Old Phones

[Peanut]

I have an old samsung J3 phone, not 5g compatible. I think it was a 3g phone. Anyway, the battery is dying, new batt. is $14. Is it a waste of time? Time to upgrade my phone? Thoughts...

If I have to get a phone I want something simple and cheap. I have no cell service where I live, just a land line. I have a “Pay-as-you-Go” cell phone plan. Not a bad deal… once a year I buy $100 in minutes and I have a phone in my truck... emergencies etc.

I bought an unlocked samsung A13 last winter. I only bought it for the camera. It has no phone service set up (can call 911). All the accounts I found were $$$… couldn’t have my same pay..go plan either. At least not the A13 for some reason. I wasn’t about to pay a monthly bill for a phone that doesn’t work where I spend 90% of my time. I already have a monthly phone bill and a phone with a ‘find’ button on the base!

Does anyone have a current simple phone that works with pay..go plan? I’d be happy with a flip phone. Thoughts?

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In case anyone needs a simple phone plan, cheap … My pay as go plan is $100 yearly. If I don’t use all the minutes in 12 months they expire… Except! If I buy another $100 in minutes they are added together. I only use about $25 a year.

Twice over the years I’ve built up over $400 in minutes. Once I called att and explained my situation. They rolled my money over to the next year but I didn’t have to buy another $100 worth. They did it to give me a chance to use some of it up. Nice of them…

The other time was my fault. I almost never make calls, go months sometimes. I forgot when my year was up and my minutes expired. 3 months had gone by before I realized I couldn’t make calls. So I had to start over.

Anyway, I like the plan, just have to find a cheap phone I can use.

 

[elkhound]

tracphone rolls minutes over as long as you do the pay thingy before end of term.

go on and get a smartphone..i had no choice they gave me a free phone due to some changes in system anyhow..old flip hard;y worked..new motorola 6 thats only about $40 has service all over the place. way way better than the flip...i learned to text last spring and enjoy that portion to text family to let them know i am alive ever so often.

only bad thing was my phone gave me 3 times the bought minutes so instead of 60 i got 180..that all ended in dec-2023...verizon owns tracphone as of about 2 years ago...greed has kicked in it seems...still the best deal i can find.$20 for 90days with roll over minutes. they have yearly stuff too that i will probably do when i get close to renewal in spring time.

i dont talk on phone..its for help out in the woods and on road.it keeps family off my back in my wanderings.

 

[elkhound]

https://www.tracfone.com/phone-service-plans

 

[Supervisor42]

I have an old samsung J3 phone, not 5g compatible. I think it was a 3g phone. Anyway, the battery is dying, new batt. is $14. Is it a waste of time? Time to upgrade my phone? Thoughts...

If I have to get a phone I want something simple and cheap. I have no cell service where I live, just a land line. I have a “Pay-as-you-Go” cell phone plan. Not a bad deal… once a year I buy $100 in minutes and I have a phone in my truck... emergencies etc.

I bought an unlocked samsung A13 last winter. I only bought it for the camera. It has no phone service set up (can call 911). All the accounts I found were $$$… couldn’t have my same pay..go plan either. At least not the A13 for some reason. I wasn’t about to pay a monthly bill for a phone that doesn’t work where I spend 90% of my time. I already have a monthly phone bill and a phone with a ‘find’ button on the base!

Does anyone have a current simple phone that works with pay..go plan? I’d be happy with a flip phone. Thoughts?

--------------------------------------

In case anyone needs a simple phone plan, cheap … My pay as go plan is $100 yearly If I don’t use all the minutes in 12 months they expire… Except! If I buy another $100 in minutes they are added together. I only use about $25 a year.

Twice over the years I’ve built up over $400 in minutes. Once I called att and explained my situation. They rolled my money over to the next year but I didn’t have to buy another $100 worth. They did it to give me a chance to use some of it up. Nice of them…

The other time was my fault. I almost never make calls, go months sometimes. I forgot when my year was up and my minutes expired. 3 months had gone by before I realized I couldn’t make calls. So I had to start over.

Anyway, I like the plan, just have to find a cheap phone I can use.

I'm surprised you still have 3g coverage.
Carriers are ditching it to upgrade their transmitters to only 4g and 5g.
Verizon informed me they would be ending their 3g coverage and I needed to buy a new phone or get dropped.
Being a hardhead, I ignored their notices and they caved and sent me a free 4g flip-phone that I didn't even ask for, to keep me as a customer .
I wouldn't spend money on a new battery for the 3g phone, only to have it live in the dresser drawer... like mine.
Ain't nothing wrong with a 4g flip-phone... (as long as you don't let the battery overeat at a restaurant)

 

[Peanut]

tracphone rolls minutes over as long as you do the pay thingy before end of term.

i dont talk on phone..its for help out in the woods and on road.it keeps family off my back in my wanderings.

