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 QuartzIf 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 2While 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 PhoneThis 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/305CThe 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 GThe 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/G4The 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/S5Like 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 ChargerUse 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 CarIf 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 AmazonBluetooth headset for Hands-free TalkingMany 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.
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Thanks for visiting and Merry Christmas!