Cheap phone plan vs (free) Google Voice

[JG6]

It’s getting ridiculous how many services require your phone number now. I went to an F&B where you can only order at a kiosk (fine) but will only be given your pickup number after entering your mobile number (not fine).

So this got me thinking about getting a cheap plan that can receive/send texts vs getting Google Voice, which I’ve never used before.

Am I correct to assume that the decision hinges on either paying a low cost per month for a phone plan vs giving up a bit of your privacy to Google for a free number? Any other factors to consider?

What would you recommend?

[Tyler Aspect]

I have used Redpocket, and Twigby Wireless. They are both OK. My use of data was pretty light in general.

[123]

A problem with Google Voice is that in some cases the the voip phone number isn't recognized as a valid number for user authentication with some websites and apps. Some places want a phone number from an established wireless carrier likely under the assumption that a number that has payment associated with it is less likely to be used by a scammer. If you won't ever need to use it for authentication purposes Google Voice is great.

[runner3081]

I use Tello w/Google Voice as my main number.

1GB data per month includes unlimited texts (real cell number for verifications - Tello given number, different from Google Voice), no voice.

$5.00 per month.

Data rolls over if you manually renew.

[02nz]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

[Afty]

Just to make sure I understand, you're looking for a "throwaway" or "spam" phone number that you can share with services without worrying about getting spam messages to your main number. I think Google Voice is a great fit for that. Honestly I'd trust Google over any telecom provider for user privacy and especially security anyway. Telecoms do some very sketchy stuff that for some reason people don't seem to get outraged about.

[AerialWombat]

I’ve used Google Voice as my primary phone number for over 18 years, since before Google bought GrandCentral. There have been a handful of instances where some websites or services refuse to recognize the VOIP number as valid, but very few. In those instances, I simply don’t use that company. I have canceled at least one new credit card shortly after getting it because I learned their system didn’t like VOIP numbers for 2FA. It is what it is.

I have also gone many stretches of time with no actual phone plan. For many years, I simply carried an iPod Touch instead of an iPhone. Wi-fi is almost ubiquitous enough to make that work without much hassle.

But now, I have an iPhone SE with Red Pocket for $20/mo. It’s a little bit of lifestyle creep but avoids occasional inconvenience. The majority of my data usage is for mapping, navigation, tides, and the like. It’s certainly nice to have. I have no clue what the phone number is for my actual Red Pocket line, as all that still just runs through Google Voice.

[kilkoyne]

I've used tracfone prepaid with Google voice as my main number for probably the last 10+ years. Whenever I see a plan go on sale I buy it. Last time I bought (2) year plans with mins for $20.00/year although I'm not sure I'll find them that cheap going forward though.

Prepaid works very well as long as you remember to shut off data and have wifi available most of the time. The only downfall I've noticed is very long distance phone calls over wifi sometimes doesn't work well but I'll use the carriers paid plan for that.

[mrmass]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

[lthenderson]

Am I correct to assume that the decision hinges on either paying a low cost per month for a phone plan vs giving up a bit of your privacy to Google for a free number? Any other factors to consider?

What would you recommend?

Why do you think you aren't giving up your privacy using providers of low cost per month plans?

I switched over my landline to Google at the first of the year. It was relatively painless and has been working flawlessly since that time. I wished I had done it years sooner.

[02nz]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

What "issue"? Source? I've renewed with them without issue and haven't heard of this.

[mrmass]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

What "issue"? Source? I've renewed with them without issue and haven't heard of this.

From the posts, there's a lot of chatter about renal time. Maybe not issues but seems there are many questions around renewal time.

Here https://www.reddit.com/r/redpocket/comm ... ebay_am_i/

and a catch-all for renewal

https://www.reddit.com/r/redpocket/sear ... over_18=on

[02nz]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

What "issue"? Source? I've renewed with them without issue and haven't heard of this.

From the posts, there's a lot of chatter about renal time. Maybe not issues but seems there are many questions around renewal time.

Here https://www.reddit.com/r/redpocket/comm ... ebay_am_i/

and a catch-all for renewal

https://www.reddit.com/r/redpocket/sear ... over_18=on

The process outlined in the original post on the Subreddit thread is the correct one, and I've done that without issue.