I spent time in the woods too, not as much as i'd like... Weird, I can go 2 miles and get cell reception, poor quality but there. Except for a couple, the places i go have cell service. As i get older its nice to know i could make a call in an emergency. Lots of snakes where i live.. and i spend time in their territory.

Once in a great while my old phone will show 1 bar, a signal, here at home. But if i try to call someone it drops.

I'm surprised you still have 3g coverage.

I wouldn't spend money on a new battery for the 3g phone
Ain't nothing wrong with a 4g flip-phone..

I used the J3 camera sometimes but had a point and shoot as well. It got a scratch on the lens out in the brush so had to shop for another.

During vid there was a shortage of $400 point n shoot cameras. The a13 i bought was half the price and has a great camera. Just couldn't justify a pricey data plan.

 

[Supervisor42]

During vid there was a shortage of $400 point n shoot cameras. The a13 i bought was half the price and has a great camera. Just couldn't justify a pricey data plan.

GAYT&T will likely happily transfer your service and plan over to the 4g phone so they don't have to pay to send you a new one when they end 3g.
It's going away like leaded gasoline.
Edit: When somebody buys a "new" phone, they try to steer you into an expensive plan.
However if you bring a 'used' phone in with your 'old' phone, they can transfer your service to it in minutes... because they know Verizon damsure can!

 

[backlash]

I bought a Nikon D80 DSLR camera with 4 lens for $70 at a thrift shop.
Great pictures and if something happens to it I'm not out a lot of cash.
As far as phones I don't really have any input.

 

[Magpie]

I have an old nokia, just replace the battery once in a while. I do have a work phone from my old job, which I need because banking and college means I need an app to get into stuff, and my old phone doesn't do apps. Its a pain.

 

[Morgan101]

I have an old nokia, just replace the battery once in a while. I do have a work phone from my old job, which I need because banking and college means I need an app to get into stuff, and my old phone doesn't do apps. Its a pain.

I am a total dinosaur when it comes to phones. I still use a flip phone and buy minutes. They had to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. I can receive texts but rarely reply. If I do reply it is "OK" or sometimes just "K". I make calls and I receive calls period, and I am very happy with that.

Some day I will have to move into modern times, but not any time soon.

 

[zoomzoom]

Being a hardhead, I ignored their notices and they caved and sent me a free 4g flip-phone that I didn't even ask for, to keep me as a customer .

They sent us a free phone to replace our 3G as well. All we had to do was ask for it.

However if you bring a 'used' phone in with your 'old' phone, they can transfer your service to it in minutes... because they know Verizon damsure can!

Be advised - If you have an Android (Google) operating system, their primary source of transferring everything from old to new phone is to pass it through yours (or theirs?) Google account. When doing so, Google takes and keeps a copy of everything on your phone to add to their digital footprint about you. This includes messages, contacts, sites... EVERYTHING.

I have a Samsung phone running Android. When the time comes to get a new phone and transfer everything, I'll be using their Smart Switch product Samsung Smart Switch
to transfer everything. There's several options on how to do the transfer but pretty sure all my info just stays with me and nobody else gets a copy.

 

[Haertig]

I have an old samsung J3 phone, not 5g compatible. I think it was a 3g phone. Anyway, the battery is dying, new batt. is $14. Is it a waste of time? Time to upgrade my phone? Thoughts...

If the J3 were a 3G-ony phone, it would be useless to replace the battery. 3G networks are being shut down. I think most have already been shut down by now. Maybe there's still one smaller carrier left that still has 3G? I can't remember. But AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile no longer support 3G AFAIK. However, the J3 is a 4G LTE phone, not 3G, so it should work with existing networks.

Now, is it *worth* it to replace the battery? I can't say. I would stay away from the super cheap Chinese clone unknown batteries. They are indeed cheap, but do they work well and will they last? Are they re-packaged used batteries? The Chinese do crap like that. That's how they can sell a battery for $7 that everyone else sells for $50. A new phone - a basic, cheap model - may even be free from your cell service provider if you're using one of the larger providers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile). Call them and ask. And a new phone may improve your cell service (no guaranty there, however).

