the fragile strings by which the suitability of the service hangs these days are getting pretty taut.
ReplyDeleteHaving stumbled onto the fact that TMFL is on its way out for newer phones, I bought a ZTE Champ from HSN, figuring that I'd eventually want an upgrade from my current one anyway. A bundle that included phone and service for less than the cost of the service time made it a good deal.
ReplyDeleteI asked in advance which I needed to do first activate the phone or transfer the phone number from older phone (transfer phone number first was the answer). I transferred phone number and existing service days/airtime minutes/data with no trouble, although the additional 1200/1200/1200 for activating the new phone not showing up in the total until hours later was cause for very mild panic.
Apps and Internet work better on this one than the old one, although I've actually not yet used it as a phone ;-). (Phone was fine on old one, but apps/Internet could sometimes be sluggish and the touchscreen not always very responsive.)
If you need to buy service days or minutes anyway, just get a new one at this price.
Hi I was just reading through the article & comments about the end of Triple minutes for life and I think there may be a couple things I can add that may be useful for some people.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the article mentions that if you transfer your number from a TMFL phone to a different (newer) Tracfone that doesn't have TMFL that you will keep your current balance of minutes which will be transferred along with your phone number to the new phone. But, according to the Tracfone website that is true IF YOU ARE TRANSFERRING TO A NEW SMARTPHONE ONLY. If you transfer from a TMFL smartphone to a non-smartphone the website is contradictory. In one location it says that you will retain only 1/3 of your minutes and in another location it says you will not keep your minutes. This will probably affect a minority of users but for those considering switching to a simple flip-phone it could be a dealbreaker.
As far as what happens to the phones listed as being TMFL on the package and the sim cards for BYOP that are listed as TMFL they will continue to give Triple Minutes -- if they tried to avoid honoring what is emblazoned across the packages the company would be facing an FCC lawsuit of considerable proportions. Despite Tracfone reps telling some people that the TMFL isn't valid on phones or sim cards activated after April 2017, what they should be saying is that the feature doesn't exist on phones and sim cards manufactured after April 2017.
Tracfone has it's strengths but consistency in messaging isn't one of them and it is not unheard of for problems to occur like customers minutes/texts/data not being correctly transferred or even suddenly disappearing. Their system can be buggy to say the least. For that reason it can be a good idea to take screen shots of the pages of their website that make certain promises and commitments (like about keeping minutes when transferring a number to a new smartphone) and also to take screenshots of your phone showing your balances and end of service date. Receipts for purchases of airtime are a good idea to hold onto as well. That way if you should be one of the unlucky who has a problem with your balance vanishing it should be a simple matter of either you or the FCC getting the situation corrected because you have documentation of what you are due. Without documentation you are more at the mercy of a rep should you run into any problems.
I hope this is useful.
If they want to stop selling TMFL phones then that is their privilege. However, to fail to triple minutes on my TMFL phone that I have had for 2 years is cheating. Two years is NOT for life!!
ReplyDeleteCompanies that cheat me do not retain my business.
I have to disagree with the statement that all phones with OS above 6.0 are do longer tmfl. The ZTE Maven 3 is a very low priced smart phone with 7.0 Nougat. I suspect there are others out there , as well.
ReplyDeleteSad day when TF goes chasing the dollar, but I guess all good things must come to an end.