99% of the time, people complain because they can't be bothered to read and follow simple instructions.

Anyway, the thread is from 2 years ago.

[PersonalFinanceJam]

My opinion is it's 6 of one half a dozen of the other. Basic phone service is ridiculously cheap when you are figuring low to no data. For $30 to $60 for (almost) a year you can get plans with some minutes and lots to unlimited text, but little to no data. Lots of cell phones are dual SIM/eSIM capable so you can have this be independent of your main service. Essentially, it's throw away service.

Or you can go the google route which is also good but might get tripped up in rare occasions because it's classified as VOIP. Unless your budget is really tight it's a toss up in my opinion.

All that said, I would have just put my mobile number into the order kiosk and not thought anything of it.

[tibbitts]

A problem with Google Voice is that in some cases the the voip phone number isn't recognized as a valid number for user authentication with some websites and apps. Some places want a phone number from an established wireless carrier likely under the assumption that a number that has payment associated with it is less likely to be used by a scammer. If you won't ever need to use it for authentication purposes Google Voice is great.

As you say you have to have another mechanism for authentication if all you have is GV; it won't replace a "real" cell number in every case.

[nalor511]

A problem with Google Voice is that in some cases the the voip phone number isn't recognized as a valid number for user authentication with some websites and apps. Some places want a phone number from an established wireless carrier likely under the assumption that a number that has payment associated with it is less likely to be used by a scammer. If you won't ever need to use it for authentication purposes Google Voice is great.

I think gv works for most everything except a very few outliers... Venmo is the one that comes to mind

[bberris]

A problem with Google Voice is that in some cases the the voip phone number isn't recognized as a valid number for user authentication with some websites and apps. Some places want a phone number from an established wireless carrier likely under the assumption that a number that has payment associated with it is less likely to be used by a scammer. If you won't ever need to use it for authentication purposes Google Voice is great.

I think gv works for most everything except a very few outliers... Venmo is the one that comes to mind

I use venmo to pay and receive payments with GV as my only phone number. I have a data only plan. I don't remember when I signed up, but it's possible I was initially authenticated when I had a real phone number.

[bogles the mind]

I've used tracfone prepaid with Google voice as my main number for probably the last 10+ years. Whenever I see a plan go on sale I buy it. Last time I bought (2) year plans with mins for $20.00/year although I'm not sure I'll find them that cheap going forward though.

Prepaid works very well as long as you remember to shut off data and have wifi available most of the time. The only downfall I've noticed is very long distance phone calls over wifi sometimes doesn't work well but I'll use the carriers paid plan for that.

Where do you find Tracfone deals like that?

[atlgenxennial]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

Does anyone have a link to a thread on how to actually use a prepaid card like this to "fund" a phone, SIM card, phone number, etc. etc.

I would like to have a separate number for spam purposes, but would have no idea how to actually get a prepaid card like this "assigned" to a physical phone, get a phone number, etc.

Explain to me like I'm an idiot (because I am)

[nalor511]

A problem with Google Voice is that in some cases the the voip phone number isn't recognized as a valid number for user authentication with some websites and apps. Some places want a phone number from an established wireless carrier likely under the assumption that a number that has payment associated with it is less likely to be used by a scammer. If you won't ever need to use it for authentication purposes Google Voice is great.

I think gv works for most everything except a very few outliers... Venmo is the one that comes to mind

I use venmo to pay and receive payments with GV as my only phone number. I have a data only plan. I don't remember when I signed up, but it's possible I was initially authenticated when I had a real phone number.

Venmo does not let you sign up with GV (today).

[snic]

You can set up burner phone numbers via apps such as TextNow and TextFree. They do texting within their own apps, so you'd just check that app for whatever texts you're expecting and never look at the app for any other reason. Some/all of these are free for some low level of usage, and it's easy to discard a phone number and replace it with another one when it gets spammy.

You probably can't use these phone numbers for 2FA, but you can use them for the example you gave of a business that wants your cell phone number just so you can place an order.

[mrmass]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

Does anyone have a link to a thread on how to actually use a prepaid card like this to "fund" a phone, SIM card, phone number, etc. etc.

I would like to have a separate number for spam purposes, but would have no idea how to actually get a prepaid card like this "assigned" to a physical phone, get a phone number, etc.

