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Tracfone Review: Prepaid Wireless at its Dirt Cheapest
Tracfone Review
Warning: if you are a semi-Luddite, you will love this review. If you would hook a 3G (or 4G) smart phone up to your bloodstream intravenously if the opportunity existed, you will not.
About a year and a half ago, I made the switch from Verizon to Net10. This cut my cell phone bill from $60/month to $30/month for two phones. Net10 has been great, and when combined with the Ooma VOIP system, I have actually been able to cut my cell minutes down to under 100/month because I typically use my phone for a quick check-ins, emergency situations, and sexting – er, texting.
Because I’ve been able to cut my minutes so low, I’ve now banked over 1,200 minutes (Net10 allows you to rollover your unused minutes). As a result, I’ve done a lot of research into Tracfone to cut my phone bills even lower, and wanted to give it a review so that you all may benefit if the plan fits your lifestyle.
Surprise! Tracfone Owns Net10
Here’s the funny thing. Net10 is a Tracfone brand. They literally run off of the same network and share the same towers with 30 major carriers in the U.S., and can be CDMA or GSM, based on the phone model that you purchase. Other than pricing models and phone selection, the two companies are the same.
It’s basically the same as the differences between a Ford and a Mercury vehicle. Inside is the same. Outside (the phone) and prices are different.
Tracfone is actually the largest prepaid cell phone service provider in the U.S., with 11 million subscribers. Here’s a look at how they grade out in key wireless provider characteristics.
Tracfone Reception
In a year and a half I haven’t had one dropped call with the Tracfone network. The coverage was way better than Verizon ever was. The acoustic clarity is a step up as well.
Activation
Very simple. Charge the battery and go online to activate your airtime card, and you’re all set.
Customer Service
Net10 and Tracfone are not going to win any awards for their service. The reps are typically foreign and not the most well trained. The good news is that I’ve only had to have one encounter with them (when my wife’s phone was stolen), as the phone service quality and setup have been flawless. The online help center is pretty well built out if you run into problems. Unlike the large mobile customers, Tracfone and Net10 don’t have local stores to get service in. I’m sure this is a contributing factor to why they are able to offer such inexpensive service.
Tracfone Phone Selection
You might as well forget about getting a smart phone of any kind. Tracfone has a limited selection of phones and they are all bare bones. These are phones for people who want good, inexpensive service without all the fancy bells and whistles.
For instance, right now they have a special deal to get a Samsung T301G slider phone, accessory kit, and double minutes for life card all for $29.99. Not an award winning design on the phone, but one hell of a deal for no contract.
Tracfone Vs. Net10: It’s all About the Pricing
Herein lies the main difference between the two companies. Tracfone has a lot more flexible and cheaper airtime card options than Net10. The lowest minutes/month airtime card you can get is 150 minutes from Net10 (300 minutes for 60 days of service, costing $30). So the cheapest you can get your cell cost down to is $15/month.
With Tracfone’s 60 minutes (before doubling to 120 with the double for life card), you get 90 days of service for just $19.99. That’s only $6.67 per month! Of course, you only get 120 minutes over those 90 days. But if you use your phone like I do, it might just be enough.
It’s also worth noting that most Tracfone phones have a text message rate of 0.3 minutes (some are 0.5). Net10 is 0.5 minutes on all phones.
Tracfone Benefits
- No contracts.
- Don’t like the service? Phones are cheap, so you haven’t lost much.
- You see your service date and minutes remaining right on your phone screen so you don’t have to worry about where you stand with either. Hard to get accidental overage charges.
- No daily airtime fees. This is where you can save money over other prepaid carriers. A lot of the other prepaid cell plans charge you $0.99 or more for each day you actually use the phone in addition to the per minute charges.
- Rollover! Unused minutes during your service dates are banked and rolled over.
Downsides to Tracfone
Customer service and they don’t have the latest in phone technology (in my opinion, this is a good thing if you’re looking to cut costs).
Who is Tracfone Good For?
Anyone who uses their phone minimally for emergencies, short chats, and for texting – and not heavy conversation.
Who is Tracfone Not Good For?
If you live and die by your unlimited data plan from another carrier, you’re probably not going to see Tracfone as a good fit.
Final Thoughts on Tracfone
If you can keep your cell phone minutes down to a bare minimum, or really only use your phone for texting, quick chats, and emergencies, then Tracfone is a great option. It’s essentially taking what has typically been a high-priced subscription model product, and taking it to a frugal, bare bones extreme. Right now, Tracfone is also offering free 3-day ground shipping on all orders $19.99 and over.
Tracfone Discussion:
- Have you used Tracfone? What’s your take?
- Have you been able to find a cheaper cell provider than Tracfone or Net10?
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My name is G.E. Miller and 
Amazig review, I have to agree with desTravis, really I does not get any better than Straight Talk, I got a smart phone and for only $45 a month I get unlimited service, it’s great, I can download music, apps and email, It’s a great tool because I work in sales and this is the best value in the market, I’m really happy I switched.
I love the fact that one company can offer net10, straighttalk, and Tracfone. I feel like they supply products to all kinds of costumer despite how the economy is doing or how poor people are doing at the moment. For example i use Tracfone and all i pay is $30/month and i have no contract and the service is pretty good.
Tracfone works just great for me. I have total control over my monthly bills, never spending more than I had planned to, I’ve never had a problem purchasing minutes or loading them onto my phone and coverage has been perfect with no dropped calls. All round, I’m a happy customer!