Figures..i just purchased a samsung luna pro for my mom..i have been a tracfobe person for fifteen years about...i noticed her bundle did not have tmfl AFTER i bought but i figured i could just buy her a triple minute card to use..but when i looked i could no longer find one...for seniors with smartphones like myself on fixed incomes..tracfone will probably no longer be cost effective...i do not use any texts and very little data..when i go online i am usually by wifi..so service days and minutes are my priority...taking the minutes from three to one..that will make my phone much more expensive..i do not want the hassle of a plan..some months i just can't have a set expense like that..this move by tracfone may push both myself and my mom elsewhere..too bad..i was quite content until now
ReplyDeleteI bought an LG Rebel w/ 1200 "Stuff" for a year & TMFL off ebay for a ridiculously LOW price - up in may 2018
ReplyDeleteNO Issues with the Little use i've given it as its a BackUp
Went to order the same - NOT The NEWER Rebel 2 for a friend after singing its praises - contacted TF 2 C if TMFL is still Valid since its an "Older Model" - They Said NO - will have 2 "Measure Twice 2 Cut Once" & C as the Samsung Luna Pro for $20 more is looking Good also if TMFL are NG
"Thingz R Changing Quicker Than Can Be Compensated 4"
Companies that offer anything "for life" and then change their policy should not be allowed to continue in business. I have learned through several experiences that nothing is forever except taxes and death. Until there is a consequence for lying we will have to continue to deal with crooks that make promises that they do not keep. Just don't let it stress you out too much because stress kills and they win again for life...
ReplyDeleteBypass Google frp account on ZTE zmax champ z917vL
ReplyDeleteHow to bypass Google frp on my TracFone ZTE zmax champ z917vL
ReplyDeleteI have (2) triple minute phones and both are getting Error 492 codes. Even with hard reset! I truly believe Tracfone is behind the errors as a way of eliminating the 3X phones out there.
ReplyDeleteTriple mins are still alive and kicking on my phone. Won't upgrade until I need to.
ReplyDeleteBought two Fiesta 2 phones with 1500 bundles for 79.95 each and I received 4500 M/T/D on both.
ReplyDeleteI activated an LG Fiesta 2 this month and the minutes tripled to 4500. Does that mean the phone now has triple minutes as a feature?
ReplyDeleteI suspect the one-time tripling of minutes at activation is a loss leader to get customers to abandon their TMFL phones.
ReplyDeleteI read (but have not personally confirmed with TF) that once a TMFL phone is deactivated there's no reactivating it - with triple minutes still alive, anyway.
If this is true, be very careful test-driving a new phone, and activate it only if you are absolutely certain you're willing to give up TMFL.
Ok. Here’s my story. Been a tracfone user for many years, using only basic phones, and buying cards at Walmart and adding them to my phone, which doubled the minutes for the life of the phone. Finally decided to get a smartphone. Ordered one off Tracfones website, the LG Premier LTE. Bought a $25.00 smartphone only card at Walmart, which added 500 talk minutes, 1000 texts, and 500 mb of data. Got the phone yesterday and activated it, phone card says *this plan does not triple* right there on the card. Ok, after reading this blog, I was thinking that with any new phone activation, it would triple everything on that cardanyway. Wrong. But I called Tracfone and they told me if I just went to Walmart, and bought the pay as you go card (the same card I always bought for my basic phone), then it would triple everything on that. I decided to try it. Just bought a 60 minute card, went online and added the airtime, and it did!! I also used a promo code for bonus minutes (for May 2018 the 60 minute card adds 60 bonus minutes), soooo, I got 240 talk minutes, and 180 more texts, and 180 more mb of data! (Note that the bonus minutes only applied to the talk minutes.)Smartphone only cards will not let you use bonus codes, I don’t believe. AND I got 90 more days of service, whereas the smartphone card only has 60. I think this is a great deal! And the guy from Tracfone said anytime I buy the regular cards like that, it will triple all three. Also note that it took about 10 minutes for the minutes to update to the phone and website, although the service end date updated immediately. I was about to freak out, and I called Tracfone again, and as I was talking to them, I had my account open online, and it updated right before my eyes, before the guy ever did anything. Yay! I am hoping this post will help someone else understand how this triple minutes will still work on a smartphone.