 

[Amish Heart]

I have a flip phone that says TCL on the back of it. It works fine. Just not great for texting because it doesn't have a full keyboard. But I don't care to text anyway.

 

[zoomzoom]

I have an old samsung J3 phone, not 5g compatible.

I too have a Samsung J3. Not 5G but it does support 4G so you're good to go.

I would DEFINITELY explore getting a new battery for it if it otherwise works fine.

I was at the Verizon store a couple years ago, browsing for a new, inexpensive phone. I think I told them I wanted to stay under $200-250. He looked at my J3 and asked if it's working and I told him yes. He told me that that J3 is better than any of the new, inexpensive phones. Honest guy for telling me to keep it and I'd be happier than getting a new one. I'm keeping mine as long as I can. Mine is 9-10 years old and the only thing I did was put in a micro-SD card so it could hold more pictures and such.

 

[Peanut]

I too have a Samsung J3. Not 5G but it does support 4G so you're good to go.

I would DEFINITELY explore getting a new battery for it if it otherwise works fine.

I was at the Verizon store a couple years ago, browsing for a new, inexpensive phone. I think I told them I wanted to stay under $200-250. He looked at my J3 and asked if it's working and I told him yes. He told me that that J3 is better than any of the new, inexpensive phones. Honest guy for telling me to keep it and I'd be happier than getting a new one. I'm keeping mine as long as I can. Mine is 9-10 years old and the only thing I did was put in a micro-SD card so it could hold more pictures and such.

Finally found confirmation.. No where in my phone's many screens does it say '3G, 4 or 5G. However, on the main screen in tiny letters that need a magnifying glass, it says 4G LTE.

So, guess i'll order a battery since that's all it needs. No need to replace if it still works even after 10yrs and being chewed by a horse. Funny, didn't even know i'd lost the phone. I looked out in the pasture one morning and the horses were doing something odd. I went to see what was up. They had my phone, would pick it up with their mouth and fling it! tough phone!!!

Thanks for the input everyone! It's nice to bounce ideas off others.

 

[Haertig]

I looked out in the pasture one morning and the horses were doing something odd.

No doubt, better quality control testing than the original manufacturer did. Sounds like your horses had their act together. Probably better to hire them than some woke Harvard graduate.

 

[Peanut]

No doubt, better quality control testing than the original manufacturer did. Sounds like your horses had their act together. Probably better to hire them than some woke Harvard graduate.

About midnight the night before i went to check on the cows, coyotes were yapping close to the farm. I crossed the pasture with the horses to get to the cows. Must have dropped the phone, didn't realize it.

Wish i had a movie of the horses playing 'Fling the Phone'... but they had my phone, couldn't take pictures.

I was amazed the screen wasn't cracked!!! I'd bought a protective case for it which still has a few scars from the incident. Other than that the phone is still fine.

 

[Tootsie]

I checked out this thread thinking it might have something to do with wall phones. I miss the old rotary phone. Wish I hadn’t gotten rid of it. Can’t even find one at thrift shops now. Guess I’ll have to keep looking at yard sales.

 

[Weedygarden]

I checked out this thread thinking it might have something to do with wall phones. I miss the old rotary phone. Wish I hadn’t gotten rid of it. Can’t even find one at thrift shops now. Guess I’ll have to keep looking at yard sales.

I thought it was going to be about all the land line phones that existed from the beginning of when people had phones. One of my uncles had a life long career of installing and repairing phones. He collected old phones. They were displayed at his funeral.

 

[zoomzoom]

Finally found confirmation.. No where in my phone's many screens does it say '3G, 4 or 5G. However, on the main screen in tiny letters that need a magnifying glass, it says 4G LTE.

Here's the specs on the phone. The first item in the table (NETWORK) shows it's 4G but not 5G
https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_j3_(2016)-7760.php

 

[Ekatarina]

The only phones I have are landline Vtech
+ 2 old old ones you know those phones with no battery and you have to sit
to be able to talk I call those ( phone with a leash LOL )
so when you loose power you can phone anyway with no problem
I love landline phones

 

[Peanut]

The only phones I have are landline Vtech
+ 2 old old ones you know those phones with no battery and you have to sit
to be able to talk I call those ( phone with a leash LOL )
so when you loose power you can phone anyway with no problem
I love landline phones

I have a landline and a cell. No cell service where i live so have to have a land line. If for nothing else i can call and report the power going off. Which happens 8-10 times each year. At my age, a cell is handy when i drive somewhere. In case I, or my truck, breakdown.