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- Tracfone uses all four networks: Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint
- Phone deals are limited to older models
- Cellphone plans with no contracts
- Unused data, text and minutes roll over at no extra charge
- Buy a new phone or bring your own
Tracfone is a wireless carrier that provides phones, SIM cards and phone plans. There are flexible month-to-month plans with no contracts. You can buy a Tracfone phone or bring your own and get a Tracfone SIM card.
Tracfone is a prepaid phone carrier, meaning that you pay upfront for your minutes. When your minutes run out, you will need to buy more. You can also choose auto-refill to have Tracfone regularly renew your plan.
The difference with this phone company is you can stop at any time because there are no contracts. You won’t get binded to Tracfone with a one-year contract like most other phone companies. You can leave whenever you want. The downside is that you won’t get the perks that usually come with this companies like free streaming subscriptions and discounts on the latest smartphones.
Tracfone smartphones
Tracfone‘s deals are limited to models that are a couple years old
Tracfone currently offers a little over 30 different smartphones with savings of up to 25%. There are around 30 Android phones, plus a handful of iPhones and flip phones. Brands offered include Samsung, LG, Motorola, iPhone and even a couple Alcatel flip phones for those of you who just want a device to make phone calls.
All you have to do to have access to Tracfone’s daily deals is sign up and become a member. Submit a form with your email address and Tracfone will share their deals, promotions, offers and information. You must be at least 13 years old to enter this form.
Current Tracfone deals
All deals are while supplies last. You can get free shipping on most orders.
- You can get the Samsung Galaxy A20 for just $149.99, an $80 savings
- Tracfone has an iPhone 7 in rose gold for $239.99, reduced from $274.99
- There’s a Samsung Galaxy A10e for $119.99 (usually $159.99)
- There are also some refurbished phones available from Tracfone
Tracfone plans
Tracfone doesn’t offer unlimited data plans, but its plans are affordable and flexible with no contracts
Price | Length | Data | Talk | Text |
$20 | 30 days | 1GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
$25 | 30 days | 2GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
$30 | 30 days | 3GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
$20 | 90 days | 0.06GB | 60 minutes | 60 texts |
$30 | 90 days | 0.12GB | 120 minutes | 120 texts |
$40 | 90 days | 0.2GB | 200 minutes | 200 texts |
Pricing per month plus taxes. Additional fees and terms may apply. As of 11/05/20.
Tracfone offers three plans with unlimited talk and text and unlimited carryover data starting at an affordable $20/mo. On all three plans, any unused data will roll over into the next month as long as the plan is active. Fees and taxes are not included. As always, with Tracfone, there are no contracts. You can save 10% on a basic plan with auto-refill.
How do Tracfone’s prices compare?
Carrier | Price per GB* | 4GB or less | 5-9GB | 10-25GB | Unlimited |
UNREAL Mobile | $3.19 | $15 (3GB) | $20 (8GB) | $25 (12GB) | – |
Mint Mobile** | $3.19 | $15 (3GB) | $20 (8GB) | $25 (12GB) | $30 |
Metro by T-Mobile | $4.00 | – | – | $40 (10GB) | $50-$60 |
Red Pocket | $4.03 | $19 (3GB) | $30 (8GB) | $40 (20GB) | $60 |
Net10 | $4.24 | $20 (2GB) | $35 (5GB) | $40 (10GB) $50 (30GB) $60 (40GB) $65 (50GB) | – |
Straight Talk Wireless | $4.40 | – | $35 (5GB) | $45 (25GB) | $55 |
U.S. Cellular | $5.00 | – | $40 (8GB) | – | $55-$65 |
T-Mobile | $5.50 | $15 (2GB) | $25 (5GB) | $40 (10GB) | $50-$85 |
Simple Mobile | $5.67 | $25 (3GB) | $30 (5GB) | $40 (15GB) | $50-$60 |
Boost Mobile | $5.80 | $10 (1GB) $15 (2GB) | $25 (5GB) | $35 (10GB) $45 (15GB) | $50-$60 |
H2O Wireless | $5.89 | $20 (2GB) | $30 (6GB) | $40 (15GB) | $50-$60 |
Page Plus Cellular | $7.50 | $30 (3GB) | $40 (8GB) | – | $55 |
Verizon | $8.75 | – | $55 (5GB) | $65 (10GB) | $65-$90 |
FreedomPop | $8.92 | $17 (1GB) $25 (4GB) | – | $35 (10GB) | $55 |
Ultra Mobile | $9.00 | $19 (1GB) $23 (2GB) | $29 (5GB) | $39 (15GB) | $39 |
Credo Mobile | $9.15 | $50 (3GB) | $55 (9GB) | $70 (15GB) | $70 |
Cricket Wireless | $9.50 | $30 (2GB) | – | $40 (10GB) | $55-$60 |
Republic Wireless | $9.75 | $20 (1GB) $25 (2GB) $30 (3GB) $35 (4GB) | $40 (5GB) $45 (6GB) $50 (7GB) $55 (8GB) $60 (9GB) | $65 (10GB) $75 (12GB) $90 (15GB) | – |
AT&T | $10.00 | $30 (2GB) | $40 (8GB) | – | $50-$85 |
Total Wireless | $11.33 | $25 (1GB) | $35 (5GB) | $50 (25GB) | – |
Tracfone | $14.17 | $20 (1GB) $25 (2GB) $30 (3GB) | – | – | – |
Consumer Cellular | $16.83 | $25 (0.5GB) $30 (3GB) | – | $40 (10GB) $50 (15GB) | $60 |
Google Fi | $18.80 | $30 (1GB) $40 (2GB) $50 (3GB) $60 (4GB) | $70 (5GB) $80 (6GB) | – | $70 |
Visible Wireless | N/A | – | – | – | $40 |
*Unlimited plans not factored in.
