Why Do you Use Tracfone? - Smartphone Info Reviewer Survey Results

Results from our Survey about Tracfone and our Readers

A few weeks back we created survey for our readers to take to help us get a better idea of who our readers were, what they are interested in, and ways we can improve the Smartphone Info blog. We received over 260 responses in about a week, and a lot of helpful information.

We want to share some of the more pertinent pieces of information from the survey with our readers as we found it very interesting and thought you might as well. You can go back and see the original post about the survey here, but it is no longer possible to take the survey.

We will start by just looking at the first five questions from the survey, as they are more generalized.

Question 1 - How Long have you been Using Tracfone?

In the first question of our survey we wanted to get a better idea of how long people have been using Tracfone. We were quite surprised that the majority of respondents to the survey (55%) had been using Tracfone for six years or more. Another 30% have used Tracfone for three to five years.

How Long Have You Been Using Tracfone?

Just 3% of respondents have been using Tracfone for less than a year, which leads us to two possible conclusions:

• Most readers on this blog are 'savvy' consumers and long-term Tracfone customers
• Tracfone Isn't attracting many new customers

We believe both statements may be partially true. Apparently America Movil, Tracfone's parent company, did lose almost half a million subscribers in the US during the first quarter of 2016 according to an article on FierceWireless. Tracfone and Safelink were where most of these subscriber  losses occurred, but America Movil also owns Straight talk and several other prepaid cell phone companies. Overall, America Movil has over 26 million users in the US across all their MVNO brands.

So, while Tracfone hasn't had the best year so far, we expect they are doing fine, and will be working hard to attract more new customers (hopefully with new and improved smartphones).

Question 2 - Why Do you use Tracfone?

To help understand what is important to our readers, we asked, 'Why do you use Tracfone?'. The answers were fairly consistent with what we expected, with the most popular answer being the low cost.

Take a look at the graph below for the full breakdown.

Why do you Use Tracfone?

Some of the 'Other' responses included those who use Tracfone for multiple reasons, like low cost and low use.

With the majority of people choosing Tracfone because of the low cost, we have to wonder why Tracfone released the expensive Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy S6. But perhaps they are just trying to appeal to the small segment of consumers who are willing to spend on a high-end device, but still want to use prepaid service.

It does look like Tracfone will be releasing several new mid-level Android LG phones which should appeal to more customers.

Question 3 - What is your Biggest Complaint about Tracfone?

Tracfone is a low cost cell phone carrier, and as such, they seem to skimp when it comes to certain things like customer service and quality. We see a fair number of comments on the blog with various issues and so we wanted to get a better idea about what the most common complaints about Tracfone were.

Lack of Smartphone options was actually the biggest complaint, with poor customer service coming in second. You can see the top four in the chart below.

Biggest Tracfone Complaint

We were pleasantly surprised by the number of 'Other' answers which mostly consisted of people responding that they didn't have any complaints about Tracfone.

The remaining 11% of our survey respondents choose Problems with Phone, Roaming Issues, Airtime Lost/Stolen or BYOP Problems as their biggest complaint.

Question 4 - Is your Tracfone Device your Primary Cell Phone?

Primary vs Backup Phone from Tracfone

We often see consumers who use Tracfone just as their backup or emergency phone, and not for everyday use. So we were curious about how many people use their Tracfone device as a primary phone versus a secondary or backup.

As it turns out, the majority of respondents use Tracfone as their primary phone. About 23% reported that they use it as a backup.

As Tracfone continues to offer newer phones we suspect more will switch to using Tracfone as their primary device. However, for those who need to make frequent calls or texts (or use data), using some kind of unlimited cell phone plan makes better economical sense.

Question 5 - What Type of Phone do you Currently Use?

Most Popular Type of Phone from Tracfone

We asked this question about what type of phone customers currently use not only because we were curious, but also to help us do a better job tailoring the content towers our readers.

We were somewhat surprised to see that 65% of our survey respondents use a smartphone from Tracfone. This does make a lot of sense, as Android phones from Tracfone offer lots of neat features (like Android OS) and there are a lot of great deals for buying phones and minutes bundled.

An almost equal number of respondents use either a non-smartphone from Tracfone or the Tracfone BYOP program.

This concludes our breakdown of the survey results. We may may create another post with analysis of some of the other questions in the future. We want to thank everyone who participated in our survey and helped provide the responses.

We are excited to continue to work at delivering information to our readers and the survey results have already helped.

Leave a comment below with any thoughts or questions you might have and if you're new to this blog take a look around as we have a wide variety of Tracfone related information.

We also have a Facebook page with over 1800 followers that make up a helpful community.

Thanks for visiting!

Tracfone LG Treasure L51AL Review

Review of the LG Treasure (L51AL) from Tracfone

Welcome to Smartphone info a blog with information, reviews and promo codes for Tracfone. Below is our review for the new LG Treasure. We hope you find the information helpful!

Tracfone LG Treasure Review

The LG Treasure is a mid-level (compared to other Tracfone smartphones) Android 5.1 powered phone newly available to Tracfone prepaid customers.

Tracfone is beginning to release phones at a faster pace, with several new devices becoming available over the last month (including the ZTE ZMAX 2, Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, and Samsung Galaxy S6). We are excited to be bringing to you today our review for the LG Treasure for use with Tracfone Wireless.

The LG Treasure is basically the Tracfone version of the LG K7, which was just released earlier in 2016. We are expecting several more LG phones to be released from Tracfone, but the time frame is unknown. For more on these other phones, visit our post, New LG/Samsung Phones Coming to Tracfone.

The LG Treasure is a budget smartphone that still comes with a large screen and some great features. Many Tracfone customers are looking for smartphones that fit into the budget phone category and won't break the bank.

The question many users might be wondering is if this phone is worth upgrading to from some of Tracfone's older smartphone options. We'll try to answer that a little further on, but first let's look at the quick facts for the LG Treasure.

LG Treasure (L51AL) Quick Facts

The Good:
-Android 5.1.1
-5" Touchscreen
-5MP Front and Rear Camera
-Reasonable Price - currently $99 from HSN.com

Not So Good:
-only 4GB useable space
-somewhat smaller processor - 1.1 Ghz

At first glance, this phone appears to deliver some great features for the price, but it does neglect a few things, like internal memory and processing power. But you can't really expect to get a high performance phone for a low cost, unless you buy a used/refurbished phone and bring it to Tracfone's BYOP program.

LG is one of the largest companies in South Korea and produces a wide range of products sold across the globe. They are also one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers, and have a diverse lineup of phone options, including their new flagship phone the LG G5 which features the latest version of Android, v 6.0.1 marshmallow.

The LG phones released by Tracfone to use with their prepaid service won't have quite the same performance features as LG's flagship, but they also won't cost as much.

Let's take a look at the full list of features and specifications for the LG Treasure.

