Verizon to consolidate Tracfone brands, Page Plus ceasing activation's

[MRothaus]

GIYF

What's G-I-Y-F? Should I google it?

[PaulCrawhorne]

What's G-I-Y-F? Should I google it?

LOL

LMGTFY

https://gprivate.com/5yufy

[alster]

I just noticed #737 no longer is an automated IVR from which you can check balances, add PIN, etc.. It just forwards to a cust svc operator.

I assume there's no replacement..

ofc the web portal works fine for all that stuff still...

[aKansasKid]

Texting "BAL" to 7243 still works.

[alster]

That's true, but you can't add a pin like you could w 737

[kevi]

Texting 7243 each time you want to check your balance is charged (5 cents). But if you have an online account at the Page Plus portal you can check it there. The balance it shows will always be up to the minute, but the detailed "call records" lag by a day or two, so it's hard to correlate recent activity with the effect it had on your balance. Online, you can also refill with a PIN you already have (or pay some other way).

[dmart]

Texting 7243 each time you want to check your balance is charged (5 cents).

I don't know if the "BAL" text is charged, but the returned balance text specifically says "This is a free Message."

[kevi]

Good point. It's been a very long time since I checked balance that way, so I'm not sure if an outgoing text for balance inquiry is still charged. I think a rep admitted that the outgoing (only) was charged when I happened to ask in a CS call about two years ago. It's hard to verify since the online Call Records no longer differentiate one SMS from another. They don't specify the number you texted with, or even incoming versus outgoing. To make things even harder to track, those Call Records will not list any activity until a couple of days after it occurred.

Years ago (before Tracphone took it over), Page Plus online would display ALL those details (and with no delay), including the immediate change in your balance that resulted from each bit of activity. One would think that technological progress since then would make it even easier and cheaper to report that info these days, but apparently they don't want to.

Note, however, that the online "Account Summary" page does give you a real-time BALANCE, provided you refresh that page on your browser after whatever activity you want check the cost of. So if you have your account balance displayed online at the time you do something with your phone (e.g., text to 7243), and you then refresh the page moments later, you will see if your balance dropped- and by how much.

[monkeyboy]

..
I won't be crying unfair if they cancel the plan.

well I'll be crying unfair if they close up PPC and just take my not small balances without giving me a reasonable way to transfer them to something useful ... although that's exactly what happened when Ekit closed up...