ReplyDeleteJust bought a LG stylo 3 with 1500 text,call and 1.5 data 1 year service,waiting for it to be delivered next week. I hoping from what i read that they will still do for new smartphone activations the 1 time triple mins that i read here in this article. Iam transfering my service from a Galaxy luna pro which already has service thru Aug 2024 with 12Gb of data,17,000 of call time and 39,000 texts,keep in mind that i have had tracfone since early 2000 so this has built up and rolled over so i should be set for not having a cellphone bill for sometime.
ReplyDeleteI have been using "TF" since moving from CALIFORNIA to NEW MEXICO.. IF indeed they trash the"TMFL" bonus we receive ......... I WILL WALK OUT ON "TF" SGTER UDING SLL MY CURRENT "BANKED MINUTES"!
ReplyDeleteI WILL pay MORE FOR LESS THROUGH ANOTHER CARRIER and I SHALL NOT "BAD MOUTH TRACFONE"; TO HECK WITH THE GREEDY FOLKS!
FIXED INCOME USERS NEED TO EAT TOO....... and TRACFONE WILL NOT PICK MY POCKET OR HOLD ME HOSTAGE!
Steve, did you receive the Stylo? Did they give you the extra minutes?
ReplyDeleteSteve, did you receive the triple minutes on the Stylo?
ReplyDeleteI currently bought the TF Galaxy J7 Sky Pro phone, can I purchase a tmfl sim card and use that to receive the tmfl before I activate it?
ReplyDeleteOh,please. So Tracfone has decided to get rid of the parasites who's only goal in life seems to to figure out ways to abuse the system and now these losers are whining about how they are going to leave Tracfone.
ReplyDeleteWell all I have to say to you is Good Riddance to you and the F***ing horse you rode in on.
Also glad the BS called Net Neutrality has bit the dust. Hope to god Comcast and over ISP's will start making you losers pay for the bandwidth you are consuming with you moronic online game playing and video streaming of crap tv shows.
What's going on here, did you people NOT Read the article?? - - - - "Beginning, Dec 5th 2017, all Tracfone customers who do an upgrade will have the Triple Minute benefit as a promotion for upgrading to a new handset." - - - - - I upgrade my Tracfone to a newer one like every 2.5 years, so what's the problem? - - - - - I will always maintain the TMFL if I keep upgrading the Tracfone. - - - - - or do I not understand what the word: "upgrade" means, lol
ReplyDeleteUpgraded from the Alcatel icon pop to the lg rebel 3 with the 1500 minutes, text and data and it did NOT triple.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just giving TF the benefit of the doubt...I previously would be buying the 1-year basic card for my son's smartphone for about $100. It was a "400 minute" card that tripled to 1200, 1200, 1200.
ReplyDeleteNow the annual smartphone card is $125 but gives 1500, 1500, 1500. So for about $2 more per month you get 300 more minutes, texts and MB. Maybe not quite as good, but not "sky is falling" bad.
************* NO TRIPLE MINUTES **************
ReplyDeleteHERE'S MY CONVERSATION WITH TRACFONE 7/24/2018
Catherine: Thank you for chatting with us!
Catherine: I'm sorry but Tracfone does not have triple minute phone anymore.
You: thats not what i have been reading
Catherine: We can transfer a triple minute benefit from an old phone.
You: some of the blogs about your phones are talking about you offering triple minute when activating a new smart phone
You: https://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/2017/08/tracfone-ends-triple-minutes-for-life.html
You: Tracfone appears to be offering Triple Minutes as a promotion for any new phone activation. So if you activate a new phone, it seems that Tracfone is giving everyone Triple Minutes as a 'bonus'.
Catherine: I'm sorry but triple minute promotion benefit has already ended. The only way to keep it is if your old phone has triple minutes and you transfer the phone number and service, the triple minute will be transferred also/
You: what about the phones that i see advertised on amazon that state triple minutes for life ?
You: amazon is still selling your phones with triple minutes
Catherine: I'm sorry but we cannot check the information on the other website.
You: so are you denying that the offer exists even though walmart and amazon are advertising them ??