LG Treasure (L51AL) Features and Specs

Below are the phone's features, followed by the technical specifications

• Android 5.1.1 Lolipop
• 4G LTE service using AT&T's GSM Network
• 5MP Front and Rear Camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1
• Access to over 1 Million apps via Google Play store
• Alarm Clock
• MP3 Player
• GPS capability
• 2 Home screens
• Voicemail, Voice Dialing
• Handsfree speaker

LG Treasure Specs

• Size: 5.65" x 2.85" x 0.35" Weight: about 5 oz.
• 5.0" Touchscreen at 480x852 resolution (196 ppi Pixel Density)
• 1.1 Ghz Quad-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 8 GB Memory (about 4GB Useable) MicroSD card slot
• Battery: 2045 mAh with Talk time 9hrs, Standby 11 days

A quad-core processor combined with 5" touchscreen and Android 5.1 is a very nice collection of features that make the Treasure a desirable option for many people. But what about the 4 GB of usable internal memory, is that too little?

Let's get into our review of the LG Treasure from Tracfone with our pro's and con's for this device, followed by a quick comparison to some of the other similar devices available from Tracfone like the LG Sunset and LG Ultimate 2.

LG Treasure Review - Likes and Dislikes

What we Like about the Treasure
There's quite a bit to like about this phone. After all, it is a newer device built to be budget friendly while still maintaining some great features

Tracfone LG Treasure front, side and back

We really like the screen size, the dual 5 MP cameras, and that the Treasure runs Android 5.1.1. We also think this phone is a great value at the current price.

The LG Treasure comes with a 5" touchscreen, which is about the average size these days for a smartphone device. The resolution isn't the best, at 480x852 pixels, but LG did a really great job on making this screen bright and clear.

When taking pictures with the LG Treasure, you will notice that it has a 5 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera. This gives you fairly good image quality for taking selfies or other photos. The rear camera also has an LED flash, while if you are taking photos with the front camera it has a neat feature that lights up part of the screen to act as a flash in low light situations. It is unusual for a budget smartphone to have such a high resolution front camera, and we hope this trend continues.

The volume and power buttons are located on the back of the phone, which may be more convenient for some users, and keeps the edges of the phone free from any buttons. This is great for those of us who tend to accidentally hit the buttons on the side of phones when trying to hold them.

Tracfone devices, unlike most unlocked phones, do not get Android OS updates (it has something to do with compatibility issues, and Tracfone would have to be involved in making sure the updates worked properly, but they don't currently want to do this) so it is nice to see that the LG Treasure comes with Android 5.1.1, which is a newer version that doesn't have some of the vulnerability issues previous Android versions had.

Finally, we are really happy with the overall value of the LG Treasure as it is currently offered by HSN bundled with an airtime card worth $100, and the whole bundle is going for $99, making the phone free. If you need airtime anyway, you might as well upgrade to this phone. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets look at a couple of concerns we do have.

What we Don't Like about the Treasure
There are two main concerns we have about the LG Treasure and we want to mention to help our readers before they buy this phone.

First, the LG Treasure only comes with 8 GB internal memory, of which, only about 4 GB is actually usable (the other 4 GB is used by the OS and pre-installed apps). For many users, this won't be a big deal because most of Tracfone's other smartphones, like the LG Sunset and LG Ultimate 2, have a similar amount of internal memory. Just keep in mind that you can't load this phone up with too many photos or large applications. Some apps can take up a full GB of space, so you would run out quickly.

The LG Treasure does come with a Micro SD card slot, which allows you to use up to 32 GB of external storage. This is great if you have a lot of music or other files you want to add.

The second concern we have is with the processor performance. The Treasure comes with a 1.1 Ghz quad core processor. This is more than enough power for everyday apps like Facebook, Instagram or calling/texting. But if you want to running larger, resource intense apps like certain games, you may run into performance trouble. The Treasure does have 1 GB RAM, which is average, yet overall we think the average user won't have any issues with performance.

That concludes our likes and dislikes, let us know in the comments if we missed anything, or if there are certain features you like/dislike!

Update - initially it appeared that the LG Treasure would have 1.5 GB RAM, but it urns out to only have 1 GB RAM.

LG Treasrue compared to LG Sunset and LG Ultimate 2

The LG Treasure is similar or an improvement over the LG Sunset and LG Ultimate 2 in almost every way, which makes sense since it is much newer. The improvements, however, are generally only small improvements.

Compared to the LG Ultimate 2, the Treasure comes with a larger screen (5" vs 4.5") a better processor (quad-core vs dual-core) better cameras (5 MP front and rear vs 5 MP rear camera and 1.3 MP front) and more internal memory (8 GB vs 5 GB). The LG Treasure also comes with Android 5.1.1 versus 4.4 which the Ultimate 2 come with. These improvements are noticeable, but not huge. If you are currently using an Ultimate 2 and considering upgrading, the Treasure would probably be a little faster and have a little better performance overall.

One important piece of information to note is that the Ultimate 2 is a  CDMA phone that uses Verizon towers while the Treasure is a GSM phone that uses AT&T service. So be sure to check your coverage before switching.

The differences between the LG Sunset and Treasure are a little less noticeable, but still exist. The LG Treasure has a newer processor but slower speed (1.1 Ghz vs 1.2 Ghz) a larger screen (5" vs 4.5") slightly newer Android OS (5.1.1 vs 5.0.1) and better front camera (5 MP vs 1.3 MP). They both have a quad core processor, 8 GB internal Memory and 4G LTE service using AT&T cell towers.

The LG Treasure is an upgrade over the LG Sunset, but we might only suggest you upgrade if you are also in need of the airtime that comes in the bundle. Otherwise, you might want to want and see what other phones Tracfone releases in the coming months.

Overview and Where to Buy the LG Treasure

The LG Treasure brings great features including a 5" touchscreen and Android 5.1.1 at a very reasonable price making it a great upgrade from older Tracfone smartphones.

It doesn't have the performance to match some of Tracfone's other recent releases, like the Samsung Galaxy S6, but it also is significantly cheaper.

You can find the LG Treasure bundled with a 1 Year/400 Minute airtime card (and other items) on HSN where it is currently on sale for $99.

You can also view Tracfone's Tutorial to learn more about how to use this device.

There is also a CDMA version of this phone which we expect to be released sometime in the near future.

We hope you found this review useful, and if you have any questions or thoughts you can share them in a comment below.

Here are some additional helpful resources we have created for Tracfone Android users:
How to Check your Airtime on Tracfone Android Phones
How Minutes Work on Tracfone Smartphones
How to Buy Only Texts for your Smartphone
Are Data Cards a Good Deal from Tracfone?
Analysis of the New Smartphone Only Airtime Cards from Tracfone

And if you want to keep up with the latest news and info, join us on Facebook!

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New LG, Samsung Smartphones coming to Tracfone

Samsung Galaxy S6 and other New Android Phones on the Horizon for Tracfone

Below are some details from several new phones that will be coming to Tracfone in the near future. If you're unfamiliar with the TracfoneReviewer blog, take a look around, we share lots of information about Tracfone including reviews, news and promotional codes. 

New Tracfone Smartphones are on the Way!

