How to refill no-plan TF feature phone?

[Tami_HF]

How do I refill my no-plan TF feature phone from cards now?

When I go to the Refill page on TF's website, it insists I must choose from either "I want to buy a plan" or "I have a plan". I don't have or want a "plan"! I just want to add minutes from the card I bought to my phone. Is TF killing off all non-plan customers?

But it doesn't matter which I choose since I can't get it to go beyond that point regardless of what I enter. I've tried all the browsers I can find for my old computer and nothing works to get any further. Does TF only want customers running the latest Chrome under Window 11+?

What else can I do? Since it's a feature phone I can't use the TF app, (don't get me started on how stupid it is that TF doesn't include the TF app on TF branded feature phones!)

Do I have to burn up a bunch of minutes using their customer service phone number or via 611611 texts? (If text even works, I burned a bunch of minutes trying to do a simple 3G TF phone "Transfer" to a 4G TF phone only to have it tell me to go to the standard activation web page then ended up having to transfer via Chat!) I'm guessing they would be very annoyed if I tried to refill via Chat!

Is there any other way to refill that works and won't burn up 10 minutes of my 60 minute card in the process?

[loboheeler]

Tracfone calls everything a "Plan", whether it's a Basic Plan or a Smartphone Plan. If you already bought an airtime card, it will have a PIN number to apply to your phone. As I recall, a Basic plan will triple the face value on the feature phones. Yes, you can add additional service using Chat if nothing else works. They just need to have the phone number and the PIN number off the card/plan.

[Tami_HF]

Tracfone calls everything a "Plan", whether it's a Basic Plan or a Smartphone Plan. If you already bought an airtime card, it will have a PIN number to apply to your phone. As I recall, a Basic plan will triple the face value on the feature phones. Yes, you can add additional service using Chat if nothing else works. They just need to have the phone number and the PIN number off the card/plan.

Thanks, I thought it might be like that, so I tried the "have a plan" option and even tried putting in the number from the card where it (confusingly) says Plan PIN, but nothing happens when I click the button below. No error message or response. It looks like the web site just doesn't work with any of the 5 browsers I can run. Looks like the web site is a no-go after using only that method for 14 years so I need an alternative.


Does anyone know if adding minutes via 611611 actually still works and how many texts back and forth does it cost? (The failed Transfer I mentioned cost 7 texts.)

And how does adding minutes via the customer service phone number work? Am I going to burn up 10 minutes on voice prompts and menu trees?

[sillyette]

Does anyone know if adding minutes via 611611 actually still works and how many texts back and forth does it cost? (The failed Transfer I mentioned cost 7 texts.)

And how does adding minutes via the customer service phone number work? Am I going to burn up 10 minutes on voice prompts and menu trees?

OMG, this must be so distressing.

I don't know how it works with a flip phone, but I have texted 611611 to get my balance, and it hasn't eaten into my text balance.

Same thing with calling customer service from my phone (I think that's a call to 611, not sure because this was long back) - it hasn't eaten into my minutes balance. (It does eat into your balance if *they* call you. Found that out the hard way )

I hope things work out for you!

Edit - for the browser, I have read here that clearing cookies, cleaning cache, disabling ad-blocker, changing privacy settings, work with this infuriating "new" Tracfone website.

[mframe]

Firstly, if your feature phone is old, it is probably 3G and doesn't have VoLTE. The networks have been shutting down 3G and if it hasn't already started to happen, your phone will soon be unusable. TracFone may be unable to send the signal to update your phone's minutes.

That said, the old feature phones should have a menu option in the phone itself (I think it was called Code Entry Mode) where you would enter your refill PIN. Nonetheless, it is probably time to get a new phone such as the LG Classic Flip (if you want to keep it simple).

[taxmantoo]

"code entry mode" was where you typed in a series of codes to manually add airtime before over the air programming.

Sometime around 2013 they lost the ability to come up with activation codes for code entry mode, but could still give you codes for airtime programming until I quit using the last Nokia 2126 around 2016.

A feature phone should have an add airtime option in the prepaid menu.

[Senkoboy]

If your computer and phone are both so old to that your browsers won't work with the new TracFone website you could always try going to your local library. Most have PC's available for public use.
Since your feature phone, (3G) is days away never working it's time to to think about an upgrade.

[Tracfancier]

To add airtime, text the word ADD to 611611. These texts are free.

[Tami_HF]

To follow up, I successfully refilled my new 4G Tracfone branded feature phone via texts. Thanks everyone above.

To anyone reading this later, this is what I've learned about modern Tracfone branded feature phones, they:
1. Have no Prepaid menu functions
2. Have no code entry functions
3. Have no Tracfone App (phone actually runs a dumbed down version of Android, but can't install apps)
4. Use the "3 bucket" system (separate talk minutes, texts, data) since they're actually dumbed down smartphones
5. Have a non-upgradeable built-in web browser that appears incompatible with Tracfone's own current website
(it's a pain to use too, with no touchscreen or full keyboard, but no sane person uses a feature phone on the web)

On the positive side:
1. Neither checking balances or adding from a card via 611611 texts uses up any of plan balances = Free!
2. Feature phone does get 3x card value (even if you upgraded from a 2x phone) so 60 minute card = +180 minutes +180 texts +180 MB
3. Promo codes still work, however an "Extra Minutes" promo code will only add to minutes not to texts or data
4. Phone shows Android OS using data even when all data functions are disabled, but it doesn't appear to decrease "plan" data remaining

[Tracfancier]

611611 directory/helpline
http://dsweb.tracfone.com/611611/help/

You might want to consider buying the $15 smartphone airtime plan card on occasion... 500 talk/500 text/500 MB/30 days
Tracfone e-Bay store example - https://www.ebay.com/itm/28445900335...YAAOSw3JJhSH~2

Entire TF e-Bay store offerings - https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_nkw...reless&_sop=15

[WheelieBoot]

Calling 611 from your handset should be a free call to the help desk and it should have a menu you can choose from. I don't usually use that method anymore but it shouldn't charge you anything from your balance.

Sent from my moto g play (XT2093DL) using HoFo mobile app