You: if i buy one of the phones you will not honor the advertisement ?
Catherine: I'm sorry but tracfone does not have triple minutes which means that if you purchase it anywhere, still we cannot offer triple minutes.
You: ok
Catherine: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
You: no , ill tell them to stop selling your phones that they are not as advertised
Catherine: Thank you for visiting Tracfone today.
I just don't know what to do.
ReplyDeleteI have a Samsung Galaxy s6 Tracfone branded phone from HSN from 2 years ago. It is TMFL and not a smartphone-only card purchase. I've been with Tracfone since 2003 so I have years of service time left from rollovers. I guess I'll keep going with my s6 as long as I can, I've already replaced the battery once, and make my decision then.
Does tmfl following the phone or the number??
ReplyDeleteAlthough this is months later (because I assumed the issue was 'resolved' in the negative and didn't follow up here) Tracfone REALLY needs to reconsider it's Triple Minute for Life refusal - I buy phones for homeless people. I can no longer just buy any promo phone and say "any Tracfone card you buy at a store is a good deal" due to the TMFL promo... I have to say to buy a smartphone only card, sometimes I hear the only store within walking distance doesn't have a smartphone only card, so now i'm getting 60min instead of 180min and I was trying to get a job.
ReplyDeleteThey are not making anything "easier" they are making it HARDER for some of their neediest customers. Customers not abusing anything or trying to misuse anything but who are just really struggling with things like availability of which card at which locations, with whatever money they have in their pocket, trying to not be ripped off to stay in touch a little longer with loved ones.
This policy is HURTING people.
I will be leaving Tracfone forever, after my current minutes expire. These thieves have stolen so much from me. We need another FCC lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteToday I added a 60 minute card to my TMFL phone and used the promo code I got from here, 12745, and got 240 minutes. I didn't write down my texts and data so I don't know if they got bonuses or not, but they do triple. I have an LG android phone from at least April 2016. Bought it as TMFL.
ReplyDeleteMy tracfone plan, which has no TMFL benefit, ends in a few months and i hear you fellow tracfone users; i, unfortunately, will be leaving tracfone. This is no way to do your loyal longtime customers and think you will stay afloat, Tracfone. Bon Boyage Baby!!!!
ReplyDeleteOnce, each of the last few years, I have bought a new phone, with either 1200 or 1500 minutes/texts/(can't remember data)& one year activation, through HSN or QVC, for $80 - $100. I used to get triple minutes, but at these prices, tracfone is still the best deal for me. I don't use many minutes, but, with my daughter thinking she has to answer everything with "OK", it eats up my texts faster than I would like. And I usually have to buy 1 text only card, to make it through. If you check the "tracfone codes" page, you can get extra minutes, when activating a card.
ReplyDeleteTracfone BS. With triple on a 19.95 card it is 6.65 per month; with lowest new plan it is $20 per month. Looks like a 300% increase to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad Tracfone for Life minutes are not ending for phones that are already getting it. I guess when minutes for life ceases to exist it's like "for life" is no longer for life.....but maybe for abbreviated life!!! And maybe ephemeral is now "forever."
ReplyDeleteI just activated a new unlocked LG Stylo 4 and noticed on the My Account app that the Pay-As-You-Go service plans and the one year plans ALL offer triple minutes. The new unlimited plans are another great addition. Tracfone is really becoming more competitive with the types of plans they offer.
ReplyDeleteJust off phone with TracFone. The Triple Minutes For Life ends for EVERYONE/EVERY PHONE on January 01, 2020. Done deal. Best you believe it because this is not Orson Welles. I will spend the remaining nearly four months looking for other carriers/other options.
ReplyDeleteWell it probably don't matter to most of y'all but I don't have a voice due to cancer and I rely on texting to keep in touch. You can even text 911. So this is a big deal to me but Consumer Cellular has a good deal on unlimited texting.