Explain to me like I'm an idiot (because I am)

In general, some phones support dual sim cards. In that case, you'd buy a sim card from a place like Red Pocket and stick it in, then buy minutes and the minutes/data are "attached" to that sim card.

Other phones such as the iPhone 15 are esim in that case you need to look for companies that offer esims. You "load" the esim on your phone by entering a bunch of numbers. Again you buy minutes/data and they will be "attached" to that esim.

[JG6]

Am I correct to assume that the decision hinges on either paying a low cost per month for a phone plan vs giving up a bit of your privacy to Google for a free number? Any other factors to consider?

What would you recommend?

Why do you think you aren't giving up your privacy using providers of low cost per month plans?

I switched over my landline to Google at the first of the year. It was relatively painless and has been working flawlessly since that time. I wished I had done it years sooner.

To be honest, I never thought about that. What type of data are the major carriers collecting?

[JG6]

You can set up burner phone numbers via apps such as TextNow and TextFree. They do texting within their own apps, so you'd just check that app for whatever texts you're expecting and never look at the app for any other reason. Some/all of these are free for some low level of usage, and it's easy to discard a phone number and replace it with another one when it gets spammy.

You probably can't use these phone numbers for 2FA, but you can use them for the example you gave of a business that wants your cell phone number just so you can place an order.

Wow, these seem perfect for this use! Have you used it before? Can you keep the number indefinitely for free?

Looks like textnow needs a SIM card, unless I, reading it wrong, so textfree may be the way to go.

[Afty]

Am I correct to assume that the decision hinges on either paying a low cost per month for a phone plan vs giving up a bit of your privacy to Google for a free number? Any other factors to consider?

What would you recommend?

Why do you think you aren't giving up your privacy using providers of low cost per month plans?

I switched over my landline to Google at the first of the year. It was relatively painless and has been working flawlessly since that time. I wished I had done it years sooner.

To be honest, I never thought about that. What type of data are the major carriers collecting?

For example, the FCC recently fined AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon $200M for illegally sharing customers' location data: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments ... 2213A1.pdf

[lthenderson]

Am I correct to assume that the decision hinges on either paying a low cost per month for a phone plan vs giving up a bit of your privacy to Google for a free number? Any other factors to consider?

What would you recommend?

Why do you think you aren't giving up your privacy using providers of low cost per month plans?

I switched over my landline to Google at the first of the year. It was relatively painless and has been working flawlessly since that time. I wished I had done it years sooner.

To be honest, I never thought about that. What type of data are the major carriers collecting?

I have no idea but nearly all companies collect information these days. I assume every company I do business is saving every bit of information I give them and more.

[snic]

You can set up burner phone numbers via apps such as TextNow and TextFree. They do texting within their own apps, so you'd just check that app for whatever texts you're expecting and never look at the app for any other reason. Some/all of these are free for some low level of usage, and it's easy to discard a phone number and replace it with another one when it gets spammy.

You probably can't use these phone numbers for 2FA, but you can use them for the example you gave of a business that wants your cell phone number just so you can place an order.

Wow, these seem perfect for this use! Have you used it before? Can you keep the number indefinitely for free?

Looks like textnow needs a SIM card, unless I, reading it wrong, so textfree may be the way to go.

If I remember right, for some of these you can keep the number as long as you use it every so often. You just have to make a text every month or something like that.

[Ervin]

Get the cheapest plan that satisfies your needs from Tello. Should be like $5/month + tax. Add it to your phone as a second (e)SIM.

[mrmass]

Get the cheapest plan that satisfies your needs from Tello. Should be like $5/month + tax. Add it to your phone as a second (e)SIM.

I just did that. Signed up for Tello I got the 1GB, 100 MIn deal for $6/month. checked the box I wanted an esim, after payment I added the new number to my existing iPhone 15. Now I have my work number and a personal number on my phone. (prepping for retirement)

[atlgenxennial]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

Does anyone have a link to a thread on how to actually use a prepaid card like this to "fund" a phone, SIM card, phone number, etc. etc.

I would like to have a separate number for spam purposes, but would have no idea how to actually get a prepaid card like this "assigned" to a physical phone, get a phone number, etc.

