I second Target as a helpful place. I didn’t get my phone there, but their electronics people are usually pretty knowledgeable and helpful, for people who aren’t sure of how to go about getting a phone/service.
I’ve left places in the US for the same reason. I hate scrolling on the phone to see a menu.
The term " burner phone " Is a term that is usually used in conjunction with phones that are not traceable because they’re not registered to a specific owner and are often used by criminals who will make limited use of the phone and then actually burn it to destroy evidence. Because it is a type of phone that is often burned it is referred to as the burner phone.
Tracfones are often referred to as burner phones but the two are not the same. I have a trackbone but it is registered online to me and I have a renewal subscription. Men with tracfone for many years and enjoy their cheap price.
The carrier that provides the cell service for my phone is Verizon and I’ve never had a coverage issue. Track phones are offered assumed to be cheap phones. This is not the case for us as we buy high end phones and that are compatible with Verizon and then use TrackPhone.
Thanks for the info. The trackphones I have seen so far all require a monthly subscription fee of at least $25.
Can’t seem to find a true burner phone. That PrepaidPhoneZone.com website was really good, but they are sold out of all their phones.
If you don’t use your cell phone often and want an affordable plan, consider Helium Mobile’s Zero Plan. It offers 3GB of data, 300 texts, and 100 minutes of calls each month at no cost. There are no contracts or hidden fees. Helium Mobile also has other plans, like the Air Plan with 10GB of data for $15 per month and the Infinity Plan with unlimited data for $30 per month. You can sign up or get more details using this link: Helium Mobile
You can buy almost any cell phone that is unlocked to use with Helium. If it support eSIM you can get setup right away, if not they will send you a traditional SIM card to put in the phone.
What’s their business model? How do they make money from you?
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2 things - They require mapping for the free plan, you have to enable location to map out their Wifi based access points. They also hope that you run out of minutes and have to top off with a paid plan.
It would be a nice plan to put on an old emergency backup occasional use phone… especially if you could port an existing number over
I was about to ask the same thing. Will they remain in business long, or are you sacrificing major privacy concerns?
I was looking for a burner phone a few years back-- nothing good, and in the end, it didn’t suit my needs. I needed an occasional-use phone, and if I used a burner, the minutes/data expire after some amount of time.
I’ve said this before, I went with a minimal plan from Tello – 100 minutes, 1GB data, unlimited talk/text for $6, price hasn’t changed. You can bring your own (compatible) phone or buy from their store.
And I found that this arrangement has worked much better than a burner phone would.
Even small things like locating my misplaced main phone has been such a help.
I tout Tello, but I’m sure there are other minimal, low-cost plans out there.
And…if you manually renew before your renewal date, Tello rolls over your minutes and data. I’ve accrued a lot, so it’s there if I need it.
Better than a burner phone!
You should check out the prepaid tracphones (what you call burner) phones that HSN sell. They include a years worth of service & all of the new smart phones have gps. You can download google maps & use it offline (with your data turned off -using a toggle on/off switch all phones have) since they dont give you much data in these plans. The tracfones unlock after 60 days & can be used with other cell providers (by switching sim cards).
Tracfone Moto G Play 6.5" with 1500 Talk/Text/Data & 5K mAh Power Bank - 23236815 | HSN. $59.99
Tracfone 2pk Moto G Play 6.5" w/1500 Talk/Text/Data, 5K mAh Power Bank - 23486062 | HSN. $79.99 (2 pack)
Moto G 5G 6.6" Tracfone w/Mag Safe Adaptor & 1500 Talk/Text/Data Plan - 23567605 | HSN $79.99
If you travel internationally you will need an international sim card and an unlocked phone though, but that goes for most US cell providers anyway. You’ll have to google that for more info.
Also since you’ve never used a smartphone you wont realize at first that sending picture texts (MMS Messages), watching videos & using apps and map services uses your data up & if you are on a (cheaper) plan with limited data some of the apps will not work properly unless you use wifi or buy more data.
Just some suggestions since you mentioned you’ll be using a smartphone for the first time & $60 is not much for a new phone with a year of service & some other features you are looking for.
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