ReplyDeleteMy family a big tracfone user for years, we still have 4 old phones in w/3 minutes. but if we need to change will go with Speedtalk or Twigby they have unlimited for less than $20.00 month. I already have one on Twigby and works great. Shame on tracfone there are still people who love the triple minutes , and those phones were great for kids.
ReplyDeleteI bought a 99.99 card which said I would get 1200 minutes, I actually got 400, which to me is false advertising/switch and bait what ever you wanna call it,I call TracFone and it's like talking to a wall, I knew nothing about their new policy about discontinuing triple minutes,there was no notice to customers whatsoever,being a senior citizen, this is gonna hurt me, they are cutting off their nose to spite their, BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE !!!
ReplyDeleteBig disappointment... But typical... The Android I have sucks anyway... Google Gods take it over... and everytime there's a phone sale at tracfone mine goes wacky.. and amazingly comes back when I don't buy a new phone... I liked having the triple minutes.. and so did the people I got to sign up... Using up my minutes and moving on....
ReplyDeleteThis sucks.
ReplyDelete----------
It seems this dates back to 2017. It's 2019 and I was wanting to upgrade my phone and just noticed no phones mention that their minutes are triple.
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I contacted customer service to ask about that and they said I can transfer my current triple minutes service to a new phone and it will be the same.
BUT! On their phone page where you shop for phones it states:
"Some Tracfone phones and Airtime Cards include a Double or Triple Minutes for Life feature."
"The double or triple minutes feature applies to the life of a single Tracfone phone."
"The double or triple minutes feature is not transferable to another Tracfone even if Your phone is damaged, lost or stolen."
"Any minutes included in a Double or Triple Minute phone, will not double or triple."
"New phones no longer triple."
Nothing like having a customer service person try to swindle you into a phone purchase under the guise that you're getting triple minutes when their terms actually state differently.
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So you're stuck with your double/triple minute phones. It's also not even the phone because you can't buy your same phone off EBAY and transfer your TMFL service to that phone and still have triple minutes. States above you can't do this. So when they mean your phone, they def mean your phone.
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TMFL (triple minutes for life) is a bunch of crap now. You will have triple minutes for life on your current service/phone, but you BETTER treat that phone like a damn diamond and not let anything happen to it, because you're screwed if anything does.
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So I went to ebay. Seen that the phone that I got for $20 is now $200+. Seems like the prices for triple minute phones has skyrocketed!
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Take your money elsewhere. Shop for a different service that's much cheaper. There's plenty out there! Please reply with more. I'm going to ride this phone out for 1/2 a year or a year until I have enough info the jump ship to something cheaper. Tracfone shot themselves point blank in the skull with this.
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Here's something funny:
speedtalks 1,500min/txt/gb + 365day plan goes for $60.
tracfones 1,500min/txt/gb + 365day plan goes for $200!
That's insanely outrageous. I wanted to see if tracfone is taking a financial hit from this and it seems they have. Search for "tracfone loses subscribers" and there's an endless suply of articles.
There needs to be a proper service for people that want the 365 service days, but don't use their phone that much.
A $40 card that's 200min/txt/gb is around $.20 cents a minute!
$.20 x 200min = $40
That same card tripled would cost around $.06-.07 cents a minute ($.065 x 600min = $39).
There are plenty of plans out there that charge less than that per minute.
We are all getting screwed even on their triple minute cards.
The only thing was a damn on tracfone was their cheap phones. They're not cheap when you factor in the extra cent costs per minute we're all paying.
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I hope they lose all their subs.
This system is very wonky. It’s difficult to know what your going to get.
ReplyDeleteI have Majesty Pro. Purchased in 2018. Via their chat system, the representatives have told me I have double minutes on my phone. Other have said I don’t have that benefit.
So to start, I get conflicting information.
When purchasing a smart phone card via the store. I receive double minutes on some occasions and others I don’t.
