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May 7, 2019

How to Buy Only Texts for your Tracfone Smartphone

How Texting Works with Tracfone and How to Add More

buy texts for tracfone
How to Buy Texts for Tracfone
For many of us, texting is our biggest drain of minutes on our Tracfone smartphone. And up until now, the only way to add more texts was by getting a card for more calling and data as well.

With Tracfone smartphones, each text you send or receive deducts from your total amount of texts. When you buy prepaid airtime cards, they allow you to make calls, send texts and surf the web on data. Tracfone sells a variety of prepaid cards (for both regular devices and smartphones), and each card adds more texts, data and calling minutes at the same time in different amounts.

With airtime split for smartphones into Talk, Text and Data buckets,, you can run out of data or texts and have to buy more calling minutes to refill your data and texts, even if you don't want any more calling minutes.

But Tracfone now offers a prepaid card you can purchase to add 1000 extra texts for $5. It is also possible to buy extra Data for your Tracfone as well and you can follow the link to learn more.

It is very convenient to be able to just buy additional texts, especially as Tracfone offers more and more smartphones. And remember that these data and text specific cards only work with smartphones.

Let's break down how the text card works, and where to get it.

What is the Text Only Card and What do you Get?

There are three kinds of prepaid cards you can buy from Tracfone to use with your smartphone:

  • Regular Airtime Cards - available for all phones
  • Smartphone Only Airtime Cards - only available with smartphones
  • Add-on Cards - only available with smartphones

The regular airtime cards (with varying amounts from 60 minutes to 450 minutes) are generally not the best deal, especially for heavy data or text users as they don't give you as many texts/data for the price. However, some phones with triple minutes help make these cards a more reasonable deal.

buy text 1000 card
Text Refill Card available at Target
Smartphone Only cards have specific amounts of talk/text/data and generally give more text/data than talk time because most users tend to use more texts and data. The smartphone only cards range in price from $15 to $125.

Finally, Tracfone also offers add on cards which, unlike the other two kinds of cards, only add one type of airtime (either talk, text, data or service days).

Here are the current Tracfone Add On Cards:
  • Talk - 500 Talk Minutes for $10
  • Text - 1000 Texts for $5
  • Data - ! GB Data for $10
  • Service Days - 1 Year of Service for $50 (Currently unavailable, Tracfone may have removed this)
At first glance, 1000 texts for $5 looks like a good deal, but is it? Let's break it down.

Comparing the Cost Per Text for Airtime and Text Cards

Is it cheaper to buy an Airtime card or a Text card to refill your Texts?

If you buy the 60 Minute Airtime card, you will get 60 texts, which is tripled to 180 on some smartphones (you also get 180 calling minutes, and 180 mb of data, plus 90 days of service) for $20. This works out to just over 1.4 cents per text after factoring out the value of the talk, data and service days you also get.

If you get the $25 Smartphone Only Card you get 500 minutes, 1000 texts, 500 mb data and 60 service days. This works out to 0.6 cents per text, which is a little better than the 60 minute card.

And what does the 1000 texts for $5 come to per text? 0.5  cents per text, which is the best deal.

buy texts for tracfone
Tracfone Text Card 1000
As you can clearly see, if you only need text messages for your phone, the special text card is the best deal. But if you need additional calling, data or service days, some of the smartphone only cards are also a good deal.

We recently created a Full Comparison of Tracfone Airtime Cards which looks at which airtime card is the best deal, and includes information on text and data only cards.

So what should you do if you need just a few calling and data minutes, plus service days, but go through texts quickly? Try buying some of the lower cost airtime cards that include plenty of service days, like the 60 minute card which as 90 service days, and then buy additional text add on cards as needed.

Where to Buy the 1000 Texts Card

The 1000 Texts Card is available as an add-on from the Tracfone website. The cards can also be found in many retail stores including Target and Walmart, and also online from many sources such as Amazon.

Get Bonus Texts when adding the Text Only Card! Don't forget that there are often promo codes for extra texts (500 to 1000) when adding the 100 text card! Visit our Tracfone Promo Code page to see the codes!

We hope this analysis is help for you if you're comparing airtime cards. Drop us a comment below if you have questions, or additional insight to share.

If you are new to Tracfone, start with our Beginners Guide!

Be sure to take a look at our Tracfone BYOP page, which has information about using unlocked phones with Tracfone, such as the new Moto G7 which we reviewed recently.

Find the lowest prices on new phones with our Tracfone Deals and Sales List which includes both Tracfone devices and unlocked phones.

Finally, join us on Facebook with a growing community of helpful people and send us a message if you have specific questions!

