Everything to know about TracFone Wireless - Plans, Upgrade, Addon

TracFone Wireless

Check out TracFone phone upgrade options, plans, addons data, hotspot not working, 5G problem & others.

TracFone is a big player when it comes to low-cost phone plans in USA. In addition to its TracFone Wireless brand, the company runs Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, and more.

What is TracFone Wireless?

TracFone Wireless is trying to stand out from other wireless providers by offering unlimited carryover data on its plans that are designed for light data users.

TracFone made a new industry within an industry. At first, we had to pay for the prepaid plan even if we don’t use most of it, but now you only had to pay for what we used. Now, TracFone is one of the largest cell phone carriers-coming in just behind Verizon, T-Mobiles, AT&T, and Sprint- of course, this makes them the largest prepaid carrier.

TracFone Plans + Pricing

TracFone has no contracts; only plans split between “Smartphone Only” and “Basic Phone”. They only offer no-contract, prepaid plans that range between 30,60,90, and even 365-day increments. Suppose, you buy one of the year-long plans, that will last you the entire year or until you use all of your minutes. It will also carry over so long as you buy a new plan before your current one’s time period runs out.

Basic Phone Plan

TracFone’s basic plans start at just $9.99 a month, but eventually escalate to $99.99 and higher for the 365-day plan. The good news on the higher-priced front is that a one-time fee: of $99.99-$199.99 gets you a full 365 days of service, or until you run out of minutes.

But, if you’re square in TracFone’s target group, you don’t use your phone for much except texting and calling when you’re running errands-then these plans just might be perfectly priced. Many competitors simply can’t beat these prices. The only one that offers a similar plan is Freedompop’s free plan (it’s free until you use a certain amount of data), which lasts just 1 year before leaping up.

Where TracFone’s basic plans fail is that they don’t offer unlimited talk and text, there’s a limit. Of course, that’s kind of the whole hook of the branch, so I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

Smartphone-only plans

TracFone’s smartphone-only plans start a little higher, at $15 a month. Once again, however, TracFone doesn’t offer unlimited talk and text and the max offering is 1,500 minutes and texts each, meant to last 365 days.

But they do come with between 500 MB and 2 GB of data, which is just enough for the casual user to run a Google search every now and then; so long as you don’t who don’t stream Netflix or play games on your phone, you should be fine.

Why is my Hotspot Not Working

TFW Meaning

If you do plan on streaming with your phone, then TracFone’s plans aren’t your best bet-the best data option is still $50 for just a 2 GB threshold. In short, you’d be better off going with either Metro by TMobile or Cricket Wireless:

* Metro by TMobile – unlimited data, talk, and text for $50 a month (Perfect for metro areas)

* Cricket – unlimited data, talk, and text for $55 a month (More widespread reliability)

Service add-ons

TracFone offers a variety of service add-ons: international service, as well as minute, data, and text, boosts.

These prices come out about right when compared to competitors, and they’re pretty fair when compared to regular service plans-riding the line of fair, while still giving the incentive to bump up to the next tier if you consistently use more data than your plan allows you.

Auto-refill Discount

When you setup your account with TracFone, you’ll be given the option to sign up for the auto-refill. Essentially, if you go over your plan’s allotment of talk, text, or data before your next cycle, TracFone will refill everything for you. Doing so gives you a small monthly discount.

Phones + Devices:

Brand Sample phones
Apple iPhone 12, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7
Samsung Galaxy Phones Samsung Galaxy M31, Galaxy A23, Galaxy S7/S8/S9
Others LG Premier Pro, LG Rebel 4, Motorola Moto G6, Alcatel Myflip, ZTE Blade T2, Moto E5, Schok Phone, Hot Pepper phone
TCL Phones TCL 30, 30SE, A3

iPhone on TracFone -

iPhone Model Price Buy Now
 iPhone SE 2nd Gen  $289
 iPhone XR  $329.9
 iPhone 8 Plus  $199
 iPhone 7  $199.99
 iPhone 11  -  

You can also check out TracFone Flip phones to know more about the available classical flip phones.

TracFone Coverage + Performance

TracFone has a leg up over a lot of other MVNOs: most just use one or two, but TracFone uses 5. That means you should have coverage just about everywhere because you have your pick of the networks.

Natural Wireless || Easy Wireless Review

But, since TracFone will probably just pick one for you, you may not have great service. For instance, there is no service throughout the West and Midwest regions of the country. So unless you’re lucky enough to be placed on Verizon’s network, chances are high that your connection in rural areas will suffer.

TracFone Mobile Data Slow:

Many people have reported that mobile data is slow on their TracFone, there is a workaround for this.

TracFone Mobile Hotspot Not Working:

If you have an Android phone, iPhone, or iPad, then there is a whole set of instructions on why the hotspot isn't working on your phone.

TracFone Phone Upgrade:

You can upgrade your existing phone to a new one as it launches on the TFW carrier.

Can I Put TracFone SIM in another phone?

Yes, you can put your Tracfone Wireless SIM card in any GSM handset. If you are planning to do that, then please talk to a customer service agent or check out device compatibility.

Customer Service

TracFone’s customer service gets poor reviews in many cases. Some simply report unhelpful representatives, while others belabor the quality and ability of customer service representatives.

Toll Free Number: 1-800-867-7183

TracFone Mobile Data Isnt Working
Walmart Hotspot Not Working

In the Nutshell:

Unfortunately, this can be expected - the telecommunications industry as a whole has a poor reputation for customer service. But if you do need to contact TracFone for help, you can check out a variety of options from chat, Facebook, and Twitter to forums and over the phone. You can hop over to their Customer Support Page to find those links.

Summary
Article Name
Everything to know about TracFone Wireless - Plans, Coverage
Description
TracFone is a big player when it comes to low-cost phone plans in USA. In addition to its TracFone Wireless brand, the company runs Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, Straight Talk and more.
Author
Yogesh Khetani
Publisher Name
BLU Cell Phones
Publisher Logo

This post was published on September 11, 2023 9:41 AM

Yogesh Khetani: Yogesh, with over 12 years in mobile technology, shares the latest smartphone insights and how-to guides. His digital journey began with Electronics and Communication Engineering studies, allowing him to express his love for technology and gadgets in a more impactful way with the widest reach.