Explain to me like I'm an idiot (because I am)

In general, some phones support dual sim cards. In that case, you'd buy a sim card from a place like Red Pocket and stick it in, then buy minutes and the minutes/data are "attached" to that sim card.

Other phones such as the iPhone 15 are esim in that case you need to look for companies that offer esims. You "load" the esim on your phone by entering a bunch of numbers. Again you buy minutes/data and they will be "attached" to that esim.

How do you toggle between SIMs?

[Second Round]

I've used tracfone prepaid with Google voice as my main number for probably the last 10+ years. Whenever I see a plan go on sale I buy it. Last time I bought (2) year plans with mins for $20.00/year although I'm not sure I'll find them that cheap going forward though.

Prepaid works very well as long as you remember to shut off data and have wifi available most of the time. The only downfall I've noticed is very long distance phone calls over wifi sometimes doesn't work well but I'll use the carriers paid plan for that.

Where do you find Tracfone deals like that?

I'm not kilkoyne, and my deals weren't quite as good, but for a few years I got a new smartphone annually with a year's prepaid service (with rollover of unused balances) for about $65 shipped via HSN or QVC offerings - the only thing I've ever bought through them, honest!

By a year's service I mean 1500 min/1500 text/1.5 GB data. I typically use about 10% of that annually. [We maintain a landline for our home alarm system so that's what I mostly use for phone calls]

This year I upgraded to 2 flip phones each with a year's service (on the flips it was 1200/1200/1.5) for $77. Gave one to octogenarian mom, whose level of tech savvy and finger dexterity fits better with a flip than a smartphone anyway.

[PersonalFinanceJam]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

Does anyone have a link to a thread on how to actually use a prepaid card like this to "fund" a phone, SIM card, phone number, etc. etc.

I would like to have a separate number for spam purposes, but would have no idea how to actually get a prepaid card like this "assigned" to a physical phone, get a phone number, etc.

Explain to me like I'm an idiot (because I am)

In general, some phones support dual sim cards. In that case, you'd buy a sim card from a place like Red Pocket and stick it in, then buy minutes and the minutes/data are "attached" to that sim card.

Other phones such as the iPhone 15 are esim in that case you need to look for companies that offer esims. You "load" the esim on your phone by entering a bunch of numbers. Again you buy minutes/data and they will be "attached" to that esim.

How do you toggle between SIMs?

For iPhones, Apple has a good explanation on setting up multiple eSIMs and switching between them for things like calls and messages. The same applies for dual SIM as well it's just iPhones have been gravitating towards eSIM a bit more and the newest models are eSIM only in the US.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/109317

[Ervin]

How do you toggle between SIMs?

On the iPhone, you can decide which one to use when you make a call or send a message. You can even assign a specific eSIM to each contact in your phone (e.g. you can call/message co-workers from your work number, and friends from your personal number).

[atlgenxennial]

How do you toggle between SIMs?

You don't, unless you want to only use one at a time.

On the iPhone, you can use them both at the same time, and decide which one to use when you make a call. You can even assign a specific eSIM to each contact in your phone (e.g. you can call/message co-workers from your work number, and friends from your personal number).

In this case how is data “charged” to a SIM- how does it know which SIM is using data?

[Ervin]

In this case how is data “charged” to a SIM- how does it know which SIM is using data?

The Apple support page will answer most of your questions:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/109317

[bogles the mind]

I've used tracfone prepaid with Google voice as my main number for probably the last 10+ years. Whenever I see a plan go on sale I buy it. Last time I bought (2) year plans with mins for $20.00/year although I'm not sure I'll find them that cheap going forward though.

Prepaid works very well as long as you remember to shut off data and have wifi available most of the time. The only downfall I've noticed is very long distance phone calls over wifi sometimes doesn't work well but I'll use the carriers paid plan for that.

Where do you find Tracfone deals like that?

I'm not kilkoyne, and my deals weren't quite as good, but for a few years I got a new smartphone annually with a year's prepaid service (with rollover of unused balances) for about $65 shipped via HSN or QVC offerings - the only thing I've ever bought through them, honest!

By a year's service I mean 1500 min/1500 text/1.5 GB data. I typically use about 10% of that annually. [We maintain a landline for our home alarm system so that's what I mostly use for phone calls]

This year I upgraded to 2 flip phones each with a year's service (on the flips it was 1200/1200/1.5) for $77. Gave one to octogenarian mom, whose level of tech savvy and finger dexterity fits better with a flip than a smartphone anyway.