**Introductory rates, also available with 12-month renewal
All plans include unlimited talk and text. Pricing per month plus taxes. Additional fees and terms may apply. As of 11/06/20.
Tracfone wireless coverage
Tracfone provides access to all four major networks. Which one you connect to depends on your phone
Tracfone runs on four different networks to bring you the best coverage: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. If you bring your own phone to Tracfone, the network you’re on will be whichever carrier you bought it from. If you buy a new phone from Tracfone, the network it uses will be determined by the phone. Here’s how the four networks compare according to third-party tests:
Source | Tracfone | Verizon | AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile |
Ookla Consistency Score | N/A | 73.80% | 79.70% | 66.10% | 79.20% |
RootMetrics Overall Performance | N/A | 94.8 | 93.2 | 86.7 | 86.9 |
OpenSignal 4G Coverage Experience | N/A | 9.7 | 9.3 | 8.2 | 8.7 |
Consumer Reports Data Score | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Very good |
Consumer Reports Reception Score | Good | Good | Poor | Poor | Good |
Data as reported by Ookla, Root Metrics, Open Signal, Consumer Reports
Does Tracfone have 5G?
Even though Tracfone runs on networks that all have 5G, it doesn’t currently support the technology. The company hasn’t made any announcements on when it will get 5G, but it’s unlikely that it will happen anytime soon.
How does Tracfone compare to other prepaid phone companies?
The average price per gig for all prepaid plans is $12.60, while Tracfone’s price per gig is $14.17. It comes in a little higher, but you won’t find lower prices anywhere than Tracfone’s 90-day plans. But you’ll barely get any data for that price.
As you can see below, Tracfone scores in the middle for the Consumer Reports Reader Score. It scores the lowest at 825 for the J.D. Power Purchase Experience. Tracfone’s ACSI score comes in at 76, which is higher than Metro by T-Mobile and Boost Mobile.
Carrier | Consumer Reports Reader Score | J.D. Power Purchase Experience | ACSI Score |
Boost Mobile | 80 | 851 | 74 |
Consumer Cellular | 89 | 881 | 83 |
Cricket Wireless | 83 | 855 | 76 |
Metro by T-Mobile | 83 | 843 | 74 |
Straight Talk | 82 | 829 | 78 |
Tracfone | 84 | 825 | 76 |
Sources: Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, ACSI
Tracfone customer service
You can reach Tracfone a few different ways:
- Phone: 800.867.7183
- Online Chat available from 8 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., seven days a week
- Mail: Tracfone Wireless, Inc.
Attn: Executive Resolution Department
9700 N.W. 112th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178
There is no in-person customer service with Tracfone. It’s either online, on the phone or through the mail. If you’re already a customer you can reach them by texting to 611611.
Tracfone FAQs
Who owns Tracfone?
América Móvil owns Tracfone, which also owns Straight Talk, NET10 Wireless, Simple Mobile, Total Wireless, Page Plus Cellular and Telcel America.
What carriers are compatible with Tracfone?
The following carriers are compatible with Tracfone: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. You can also use a GSM phone with Tracfone.
What network is Tracfone on?
Tracfone uses four networks: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Exactly which network your phone runs on will depend on the model of your phone.
What features does Tracfone have?
Tracfone does not provide mobile hotspots, so that might be a deal breaker for some of you. The video streaming quality is DVD or 480p. Lastly, you can only get Wi-Fi calling if your phone supports it.
Should you switch to Tracfone?
Tracfone provides ultra-cheap phone plans with no contracts. It runs on four different networks, which offers great network coverage. You can buy a new phone through Tracfone or bring your own phone and get a SIM card. It offers some decent deals on older phone models, as well as discounted refurbished phones.
If you’re sick of getting stuck in contracts, Tracfone may be of interest to you. Tracfone stands out from other phone plan companies by providing plans with unlimited rollover minutes (Tracfone calls them carryover minutes). However, as mentioned above, Tracfone is not for you if you need a mobile hotspot or HD video streaming. Tracfone does not support either of these features.
*Originally written 09/04/20. Last updated 11/05/20.
By Nicole LaMarco
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