There is a handful of new Android powered smartphones on the horizon for Tracfone and we are excited to be sharing the details on some of these phones below, including the Samsung Galaxy S6.

While some of these devices will be mid-range phones similar to the LG sunset, many appear to use Android 5.0 or newer. There are also several, including the Galaxy S6, that will have more robust features and performance.

Tracfone continues to expand its offering of smartphones as it slowly works to phase out older, non-smartphone devices. While they still sell and support non-Android phones, many customers have already switched to a smartphone. In a recent survey we conducted here on the blog, 65% of the 260 respondents already used a Tracfone Android device, while only 17% still used a non-Android phone. The remaining 18% use a smartphone on Tracfone BYOP.

We are excited to see more smartphones coming as these new phones might make for good options to upgrade to for those with older Android devices. (also take a look at our Android Tracfone List for the full list of Tracfone's smartphone options.)

The time-frame for when these new devices will be released is unknown, and it could be days or months. We're not even sure where they will be offered, as several recent smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime, have only been available from 3rd party retailer HSN.com. We will update as soon as these details become clear.

The question we are wondering is whether we will see a higher-end smartphone at a more reasonable price. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a high-end phone, but it also comes at a high cost, which many users cannot afford.

Let's go through and take a closer look at some of the more interesting phones that will be coming to Tracfone in the near future. (Note - below are just the Samsung and LG phones coming to Tracfone, we will be writing about the new ZTE phones that are also coming in a future post.)

Samsung Galaxy S6 - Samsung S906L - 4G LTE (CDMA)

Tracfone Samsung Galaxy S6

The Galaxy S6 is Samsung's flagship phone from 2015 and the new version of the Galaxy S5 which was released by Tracfone a few months ago.

While the S6 does come with a number of nice upgrades and new features, it still shares a number of similarities with the older S5. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the S5 already had great features, but if you're expecting a significant change, look elsewhere.

A 5.1" touchscreen and 16 MP Camera come with the S6 (same as the S5) but the screen has higher resolution. The Galaxy S6 also runs Android 5.0 and has 3 GB RAM, plus an improved appearance.

When the Samsung Galaxy S5 was released for Tracfone, it started at $499, so we expect the S6 will (unfortunately) be at a similar price.

The Galaxy S6 has been released and is available from HSN. You can also take a look at our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 for more details, including a comparison to the S5.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime - S920L - 4G LTE (CDMA)

Update - The Galaxy Grand Prime is available for $99 from Bestbuy! (currently on sale, retail price is $149).

The Galaxy Grand Prime is like the older brother of the Galaxy Core Prime which Tracfone released along with the Galaxy S5 a few months ago. The Grand Prime is bigger, more powerful, and can handle more. It comes with Android 5.0, a 5.0" touchscreen and an 8 MP Camera - all improvements over the Core Prime.

This phone (along with some of the others below) will make a great option for many Tracfone users to upgrade to from older smartphones.

No word on the release date, but we think it will be released at the same time as the Galaxy S6 (whenever that might be).

View this devices Tutorial from Tracfone for more details.

(LG K4) -LG L43AL/ LGL44VL

There are quite a few new LG phones on the way, and we will start off with the LG 43AL and 44VL. These two devices are exactly the same, except for one important distinction - the AL version uses AT&T 4G LTE networks while the VL uses Verizon 4G LTE networks. This is great as it allows users to choose this phone no matter if they have CDMA or GSM coverage in their area. (For those who might not know, Tracfone contracts with Verizon for their CDMA network, and AT&T for GSM.)

The L43 and 44 appear to be the Tracfone versions of the LG K4, which is a newer phone only just released in January 2016, and comes with a 4.5" screen, Android 5.1.1, 5 MP camera and quad-core processor among other features. This appears to be very similar to the LG Sunset, but maybe a little newer.

As more details come available we will update them here, but for now you can take a look at the Tracfone tutorials for each of the phones:
LG L43AL Tutorial
LG L44VL Tutorial

LG Treasure (LG K7) - LG L51AL/ LG L52VL

Update - The LG K7 (called the LG Treasure) was briefly available on HSN.com, but after selling out, it is no longer available. The LG Treasure is available for $99 on HSN (listed for $129)

The LG L51AL and L52VL upgraded versions of the two LG phones above, and appear to be the Tracfone version of the LG K7.

It looks like Tracfone will be releasing a whole lineup of LG phones - the K4, K7 and K10 (below) which will provide some really great options for consumers.

As with the K4 above, the LG K7 (L51/L52) was released in the beginning of 2016 and sports some nice features like a 5.0" screen and Android 5.1.1. Further details are a little murky, as there are at least two versions of this phone and we're not sure which version Tracfone will use.

We will be sharing more on this phone as things clear up, for now you can view the Tracfone Tutorials for each device, although we're not sure if they are completely accurate at this time.
LG L51AL Tutorial
LG L52VL Tutorial

LG Premier (LG K10) - LG L61AL/ LG L62VL

Now these new LG phones really start to get interesting. The LG Premier (Tracfone version of the K10) comes with a 5.3" touchscreen, Android 5.1.1, and an 8 MP camera.

It looks like the Premier will also have 16 GB internal memory, a quad-core processor and 1 GB RAM, although we're not sure if the Tracfone version will be exactly the same.

The LG Premier looks like it will make for a really nice upgrade from older Android devices, while hopefully coming in at a price below $200, and maybe even closer to $150.

As with the other phones listed, we will add more details as the information becomes available. For now, take a look at the device tutorials, although we're not confident in their accuracy.
LG L61AL Tutorial
LG L62VL Tutorial

LG Stylo 2 - LG L81L/ LG L82L

LG Stylo 2 for Tracfone

The last phone we're going to look at in this post is the LG L81 and L82, which appear to be the LG Stylo 2.

This phone will have a 5.7" touchscreen display, Android 5.1.1 (or perhaps newer), 16 GB internal memory and 2 GB RAM. There is not a lot of additional information available on the Stylo 2, or what the Tracfone version will offer, but it looks like it will be a fairly powerful but still budget friendly device. We expect it to retail somewhere around $200.

This phone offers a good blend of great features, while still keeping the cost somewhat reasonable and we are excited to see what it will have to offer. You can view the tutorials on the Tracfone website, but, as with some of the other phones above, we're not sure how accurate they are, and some of the information might just be placeholders.
LG L81AL tutorial
LG L82VL tutorial 

That concludes our look at some of the phones that Tracfone will be releasing in the near future. Please leave a comment with which phone is most interesting to you, and if you have any questions or thoughts.

We will be also sharing more about several new ZTE phones in a future post.

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Check out our recent list of the Best Sales, Discounts and Deals for April 2016.

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Tracfone Samsung Galaxy S5 Review

Samsung Galaxy S5 Review - Tracfone Android Smartphone

Below we share our review of the Samsung Galaxy S5 that is for use with Tracfone prepaid service. TracfoneReviewer is a blog that shares information, reviews and much more about Tracfone Wireless to help consumers save money and find answers to their questions.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Review for Tracfone

If you're looking for a powerful smartphone to use with Tracfone and don't want to try out the BYOP program, the Samsung Galaxy S5 from Tracfone might be the phone for you.

