TracFone Wireless is a subsidiary of America Movil, Mexico’s largest telecommunications company. The company functions as a mobile virtual network operator, holding agreements with different large network operators like Sprint and Verizon to provide nationwide service coverage for its customers. Established in 1996 as Topp Telecom in Miami, Florida, TracFone now has over 90,000 retail locations nationwide.

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The Good

No Contract
Airtime Flexibility
International Calling

No Contract

TracFone is "America's #1 National No-Contract Wireless service provider." They offer no contract, bills, daily or monthly fees, with nationwide coverage on America's best and most dependable networks, like Sprint. TracFone is a pay-as-you-go wireless phone service, which means you can pay month-to-month or as needed. They have various customer service options offering live chat, email, and phone service, from 8 AM to 7 PM EST.

Airtime Flexibility

TracFone products and services are easy to understand. Each prospective customer follows the same three steps prior to enrolling in the service:

Choose a phone - customers need to purchase their phone up-front since there are no contract discounts or promotions to bind them to the service. The TracFone inventory offers a few different phones, including Android smartphones and iPhones.
Activate - once you order your phone, customers simply need to follow the activation instructions found in the package. At this stage, customers will need to have an airtime card or service plan.
Add airtime - to continue service, customers will continuously need to add "airtime" to ensure minutes, texts, and data are available. This can be done over the phone, online, or in one of the retail stores.

TracFone has unlimited carryover, which means your unused minutes, texts, and data never expire as long as your service is active and in use within each six month period.

The carrier also triples everything, which means that when you buy a 60-minute Airtime Card, you'll get 180 minutes, 180 Texts, and 180 MB of data at no extra charge.

International Calling

Some international service is included with every TracFone account. You can purchase a $10 global calling card to cover additional calls to Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Colombia.

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The Bad

Expensive Minutes
Customer Service Concerns

Expensive Minutes

Pricing is something that has also caused concern amongst the TracFone consumer base despite the overall affordability of the business model. The minutes are pretty expensive, and because you have to purchase them upfront, you may end up spending a lot more on minutes than you would on another unlimited plan. The tradeoff is that minutes carry over from month to month so if you buy more than you need, you can use them next month.

Customer Service Concerns

Despite having several customer service options like live chat, text message, email, and phone availability to address a problem or complaint, many PureTalk reviews describe challenges understanding customer service reps or getting the help they need.

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The Bottom Line

TracFone is a good option for prepaid phone service, but customers should be aware that minutes tend to add up and are quite expensive to buy in bulk and there are no unlimited data or unlimited texts plans. Read customer reviews for more details about the customer experience and compare TracFone's service plans to determine if it's a good service provider for your needs.

TracFone customers can expect the following:

No contracts
Custom talk and text amounts
No unlimited data options
Limited device selection
Prepaid plans
No hidden fees
GSM network coverage
Unlimited carryover
Pay for phone up-front
Some international coverage

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User Reviews

Star Rating

3.8

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233 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

42%

4 grade

24%

3 grade

15%

2 grade

1 grade

13%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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Ella Endicott, NY

Highly dependable service, very good usage for the price, $45.00 unlimited. The cons are you can’t get a print out of calls (if need to) after 30 days Customer service is blah— Easy to recharge service via a card or by calling in with your credit card from anywhere. Phone you buy are tied to this network only and can’t be brought into another from what I know...maybe someone else can speak on this. Had them for 7 years, comparable to AT&T, if this is your first company, just read the instructions well. Not hard, but if you are not tech savvy and need help, you may want a local store. Speed is good, not the fastest, but reliable. To get a tandem line to link to your other devices costs money, when other companies provide this freely. They removed this option from their phones, so to have your phone be a hot spot you need to pay money.

4 years ago

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Who Knows Baltimore, MD

I loved TracFone! The service was always very reliable. Plus it was great having easy accessibility to refill minutes. Not to mention customer service was extremely helpful. I would definitely recommend this service to anyone looking for a prepaid phone that has great reliability.

