Top Cheap Alternatives to Tracfone Prepaid Service
These are the best low-cost alternatives to Tracfone service. Most of these options are a little more expensive than the lowest-cost Tracfone options, but generally offer more for the money with unlimited talk and text, and a some with unlimited data.
Many Tracfone users have been with the company for a long time. The extremely low cost and ability to control airtime usage has made it popular for years.
But there have always been a handful of issues (mostly poor customer service), and with Verizon acquiring Tracfone, the problems only seem to have multiplied. Issues range from a lack of basic functionality of the Tracfone website, to some users accounts getting disconnected. Tracfone promo codes have also become much more restricted, and Tracfone really has not been handling 3G network closures very well, leaving customers looking for answers.
We're hoping Tracfone straightens the issues out soon, and most Tracfone users are unlikely to leave, but for those who are ready to jump ship to greener grass, here are some of the best alternatives available.
One thing to remember is that most of these use T-Mobile's network. So if you don't have T-Mobile coverage in your area, your main option in this list is Visible Wireless.
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| Our breakdown of the cheapest plans, and the cost for unlimited plans. |
Mint Mobile
Founded in 2016, Mint Mobile is a relative newcomer to the wireless industry, but they have quickly become a popular option for the simple, affordable, no-nonsense plans.
Mint runs on T-Mobile's network, and only offers 3, 6 or 12 month prepaid plans. All their plans come with unlimited talk and text, and varying amounts of data. Their cheapest plan is $15 a month for the first 3 months and comes with 4 GB data per month. After that, to keep the $15 a month rate, you will have to commit to 12 months at $180 upfront. This is not unlike Tracfone's 1 year airtime cards that are a popular, and inexpensive option.
Other plans from Mint offer more data, with their $20 plan featuring 10 GB data per month, their $25 plan offering 15 GB, and their $30 plan coming with unlimited data. Just remember that to get those monthly rates you have to pay for 12 months upfront. If you opt to pay for only 3 months, it will end up at $25 for their cheapest, 4 GB plan.
Tracfone's most comparable plan is $199 for 365 service days, unlimited talk and text, and 12 GB data. But that comes out to over $16 per month with only 12 GB data for all 12 months. If you do need more data, it can be purchased at $10 for 1 GB.
For those that use a lot of data, and prefer unlimited talk and text, Mint is a cheaper option to Tracfone. However, Tracfone does offer other plans without unlimited talk and text that come out to about $10 per month for 12 months.
Because Mint uses T-Mobile's network, you should check for coverage in your area, and for compatibility with your device, before switching.
Learn more about Mint Mobile on their website.
Google Fi
For certain users (mostly those ready to sign up 4+ lines), Google Fi might be a great unlimited option.
All of their plans offer data, calls and texts within the US, Canada and Mexico at no additional cost, and their Unlimited Plus plan offers data in more than 200 countries, and free international calling from the US to 50+ international destinations. For people who travel a lot, or have family or friends abroad, this could be a big money saver.
Google Fi's plans only become economical, however, when you add multiple lines in a 'family' plan. With 4 lines, their Simply Unlimited plan is just $20 per month per line and includes unlimited talk, text and data.
They also offer a flexible plan, which is just $20 for one line, and includes unlimited talk and text. But you have to pay $10 per GB for data on top of the $20. Tracfone offers a similar $20 unlimited talk/text card, but it also includes 1 GB data and additional data can be purchased at $10/GB.
Google Fi doesn't make sense for everyone, but for some users, and especially those looking to add a family plan of 4 lines or more, it offers a lot of great features and can be very affordable.
Fi uses combination of T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular's networks and only a handful of phones (such as Google Pixel devices) are designed to fully make use of all of Google Fi's features. But many other phones are still compatible. Check the full list here, and learn more about Google Fi on their website.
Tello Mobile
Much like Mint Mobile, Tello is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that uses T-Mobile's network and was founded in 2016. Unlike Mint, Tello offers monthly prepaid options so you don't have to commit to more than 1 month of service at a time. They offer a number of different, flexible plans that are also quite economical.
For just $10/mo, Tello gives customers unlimited talk and text, and 1 GB data. Increase the data to 4 GB at just $19 per month. They also offer an unlimited data plan for $39.
