What is 'Triple Minutes for Life'?

[Geek-9pm]

I was looking at cell phones and saw this:
Triple Minutes for Life
On that site the site, it said:

This means that every paid Airtime Minute you add to this phone will be tripled. This benefit is limited to this phone only, is not transferable and is not applicable to promotional minutes.

I don't get it. What is the catch. Please somebody explain this.

It is not possible to give anybody Triple Minutes for Life. Right? 

[Salmon Trout]

It's a promotional offer. They mean the "life" of the phone, not the life of the user! The phone has a unique serial number and the phone company multiplies by 3 the prepaid minutes you purchase. As mentioned, the offer is tied to the phone (not just  the SIM) and will not transfer to another phone even if the phone is damaged, lost or stolen. The idea is to add perceived "value" to a phone that you might otherwise reject when making a purchasing decision.

[Salmon Trout]

Looks like a quote from a TracFone ad. They offer these deals with low end phones to get people to buy them.

[Geek-9pm]

Yes, TracFone.  Here in USA Walmart sells them. But the price of the phone is not high. So that makes it hard to understand. There is no contract. It is a 'pay as you go' plan. I don't see how it is technically possible to offer lower prices, no contract and a low cost device.
One Android model sells for about $20 and comes with the triple thing.
I have tried doing the math and it makes no sense. They will not make a profit.

Or maybe they do. If so, the other phone companies are really making a huge profit. Hart d to believe.

And the Android models allow some data traffic. Even a little texting.

But I am not going to buy one. Not yet. I am still waiting for the free fone I was promised.  The US government is giving away free smartphones to all who quality. People on low-income assistance can sigh up for a free phone.

Some call the free phone the 'Obama Phone.'
http://www.obamaphone.com/

I am still waiting. 

[Salmon Trout]

If so, the other phone companies are really making a huge profit. Hart d to believe.

They are making a huge profit. It is not all "hard to believe". TracFone Wireless is the USA's fifth largest wireless provider, it spends virtually nothing on advertising, it has according to anaylysts "a maniacal focus on eliminating unnecessary expenses." It does not have a tower network of its own, it piggybacks on the big cell network operators infrastructure, buying millions of minutes at a time; Tracfones have expiration dates; purchasing more airtime typically adds 90 days of service, with a 365-day extension package available, so the customers have to keep prepaying to keep the phone alive. Also with prepay the company has your money before you use any minutes, so it can earn interest. The phones are cheap basic older model phones bought from China in large amounts. Their business model seems to be to make a little bit of profit from each of a large (and growing) number of customers.

[patio]

They actually do advertise...and in conjunction with the huge retailers such as Wal-Mart they pretty much seperate senior citizens from their limited income...