Three new (to Tracfone) phones recently became available including the Samsung Galaxy S5, which was the most notable of the trio for us (the other two are the Samsung Galaxy E5 and Samsung Galaxy Core Prime).

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was first released to the public in April of 2015, making it one of the most recent phones Tracfone has added to their lineup. Many of the phones that Tracfone releases to use with their service are several years old, which is challenging for smartphone users where technology is progressing at a rapid pace. A phone that is a few years old will generally do the basic functions just fine, but will struggle and run slowly when trying to operate with multiple applications running at one time.

The Galaxy S5, however, is a phone that can keep up with multiple programs running at once, or even more resource intensive apps and games, due to its fast, quad-core processor and 2 GB of RAM.

Before we get too far, let's look at some pro's and con's we've discovered.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Quick Facts

The Good Points:
-Great Camera - 16 MP
-Lots of Memory/Storage - 16 GB
-Large Touchscreen - 5.1"
-4G LTE

The Not so Good:
-Expensive - currently $500 with 1 Year/400 minute airtime card bundle
-Older OS - Android 4.4

The Samsung Galaxy S5 from Tracfone is basically a really great smartphone with a lot of impressive features that users have been desiring for a long time. But, its expensive. Let's dig into the full list of features and phone specifications for the Galaxy S5 to see how this phone is better than any other device offered by Tracfone at this time.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Features and Specs

Below are the features for the Galaxy S5, followed by the phone specifications.

• Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• 4G LTE service through Verizon CDMA cell towers
• 16 MP Rear Camera, 2 MP Front
• WiFi and Bluetooth
• GPS
• NFC
• 3 Home Screens
• Access to over 1 Million Apps on Google Play
• Triple Talk, Text and Data
• Caller ID, Voice Dialing, Voicemail
• Hearing Aid Compatible
• Alarm Clock
• MP3 Player
• Hadsfree Speaker
• Heart rate sensor
• Air Gestures, Smart Scroll and Smart Pause
• IP67 Certified - Dust and Water Resistant (1 Meter/30 Minutes underwater)

Samsung Galaxy S5 Technical Specs

• Size: 5.59" x 2.84" x 0.31"
• 5.1" Touchscreen (capacitive) at 1080x1920 resolution (432 ppi pixel density)
• 2.5 Ghz Quad core processor
• 2 GB RAM
• 16 GB Internal Memory
• Battery: 2800 mAh with 29 hrs talk time, 27 days standby (removable)

This phone brings a whole host of features and upgrades that most Tracfone users haven't experienced because no other Tracfone device at this time can compare to the Samsung Galaxy S5 (except, perhaps, the Galaxy E5). The LG Sunset, for example, has 1 GB RAM, 8 GB Internal Memory and  a 5 MP Camera, about half as good on each of those features compared to the Galaxy S5. But the Sunset does have 4G LTE just like the S5.

Let's get into what we like and don't like about this phone, where we will also review many of the great features the Galaxy S5 comes with.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Review - What we Like (and don't like) About the S5 for Tracfone

What we Like:
The Samsung Galaxy S5 was the flagship phone for Samsung when it was launched, which means it was loaded up with the best tech and newest features. We like a lot of things about this phone, because it comes with a lot. So let's break it down and get into reviewing some of the most exciting features.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Front and Back

The first thing you notice about this phone is the screen, which is an impressive 5.1" and has a resolution of 1080x1920, which is better than any other Tracfone smartphone at this time. It also has a pixel density of about 430, making for very crisp, clear viewing on this phone.

Internal memory and RAM are both great features on the S5, which comes with 16 GB for storing apps, photos and other things, and 2 GB for running multiple apps at once. The 2.5 Ghz processor is also very good, and should have no problem keeping up with the latest games and applications you may want to run on your phone.

For Tracfone users who want to do some phone photography, the Galaxy S5 has a very impressive 16 MP rear camera that comes with a host of features all to itself. You also get a 2.1 MP front camera for selfies and video chatting. The rear camera has auto-focus and flash, and will record video at UHD 4K quality. Take a look at some photo samples on flickr to see the quality for yourself.

One additional feature that we're quite impressed by is the Galaxy S5's IP67 rating, which means that it is dust resistant, and water resistant up to 1 meter deep, for 30 minutes. You can watch some of the waterproof tests on YouTube if you're interested. It is never a bad thing to have a phone that won't be ruined because of an accident or a moment of forgetfulness.

Finally the S5 does come with a handful of extra features that may or may not be useful to you, like a heartbeat sensor, gesture controls, smart scrolling and more.

For performance and features, the Galaxy S5 is unmatched by any other Tracfone device at this time, and delivers a full smartphone experience.

It's not all good news though, we do want to share a couple of concerns about the Galaxy S5.

Dislikes for the Samsung Galaxy S5
While there are so many great features with the Samsung Galaxy S5, there are two things we don't like, that might be deal-breakers for some Tracfone users. The first is the price, which is rather steep. The Galaxy S5 is only available through online retailers HSN.com and it is listed for $499 bundled with a 1 Year/ 400 Minute card, and some additional items. The airtime card is worth $100, making the phone cost closer to $399.

Our issue with the price is that you can find an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S5 on Amazon for $325 (and closer to $200 if you're willing to buy a refurbished model). You can then get a SIM card from Tracfone, and use the phone on the BYOP program.

The second negative about the Samsung Galaxy S5 is that it comes with Android 4.4.2, and cannot be updated. If you get the unlocked version, and bring it to Tracfone's BYOP program, you will be able to update it to version 5.0.1, but the Tracfone version is locked at Android Kitkat, which has some known security issues. If you are concerned about your phone's security, then look into the BYOP program.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Overview and Additional Resources

If the two negative aspects of the S5 don't worry you, then the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a great buy and a great smartphone to use on Tracfone's low cost prepaid network. You will be getting high performance at low monthly costs.

But if the price and possible security issues are a worry, we strongly recommend looking into the BYOP program from Tracfone which allows consumers to bring a wide variety of devices to use with Tracfone.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is available from HSN with a minutes bundle and is listed for $499.

We will update this when we find the phone available from other sources.

View the Galaxy S5's Interactive Tutorial to learn more about how the phone works, or visit Samusng's website for the S5 to read up on what they have for the phone, which includes a user manual.

If you're new to using smartphones with Tracfone, take a look at some of our popular articles we've posted including:
How to Check your Airtime on Tracfone Android Phones
How Minutes Work on Tracfone Smartphones
How to Buy Only Texts for your Smartphone
Are Data Cards a Good Deal from Tracfone?
Analysis of the New Smartphone Only Airtime Cards from Tracfone

If you have any further thoughts or questions, leave a comment below. Each comment is reviewed before posting.

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The Future of Tracfone in 2016

What to Expect in 2016 with Tracfone and a Look Back at 2015

What does the Future hold for Tracfone in 2016?