Would be great to know in advance if your phone still has double or triple minutes. It makes a huge difference.
Seems this Tracphone TML was a lie.
ReplyDeleteI'd simply suggest there will be additional misnomers.
Not the type provider I like doing business with.
Good luck!
TracFone that is a very sucky thing to do to us long time TracFone customers,you are turning into a bunch of ass clowns like politicians
ReplyDeleteI don't care if you approve my comments or not it's true
ReplyDelete^ Dave, first it should be realized that level 1 Tracfone CSR's often don't know what they're talking about. It has been a LONG time since TF had any phones which were only double minutes. What you purchased either has triple minutes or single minutes. If it came in a retail box, that box should state whether it has triple minutes. That is (arguably) a term of service which is why they are continuing to give those phones sold with triple minutes, the triple minutes, at least until the day comes that they stop offering non-smartphone cards at all.
ReplyDeleteIf you intend to use the phone, which I assume you do, I'd buy a $20, 90 day/60 minute airtime non-smartphone card, note your minutes before adding it to the phone then see if it triples your minutes or not.
You should not have received double minutes or triple minutes for any smartphone card unless this was specifically stipulated as a promotion, something that's a one-time offer not applicable to any other smartphone card purchased. NO phone tracfone sells (or ever has AFAIK), is supposed to double or triple the smartphone cards by default.
Just bought the $15 My Flip Alcatel Trac Fone that does quite a bit for a basic phone. Bought the 60 minute card for $20 at Target....found I have 180 minutes. Thankfully, I didnt' get a smartphone using TracFone as I have an iPhone Pro Max that I'm just getting used to....this is easier to live with.
ReplyDeleteLongtime Tracfone loyal customer and have enjoyed the triple minutes feature on my pay as you go plans, until now. I just ordered 1500 minutes, texts, etc. and received exactly what I ordered, none were tripled.
ReplyDeleteThat's illegal I paid for triple minutes and I should have them. That's like if I buy a 55 in TV they can't come take it and give me a 19 in. one. I'm going to consumer Cellular Tracfone sucks. I will never recommend you to anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI bought a lg rebel 2 LTE phone from Best Buy and I bought a 30 minute triple-minutes phone card, not realizing that the new smartphones do not use triple minutes. But when they activated it they did give me 3 months of service. You just don't get triple talk, text. or data. But I can live with that. I still got 3 months service so I won't have to pay $20 dollars every month for service!
ReplyDeleteI'm need to tracfone is there any reward for me bringing my number to the company? I didn't know id loose my unlimited plan if I did that's bull😒
ReplyDeleteWhile in the midst of shopping for a new TracFone, (my almost-4 year-old LG's battery is giving out, and I wanted to upgrade to a phone with a lot more memory/storage anyway) I was distressed to discover this article regarding TracFone ending their triple minutes feature. I had no idea they had done this. I have online auto-pay set up for the 60 minutes/90-day purchase and my minutes/text/data have been tripling seamlessly for more than two years.
ReplyDeleteLike many other commenters, I'm a senior on a very small fixed income. The 60 minutes, tripled to 180, for about $7.00/month, was for me the most affordable means to have a mobile phone. Now I'm stuck with either trying to find a replacement battery (not easy for an older phone!) and slogging along with almost no memory and slow performance on my current phone, or giving up the triple-minutes feature, which is the main reason TracFone is even a half-decent deal anyway. Also, like many others, I am a long-time customer - around 20 years. This was a NASTY, HATEFUL, GREEDY move on TracFone's part. No consideration whatsoever for the impact on their lower-income customers, who can least afford it.
I am FURIOUS and DISGUSTED with TracFone. I hope they CHOKE on their own greed!
I still have my triple minutes benefit. I since upgraded to a Samsung A10e and still have it.