After seeing the HSN post here I bought a new A14 5g and a year plan for about $70. The card alone is over $100 so it was a great deal. Maybe it was your post that tipped me off. Thanks if it was. It would be nice to find good deals on year cards only in the future.

[mrmass]

This is probably the cheapest solution, $30 for a year (well, 360 days).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133196831828

Not to take away from OP's question-I hear there's an issue with RP around renewal time that some hoops need to be jumped through??

Does anyone have a link to a thread on how to actually use a prepaid card like this to "fund" a phone, SIM card, phone number, etc. etc.

I would like to have a separate number for spam purposes, but would have no idea how to actually get a prepaid card like this "assigned" to a physical phone, get a phone number, etc.

Explain to me like I'm an idiot (because I am)

In general, some phones support dual sim cards. In that case, you'd buy a sim card from a place like Red Pocket and stick it in, then buy minutes and the minutes/data are "attached" to that sim card.

Other phones such as the iPhone 15 are esim in that case you need to look for companies that offer esims. You "load" the esim on your phone by entering a bunch of numbers. Again you buy minutes/data and they will be "attached" to that esim.

How do you toggle between SIMs?

The iPhone creates another calling "profile" you get to pick the default number, and that will be the default when you make a call. When you make a call you can choose either number same as text choose what you're sending as.

[Invest4lt]

I used google voice for those types of things for several years without any issues. What I noticed is that I did not get spam on the GV number. So, I started re-thinking my approach. I'm trusting the vendor with my credit card info...and I wasn't seeing any spam. So, I simplified and started using my cell number. I haven't had any issues. IMHO, the old days of having to "protect" your cell number are long gone. I opted for simplicity. YMMV.

[YeahBuddy]

For anyone needing more data, we have xfinity mobile. It's not free or extremely cheap, but it is, however, much cheaper than most. $120 for 4 lines of unlimited. Service is excellent. Never any dropped calls and rarely does the connection break up. $30 per line is not bad for what we get!

[warner25]

I used google voice for those types of things for several years without any issues. What I noticed is that I did not get spam on the GV number. So, I started re-thinking my approach. I'm trusting the vendor with my credit card info...and I wasn't seeing any spam. So, I simplified and started using my cell number. I haven't had any issues. IMHO, the old days of having to "protect" your cell number are long gone. I opted for simplicity. YMMV.

I think Google Voice blocks a lot of spam that normal carriers don't / can't. Ten years ago I ported my primary number into Google Voice. Despite giving out that number for basically everything, it receives approximately zero spam calls and texts. My actual carrier numbers [1], on the other hand, which I never give out [2] receive spam on a daily basis.

[1] Plural, because I periodically change between prepaid carriers and networks as needed for better coverage when I move, or because I see a lower price. Using a Google Voice number as my primary number makes this pretty seamless.

[2] Except to register for the odd service that won't accept a Google Voice number, as others have already mentioned.

[Second Round]

After seeing the HSN post here I bought a new A14 5g and a year plan for about $70. The card alone is over $100 so it was a great deal. Maybe it was your post that tipped me off. Thanks if it was. It would be nice to find good deals on year cards only in the future.

Cool! Hope it works for you. I did that for four years, got a new phone every year. I'd keep the most recent one as backup and donate older retired ones. Nice thing about a new phone annually is that the battery wouldn't require daily charging and periodic low-battery panic (e.g. in a power outage) like that of my DW.

The phones available aren't very fast and the image quality on my last one (Samsung Galaxy A03s) is not even up to point-and-shoot pocketable cameras (images are noisy IMO, but TBF I've seen that even in iPhone photos). But the phone does do all the things people want smartphones to do. If you're a minimalist or low user of minutes, texts, or data, their included bucket will suffice. It did for me, but I rely far more on a computer for what would be done by text or data on a phone, and on a landline for voice minutes. I mostly only use my phone when away from home. So - the "great deal" depends much on your use case, as always.

[bogles the mind]

After seeing the HSN post here I bought a new A14 5g and a year plan for about $70. The card alone is over $100 so it was a great deal. Maybe it was your post that tipped me off. Thanks if it was. It would be nice to find good deals on year cards only in the future.

