TracFone Wireless

Tracfone

 2.6/5 (273 reviews)
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About Tracfone

TracFone Wireless is a budget-friendly cell phone service provider that lets customers keep their own phones, customize their plans and enjoy the flexibility of a prepaid plan. Customers never have to sign a long-term contract and can carry unused minutes, text and data over to the next month. TracFone offers simple, transparent plans that don’t include overage charges or hidden fees.

Overall Satisfaction Rating

  • 5 stars
  • 4 stars
  • 3 stars
  • 2 stars
  • 1 stars

Pros

  • Customers can keep their phones
  • Multiple plans available
  • Low monthly rates

Cons

  • Not compatible with all phones
  • Slower data speeds

Bottom Line

TracFone is a budget-friendly cell phone service provider with customizable cell phone plans and no long-term contracts. It offers nationwide coverage and no hidden fees.

Top TracFone Wireless Reviews

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Rated with 5 stars
Verified

I am not a person like you see walking down the road staring at my cell phone. I use a cell phone very little so I don't need one of those $1000 cell phones. I have been using Tra...

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Rated with 5 stars
Verified

I am not a person like you see walking down the road staring at my cell phone. I use a cell phone very little so I don't need one of those $1000 cell phones. I have been using Tra...

Read full review

What is TracFone Wireless?

TracFone is a nationwide prepaid cell phone service. It lets customers keep their existing phones and numbers. Customers in the market for a new phone can browse the large inventory of name-brand phones, including LG, Samsung, Motorola and Apple. TracFone phones can be purchased at a discounted rate, and shipping is free.

Some plans can be set to refill automatically, while others require manual refills online or at a TracFone location. Customers can add extra features to their plans, such as global calling or additional minutes, text and data.

Other features that can be added to a basic plan include lost and stolen phone coverage and mobile protection. These services act as insurance in case your phone is lost, stolen or damaged.

TracFone offers a wide selection of name brand phones, many of which are great for kids and seniors.

TracFone Wireless plans

TracFone Wireless offers a variety of plans at different price points. Some of the most popular plans are:

Length of planMinutes/textDataMonthly price*
30 daysUnlimited3 GB$30
30 daysUnlimited2 GB$25
365 days1500/15001.5 GB$125
60 days750/10001.0 GB$35
30 days500/500500 MB$15

*At the time of publishing

Many plans are $5 to $10 cheaper than the listed price when you sign up for auto-refill. If you want to add global calling or more minutes and texts, you can purchase add-ons. TracFone Wireless also offers student discounts.

TracFone Wireless has plans for smartphones and basic phones and plans designed for people who talk and text more than they browse the internet or stream music. Basic phone plans range from $10 to $100 a month, and smartphone plans range from $15 to $125.

Customers can use their compatible phones with TracFone Wireless or purchase one through the company. Customers can purchase basic flip phones for $20, older Galaxy phones for $30 and iPhone 7s for $240 along with many other phone options at different price points.

How much does a one-year TracFone card cost?

The one-year smartphone plan costs $125 at the time of publishing. This is a one-time purchase that covers your wireless service for 365 days. The auto-refill price is $118 at the time of publishing. With this plan you receive:

  • 1500 minutes
  • 1500 texts
  • 1.5 GB of data at 4G LTE Speed
  • No contracts

Customers can purchase refill cards at Walmart and Target, over the phone or at one of the 70,000 TracFone locations nationwide.

TracFone Wireless FAQ

What network is TracFone?

TracFone Wireless uses a mobile virtual network operator that includes Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile US, Sprint Corporation and U.S. Cellular.

Is there an unlimited plan for TracFone?

Yes. The StraightTalk service offers 30 MB of data and unlimited calls and texts for $45 per month.

Does TracFone Wireless charge for Wi-Fi?

No. As long as your phone is active and has Wi-Fi capabilities, there is no charge.

What is TracFone Wireless compatible with?

TracFone Wireless will work on GSM Unlocked phones, AT&T-compatible phones, T-Mobile-compatible phones, Verizon-compatible phones and some CDMA Technology-compatible phones.

What is TracFone’s coverage area?

TracFone has extensive coverage on the East Coast of the county and central states, with less coverage in the mountain states and on the West Coast.

Is TracFone legit?

Yes. TracFone Wireless is a trusted and reliable cell phone provider that lets people stay connected without signing long-term contracts. Its affordable monthly plans offer basic features and are ideal for those who do not use their phones all the time.

TracFone Wireless Reviews

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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10
Rated with 1 star
Verified Reviewer
Original review: March 21, 2023

Paid $199 for a one-year plan of 'unlimited' calling/text included in price, per description. One month plus + 3 days BEFORE stated on home page and payment records -end of service - 'unlimited' calls are recorded at [0] remaining. Not the definition of 'unlimited' to be found in Websters, Concordia or any other possible version of dictionary nor fact. The person on customer service was an utterly pointless experience. Could not justify how 'unlimited' could run out before end of service date. She said she was 'connecting' with persons 'higher up' and literally just putting her headset on hold and returning to repeat same nonsense.

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Rated with 1 star
Verified Reviewer
Original review: March 8, 2023

I bought new 1-year airtime and 2000 minutes. It appeared at the Tracfone app but it stayed the phone is inactive. When I called somebody it said only the old, left 60 mins. So I asked an American friend to call the customer service, because my English is not so good. We spoke to 3 different representatives. With the first one we spoke about an hour. Then he told us he has to find out the problem, he will call back in 20 minutes. Never did.