3 years ago

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John Kohlberg Long Beach, MS

Good for if you want a cheap phone until you get a better one. It's a phone and there is nothing more I can say. Its not terrible buts its not good. It has everything a usual phone would but the camera quality is a bit bad and its slower than the upper class phones

5 years ago

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Tom

Generally very hap[py with it. Service staff are knowledgeable, friendly. I LIKE the pre-paid type service. Wish it would be easier to simpkly ADD data rather than having the pre-paid card divvied up among data, text and phone service.

6 years ago

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Sara McCreery Brooklyn, NY

I’ve been a customer of tracfone for years. It’s easy and convenient to pay for my bill and know how much data I’m using. I can even get cloud space now which is awesome. I have had other providers and I have not been impressed. This is easy to use easy to buy minutes Everything. The only downfall and it might have to do with something else, sometimes I loose LTE or 4g network and it runs off 3g which just blows.

4 years ago

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Angela Nelson Pleasant Grove, UT

We used TracFone as the first phones for our kids when they were younger. They had texting phones that they could use to text or call (they didn't need internet service) and it worked well because they had to watch their usage since it was prepaid. It helped them to be aware of how much they were using their phones and also helped them get used to carrying and keeping up with their phones. I recommend this product and service for kids or for anyone who doesn't need heavy usage. Customer service was not great, however.

7 years ago

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Tony Wilhite ,

TracFone does ok with respect to being a company that provides cellular service at a reasonable price. If you don't use the cell phone much to talk, text or surf the web, TracFone is the right service. The service coverage is good where I live and with the high prices of other companies, am considering renewing my service.

4 years ago

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Dee Farquharson Washington, DC

I had TracFone for many years. It was easy to topup my usage and I loved having the option for doubling or tripling your minutes when buying certain models of phones. However, having the double/triple value on your phone for minutes was the only way I felt I got my money's worth. The phones were kinda cheap, but not too shabby at the time.

6 years ago

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Moureen Meggers

I like this phone due to the nature of the service I receive. Never a dropped call. The prices are great for their plans and the customer service is great.

2 years ago

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Mary Gunn

The overall experience with TracFone is good. Their customer service is fantastic especially if you get Frank throw the chat window. Rates are comparatively good and reliable.

4 years ago

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Michael Bieker Los Angeles, CA

Very good option for wireless service. They have come such a long way over the years. Have had service for some of my other family members for over 20+ years. Inexpensive and very reliable!

4 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Shane Hallowell Summerville, SC

I use this for my daughter as she is riding the bus this year and it is a little bit far from the house. His phone is inexpensive and works well for the purpose. She likes it and seems to have good enough service.

4 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Chai'el Ma'etheius , GA

I have been using TFW Straight Talk for over 3 years or so and in a way the price is fair, data once in a while has its quirks and calls has once in a while an echo or static, but it has no contracts or hidden fees.

5 years ago

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Patti Miller ,

The phone was for 84 year old Mother. She is not up to date on modern devises but I managed to teach her to use the phone. The model I chose was very basic. A good choice for her needs.

5 years ago

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Lindsay Norcross, GA

Service was okay but and it was good in an emergency. I just didn’t like buying minutes all the time. It would be good for someone who doesn’t use their phone a whole lot.

5 years ago

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Danielle Powell Long Beach, MS

Cheap phones and enjoyed the small plans. Was perfect to give younger kid who wanted phone but wasn't responsible enough for more expensive phone. Service was not great in rural areas

5 years ago

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Jacob American Fork, UT

Although not that popular anymore, TracFone is great for international travel when you need a phone for communication but dont want to risk losing and breaking your smart phone.

5 years ago

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Joseph Tempe, AZ

I bought a tracfone as I needed a phone fast. The phone service was good and the price was very fair, I like this service

2 years ago

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Sparky 8 pez Rancho Cordova, CA

Tracfone gives me the best value for my money. Customer service could use a bit of improvement, but overall, I'm happy with the company.

5 years ago

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Rachel Hoyle Silver Spring, MD

It was very easy to access the cards to top off your service, I liked having the freedom to choose how much airtime I needed and no monthly or yearly contracts.

4 years ago

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ROCKY WENDROCK San Antonio, TX

For my purposes being retired I do not need a busy phone any more. I pay for a year and just use it when I leave the house. At home I have a land line so it suits my needs.