Cool! Hope it works for you. I did that for four years, got a new phone every year. I'd keep the most recent one as backup and donate older retired ones. Nice thing about a new phone annually is that the battery wouldn't require daily charging and periodic low-battery panic (e.g. in a power outage) like that of my DW.

The phones available aren't very fast and the image quality on my last one (Samsung Galaxy A03s) is not even up to point-and-shoot pocketable cameras (images are noisy IMO, but TBF I've seen that even in iPhone photos). But the phone does do all the things people want smartphones to do. If you're a minimalist or low user of minutes, texts, or data, their included bucket will suffice. It did for me, but I rely far more on a computer for what would be done by text or data on a phone, and on a landline for voice minutes. I mostly only use my phone when away from home. So - the "great deal" depends much on your use case, as always.

Your usage sounds like mine. I have thousands of minutes, texts and much data stockpiled from previous years.

[mjg]

I just ported one of my three cell phones from Red Pocket to Infimobile.com as my annual plan was ending. I will be porting the other two in 10 days when their annual plans are ending.

The Red Pocket plans were purchased a year ago for $120 for 12 month 5 GB per month with unlimited calls and text.

The replacement plan with Infimobile is currently priced at $99 for 12 month 10 GB per month with unlimited calls and texts.

Red Pocket uses ATT network, while Infimobile uses Verizon.

The porting of the number took about 45 minutes to complete.

Note that both the $120 and $99 plan prices were for new customers, with renewal being a bit more. I’ll just shop for the best price again at renewal time. I had been paying $30 per month x three phones for years until last year with a T-Mobile 55 year old and up plan (ie $360 per year). When the Red Pocket $120 a year sale was there, and having just retired, I couldn’t pass up the savings and decided to try a MVNO. All went fine, so now it’s find the best MVNO plan each year.

[kilkoyne]

I've used tracfone prepaid with Google voice as my main number for probably the last 10+ years. Whenever I see a plan go on sale I buy it. Last time I bought (2) year plans with mins for $20.00/year although I'm not sure I'll find them that cheap going forward though.

Prepaid works very well as long as you remember to shut off data and have wifi available most of the time. The only downfall I've noticed is very long distance phone calls over wifi sometimes doesn't work well but I'll use the carriers paid plan for that.

Where do you find Tracfone deals like that?

Black Friday Deal at HSN

$20.00/year now available now when you buy 2-pack (otherwise 30.00/year for single phone)
https://www.hsn.com/products/motorola-m ... a/22871306

Motorola Moto G Play 6.5" Tracfone w/1500 Min/Text/Data 2-pack Bundle
$59.99
-$20.00 off your first order with code HOLIDAY24
$0.00 Free Shipping
------
$39.99 (plus tax) for 2 years service


My plan doesn't expire until 3/2028 so I will probably hold off with this deal

[bogles the mind]

Where do you find Tracfone deals like that?

Black Friday Deal at HSN

$20.00/year now available now when you buy 2-pack (otherwise 30.00/year for single phone)
https://www.hsn.com/products/motorola-m ... a/22871306

Motorola Moto G Play 6.5" Tracfone w/1500 Min/Text/Data 2-pack Bundle
$59.99
-$20.00 off your first order with code HOLIDAY24
$0.00 Free Shipping
------
$39.99 (plus tax) for 2 years service


My plan doesn't expire until 3/2028 so I will probably hold off with this deal

Can the airtime be applied to my existing phone?

[kilkoyne]

Black Friday Deal at HSN

$20.00/year now available now when you buy 2-pack (otherwise 30.00/year for single phone)
https://www.hsn.com/products/motorola-m ... a/22871306

Motorola Moto G Play 6.5" Tracfone w/1500 Min/Text/Data 2-pack Bundle
$59.99
-$20.00 off your first order with code HOLIDAY24
$0.00 Free Shipping
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$39.99 (plus tax) for 2 years service


My plan doesn't expire until 3/2028 so I will probably hold off with this deal

Can the airtime be applied to my existing phone?

Yes.
I've got a drawer full of almost brand new Tracfones because their cheaper phones aren't worth trying to use.