ReplyDeleteTRacfone back in 2019 told me I had to give up my phone and get a new one. I had Triple Minutes for Life. When I ordered the new phone I said, I will not lose my TMFL plan. She said no. (This was right from Tracfone customer service). Received the new phone it did not work so I had to return it. They gave me a new phone. I had to get more minutes it didn't triple. I complained they then said OK you can have it. Life was good until I needed to renew card. Had to call again. They handled it. Today I put on a 60 minute phone card since I really only needed Text. So I figured 60X3 for Texts 180. Plus the minutes. No, it only did triple minutes. He said TMFL never gave triple texts. Told representative yes it should. He said OK I will give you triple text but this is the last time. Looked at account didn't triple so a new rep said recheck tomorrow if it does not work call us. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteApparently it is not the phone itself that gets triple, but the phone NUMBER that is
ReplyDelete"grandfathered" in to the plan.
I've had the same number with Tracfone for
almost 20 years. Got my first "smart" phone (hasn't made me any smarter:) on the triple promo. Replaced with VOIP capable a year ago. And noticed last time I added
60-minute airtime that I still get triple everything.
Moral of story? If you plan to stay with Tracfone, and you have triple-for-life, by all means keep your number.
I hope this is true. I've had the same TracFone number for about 20 years also!
DeleteI can confirm that triple minutes is tied to the phone number. My husband and I both got triple minute phones a couple of years ago (both of us have been tracfone customers for 15+ years). Since then I have upgraded my phone twice to newer smartphones and kept my triple minute benefit. I just bought my husband a new phone (TCL A3) and purchased a new airtime card for him. It still triples everything.
ReplyDeleteanonymous too, tracfone has been sending me messages texts for several months that my phone would become unusable on jan 22 2022 and needed to upgrade to newer phone. well it continued to work until yesterday mar 3rd now i cant call out or recieve calls, but i still am am able to get thier texts and texts from a telemarkoter in colorada. my phone is an alcatel pixieglitz an they say this a 4g phone. abtw and can stiil call tracfone but nobody else. when i try get a message that im not connected to the network.I think tracfone trying to scam me into buying a new phone and/or ridding me of trmfl. is anybody else having similar sitution?
ReplyDeleteBeen a Tracfone customer since 2009, and I still have a Galaxy Sky that triples regular airtime I purchase. Four days ago I purchased 1000 additional texts, which have always tripled in the past and should have tripled this time, but didn't. I practically had to hold Tracfone hostage to make them live up to tripling them. I started with online chat, then their automated "fix-it" system when I called Customer Service. Then I finally talked to a Customer Service Rep who told me texts did not triple; her Supervisor verified this. This is what I did to get them to live up to their agreement: I filed complaints with my state's State Attorney General's office and the FCC (used online forms). Then I accessed Tracfone's online Chat, told them what I'd done, and that they would hear from those agencies within 30 days. I also found the email address for Associate Vice President - Associate Director Angel M. Aleman (aaleman@tracfone.com) and sent her a copy of my complaint. Several hours later, I received a phone call from Tracfone's Executive Resolution Department (erdmanagement@tracfone.com). I had to return the call, got the usual Customer Service menu, etc., but they finally tripled my texts. I had already told Aleman that, if this wasn't resolved in 2 days, I was contacting the BBB, AARP (I'm over 65), and my local Senior Legal Project. I never post anything anywhere, but I want y'all to have this information so you can also take action. If enough of us make them do the right thing, maybe they'll decide it's too much trouble and actually comply with their lifetime-tripling agreement.
ReplyDelete@Unknown - You went to great lengths to get 3x your 1000 texts, but they were not wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe triple minutes, texts, data ONLY applies to 'Basic Plans'.
AFAIK, they do not and have never applied to "smart phone" or "add on" plans
Log in and view the refill page and it will show you which plans triple and which don't: https://www.tracfone.com/purchase.refill.buy.plan
The closest to what you wanted tripled is $99.99 for 365 days, 400 minutes/texts/data which all triple to 1200.
Or $15 for an add on.