I completely agree with ParkerLove. My parents got me a brand new TracFone as part of my going away presents and I had not had one single problem with it! Now while I’m away at college I can keep in touch with my parents without worrying about pricey bills. Their $45 a month unlimited talk, text and data is incredibly affordable and reliable with the Verizon network.
Love tracfone! It’s not fancy and it doesn’t have smartphones or 3G speed but it’s got the basics for as cheap as they can possibly come. I use them for my kids, it’s the only way I can keep track of their minutes and not pay an arm and a leg in overages.
Love the fact that the time not used roll over. I only buy 60 minute cards that automatically doubled to 120, so I have over 900 minutes and only pay about $20 bucks every 3 months.
Tracfone is the way to go in my opinion. It is the most affordable and has great coverage. I think that its not for eveyone though, you gotta check ur bill but its most likely the best option for you too.
Tracfone is the only way that I can stay on top of my kids’ cell phone usage and also keep the cost down. It’s not for everyone but if you’re dealing with low-frequency users and you don’t want terrible service just because you don’t unload tons of cash on cell phones every month, then it’s right for you.
I’ve been using Tracfone for 6 or more years now and I love it. I wish I had looked into Tracfone sooner. I am not a heavy cellphone user, so Tracfone works great for me. I was previously a Verizon Wireless subscriber, but it began bothering me when I looked at my monthly bill compared to how often I actually used my cellphone.
However, both Tracfone and Net10 are now coming out with entry-level smartphones, e.g. LG 800G, so I’m now wondering if Net10 might be a better value especially if the Mobile Web feature works out to be a good feature on the new smartphones. I would definitely eat up time if the Mobile Web feature works well.
i think the value of the tracfone is by far the best thing out there. Times have been touch for my family and I just hate that I had to leave my iphone. I do … i admit i miss it. But a cellphone was one thing I couldnt get rid of. And the best thing for was to get a prepaid phone. I like the tracfones. Im intersted in the samsungt301G but i dont know much about a few things. Does anyone know anything about the international calling? my mother lives in england and i still want to be able to call her.
If your mom is on a land line phone, not a cell phone, you can probably still call her on a Tracfone. I think it uses units/minutes faster, but it’s do-able. Tracfone doesn’t have cell to cell working in most countries. I made one short call to England last year.
TracFone now has a qwerty phone and a touch screen phone. I saw them on their website, so now they have modern phones along with their prepaid service
Interesting post. I think with Tracfone’s doubling minutes, promo codes and no-contract service, coupled with solid coverage. it’s a very solid and competitive service , especially for those who don’t use their phone alot.
And now, Trac has tripling minutes! Saw the deal on HSN a few times and just also found it on their web sight. It’s for 2 models of phones, no card but it’s an enhanced value for sure.
I’ve seen a couple of mentions of Tracfones SVC service. It’s not for everyone. If your looking for a o more modern phone then this will disappoint. No qwerty keypad, for example and the web browsing is rudimentary. But if your seeking simplicity and low cost, this is a very viable option.
I’ve had a trac phone now for about 8 months.
It provides double minutes for life of the phone.
The clarity is better than I had with Alltel.
I rarely get dropped calls unless the caller or myself
are in a very rural or mountainous location where
there are few cell towers.
I like the small size of the phone.
It is easy to operate.
Photos it takes are acceptable quality for phone photos, but I rarely use it to take photos.
I rarely text on it, occasionally receive a text but it works for me.
The website takes a little getting to understand how to maneuver.
However, it is easy to buy more minutes for your phone online, using a credit card (not debit), and the minutes show up instantly on your phone.
The phone came with a coupon book for 2 years worth of discount codes.
The website also has coupon codes you can use when buying minutes.
When I was with Alltel, I had a Samsung Eternity phone with all the bells and whistles, but found I didn’t really need them.
The reason I bought a trac phone is because my only option was to go with AT&T or Verizon. I hate AT&T and the three Verizon stores I visited nearby were all unimpressive and their rates were too high.
This phone charges up really fast – faster than the Samsung.
What I do that is saving me a lot of money is that I make free long distance calls within the U.S. using my gmail account phone service.
Gmail has extended this free calling plan another year so it is saving me lots of money when I make hour-long calls to relatives, etc.
I highly recommend Trac Phone, the fact that you can quickly add minutes online, that the phone is cheap & has double minutes for life of the phone, and that it charges quickly.
I highly recommend the gmail phone option too.
We are “snowbirds” and thought we loved our trac fone last year. saddly, this year, I am having trouble calling Canada. I do the 1800 number..then 1 for english then 1, the city code,and the 7 digit number. Then it goes no where. It might take 7,8 or more tries before it will make the connection properly. The people I call say it rings at there end, with only a muffled noise when they answer, and I hear nothing at my end…just dead air, so eventually I hang up (but I am charged the time). Is it me or my phone? Would we be better off if we purchased one of the more expensive trac fones (we don’t need all the bells and whistles)? I seem to have good tower connection. HELP!
My brother lives in Canada – (Vancouver). I have no trouble in getting hold of him. I have the LG500 phone. From what I have heard Tracfone is available in at least 40 countries. Hope you have sorted out your problem and if not and you think it might be your phone then I would recommend the LG500g. Plus this phone came with double minutes for life. This has been a valuable assett to me (which didn’t cost a lot at all)