5 years ago

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J Crawley Provo, UT

We've purchased multiple TracFones for our kids and they've worked great. We've been pleased with the ease of use and the practical functionality of the phones.

7 years ago

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Ed Dempsey

They are fairly priced for what we want; their customer reps are often very hard to understand (accents!).

6 years ago

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Lindsey American Fork, UT

TracFone is a good starter service for children or teenagers that aren't ready for full-service smartphones.

7 years ago

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MNO O Lawrenceville, GA

I used the tracfone mobile phone and the tracfone home phone. Both worked really well as far as voice but the internet is super slow on the mobile.

4 years ago Edited October 20, 2021

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Holly Neff Moorefield, WV

Customer service is reliable and easy to work with. Only problem is where I live the coverage is spotty. Otherwise great company.

4 years ago

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joe iovino Brooksville, FL

OVERALL GOOD COMPANY HARD TO GET AMERICAN CUSTOMER SERVICE.ALOT OF TIMES HOLD TIME TO LONG AND WIND WITH FOREIGN SPEAKING REPS NOT GOOD

4 years ago

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Gary Ciminero Warwick, RI

Inexpensive fees and reliable service for my Iphone. Have been using service for many years and am thoroughly satisfied.

4 years ago

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Phoenicia Cloud Rosamond, CA

This is a great phone to have in a pinch. The phone that I had was not the best quality but in all fairness, it was quite inexpensive as well.

4 years ago

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cher612 Buffalo, NY

Tracfone has the best customer service of all the wireless carriers. Has helped me through a lot and I would highly recommend it to all consumers.

4 years ago

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Hunter Brister Norcross, GA

TracFones are cheap and reliable phones for people on a tight budget. I can personally say that the phones work very well.

5 years ago

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Micah Bradshaw Salem, UT

Great for a starter phone. Used TracFone for my teenager for a while. Serve was fine and the plans seemed to work for our needs at the time.

6 years ago

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Josiah Macdonald Pleasant Grove, UT

I used tracfones for a good two years and they didn't have the greatest phones but it was a lot cheaper for me to stay on top of my phone minutes.

7 years ago

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Misty Peoples MO

Love the service and I love the phones they have to choose from. Very affordable for my family

2 years ago

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Sunny

Reliable service, cost effective, have used Tracfone for 20 years with very few issues.

5 years ago

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Linda Lloyd Erie, PA

Fine- everything is going well and Tracphone is a value for the Tech challenged.

6 years ago

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Anita Long Beach, MS

I used this service when I was between cell phone companies. It's actually a great way to keep an emergency phone.

5 years ago

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Nicholas Lake Villa, IL

Great phone for the value. Reliable service and good customer service. Highly recommended for a starter phone.

6 years ago

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Teresa LeBaron Lake Villa, IL

Good started phone for tweens or someone who doesn’t need all the bells & whistles. Never had a problem.

6 years ago

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M eames Kaysville, UT

Very easy to buy and set up. I was happy the price was very inexpensive. Getting a card with minutes was easy.

6 years ago

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Frederick

Inexpencive. Meets my needs which are very limited at this time in my life.

6 years ago

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Roy

more then expect for the cost, all that I need for what I use

7 years ago

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Leonard Matlaw

Good service at a low cost. Great plans and phones available.

7 years ago

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Tosha R Harriman, TN

I really liked the service you could pay as you go, no background check I would go back to it

4 years ago

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PJWILEY Austin, AR

I live in a very rural area where cell service is very difficult. TracFone comes through.

5 years ago

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Deanna Bernard Miami, FL

My go to phone when my regular one is out of service. Very reliable and can be used anywhere.

5 years ago

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Wislane Noel Tallahassee, FL

Used to use when I was little was super helpful!!! Those phones do the job and work good

5 years ago

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Beth Rodgers

Phones are very affordable. Service seems to be okay.

1 year ago

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Andrew

I love the payment plans and how easy they are to use

5 years ago

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Anonymous De Land, FL

Low cost user friendly and international calliing

5 years ago