2016 is upon us and its time to share our thoughts on what to expect from Tracfone in the new year. We will cover what direction we think Tracfone is moving, any changes to the products and services they offer, and some things we hope they will do in the next 12 months.

While TracfoneReviewer is not associated or affiliated with Tracfone in any way, we carefully follow and try to stay up to date on everything going on with Tracfone so that we can share it with our readers and followers on the blog. Below we will give some general opinions and thoughts on what to expect from Tracfone in 2016, but remember that these are just educated guesses based on our experiences. Please share your thoughts and expectations in the comments at the end of this post.

Before we jump into 2016, lets review what Tracfone did in 2015, as it has been a year full with new phones, progression and expansion in service from Tracfone, and various other changes.

Tracfone Year in Review - 2015

While plenty has happened with Tracfone in 2015 we want to highlight three particular changes that were greeted with excitement and enthusiasm from consumers. The Three changes were airtime cards for smartphones, expansion of the BYOP program, and new smartphones available from Tracfone.

Data-Only and Text-Only Airtime Cards for Smartphones
When smartphones came to Tracfone in 2013, the airtime added to these phones was changed to split into three categories - Talk, Text and Data. What this meant was that if you ran out of one category, like text messages, you would have to buy more airtime for all three, even if you only need more texts!

A lot of Tracfone users were annoyed that they had an abundance of one or two categories, but were always running low on another category. Thus, when Tracfone released Data-Only Airtime cards and eventually Text-Only cards, many users were very happy to see them.

You can take a look at our post on the Tracfone Data Cards and Text Cards to learn more about them, and if they are a good deal.

Tracfone also released smartphone-only airtime cards that give you specific amounts of Talk time, Texts and Data and do no triple. We Analyzed the New Tracfone Smartphone Airtime Cards and offered our opinion on what ones are the best deal.

4G LTE BYOP for both GSM and CDMA
4G LTE coverage with Tracfone BYOP was probably the most exciting advance Tracfone made in 2015. They opened the door to a host of much more advanced smartphones that could be used with their service and many users took advantage of this and upgraded. Now you can bring an iPhone 6 or a Samsung Galaxy S6 to use with either GSM or CDMA cell service through Tracfone's prepaid service.

LG Sunset with 4G LTE Service
For all of 2014 Tracfone only offered 3G CDMA smartphones for sale and many consumers who didn't have good CDMA coverage were frustrate that they couldn't upgrade to a smartphone. But in 2015 Tracfone released the LG Sunset, which was the second Android phone from Tracfone that uses GSM coverage, and the first with 4G LTE service.

We hope the Sunset will be the first of many more advanced 4G phones coming to Tracfone.

Now that we've looked back at the year, time to see what's in store with Tracfone for 2016!

What to Expect from Tracfone in 2016

We believe Tracfone will move in two primary directions for 2016; release more low-end smartphones and continue to promote the BYOP program.

Already we have seen significant advertising and promotions for bringing your own phone to Tracfone. They have done a lot to improve the process, including webpages dedicated to checking your phone's compatibility and activating the device. Tracfone has also released a number of smartphone-only airtime cards, that can be used with either BYOP devices or Tracfone smartphones.

It would appear that Tracfone has found a successful niche for themselves in providing pay-as-you-go service to consumers who don't want contracts or don't need unlimited service. The major carriers like Verizon and AT&T don't really compete with Tracfone because they target very different segments of the cell phone market (heavy users vs light users).

Tracfone has the opportunity to release their own smartphones and we hope they will continue to advance and catch up with the kind of phones you can use on the BYOP program. However, Tracfone will likely only offer devices in the $100-200 range that are a few years old. If consumers want a high-end phone to use with Tracfone, they will have to bring their own.

We do expect Tracfone to continue offering non-smartphones, but don't expect they will be offering any new or updated devices. They released very few, if any, non-android phones in 2015, and that Trend will probably continue. You can still buy plenty of 'dumb' phones from Tracfone, so don't worry about that disappearing anytime soon, it is a strong part of their profitability.

One of the weaknesses that Tracfone faces and needs to fix in 2016 is their somewhat complicated airtime structure. For new users, it can be confusing to know what which airtime is best for them to purchase, and exactly how it will be added to their phone. Right now, Tracfone offers both regular airtime cards that triple when added to a smartphone, and also smartphone-only cards that don't triple. There are airtime plans that give you minutes and 30 days of service every month, and there are auto-renewal options that automatically add a new 90 day airtime card to your phone every 3 months. We will have to wait and see if any changes come, but it is a small barrier for new customers.

Finally, we would recommend our readers continue in the direction that best suits them. So if you prefer the features and speed that a higher-end smartphone can give, then buy your own phone on Amazon, eBay or other retailers and bring it to use with Tracfone. You will have a great device and only be paying a small amount each month for service.

If you prefer a more simple device and less hassle in activating it, then go with a Tracfone branded phone. These won't be disappearing anytime soon.

We also suggest looking into some of the value plans Tracfone offers, or at buying the 1 Year/ 400 Minute Airtime card because these are some of the better deals offered by Tracfone and will help save you money if you're currently buying a 60 Minute Card every 3 months or so.

Tracfone looks like they are growing and pushing their BYOP program and we think they will continue in 2016 as the leaders of pay-as-you-go service.

We hope this post was help and gives you some perspective and ideas on where Tracfone may be heading in the coming months. Please leave a comment below with any questions or thoughts from this post.

If you are still looking for gift ideas, or have a gift card to spend, take a look at our Top 10 List of Tracfone Gift Ideas which includes many fun ideas for Tracfone users.

Thanks for vising and for another great year here at TracfoneReviewer. Happy New Year!

New Smartphone Airtime Cards from Tracfone - Are They A Good Deal?

We Compare the New Smartphone Airtime Cards with the Regular Airtime Cards from Tracfone

Tracfone recently added several new options for buying airtime for your smartphone. These new cards are only for smartphone users on Tracfone, and add specific amounts of talk time, texts and data that does not triple when you top off your phone. Are these new cards a good deal? Are you better off buying the older cards? We are going to answer those questions right here for you!

For those who might not know, Tracfone is a prepaid wireless phone company that provides both cell phones, and service to use the phones on. Over the last few years Tracfone has offered many different Android powered smartphones to use with their service, as well as making it possible to bring your own smartphone device to use with their service (called the BYOP program).

All smartphones on Tracfone automatically split airtime cards into three separate categories - talk time, texts and data. All smartphones also automatically triple airtime you add to the phone, which is a nice bonus.

With these new airtime cards that can only be used with smartphones, the airtime is not tripled when you add it to your smartphone, and the cards come with specific amounts for talk time, texts and data.

For example, the new 2000 Minute Card comes with 2000 minutes talk time, 3000 text messages, and 1 GB data. Each of the new cards also comes with 90 service days.

So are these new airtime cards a good deal for Tracfone users? Let's take a look.

Comparison of Smartphone Airtime Cards Vs. Regular Airtime Cards

We are going to go through a couple of tables to analyze the different cards and try to determine which cards are a better value. We will do our best to explain each of the tables as we go through them. Please be sure to leave a comment if you don't understand how we came to our conclusions, or if you have a better way of explaining this.