The second one finished the call after a while. The third one could not help either, spoke so quick, that my American friend either could hardly understand. At the end, he also stopped. All texts (had more than 5000, I only use very few) were gone and the data were reduced from 4.99 GB to 3.99 GB- and the complete account was blocked. We asked several times for the phone number of a Tracfone Manager, but never gave it to us. Never Tracfone again!!!! Now we use Yolla for our international calls.

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    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: March 8, 2023

    Canceled subscription w/ 6 months remaining & cannot obtain refund. They ask security ?'s which I know are correct & they tell they are incorrect. They just are trying to keep customer's money. No recourse.

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    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: March 4, 2023

    I was promised that I could edit my own profile. NOPE. One agent said she'd changed my profile info for me (after 40 minutes on the phone) and the incorrect info is still there a day later. I hear either "our system is down" or "that part of the webpage isn't working right now." How do these people stay in business? I have no coverage where I live. I could give this phone away to a homeless person, and he'd give it back. Utterly useless. I had a problem while in roaming mode, after TWO WEEKS of calling and waiting for a response, I actually solved it myself. Until then the phone didn't work at all. It didn't work when I needed it most, a family member was hospitalized out of town and I couldn't use the phone at all. Not dependable, not convenient, agents can hardly speak English, the info they convey is inaccurate.

    2 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
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    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Feb. 25, 2023

    Trying to port my cellphone number to a different carrier. Tracfone says I have to give them the account number to do it. On my account page the number shown as my account number is not correct. So I called Tracfone to get my correct number. They verified I was me through text code confirmation and 20 questions. After which they told me they could not tell me my account number. So, I can't port my number without the account number which they have but will not tell me even though I called them from my phone and they verified I was me.

    This is the most fouled up service I've seen- ever. If the account number is not available to me on my webpage and I can't get the account number from them how do you port a number? As much as I hate to say this, the FCC should step in and force Tracfone to make sure that your account number is on the webpage. I've never had an account with ANYONE that didn't have the account number available on billing or on the account page. NEVER. Except- TRACFONE. I'm somewhat annoyed that you can't give them a ZERO. Instead of a 1 to 5 scale it should be a NONE to 5 scale.

    2 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Feb. 22, 2023

    I have two Tracfone and find the cellular service adequate for my needs. I called into Customer Service to ask two questions.

    1) Am I on the most appropriate plan?

    2) If I renew now, do I qualify for any discount?

    The first agent I got couldn’t understand my question and after about four minutes transferred my call. The second agent couldn’t speak English and after about three minutes apologized and transferred my call. The third agent spent about two minutes apologizing in broken English. I asked for a supervisor. The fourth representative, again speaking in broken English told me that it was up to me to research their plans and that he couldn’t help me. That experience was about 30 minutes wasted from my life that I’ll never get back. Shame on you Tracfone.

    5 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Feb. 22, 2023

    Between endless transfers, it takes hours for them to understand and accomplish what should be rudimentary for agents working for a cellphone company. Tracfone has the worst customer service of the cellphone providers I've used. Chat is unable to help with most issues. The call center hires people who don't know what they're doing and don't care, and it's all done overseas - possibly with bad training and very low pay, so that the caller is stuck with the worst, most spiteful, slowest of customer service representatives who may not even speak the same language well enough.

    5 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Feb. 19, 2023

    Customer service reps are great -- but they try and try to help you for a service that just doesn't work! I tried for two days with customer service reps to troubleshoot the problem, and nobody could solve it. I was never able to get mobile data to work. So my one star is for the reps, but I can't give any more stars to a company that sells a product that is so overwhelmingly faulty.

    3 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Feb. 15, 2023

    The phone's SIM card will not connect to any cell network. The website support page shows errors, but won't work. The call center kept asking questions like "how many bars do you see on the phone?" This despite my repeatedly telling them it was not connecting to a network. I finally got to a second level technician, who asked more questions like "how many bars do you see on the phone?" Finally, when the tech could not fix the problem, I was told my account was still activating and this could take up to four hours.

    Four hours later, I was on with tech support again. Same routine. Finally I was informed: "the account is still activating and this could take up to 24 hours." Well, 30 hours later, the phone is still not working, and I can't get any resolution from support. Bad product, no attempt to refund or replace. I did ask. I will not purchase another Tracfone product ever again.

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    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Feb. 14, 2023

    Renewed my prepaid phone service just to have it not work since "reactivation." Used their website chat service to try to get help - got walked through a tedious "troubleshoot" process where they talk down to you and treat you like an idiot. When the process doesn't work- because their service doesn't work- they tell you they have to escalate the issue and will call you back: and they never do. So when you call them, they walk you through the whole "troubleshooting" again- the whole time being condescending and sarcastic and then asking you why YOU're giving them an attitude when you get upset with theirs.

    Waste an hour of your time, don't fix the problem, don't provide you with a reference/case number, don't provide you with the fix they arrived at: which is to send you a new SIM card forcing you to call back to 2 weeks later, be troubled to go through the whole tedious thing again - only to be told THIS time that "you brought you own phone so you need to PURCHASE a new SIM card, and then call back to set that up when you do." Mind you, my current device and SIM card were working before I renewed my service.

    6 people found this review helpful
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    TracFone Wireless Company Information

    Company Name:
    TracFone Wireless
    Website:
    www.tracfone.com