TracFone Announces Lower Prices on W370, LG 225

Earlier this week TracFone announced a price reduction on a couple of GSM phones, both of which include Double Minutes for Life at no extra charge. The Motorola W370 is now available through the site for 19.99, while the price on the LG 225 also was reduced $10, to $39.99. 

Check out Tracfone.com to see if these phones are available in your area, or check out my most recent post for more info on the LG 600G price drop.

Also, a couple of promotions are still available to help you save even more. First, TracFone continues to offer free shipping on all orders over $35. So two W370’s (or the combination of one W370 plus another phone + airtime bundle) or one LG 225 would qualify your order for free shipping. Additionally, the promtional code I blogged about last week is still valid. Use code 23444 when you check out to save another $3 off your order.

These are some great savings to be had on Double Minutes for Life (DMFL) phones. The DMFL feature alone can cost $50 to add to an existing phone, so these are some great prices. TracFone didn’t indicate how long these deals will last, but I would expect they’ll last at least through the end of the month.

Emergency Preparedness and TracFone

News of Hurricane Ike affecting millions of Americans got me thinking. My heart goes out to those dealing with the aftermath of the terrible storm. Luckily for me, I am not directly affected by this disaster. But I did get to thinking about how I might be affected in a similar situation, and I came up with a few TracFone-related tips that I thought are worth sharing.

The first is something that I heard a while back, and my brother was actually to make use of recently. He was at an outdoor concert and spent several hours in torrential rains. He and all of his clothing were entirely soaked, as was his cell phone. The phone seemed to be dead, but I suggested that he disassemble it as much as possible, removing the back cover, battery, and any other parts that could be easily removed. He did so, and a placed the phone in the sun to dry the next day. A few hours later, he was able put everything back together and the phone worked perfectly.

His may have been an easy case, since the phone was not completely submerged. But, there are also tips out there for those who have had their phone completely underwater. Here’s a link to a nice resource I found with great suggestions for reviving a wet phone (or other small electronic device). I’d suggest checking it out now, because if you’re ever in the position to use the info, you’ll want to take action right away and won’t want to spend time looking up the details.

You might also want to prepare yourself for the possibility that you could lose or irreversibly damage your phone. One disadvantage of TracFone compared to post-paid cell plans is that with TracFone, the record of minutes is stored on the phone itself. So if the phone dies, the proof of minutes remaining on the phone also dies. Generally, you’ll be able to get your number transferred to a new handset if you at least have the phone itself, even if it’s not working. Proving how many minutes you had, though, could be more problematic. So, I made a list of info that will be helpful if you ever need to convince TracFone that minutes should be added to a new phone. Here’s the info from your phone that will be helpful if you occasionally record it in a safe place:

1. Serial Number (ESN/IMEI)
2. SIM serial number
3. Phone number of the TracFone
4. Due Date
5. Number of Airtime Units remaining
6. Parameter 30
7. Parameter 0

Numbers 1-5 from the list above can be found in your phone’s “Prepaid” menu. To find numbers 6 and 7, you’ll need to use your phone’s “code entry mode.” Go into the Prepaid menu, and then select code entry mode. There you should see the word “Code:” followed by a box. Enter *#30 for Parameter 30, and *#0 for Parameter 0.

The last four items on the list should be updated occasionally – maybe every 50 units of use, or every month or two, just to make sure it’s accurate. This way, if you ever need to replace a dead (or lost/stolen) TracFone, you can call TracFone’s 800 number and supply them with the above info, making it much easier to set up the new phone with your old number and minutes.

If you have any comments about this post, please share your thoughts or experiences. Hopefully others will be able to benefit from the info. And hopefully a little preparedness will help minimize the negative effects of any bad situation that might arise.

TracFone Promotional Codes

TracFone Promotional Codes – FIVE new codes

I’ve updated the TracFone promtional code database again.

I should point out that TracFone uses the term “Promotional Code” in two different places on their site, with different meanings. The first meaning is a 5-digit code that is used when adding airtime cards in order to receive bonus minutes. The second is a code, also usually five digits, that is entered when ordering directly from the TracFone website. My database, which is a big reason people visit this site, contains codes of the first type – those used to get extra minutes. If you are going to order from TracFone and want a code to save money on your order, check out this recent post.

On to the “extra minute” codes. Once again, the new additions to the database are in bold print. I’ve created a summary of the newest additions to the database, which you can find by clicking on the link a few lines down. I also have a special request: I would really appreciate it, if you are a Digg user, if you’d take a minute to “digg” my bonus code database. I ‘ve created a Digg link near the top of the TracFone promotional code database page, so please help me out if you can. Thanks!