Let's start with the first table that shows the two categories of airtime cards, how many minutes you get for each card, and what the price per minute is for each card. We also include text and data costs. Also note that we tripled each of the 'old' airtime cards, because they are automatically tripled when adding them to a smartphone.

Tracfone Smartphone Cards vs Regular Airtime Cards - Which One is Better?

As you can see from the table above, with a 450 minute card you will get 1350 minutes for talking, 1350 texts, and 1350 MB of data (1.35 GB).

Notice the 3000 minute smartphone only card. With this card you get 3000 minutes for talking, 3000 texts, but only 1500 MB data (1.5 GB).

Then take a look at the 200 minute smartphone card, you get 2000 minutes for talking but 3000 texts! And also 1000 MB data (1 GB).

So, as you can see, the new smartphone cards don't give even amounts of talk/text/data, but rather give a varying amount of each. The general trend for these smartphone only cards is that they give more talk time, a lot more texts, but less data than the regular airtime cards. This is generally very good, because many smartphone users go though their texts the fastest.

Now let's take a look at the second half of the table above, the part about price per minute, text and MB (data).

The general trend we can see is that the larger the airtime card, the better deal you get (you get more for your money when you buy more).

What we really want to take a look at is the cost (or price) per airtime amount. The smartphone only cards are cheaper for both talk time and texts, but a little more expensive for the data. The 'average' cost shows that the smartphone only cards are a little cheaper, mostly because they give you a lot more texts compared to the regular airtime cards.

Let's take a look at this next table which explains how many minutes you get per dollar.

Tracfone Smartphone Airtime Cards - Minutes per Dollar

The table above shows how many minutes you get for each dollar spent on an airtime card. So for the 450 Minute Card, you get just under 20 minutes talk time, 20 texts, and 20 MB for one dollar. You can see that this is the best deal for the 'old' cards.

Now look at the 2000 minute smartphone only card. For one dollar you get almost 27 talking minutes, 40 texts, and about 13 MB data. So, compared to the 450 Minute card, you get a better deal on talk time, twice as many texts, and a slightly worse deal on data.

How do the regular airtime cards compare to the new smartphone airtime cards?

The smartphone only cards are a better deal for talking, and MUCH better deal on texts, and a slightly worse deal on data.

So, if you use your smartphone primarily for texting, these new smartphone cards are a great value for you. You should especially consider the 2000 and 1000 minute cards, because both of these give you 40 texts per dollar, the best deal of any of the cards.

But if you use more data than anything else, you may want to stick with the old airtime cards, or just buy data only cards. You could also consider the 400 Minute/1 Year card, which we did not include in the table, but is a similar value to the 450 Minute Card.

For many, buying the 500 Minute Smartphone only card is a better value than the regular 200 Minute Airtime card because you get almost twice as many texts, with slightly less talk and data time.

Take a moment to consider your own needs, and which airtime card you usually buy, and see if there is a better option on the tables above.

We hope this analysis has been helpful, and understandable. Let us know in the comments what you thought, and which airtime card you will be choosing.

We have several other posts relating to buying airtime with Tracfone. Take a look at How to Buy Only Texts, How Data Works on Tracfone, and How Do Minutes work on Tracfone Smartphones?

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And see our TOP 10 Gift Ideas for Tracfone Users!

Thanks for visiting and Merry Christmas!

Top 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Tracfone Users

Tracfone Gift Guide 2015 - 10 Ideas for Christmas Gifts

A collection of phones, accessories and other gift ideas for Tracfone users. We hope this gift guide helps with your holiday shopping and TracfoneReviewer wants to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

TracfoneReviewer's 2015 Tracfone Gift Guide

As the holidays quickly draw near, it can sometimes be a challenge to find gifts for every person on your list. We all can use some ideas and inspiration to help find a gift for that person that seems to have everything.

We're here to help! With our annual Christmas Gift Guide that collects and shares some of the latest phones and accessories to use with Tracfone, along with plenty of extra suggestions.

For those who might not know, Tracfone is a prepaid wireless cell phone company that offers both airtime, and cell phones, at very budget friendly prices. Consumers can also bring certain devices to use with Tracfone, including most top of the line smartphones available today.

Christmas is a great time to surprise someone with a new phone, or upgrade them to a smartphone. But there are plenty of other ideas beyond phones in our list, in fact, we've created a list of 10 different Christmas gift ideas, so let's take a look!

1. Find a New Phone, or Upgrade from an Old Device

Tracfone has a good number of options when choosing a cell phone, from non-android flip phones, to 5.5" touchscreen smartphones. We will share some different ideas for each of the options.

Tracfone's can make a great first phone for many kids/teenagers because it is relatively inexpensive, and helps them to keep track of their use of the phone, so they don't run out of minutes too quickly.

Tracfone devices are also handy for many other uses as well, including an emergency or backup phone.

If you, or the person your shopping for, isn't very familiar with Tracfone, take a look at our Beginners Guide to Tracfone to get started.

Now let's start with the some of the latest and greatest smartphones available from Tracfone at this time:

LG Sunset/LG Power/LG Destiny 

LG Sunset

These phones are each almost exactly the same except that the Sunset (and Destiny) use GSM 4G LTE, and the LG Power has CDMA 3G service. These devices come with Android 5.0, and a 4.5" touchscreen.

You should choose which of these three  LG phone to get based on whether your area has better CDMA or GSM coverage. If you're unfamiliar with those terms, take a look at our GSM vs CDMA post and how to choose which is right for you.

The Sunset(link to our review) and Power(link to our review) are both widely available from online retailers like Amazon and eBay and usually cost around $100. We've only found the LG Destiny listed on the Tracfone website.

Find the LG Sunset on Amazon at $89

Also available on eBay for $89

We've found the LG Power on Amazon for $69

And available on eBay for $70

ZTE Quartz
If you're looking for screen size, the Quartz is your answer, with a huge 5.5" touchscreen that is the largest phone currently available from Tracfone. The Quartz runs on 3G CDMA network and uses Android 4.3.

Take a look at our review of the ZTE Quartz to learn more about this phone.

You can find the Quartz on many online retail websites and also on the Tracfone site for about $100-130.

View the ZTE Quartz on Amazon for $89 , on eBay for $69

LG Ultimate 2
While the Ultimate 2 has been available for over a year, it is still a good smartphone option and is now available at some nice prices, especially bundled with minutes.

When the Ultimate 2 came out it was very popular, and for good reason. It had a combination of features and specs, like the 4.5" touchscreen, Android 4.4 and 5 GB Internal Memory, that made for an enjoyable smartphone experience. Visit our review of the Ultimate 2 to see more info, and lots of comments from users.

The Ultimate 2 can be found many places online, and sometimes in stores, for $80-100 (but we have found some better deals)

View the Ultimate 2 on Amazon (view the 'New' phones for sale, best price is $69)

If you would like to view all the smartphone options from Tracfone, visit our Tracfone Android List.