Thanks for visiting!

73 comments:

  1. Great info... Now what smartphone does Tracfone offer with WiFi available? Thanks.

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    1. All of the smartphone on tracfone have wifi and bluetooth

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  2. Great for the "prolific" cellphone users, what I need is the service days, I don't do a lot of phoning/texting, I do use the data somewhat outside the home away from my WIFi. What I'd like to see is a separate service time card.

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    1. That's essentially what Tracfone is at it's core. You can't get cell service any cheaper than about $8.50 a month. You pay about $100 a year for having the number itself and service, if you don't use it then no worries, you're still getting an incredible deal for basic service.

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  3. Nice. Now please add larger quantity text cards for even cheaper per text. How about 5000 texts for $20?

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  4. Does anyone know if the Text only Card triples????

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  5. I does not triple and it does not add service days. The 1000 texts do not expire as long as service is active

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  6. The above link for the text only card takes you to tracfone, but I see no text only card available on their site. Has anyone actually been able to find or buy these cards? Thanks!

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    1. It seems as though it has disappeared. Perhaps it will return?

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    2. I bought one today - it is only available for smartphones. Go to Add Air Time. You have to scroll down a bit to find it.

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    3. From the website it is only available to be added directly to the phone, under smartphone tab. You can purchase them in Target back in the phone section for $10.00 per card.

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    4. They are there, last card in the stack on their website and Walmart now has them, I bought two there yesterday.

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    5. I've looked at Walmart and walmarts website and was not able to find the card...

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  7. I purchased 5 two nights ago, and they appeared on my phone immediately, 5,000 texts only. Went back the next day to get more, and it the option was gone. I hope they do come back...I have thousands of calling minutes and tons of data, but run out of texts all the time. I did get a free texting app for a while, which uses up the data, but it was sort of a pain to have 2 separate phone numbers, couldn't get people to use the texting phone number.

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    1. they are still online, under airtime- smartphone and byop only plans, then it is the last white card before the cards turn blue.

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    2. Whatsapp is a free text app. You can also use it to call internationally. And utvus free!

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    3. But the recipient also has to have WhatsApp. I love it but two of the people I text the most refuse to use it. They don't want to have to manage another app *eyeroll*

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  8. I just saw the card listed on the site available for purchase a few days ago, but now when I visit the site to purchase one, it is not listed. I have emailed Tracfone but have not gotten a reply yet. Does anyone know anything about this, or know if the text only cards are available in stores? I very much hope these cards will remain available and were not just a marketing trick to get customers to switch to Tracfone but then force them to purchase additional minute plans when they ran out of texts!

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    1. The cards are only available in Target. They are on the website under airtime- smartphone & byop only plans-pay as you go- last white card (1000 texts only) before the cards turn blue. The text will be directly added to whatever phone number is entered. No card will arrive in the mail.

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  9. I called TF today (tedious, very tedious) and the CS person who I finally reached took a while to acknowledge that there indeed were text only cards, that there are none now, and suggested I check back once a week or so to see if they re-appear. He said they weren't informed when they first were available, and weren't informed when they were removed, and had no idea if or when they might re-appear.

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  10. Wow, so the text card was only available for 8 days?!

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  11. I so wish I had purchased when I saw it. Just paid 80 bucks for 1350 texts. Darn. Really hope it comes back,,,, too good to last I guess.

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  12. Tracfone, please fix this and put the cards back.

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  13. Yeah that'd be great, Not sure why they would keep them up for such a short time unless they figured out it was too cheap and they would lose money's on their other card sales.

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  14. If they're thinking straight, they'd realize that the revenue from the basic service at $100 per year won't change, and extra texting revenue is revenue they're losing to free services that use wifi. You can get basic cell service from other carriers for under $400 a year with unlimited calls and texting, and perhaps 4g service and better roaming, so if you have to buy more texts by buying another year of service at $100 for only 1350 texts, the entire concept of Tracfone being affordable goes out the window.

    An entire market segment is opened up for Tracfone if they continue the text only cards, if not my family which has been on Tracfone for years will have to leave and get a family plan elsewhere as my teenagers don't call, they text. They refuse even to do email, it's text only and they do thirty a day. The 0.01 cost per text has to be more than Tracfone would be paying to Verizon, Verizon gives it away for free to it's regular customers.

    If a teenager sends 30 texts a day, then my cost for his phone service is $220 a year (quite a bit higher than my phone, and dangerously close to the cost of cheap unlimited cell service on a family plan from another carrier). Tracfone at a minimum needs to give us 0.01 texts and better yet would be 0.005 cost text. If this doesn't change then we'll be shopping elsewhere.