Now, here’s the summary of the newest additions to the database:

• Code 50508 is good for 60 bonus minutes on a 60-minute card or larger. I get a lot of requests for this type of code, and this if the first new 60+60 code I’ve come across in a long time.
• Code 53796 is good for 30 bonus minutes on a 60-minute card.
• Code 52486 is good for 30 bonus minutes on a 120-minute card. This may be helpful to those of you that were able to stock up on the 120-minute cards from Shopko over Labor Day weekend.
• Code 56216 is good for 40 bonus minutes on a 200-minute card.
• Code 59977 is good for 200 bonus minutes on a one-year card.

New TracFone Deals

I’ve come across a couple of bargains worth sharing here. First, I’ve recently learned from TracFone that they are offering a special discount code that applies to phone or accessory orders of $19.99 or more. This code expires October 31, so keep it in mind for any orders you might be placing over the next 6 weeks. Here are the details from TracFone:

“The code is good for an automatic $3.00 discount on all TracFone phones, phone + airtime bundles and accessories priced $19.99 or higher at tracfone.com. That’s a savings of up to 15%! Customers should enter ‘23444’ in the promotional code field during the check-out process to receive the discount.”

Also, TracFone is still offering free shipping on orders of $35 or more, so you can use this coupon code and “double dip” on the discounts.  And, TracFone recently announced some great deals on a couple of phones. To check out more info on these phones, click here.

With this extra $3 discount code, I thought it was also worth pointing out a couple of deals that I’ve mentioned in the past, but some may have forgotten about. The first is the Motorola W370, which includes Double Minutes for Life but NOT the bluetooth or camera capabilities of the W376g version. The W370 can now be had for $19.99 – a great price if you want double minutes for life but don’t need all the extras. Check out this link for more details on the W370 deal. And if you do order, don’t forget to use coupon code 23444 when you check out!

Finally, another deal that I’ve mentioned in the past is the package including the 800-minute, one-year, double minutes for life card along with an LG 3280 phone for $99.99. This is an especially good deal since the 800-minute card alone is normally $140, so you’re saving $40 AND getting a free phone. The airtime card can be added to any phone, not just the 3280 it comes with, but I should point out that the 800 minutes will NOT double, even if you already have DMFL on your phone. For more details on this package, check out the page I set up here. And once again, don’t forget to use coupon code 23444 when you check out!

Car Charger Correction

I have to apologize for my most recent post about the USB car charger solution for Motorola TracFones. In my excitement over having found a means of charging two devices from the same USB adapter, I did not adequately test the charger with the Motorola phone. I had plugged it in and heard tones indicating that it was connected, but upon further review it seems that the phone does not actually draw a charge when connected in the manner that I described. 

As Jeff correctly pointed out in his comment in response to my last post, the setup I suggested will not work for the same reason that a computer USB connection will not charge the phones unless a special driver is installed. Apparently, the mini-USB connector on the phones is non-standard. 

So, it seems that the car chargers designed for the Razr series are your best bet for a mobile charger for the recent Motorola TracFones. I apologize for my error, and sincerely hope that I have not inconvenienced anyone with my misinformation. I would also like to thank Jeff for taking the time to point out my mistake.

Car charger for TracFone w376g, w175, w260, and w370

Mobile charging solution for the newest Motorola TracFone handsets

In a previous post (w376g Battery Suggestions), I discussed a few solutions for those dissatisfied with the battery life on their TracFone Motorola w376g. I recently stumbled upon another solution that might help some. As previously discussed on this blog, the Motorola w376g, w175, w2601, and w370 all use the same type of charger. Furthermore, this type of charger is also the same connection type (USB type B) that is used with many cameras. So if you have a compatible camera cable, it’s possible to charger your phone by connecting it to your computer’s USB port.

[EDIT 9/15/08 - As explained in my subsequent post, the following has been proven to be incorrect. I apologize for my mistake, but I am leaving the following text, with a strike-through, as proof of what will NOT work, so that others may be saved from making the same mistake that I did. The section about using a charger designed for the Razr series is still accurate.]

I’ve found a way to take that one step further: at a Dollar Tree store, I found (for $1) a device that plugs into a car’s cigarette lighter on one end and has a USB port on the other. You can then plug the USB cable into the USB port to draw power from your car’s power system, and charge your phone that way.

I should point out that this may be overly complicated, as the chargers on these phones are also the same as those used with the Motorola Razr series. So, you might want to try looking for one of those before pursuing a setup that requires two separate items (a quick eBay search turned up a bunch of choices for me). BUT, if you have multiple devices that can be charged via USB, or if you’re unable to find an inexpensive car charger designed for the Razr, this setup might work for you. My wife likes it because she has an mp3 player that charges by USB, in addition to her w376g. So this $1 adapter gives her extra flexibility to charge either device. If you want to take a look, here are pictures of both pieces of my home-made car charger:

Mobile Charger for Motorola TracFones

USB car adapter from Dollar Tree

Create Free Ringtones for your LG 600G

This post is very specific to users of the LG 600G for TracFone or Net10. I’ll get back to more general TracFone and other prepaid cell phone info soon, though.

