Because I don’t use anywhere near the maximum number of minutes on the cheapest plan I can get from Verizon ($31.50, 450 minutes/month), I am thinking about looking into a Trac-fone. How do their phones and coverage compare with the big carriers? Which network do they use anyway?
Thanks in advance.
I think the TracFone carrier varies by region, my carrier here in VA is Verizon and the coverage is great.
TracFone is great if you don’t talk too much on your cell phone. The magic forumula for TracFone is buy a phone, buy a Double Minutes for Life card for $30 or so, then buy your choice of minute cards. Add the Double Minutes card. Then add the minutes card, it will be doubled.
I’m now in a cycle where I pay $20 every 3 months for a 60 minute card, which gets me 120 minutes of talk time. That’s plenty of minutes for me, I’ve got 180 right now on mine, I just added another 60 (120) minute card.
You get to keep any unused minutes, you just have to buy an airtime card every three months, whether you need it or not. If you don’t you lose your phone number.
There are bonus codes that I’ve used with some success, although during my last two top-ups I don’t think either the double-minutes or the bonus code were counted. I should call about it, but I already have more minutes than I’ll use anyway.
That’s only true if you’re buying 90-day cards. If, for example, you buy a 1-year card, you don’t need to update until the year runs out.
With Tracfone you need to have both service time AND minutes of use. Most of their cards are a combination of the two, but there are ways to get just additional minutes or just additional airtime. Essentially, you can tailor it to match your needs.
My understanding is they acquire coverage from other networks. On their website, you can see a map showing their coverage across the U.S.
Ah, true. I had never considered the 1-year cards because you only get 150 minutes or so, and I figured I’d use more than that over the year.
We hashed a lot of this out in a thread about two months ago. You can find a lot of info here:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=472038&highlight=TracFone
BTW as I understand it, TracFone “rents” time from many major carriers. If there’s a cell tower nearby, you’ll probably have a signal.
I’m in Minnesota and have been somewhat disappointed in Trac Fone on two fronts:
I have a Motorola C139 and it doesn’t always ring when I get an incoming call. Part of the problem is that the ringer level is actually one lower than it shows on the screen. So if I set it to vibrate, it doesn’t. I have to set it to what seems to be the quietest ring for it to vibrate, and the second loudest ring to get the quietest ring. Even then, it doesn’t always work.
The coverage map shows lots of coverage, but I was recently in Hinckley, MN about an hour and a half north of Minneapolis, and I couldn’t get a signal at all. My mom could, and she has a big carrier.
However, it’s possible I have these problems because I bought a really cheap phone, and not because of their network. The phone works well enough for my purposes, so I’m disinclined to get a better phone to see if it helps.
I’m thinking of buying a Tracfone soon. I currently have a contract with AT&T which expires in February, and my recent move put me in an area where AT&T service is mediocre - I generally only get two or three bars when I’m inside my house. This has me a bit annoyed because I use my cell phone for long distance calls rather than pay a monthly fee for long distance service on my landline. I’m wondering if I’ll get better reception with a Tracfone than I do with my current service. Is there any way to check that? I went to the tracfone website and all I can find is a map of what’s considered my local calling area with various phones.
As I understand it, their roaming ability is pretty promiscuous & they locate whichever signal is strongest. I’ve been very impressed with the backwater places I’ve found a strong signal.
(When you’re roaming you’re charged 2 minutes for one.)
Which model of phone do you have with them? I might upgrade at some point.
Mine doesn’t have roaming charges, btw. Which isn’t very useful if I can’t get a signal when I roam.
Here’s a data point: We had US Cellular for our first phones and the reception was meh. Switched to Tracfone and it was clear as a bell. And we live out in the sticks. YMMV, natch.