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TracFone Phone Bill: What You Should be Paying

Are you pay too much for your TracFone phone service? We can help.

TracFone Wireless is an alternative to high-cost, contract phone plans. The brand offers low-cost, no-contract plans, most of which are quite similar. However, in terms of the features, plans, and network coverage they offer, they may or may not be the right company for you.

Network quality 

Verizon Wireless in September of 2020 acquired TracFone meaning the network quality you get if you use TracFone is contingent upon the coverage provided by Verizon Wireless in your area. Will 5G cost more? Unfortunately, the 5G Plan cost most people can get with companies like Verizon doesn’t apply to TracFone. Each of their three plans give you access to 4G LTE speeds.

Below is a map of their current coverage:

Map of Verizon Wireless network coverage

Map of Verizon Wireless network coverage from RootMetrics.

One of the things that makes this company stand out is the carryover data. Most of the prepaid plans they have give you carry over data.

If you do go over the data limit associated with your plan, they let you purchase more data, but the cost is $10 per gigabyte which can be quite high if you end up using a lot of data.

They are also trying to make a name for themselves by allowing you to keep your current phone whenever you switch to their service.

TracFone Cell Phone Plans

Unlimited plans

All of the plans you get come with unlimited talk and text, however, the company doesn’t offer any type of unlimited data plan.

The unlimited plan cost includes unlimited talk-and-text no matter which plan you get, and carry over data, applicable for 30 days at a time, but the average cell phone cost per month can change based on how much data you use.

All three of the main smartphone plans TracFone has are prepaid plans and as mentioned, they all give you unlimited talk and text but they vary in terms of the amount of data.

  • The first plan is $20 per month which gives you 1GB of data at 4G speeds, data carry over so long as your service is active.
  • The second plan is $25 per month which gives you 2 gigabytes of data at 4G speed, data carry over so long as your service is active.
  • The third plan is $30 per month which gives you 3 gigabytes of data at 4G LTE speed and data rollover.

One of the issues people have with any of these three plans is that no plan includes taxes or fees so the actual amount you pay each month is going to be higher than what is advertised.

Another issue people have is that the speed you pay for is 4G LTE according to the company, however, they say the actual availability, coverage, and speed can vary based on where you live which means you might be getting something as low as 2G even though you are paying for 4G simply because you live in an area that doesn’t have good quality coverage.

TracFone does a lot to try and explain exactly what type of activity you can do with one gigabyte of data so that you can figure out what plan you need. They say, for example, that with one gigabyte of data you can browse 835 pages online, or spend 51 hours on social media, 27 hours navigating with Google Maps, or send and receive almost 14,000 emails.

However, that one gigabyte applies to only one of those four activities, not all four. This is where some people end up using more data than they expected.

Family and Sharing plan

Want to know the unlimited Family Plan cost? Well, Tracfone doesn’t have any type of unlimited data plan for families either, but they do still offer unlimited talk and text in the form of the three main plans they offer.

If you want to add other people, you have to choose the data plan for each line at a phone bill cost per month of whatever plan you choose. They don’t let you add multiple lines so the line access fee is going to be contingent upon how many plans you want to take out.

Prepaid plans

If you use a basic phone they have three different basic phone plans that are prepaid, have no additional charges, fees, or cancellation.

With each of these you can save 10% if you choose Auto refill and in order to do auto refill you have to have a credit card.

  • The first plan is the 60-minute plan which includes 60 minutes for talk, text, and web browsing. It is $19.99 per month
  • The second plan is the 120 Minutes plan which includes 120 Minutes for talk, text, and web browsing. It is $29.99 per month.
  • The third plan is 200 minutes for talk, text, and web which comes at a cost of $39.99 per month.

How TracFone’s Unlimited Plan Compares

When it comes to service features, you really won’t get anything other than the unlimited rollover data. The company doesn’t support mobile hotspots, video streaming maxes out 480p, and there are no additional perks. Compared to companies like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, this isn’t going to be a good company for people who rely on mobile hotspots, want HD streaming, or other perks.

Another issue with Tracfone is namely the lack of in-person customer service. Any customers who have issues activating a phone, setting up a new phone, or simply using their device has to get help through phone or chat services. Compared to other companies like T-Mobile or Verizon, this can be a little challenging for people who are accustomed to in-person support.

As far as prices are concerned, if you don’t use a lot of data, the prices offered by TracFone are more affordable than major companies like Sprint or Verizon, but if you use a lot of data, it’s going to cost you a lot more in the end when you consider the price of additional data costs. Moreover, if you need anything other than one phone line, you might find better discounts especially in terms of the amount of data you get each month by going through a different company offering family plans or sharing plan discounts for multiple phone lines.








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