I finally got around to putting together a “how-to” article for you LG 600G owners that want to know how to create your own ringtones from your own mp3’s or other sound files you already have. In order for this to work, you’ll need to be able to send files to your phone via bluetooth. I’ve accomplished this with a “bluetooth dongle” that plugs into my computer’s USB port. This small device can be found rather easily for under $10. Once you’ve established the bluetooth connection between your phone and your PC, read on to find out how you can create your own ringtones.

If you don’t have an LG 600G phone, but this article as you determined to get one, click here for TracFone’s details on their newest phone option, or click here to find the Net10 version.

Anyway, here’s what you need to do in order to create your custom ringtones:

Step 1 – Figure out which sound file you want to use as your ringtone. If you want to use the entire file as a ringtone, then skip to step 6. If you need to do some cropping to shorten the sound clip, read on to step 2.

Step 2 – For this step, you will need to use a free program called “Audacity.” If you don’t already have it, you can download it here. If you need to, download and install Audacity.

Step 3 – Open Audacity. Click on the “Project” menu at the top of the screen, then select the “Import Audio” option. From this window, you can open the audio file of your choice and it will be displayed in the Audacity sound mixer window. (Note that Audacity will NOT import wma files – for these you will somehow need to convert them to either wav or mp3 files)

Step 4 – Crop the file by highlighting the section of the audio that you want to make into your ringtone. Do this by clicking near the beginning of the desired section, and dragging to the end of the section. In the image below, the first 11-12 seconds of the song are highlighted, as indicated by the yellow box I’ve added to the screenshot. You’ll also notice that there are numerical labels across the top of the gray band, marking the seconds of the audio file. You can use this as a guide in choosing the part of the audio that you want to copy. Once you’ve highlighted a portion of the audio, you can play it back by clicking the play button. Then, adjust your highlighted area, if necessary, to make sure you’ve captured everything that you want.

Using Audacity to Crop Audio Files

Step 5 – Once you are sure that you have highlighted everything you need, click the “Edit” menu, and then select “Trim.” This will remove the audio outside of the selected portion. Now click “File,” and select “Export Selection as WAV.” Save the resulting file in the folder of your choice.

Step 6 – Now that you have the full file that you want, you’ll need to convert it to a file ending in the “.amr” extension, which is what the LG 600G uses for ringtones. I’ve found a website that does this for free, and it has worked pretty well for me. So, open this link in a web browser.

Step 7 – Once you’ve opened the media-convert website, click on the “browse” button, and select the file that you’ve created in step 5. Make sure that the “Input Format” drop-down box to right is listed as “WAV form audio format (.wav).” Finally, make sure that the “output format” box is listed as “Adaptive Multi-Rate (.amr).” Now click the blue “OK” button on the right, and wait for the file to be uploaded. Each of the four places you’ll need to click are shown in the screenshot below, highlighted in yellow.

Convert your wav file online

Step 8 – Once the file is uploaded, you have a few “Conversion options.” I chose the highest-quality settings here to make sure my new tone will sound as good as possible. Click “OK,” and wait for the site to convert your file.

Step 9 – Click the “Download” button to save the new file to your hard drive.

Step 10 – Send the new file to your phone using bluetooth. The file should automatically be saved to your phones “sounds” folder. From there, you can select it as your ringtone. And that’s it. Lather, rinse, and repeat for more tones, if you wish.

Regrading the use of bluetooth: I’d like to do a tutorial on this, but since there are such a wide variety of hardware and software options out there, I’m afraid that the bluetooth transfer part is something you’ll have to figure out on your own.

Also, if anyone out there has a better, faster, or easier way to create your own ringtones, please share! This is something that I’ve figured out through trial and error; I’m sure there are other ways, though.

TracFone Bonus Codes updated today

I finally got around to updating the bonus code database again, and I made a few changes worth pointing out. First, I am starting to weed out the codes that are repeatedly reported as “expired,” by making a note of it in the table. Once again, the new additions to the database are in bold print. Here is a summary of the new additions to the database, which you can find here:

52766 is a new bonus code for cards of 60 minutes or larger. I saw varying reports on how many bonus minutes this is good for – anywhere from 30 to 90. I suspect it’s toward the lower end of that range, but haven’t confirmed it yet.

Code 54496 is good for 30 bonus minutes on a 60-minute card.

Code 52901 is good for 40 bonus minutes on a 120-minute card. This may be helpful to those of you that were able to stock up on the 120-minute cards from Shopko over the weekend. In the text message I got from TracFone, though, it was stated as expiring 9/7/08, so you may want to try to use it soon.

I saw one report of code 56471 awarding 200 bonus units on a 200-minute card. It seems like a huge bonus (2x), and I saw it in only one forum, so I’m still skeptical. But if you have a 200-minute card, it’s definitely worth a shot.

Code 52057 is good for 200 bonus minutes on a One-year card, and supposedly expires 9/10/08.

Code 52430 is good for 200 bonus minutes on a One-year, Double Minute card (exp. date unknown).