If you already have a plan with Tracfone then you transfer your old minutes to the new phone. wait a day or two, and transfer back to your old phone.

If you don't have an account then you open account with the new phone, then buy a .99 cent transfer Sim card kit, and transfer your new account to your existing phone. (Maybe wait a day but I don't think you have to).

There are tutorials online on how to do it too. I usually do it over chat and ask for my balance so I have a record of my minutes but I've never had a problem in losing minutes so you can do it without using chat.

Just remember it's only 1.5GB/year data so if you need access outside of wifi you're going to burn through it quickly.

[bogles the mind]

Can the airtime be applied to my existing phone?

Yes.
I've got a drawer full of almost brand new Tracfones because their cheaper phones aren't worth trying to use.

If you already have a plan with Tracfone then you transfer your old minutes to the new phone. wait a day or two, and transfer back to your old phone.

If you don't have an account then you open account with the new phone, then buy a .99 cent transfer Sim card kit, and transfer your new account to your existing phone. (Maybe wait a day but I don't think you have to).

There are tutorials online on how to do it too. I usually do it over chat and ask for my balance so I have a record of my minutes but I've never had a problem in losing minutes so you can do it without using chat.

Just remember it's only 1.5GB/year data so if you need access outside of wifi you're going to burn through it quickly.

Thanks. Sounds like a lot of customer service interaction, a weak point with Tracfone in my experience but I may give it a try. What I have been doing is order an add on for $10 then usually an extension offer comes up for an additional year at $50. I have a lot of banked minutes and texts and data so airtime is my main need.

[kilkoyne]

Yes.
I've got a drawer full of almost brand new Tracfones because their cheaper phones aren't worth trying to use.

If you already have a plan with Tracfone then you transfer your old minutes to the new phone. wait a day or two, and transfer back to your old phone.

If you don't have an account then you open account with the new phone, then buy a .99 cent transfer Sim card kit, and transfer your new account to your existing phone. (Maybe wait a day but I don't think you have to).

There are tutorials online on how to do it too. I usually do it over chat and ask for my balance so I have a record of my minutes but I've never had a problem in losing minutes so you can do it without using chat.

Just remember it's only 1.5GB/year data so if you need access outside of wifi you're going to burn through it quickly.

Thanks. Sounds like a lot of customer service interaction, a weak point with Tracfone in my experience but I may give it a try. What I have been doing is order an add on for $10 then usually an extension offer comes up for an additional year at $50. I have a lot of banked minutes and texts and data so airtime is my main need.

You can do everything online without customer service. I only do it so I can download the chat log showing my years of service since I'm good until 2028.

I've never had a problem losing any years of service or losing data/text/mins but someone online told me to so that's how I've always done it. It's definitely worth doing especially if you already have a plan.

[chaser]

I've used a landline and Google Voice for many years. This is getting harder and harder to do, and I may finally cave and get a cheap cellphone plan. I do not recommend Google Voice.

More and more companies are rejecting Google Voice and VoIP numbers, which makes the Google Voice solution unusable. Financial institutions especially have rejected my Google Voice number, and more and more of them are trying to require a cellphone. Off the top of my head, I have had to call customer service for Wells Fargo, one of my credit unions, Fidelity, and one more bank I can't remember right now, because their systems refused to let me do certain things without a 'valid' number. Their systems are starting to assume all phone numbers are cellphones, and completely ignore the possibility your existing phone number is a landline, so all their systems start sending automated texts to my landline. So I have to call in and tell them that won't work, and it's becoming harder for the reps to figure out how to work around it. And the VoIP numbers just get flat out rejected as invalid. Vanguard is also among these (where they just assume my phone number is textable), although they seem to just send notification texts to my landline number which aren't important if I never get them, and Vanguard still at least has a voice phone callback verification system.

Another problem is you have to use Google Voice every few months, or your number will get reclaimed. I once missed the notification that I needed to use it and I lost the number. I was in a grace period where they still let me get the number back, but ironically, they only allowed this to be done through by providing a cellphone number. Landline and other VoIP numbers, including Google Voice numbers, were not allowed. Since Google automates everything to an extreme, you should never expect to be able to get human help from Google. So if you do manage to tie accounts to your Google Voice number, there is a risk that someday you could lose access to your Google Voice number, and you won't have any recourse.