Plans can be upgraded or downgraded anytime with no extra fees. The change is instant, and your remaining balance will roll over for the next 30 days. Plans renew automatically each month, but can be cancelled at any time with no fees.
Tello also offers International calling to over 60 locations free with every plan. And they currently have 50% off your first month of service.
Compared to Tracfone, Tello offers similar amounts of data, but at a lower monthly cost. Tracfone's cheapest unlimited talk/text plan is $15 for 1 GB (with auto-refill). And their top option is $35 for 8 GB (with auto-refill). With Tello, their 8GB data plan with unlimited talk and text is $29.
One of the drawbacks for Tello is they don't currently offer any data-only add-ons. Whereas with Tracfone, if you need more data it is just $10 per GB. And also, Tracfone offers data carryover, so your unused data is added to the next month. We couldn't find anything mentioned about data carryover for Tello.
Head over to the Tello website to learn more, and check for compatibility.
Visible
Simple and affordable are the two words we would use to describe Visible. But to get the best deal, you will have to be on a 'party plan'.
Visible is owned by Verizon, and operates on Verizon's network, but still maintain an independent headquarters in Colorado where they were founded.
Visible's only plan is $40 a month for unlimited talk, text and data. Get in a party plan, however, and that can drop to as low as $25/mo for 4 or more lines. Here's the interesting part, you can join a party plan with anyone, and billing is kept separate. So go on the Visible forum and find a few others looking to party up, and everyone get's the discounted rate.
Refer a friend, and they get their first month of service for $5, and you get your next month for $5.
Visible also comes with unlimited mobile hotspot and users can make calls to Canada, Mexico, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico at no additional cost.
But the biggest plus is that taxes and fees are all included. And many of you know how quickly the fees and taxes can drive the price up on a 'cheap' plan.
Data on Visible is capped to certain speeds. 4G LTE data is capped to around 12 Mbps, and 5G data is capped to about 200 Mbps. These aren't the fastest speeds, but more than enough for most users. In several speed tests we conducted for Tracfone's service (on Verizon), our 4G lTE speeds averaged only 7 Mbps.
If a simple, unlimited plan with Verizon service is what you want, and you don't mind finding a party plan to join, Visible is a good option. Head over to the Visible website to learn more.
Tracfone has several other brands under it, including Straight Talk and Net10 which each offer unlimited talk/text plans with 10 GB data per month for $35-$40. But users would be better off opting for Visible's unlimited plan and joining a party to get it all for $25 on the same network (Verizon).
Which Plan is Best for You?
Tracfone offers cheap service and a lot of flexibility with different plans. However, they are not the cheapest option for people who use a lot of data, or want an unlimited plan. And Tracfone's other brands (Straight Talk and Net10) are also more expensive than many other options.
For an unlimited plan, Visible is the cheapest option at $25 when you join a party plan. If you are going to have a family plan with 4+ lines, Google Fi is the cheapest unlimited plan. And if you don't want to deal with party plans or family lines, Mint Mobile has a $30/mo unlimited plan.
For the cheapest options, Tracfone is one of the better contenders, with a $125 year card that includes some airtime. But unless you are not using your phone much, you will have to spend more to get additional talk, text and data. Mint Mobile and Tello each offer plans for $10-$15 which include unlimited talk and text, and 1-4 GB data.
Tracfone does offer network coverage on all the major networks, which is very convenient. However, they do plan to migrate everyone to Verizon service in the future. Many of the other carriers in this list use T-Mobile, which may not have service in some rural areas.
The bottom line is, there are a lot of different options available and the best one is the one that fits your budget and needs best.
There are a number of other carriers that we did not include in this list, and some of them may offer great prices for certain options. But we found the list above to be the cheapest and best at this time.
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If you're shopping for a smartphone, be sure to check out our List of the Best Tracfone Smartphones, which includes some of best current smartphones available from Tracfone. And for cost-conscious people, we just published the Best Tracfone Smartphones under $100 list.
You can also Bring Your Own Phone to Tracfone, including devices like the Moto G Stylus, iPhone, and more
See our Latest list of Deals and Discounts on Tracfone cell phones, but be careful, you might find a deal too good to pass up!
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