# Tracfone Smartphone **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435 "2013-07-13T23:40:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/1 "2013-07-13T23:40:34Z")
I have used Tracfone for around 10 years, and am on my second phone. I am looking to get a new one now, and guess I want a “smartphone”. I want a phone that I can use to check weather, google things, check Email, etc. So I found this one that seems pretty good: [tracfone-orders.com - tracfone orders Resources and Information.](http://www.tracfone-orders.com/bpdirect/tracfone/PhoneDetails.do?action=view&productVariantExtensionId=19412386) It has 3G and WIFI, so I assume that means I can “surf the web” on it. But then I was doing some reading, and apparently there is no such thing as a Tracfone smartphone. Does this mean that the phone I was looking at can’t “surf the web”? And I have thousands of minutes built up on the thacfone, and I only pay $100 a year. So I am not switching to a different company. Thanks to anyone who can answer my questions. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/2 "2013-07-14T00:44:07Z")
Data will cost, so the dream of $100 may not last. I bought a used AT&T iPhone and have used $45/month unlimited all from Straight Talk (really Tracfone) and $30/month T-Mobile (100 min/unlimited data). Many other pre-paid plans exist but the BYOD plans might be best for you. Used Android phones are a good bet too - in either case, make sure the phone is unlocked, ideally not via a hack. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/3 "2013-07-14T01:25:26Z")
Bad URL (session expired). What was the phone and its characteristics? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/4 "2013-07-14T01:28:09Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Data will cost, so the dream of $100 may not last. > > I bought a used AT&T iPhone and have used $45/month unlimited all from Straight Talk (really Tracfone) and $30/month T-Mobile (100 min/unlimited data). > > Many other pre-paid plans exist but the BYOD plans might be best for you. Used Android phones are a good bet too - in either case, make sure the phone is unlocked, ideally not via a hack. So your saying I would have to pay more a year that I currently am to use the internet on it? I just buy the basic 1 year card. Does that not include internet (and I understand it would probably draw extra minutes when using the internet). And I read that you cant use Android phones or other outside phones with tracfone, even if they are unlocked. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/5 "2013-07-14T01:33:35Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Bad URL (session expired). What was the phone and its characteristics? Sorry about that. It is the LG 840G: [Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/LG-Prepaid-Triple-Minutes-Tracfone/dp/B00AERVJCM) I didn’t look it up on Amazon till now. I will need to read the reviews. And here is it’s features: 3.2" Touchscreen Display 3G/WiFi® Connectivity 2 MP Camera with Digital Zoom/Video Recorder Mobile Web Bluetooth® Wireless Technology 2 GB microSD Card Included MP3 Player (cable not included) SMS and MMS Picture Messaging Hands-Free Speaker Voice/Sound Recorder Alarm Clock Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) Rating: M3/T3 Phonebook with up to 1,000 entries Battery talk time up to 3.7 hours Standby time up to 13 days Includes Battery, Charger, Activation Card, 2GB microSD Card and Service Guide TracFone Airtime Balance Display shows you how much airtime you’ve used and how much is left, so you control your costs ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/6 "2013-07-14T01:46:52Z")
This isn’t a smartphone, but you don’t need a smartphone to browse the web. Just about all phones have a web browser these days. This one should work fine for your needs. It’ll probably be fairly slow, though. My husband has a tracfone, and I believe a minute online=a minute of talk time. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/7 "2013-07-14T02:13:02Z")
Also, many newer smartphones (like, from the last few years or so at least) can be set up to only surf the internet when on wi-fi, so as not to incur data charges. Of course, this means you wouldn’t be able to surf the internet any random place, but if your office or your favorite coffee shop or train station or whatever have you offers wi-fi, you will be able to connect when you visit those places. There are also services that rent out access to paid-for wifi hotspots (such as Boingo) that offer a monthly subscription (Boingo is $9.95 a month for up to two wi-fi devices, unlimited bandwidth in North America, for instance). The practicality of that all depends on how available wi-fi hotspots are for you (whether from Boingo or some other company or Starbucks or whatever have you), and how inclined you are to fuss with it. But yeah, in general, to use the internet over a phone, many companies may charge extra for it. Best bet is to contact Tracfone and ask them how it would work for you. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/8 "2013-07-14T02:20:18Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > So your saying I would have to pay more a year that I currently am to use the internet on it? I just buy the basic 1 year card. Does that not include internet (and I understand it would probably draw extra minutes when using the internet). > > And I read that you cant use Android phones or other outside phones with tracfone, even if they are unlocked. Sorry, my answer was more of a general ‘pre-paid smartphone’ comment. Straight Talk is a brand owned by Tracfone that does pre-paid smartphone plans. Yes, for a true smartphone with a reasonable data plan - you will pay more than you do for a 1 year card on a basic ‘feature phone’. $30/month is the best deal I have found. For a bit I used an iPhone on a pre-paid plan of $100/year with no data - I relied on public WiFi when I could get it. It was annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/9 "2013-07-15T00:15:39Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > I have used Tracfone for around 10 years, and am on my second phone. I am looking to get a new one now, and guess I want a “smartphone”. I want a phone that I can use to check weather, google things, check Email, etc. So I found this one that seems pretty good: [http://www.tracfone-orders.com/bpdirect/tracfone/PhoneDetails.do?action=view&productVariantExtensionId=19412386](http://www.tracfone-orders.com/bpdirect/tracfone/PhoneDetails.do?action=view&productVariantExtensionId=19412386) It has 3G and WIFI, so I assume that means I can “surf the web” on it. > > But then I was doing some reading, and apparently there is no such thing as a Tracfone smartphone. Does this mean that the phone I was looking at can’t “surf the web”? > > And I have thousands of minutes built up on the thacfone, and I only pay $100 a year. So I am not switching to a different company. > > Thanks to anyone who can answer my questions. I cannot answer your questions but maybe you can answer a related one for me. I have also used a basic TracFone for about 10 years and have about 900 minutes on it. I’ve wanted to upgrade but assumed (without checking with them) that I would lose my phone # and unused minutes with a new phone. Can I upgrade to a new TracFone and transfer my # & minutes? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracfone-smartphone/663435/10 "2013-07-15T00:35:56Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > I cannot answer your questions but maybe you can answer a related one for me. I have also used a basic TracFone for about 10 years and have about 900 minutes on it. I’ve wanted to upgrade but assumed (without checking with them) that I would lose my phone # and unused minutes with a new phone. Can I upgrade to a new TracFone and transfer my # & minutes? Yes, you can transfer your number and minutes: [http://www.tracfone.com/includes/content/questions/General.jsp?enId=FA10045&esId=FA10046&a=1361876721488](http://www.tracfone.com/includes/content/questions/General.jsp?enId=FA10045&esId=FA10046&a=1361876721488)