How Many Minutes Does Texting Cost for TracFone?

How Much Does Texting Cost for Tracfone?

This is a relatively common question many people have when looking at buying a Tracfone cell phone.

Cell Phone Closeup By seanmcmenemy

Tracfone is a prepaid, no-contract cell phone service provider. They have low cost minute cards, and many cell phones for under $100 (and even under $20). With Tracfone service, you pay for how much you use the phone, and you have to buy prepaid minutes to put on the phone before you can use it.

Texting with Tracfone is very reasonable, and we are going to share exactly how it works, and how much it will cost you.

Before we get to the cost, we must explain that texting charges are different for Tracfone's newer, Android powered smartphones. These smartphones put minutes into three separate 'pools' of calling/texting/data.

Read our guide, How Minutes Work on Tracfone Smartphones to get the full explanation. We will share below how much texting will cost on the smartphones as well as regular Tracfone devices.

Now, let's first explain the cost for texting with Non-Android phones:

Texting, or SMS, costs 0.3 units (or minutes) for each text (sent or received) on non-Android phones

Sending an MMS costs 0.5 unites, and pictures cost 1 unit on non-Android phones.

Sometimes pictures can cost more, especially if they are larger images. And remember that you get deducted for every text you send or receive.

What about Android phones? How much does texting cost on a Tracfone smartphone?

This is a very straightforward answer, because texts are already separated from calling and data on the smartphones.

Texting on a Smartphone costs 1 text (sent or received)

Sending a photo deducts from your data based on the size of the photo

So with a smartphone, each text deducts one text from your 'text pool'. At this time, here is no way to just buy texts, so if you run out you will have to buy another prepaid minute card.

Some users have experienced problems sending photos on smartphones. This may be due to these users leaving their data turned off (which is usually a good idea, because it keeps apps from using data). Data is used when sending pictures.

If you have more questions about the smartphones from Tracfone, check out our Android vs non-Android comparison, that covers many of the differences.

Texting with Tracfone is very reasonable, although if you send thousands of texts per month, you may want to look for an unlimited plan.

There are also some other costs that you should be familiar with when using Tracfone:

Surfing the web browser costs 0.4 units per minute on older, non-Android phones

On newer Tracfone Cell phones, such as the LG 840G or any Android Smartphones, using the web browser costs differently based more on the amount of data used, instead of time online. Additionally, the LG 840G and all the Android phones have WiFi connectivity, which is free to use on the phone when you are connected to a WiFi network.

Using Tracfone prepaid cell phones is great for those who want an emergency phone, don't use their phone too often, or just need a phone in a hurry. And with many of the newer Android powered smartphones, they have become even more economical for daily use.

To learn more, read our Overview of Tracfone or visit our Cell Phone Reviews page. We also created a Beginners Guide to Tracfone, to answer many of the comment questions consumers have.

We hope this has been helpful! Leave a comment if you have questions, and thanks for visiting!

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(This post was originally published 1/9/2013, but was updated and republished 2/23/2015 with more accurate information)

Tracfone Promo Codes for February 2015

List of Tracfone Promo Codes February 2015

Each month TracfoneReviewer collects and provides here a list of the latest promotional codes from Tracfone for you to use and get extra minutes for free!

Tracfone Promo Codes February 2015

Tracfone is a prepaid wireless cell phone service provider that offers low cost, no-contract options for you to own a cell phone.

When adding the prepaid minutes to your phone, sometimes you can also use a promotional code and receive extra minutes for free. Prepaid phone cards come in several different amounts, and certain codes go with each card, or any card of greater value.

Tracfone also provides a variety of phones, including Android smartphones. Take a look at our Android Phone List for all the options, but remember that promo codes won't work with Android phones.

We  recently chose our pick for the Best Tracfone Device. What do you think we picked? Take a look to find out.

If you're looking for more details on how Tracfone prepaid service works, or how the promotional codes are added, read our Beginners Guide to Tracfone. You'll find plenty of information to get you started.

Now, let's get to the codes. We have collected these from various sources with user feedback to help ensure they are the latest, and valid through February 2015. We strive to provide the best codes, and leave a comment with how the code worked for you.

Tracfone Promo Codes - February 2015

Use the following codes for an extra 20-300 minutes added to your phone when are adding prepaid minutes. Each code works for a specific minute card amount, or cards of greater value.

Tracfone Minutes

60 Minute Card use 52464 and get 30 bonus minutes

120 Minute Card use promo code 78380 for 30 bonus minutes

200 Minute Card enter 89041 to receive 40 extra minutes

450 Minute Card use code 24028 and get 50 more minutes for free

1 Year/400 Minute Card add code 67988 for 300 bonus minutes

1 Year/400 Minute Card use 84299 to get $15 off the purchase price, but only available online at the Tracfone website.

These are the codes for February 2015. If you can't find a code that is working, or want more options, go to our main Tracfone Promo Codes page for the complete list.

We hope you found these codes useful, and were able to get some extra minutes for free! Let us know which codes worked for you in the comments below.

If you're in the market for a new phone, don't miss out on the information available on the Tracfone BYOP page. We share a lot of details about bringing your own phone to Tracfone, including a list of compatible phones.

Don't forget to protect your device. We have compiled a resource for finding Smartphone Cases and Covers for many of Tracfone's popular devices.

Finally, if you do have a smartphone and are feeling depressed that the promo codes won't work for your phone, head over to our List of the Best Apps for Android and get cheered up by all the things you can do with your smartphone!

Thanks for visiting!