If you're not interested in a smartphone, there are a few other options to choose from.

LG 441G Flip Phone
This simple yet tried and true device doesn't do anything fancy, but it does work great as a phone, especially if you're looking for a backup or in case of emergencies. The LG 441G is the slightly newer version of the LG 440G, which you can view our review of to learn more.

You can find the LG 441G in many stores, online and on the Tracfone website.

LG 306G/305C
The 306G is a popular non-android touchscreen device. The 306G uses GSM service, while the 305C uses CDMA, so you can choose which one will have the best service in your area.

These phones aren't the most fancy, but they are some of the most advanced from Tracfone that don't use Android OS. You can learn more about this phone on our Review of the LG 306G.

Find the LG 306G and 305C in stores, online and on the Tracfone website.

Now we will share some phone ideas that can be used with the BYOP program from Tracfone.

2. Bring Your Own Phone to Tracfone

Tracfone BYOP, where you bring your own smartphone to use with Tracfone, has continued to grow in popularity and accessibility for Tracfone customers. These days there are many different phones that can be used on the program, which is both GSM and CDMA compatible.

You can find a full list of phones, and resources for how to activate your phone with Tracfone on our Tracfone BYOP page. Below we will share some of the most popular and best value smartphones.

Some of the more popular BYOP phones are:

iPhone 6 and 6s

iPhone 6s Plus - 128 GB

iPhone's have been a popular choice for smartphone users for many years because of their high quality, performance, operating system and plenty of other reasons. If you can afford it, the iPhone 6 and slightly newer, 6s, are some of the best and most advanced phones that can also be used with Tracfone BYOP.

This iPhone 6s 64GB unlocked phone from Amazon can be used on GSM 4G LTE networks, so it will work with Tracfone BYOP.

An iPhone 6, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c are also good options if you're looking to save a little money by going with an older model.

If you know someone who already has an iPhone, perhaps they might be interested in some iPhone accessories to add to the functionality of their device.

Moto G
The Motorola Moto G is a phone that provides great value for the money and many Tracfone users have chosen to use it for this reason. It is widely available and retails for just $179 for the latest version. The Moto G is now in its 3rd generation, with each new generation bringing improvements and advances from the last, so be sure to pay attention to which generation you are buying, although they will all work with Tracfone BYOP.

Here is 3rd Generation Moto G with 8GB memory that uses GSM 4G LTE coverage for just $179 on Amazon.

If you interested in more information, check out our post on Using the Moto G with Tracfone BYOP.

LG G2/G3/G4
The LG G series (2, 3 and 4) smartphones are also popular on Tracfone BYOP for their great value. The G2 and G3 were released a few years ago, but still have great performance and can be found at prices under $200 on eBay.

Take a look at the LG G2 on Amazon for just $199, or the LG G4 for $420

Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/S5
Like the LG G series, the Samsung Galaxy S series of smartphones are high performing Android devices with many different options available online. If you're looking for good value for the money, the Samsung Galaxy S3 can be found for about $200. There are versions available for both CDMA and GSM, so choose the option that best suits your needs.

A handful of other ideas include the Nexus 5 and 6, Sony Xperia devices and Moto X. We have found eBay to be a great place to look for a smartphone if you're willing to search through and find exactly what you want.

Be sure to check the IMEI code (usually on the battery of the phone) on the Tracfone website to ensure it will be compatible, then pick up a sim kit from Tracfone, or you can also find it on Amazon.

3. Tracfone Prepaid Minutes

Everyone who uses Tracfone knows how nice it is to get some extra airtime to boost their minutes and service days.

An airtime card can be a nice way to help friends or family stay in contact and there are many options to choose from, ranging in cost from $20 to $100. Tracfone Prepaid Airtime cards can be purchased and easily given as a gift, and used at any time.

You can find Tracfone airtime cards in many stores like WalMart, Target, Dollar General, and most convenience stores as well as online.

Learn more about How Minutes Work on Android Tracfone Devices.

4. Gift Cards for Apps, Games, and Accessories

Smartphones open the door to a wide variety of applications and games that can be downloaded and installed on your smartphone device. Some of these apps charge a (small) fee for users to purchase the app. This generally allows the apps creators to offer a higher quality product that may even be ad free which is always nice.

Amazon Gift Card

Some games on Android phones also cost a few dollars to purchase, such as (list top games that cost money). These games can offer hours of fun, but require an initial purchase.

Check out our List of the Best Android Apps for more ideas on apps.

Google Play Store, which is where you can download apps and games for Android, has gift cards available to purchase that allows consumers to load their gift card amount, and spend it on whatever they choose. It is a handy way to buy that game or app someones been wanting, without requiring you to get on their device and enter your credit card details.

You can find Google Play gift cards on Amazon in various amounts.

Plenty of retail stores, both online and brick and mortar, offer gift cards that can be used to buy accessories, airtime ,or even phones.

Some other top retailer gift cards that also sell Tracfone items include:
-Walmart
-Target
-Amazon - Buy gift cards for almost any value, and have them delivered anywhere!
-eBay

5. External Battery Pack

For those who are on the go often, or forget to charge their phone, number 5 on our Christmas Gift Guide is the solution!

Know someone who seems to always be forgetting about charging their phone? Or perhaps they like to live out of the house 24/7? An external battery pack can really come in handy when you're phone dies away from a charger. You can simply plug the battery pack into your phone, and charge it through that!

There are many options for battery packs, and most are about the same size as a phone, but can hold several phones's worth of charge.

View some of the options currently available on Amazon, we particularly like the Anker batteries because they have good reliability and performance, plus lots of positive reviews.

External battery packs can also be found in many retail stores.

6. Phone Accessories for your Car

Many of us spend a fair amount of time in the car and sometimes it is convenient to be able to mount your phone, or charge it, while on the go.

Here are some popular on the go accessories:

Car Charger
Use a car charger to give your phone some juice while on the go. There are plenty of car chargers out there, just make sure you have the correct connection for the phone you want to charge.

View popular car chargers on Amazon.

Phone Mount for your Car
If you use your phone as a GPS, adding a mount to hold it is a must. It helps make it easy to follow it, and make changes if necessary. A car mount for your phone can also be helpful for lots of other tasks, such as watching movies (for the passengers) or just a secure place to keep the device.

View popular mounts on Amazon

Bluetooth headset for Hands-free Talking
Many states have made it illegal to chat on your phone while driving, so do the safe thing and use a simple Bluetooth headset!

Easy to set up, and lots of options available. Take a look at some of the options on Amazon.

7. Extra Phone Storage - Micro SD Card

32 GB Micro SD Card

One of the deficiencies of Tracfone smartphones is that they do not usually have a lot of internal memory for storing apps and other data. A 16 or 32 GB Micro SD card is a quick and easy solution for loading more pictures, music, videos or almost anything else, onto a device.

Almost all smartphones accept Micro SD cards up to 32 GB, so these might make a great stocking-stuffer gift.

You can find several options on Amazon and eBay, or visit any electronics store.

