* Once upon a time, Tracfones always displayed the remaining days and minutes, plus you had simple, intuitive screen prompts for adding service via a purchased phone card. No instructions were needed.

* I'll try to keep this page short: just what you need to know (as of December 2022 changed from 2021) in order to check and add minutes on/to an Alcatel, 4g capable, flip ("flip-2") phone --as branded and operated by Tracfone.

* Unlike almost every other web page on this topic, I'll assume that you're using your flip phone as a "ring-ring, hello, good-bye" pocket telephone, that you weren't somehow born knowing how to browse, "SMS" text, and that you probably ignore most of those junk text messages that make a strange sound and pile up on you.

* Here's how to check the remaining minutes and the end date (in umpty-ump easy steps --arghhh!):

   ~ Start with the "Home" display by clicking the lower right hang-up/end-call button (has a red line on it, and it's not labeled "Home").

   ~ Click the big "OK" button (and try to move right along, since the damned thing goes dark in 20 seconds. However: you can usually get back to where you were by clicking the "OK" button again --only once, and only when the screen is dark.)

   ~ Use a fingernail to click the bottom of the ring around the "OK" button --just once (which brings up the (text) "Messages" function.

   ~ Click "OK" again.

   ~ Click the upper left (has a white line) button --to initiate sending a new text message.

   ~ Now you see a blinking cursor just after "To", where you enter the phone number --but first:

   ~ You must click the "#" button --twice, which changes you from the default of entering letters (via the cursed "SMS" system) to entering numbers.

   ~ Enter 611611

   ~ Use your fingernail again to click the lower part of that surrounding ring. That puts your next entries into the Message box at the bottom of the screen.

   ~ Click the "#" button once, to be sure you're in SMS letter entry mode.

   ~ Now the hard part. Quickly click the "2" button twice to enter a "b" --then:

   ~ Briefly wait --then click the "2" button once to enter an "a".

   ~ Click the "5" button 3 times to enter an "L".

   ~ Keep going until you've entered the complete word "balance".

   ~ Now click the upper left (white line) button in order to send that word to Tracfone.

    ~ Click the lower right "Home" button to hang up and ---

   ~ Wait --might take a minute, then a message will come back, giving you your remaining service.

* So okay: you bought a Tracfone "Basic Phone Card" and now you want to add it on to your remaining time.

   ~ Re-use the above steps to enter "611611" again, but--

   ~ But this time enter the word "Add" into the message box.

   ~ Click the "#" button twice to switch back to numbers entry mode.

   ~ Following "Add" (and there's no need to enter a space), carefully enter the 15 digit (scratch-off revealed) number on your card. --Double check the number you've entered.

   ~ Click the upper left (white line) button in order to send the word "Add" and the numbers following it to Tracfone.

   ~ Click the "Home" button to hang up and ---

   ~ Wait --until Tracfone sends you a message back --telling you to respond by SMS texting/sending a "1" (in order to apply the minutes you're adding to the phone in your hand).

    ~ Click the "#" button to make sure you're in number mode and enter a "1".

    ~ Click the upper left (white line) button in order to send that "1" to Tracfone.

    ~ Click the lower right (red lined) "Home" button and wait for your confirmation text message call --clicking "OK" to read it (and the upper and lower ring (around the "OK" button) in order to scroll and read the message --

    ~ Saying it all worked, but NOT telling you your new balance.

    ~ To actually see your added minutes and days, re-use the above first steps.

Again: our old 3G Tracfones use to always present the remaining minutes and days. The first item up on the menu was: "Add Airtime", after which you simply plunked in that long card number, after which you could see your days and minutes go up. I suppose they made it all so difficult, thinking we'd then open an account with automatic payments --and handing over a lot more than the $8.33/month we pay now by using a one year card (maybe with double minutes and not talking a whole bunch). Maybe that resulted in a lot of Tracfone's frustrated senior customers switching to the likes of Consumer Cellular (and paying something like $20/month --forever).