If you're not sure what to get, the SanDisk Ultra 32 GB card is a popular choice.

8. Phone Case or Cover

Every phone, and especially smartphones, should really have some kind of case or cover for it to protect it from everyday use, and the possibility of dropping it. Cases come in a wide range of options, from something that just protects the outside from scratches, to fully waterproof and shockproof.

You can also choose form many styles and colors, to find one that really suits that person you are shopping for. Some of the best places to find phone cases and covers are online retail stores like Amazon and eBay that offer plenty of different sellers.

To find a case or cover for a specific phone, simple visit Amazon or eBay and type into the search bar the name of the phone you have, followed by the kind of case or cover you're looking for. There are usually a plethora of options available.

For more on finding cases or covers for your phone, visit our list of smartphone covers an cases.

9. Headphones and Speakers

Headphones are great for minimizing noise from a device, while speakers are ready to maximize. Be sure you know which way you want to adjust the noise before shopping for these items!

Bluetooth speakers are very popular and convenient because they allows users to quickly sync whatever they are listening to on their smartphone, with the speaker, thus amplifying the sound for everyone to enjoy. Most speakers are very portable and some come with rechargeable batteries to allow you to bring it anywhere.

Shop for speakers at any electronics store, or also online at Amazon.

There are about as many different options for headphones as their are fish in the sea, but we have a couple of top picks to give you some ideas.

The Panasonic In-Ear headphones are surprisingly comfortable and snug, and the sound is fantastic. They are also the most popular ear buds on Amazon, and we recommend them. Plus they are unbeatable at their current price.

If you want over the ear comfort and style, Sennheiser makes a simple, but high quality headphone set that is very reasonably priced as well.

Visit any electronics store for plenty of other options as well.

10. The Selfie Stick

Last but not least (OK, maybe it is least...), is the selfie stick. These slightly hated tools let the users extend the hand-holding range of their phone to maximize their selfie photos.

There are plenty of varieties of selfie sticks on Amazon and eBay.

That's it! We hope you've enjoyed TracfoneReviewer's list of 10 Tracfone Gift Ideas! Drop a comment below with any additional ideas or questions.

Don't miss out on following us on Facebook where more than 1500 get a variety of updates and news related to Tracfone.

Visit our Tracfone Promo Codes page to find a code for free bonus minutes when adding airtime to your phone!

Thanks for visiting and Merry Christmas!

Tracfone Match & Win - What Is It?

How to Play the Match & Win Contest from Tracfone

In this post by TracfoneReviewer we share information on a contest offered by Tracfone between October and November of 2015. We hope this information will be useful and help you win some prizes!

Learn about the Tracfone Match and Win Contest here!

Towards the end of October I received a text to my Tracfone cell phone promoting a contest and sharing a link to click for more details.

I immediately thought it might be a scam and didn't click the link, and soon forgot about it. Then a few days ago I was on the Tracfone website and noticed a promotion for the Tracfone Match & Win contest there.

Following the steps I quickly learned that it was a legitimate contest from Tracfone offering the chance to win prizes for Tracfone users. The text I had received about the contest looked like something that followed the general scam pattern - 'Win something great, just click this link/give us your information'. I'm confident in confirming now that it is not a scam, and is a real contest form Tracfone, in case anyone was concerned about that.

But what is this contest, how does it work, and how long will it be available? We'll share our answers to these questions and more below!

For those who might not know, Tracfone is a low cost cell phone carrier that contracts with other major carriers like AT&T and Verizon to use their cell towers for providing prepaid coverage. Tracfone is great for consumers who would prefer to be charged based on how much they use their cell phone, rather than a flat fee.

Tracfone offers a variety of cell phones to use with their prepaid service, and you can visit our Cell Phone Reviews page to see many of them reviewed by us. You can also bring your own phone to Tracfone with their BYOP program. Follow the link to learn about which phones will work.

Now let's start sharing details on what this Tracfone contest is all about.

What is the Match & Win Contest from Tracfone

The Match & Win contest is a promotion sponsored by Tracfone that runs from October 8th, 2015 through November 25th, 2015.

This contest is put together by HelloWorld Inc, a company that specializes in social media and web marketing.

To be eligible to win prizes, contestants must be at least 18 years old, and live in the United States. You will also need to have a Tracfone account.

You can take a look at the full contest details in this PDF.

Prize List
There are quite a few prizes for this contest, although many of them are of lower value.

• Grand Prize - 14 winners get a $100 gift card to retailers of winners choice, selected from a list of options
• First Prize - 200 winners get a magazine subscription of winners choice, selected from a list of options 
• Second Prize - 125 winners get a $25 gift card to retailers of winners choice, selected from a list of options
• Third Prize - 313 winners get a $10 gift card to retailers of winners choice, selected form a list of options
• Fourth Prize - 250 winners get a $5 gift card to retailers of winners choice, selected form a list of options

There's almost $15,000 worth of gift cards and magazine subscriptions available for contestants to win, but there is a limit of only once prize per person.

For those who are already Tracfone customers, it doesn't cost anything to play this contest once a day, and possibly win a gift card, even if it is only worth $5.

How to Enter the Match & Win Contest

To enter the contest simply visit the Match & Win website and start from there. You will be required to register the first time you play the contest, by entering your first and last name, the email address connected to your Tracfone account, and your Tracfone telephone number.

Each time you return and play (which you can do once every day) you will have to confirm your phone number.

So if you don't have an account with Tracfone already, you will need one for this Contest. Obviously, if you don't have a Tracfone phone number, you can't play.

No purchase is necessary for this contest, and you can return to the contest page everyday for a chance to win until the contest closes.

Once you are registered and logged in, you will be directed to a page with three options to click, and you get to choose one.

So far in our testing, if you have multiple phones under one account, you only get one play for the entire account.

Let us know if you win! We want to hear if anyone wins anything, and if so, what did you win. We've played three times, and won nothing so far.

Is the Match and Win Contest Rigged?

One user posted on the Tracfone forums their concern about the contest possibly being rigged.

'rigged' contest' forum post - click to enlarge

Take a look at the forum post here, or see the image of the post on the right.

The user took a look at the source code for the contest page, and pointed out that it has already determined he hasn't won, before he selected anything.

This could suggest that, either no winners will be allowed at all and this contest is rigged, or that a winner is determined when the page loads, not when one of the three options is selected.

It would seem more likely to us that the second theory is correct, but we don't have any proof, nor are we experts in coding. What may occur is, every so often, the page loads a 'winning' page, giving contestants the chance to win, while the majority of the time it is just loading pages with no winners.

The interesting thing about this is, you can check before you select an option, whether any of the options are winners if you know what to look for in the source code. We're not suggesting you try this, or that it will work, it's just an observation.

We'd really love some input from those of you who might have experience with coding, and can confirm/explain what is going on here. Also, if we do start getting comments from people who are winning, that would confirm the contest is working properly, and assuage most concerns.

When the contest concludes, there is supposed to be a list of winners published.

Check back, as we will be updating this as we learn more.

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