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  15. The text card is back up on Tracfone.com today (I was checking every day since it initially disappeared). Bought it twice and it worked both times almost immediately on my Moto E.

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  16. Hooray! Bought 2000 texts today.

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  17. I'm glad the cards came back. I bought three cards yesterday evening for $30 and by the time I signed off I had the 3000 texts. And it can't get better than .01 a text.

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  18. i saw a commercial for the samsung galaxy stardust phone tonight on tv and i went to the website to check if the 1000 texts for $10 cards were back and they were and i bought 3 =3000 texts. they should last me about 5 months. my service end date is 2023, 8 yrs away. you don't even want to know how many minutes i have (that i don't even use since i prefer to text)

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  19. The text only option will be great for my son! I plan on eventually adding him to my plan, but until then, this is an affordable way to allow him to have texts. He usually uses them up before anything else anyway! Kudos to tracfone!

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  20. WHY doesn't the text only card triple just like the others do? My phone has triple minutes for life and if I buy a 1500 minute card, it triples for all three "buckets"... phone, data, AND texts, so why not this text only card??? Has anyone called tracfone about this? I'm about to... Thanks!

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  21. to Anon June 8

    Clearly you didn't pay attention to the detail in the article above. The new text only card without tripling is way less money per text than any of the regular cards that do triple.

    Sure, if Tracfone wants to give us three texts for a penny, I'm all in! But this text only card already is so much cheaper than any previous option, I just can't understand why you're complaining.

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  22. I "clearly" did pay attention as I was not questioning the value of the text only card but the fact that Tracfone is not honoring the terms of the contract with me on the phone I purchased...namely, TRIPLE MINUTES FOR LIFE. Just because it's a good value doesn't negate this obligation. Clearly that must not be important to you.

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  23. OK, not to be angry and do all caps but your post says "TRIPLE MINUTES FOR LIFE". So there you go, texts are not minutes. Data is not minutes. So no problem with your (and my) contract. And I don't work for Tracfone btw.

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    1. Then why does Tracfone triple the texts and data on the 1500 minutes card example I referenced? They are being inconsistent.

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    2. It triple all '3' categories (minutes, text, data) forever as long and you keep it current, and your service days rollover too, if you add more minutes before your current end date. Tracfone smart phone and BYOP phone

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  24. OK, we'll agree it's inconsistent. But let's not mess up a good thing.

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  25. I have a smart phone tracfone. So does that mean that when i put on a card for 60 minutes does it tipple to 180 for each categorie?

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  26. So i have a smartphone tracfone. So when i put on a 60 minutes card and it is supposed to tripple to 180minutes, will it triple and put 180 minutes into each categorie?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, but they don't triple the text only card.

      Delete
  27. This guide is great for text only people, but it does leave out the "other buckets". You're not paying 11 cents per just text, it's 11 cents for 3 units of each (min/text/data) Essentially, looking at it's division, it will now cost less per minute and more per text than non-android phones (though about half/half of trac-phones metered talk time, while others subtracted minutes by the whole. So, for some, this isn't entirely true).

    An example: the 60 min card (tripped) gives you 180 units in each bucket. So, each unit separately costs 3.7 cents per unit. This actually means that minutes are now cheaper (like I said, depending on metered or whole min cost), but texts are more expensive, but not by much. I mean I suppose you could look at it as 11cents a text with bonus free minutes and data. An Awkward trade off, but still less painful than 11cents and still pretty cheap nonetheless. If you're a text only person, this guild is by all means the best possible outcome for you. But I occasionally like to hear peoples voices... okay one person... Okay, it's my mama.

    Ps, Smart shoppers won't forget bonus codes. This can lower the cost per unit at least a cent!

    Anyhow, it really is a great guide. Been fallowing for years, you guys really know how to patch up a wallet. Keep it up! <3

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    1. I thought Smart Phones were unable to use the 'bonus codes' ?

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    2. I have a 4 LG telephone I would like to know if I can add the five LG or 5G card I would also like to know can I add three 5G 200 minutes at one time which is 600 minutes and also add three 1000 only talk only text minutes for $15 435 plus tax unlimited unlimited text for $5 I meant am I able to do this and add three of each of those cards or do I have to have a smartphone because I don't have a smartphone so please clarify cuz I would like to add the 200 minutes three cards at one time with 90 days per card time and then add three 1,000 text only cards for $5 a card that's $135 plus tax can I add all six of these cards at one time must it be electronically or can I buy the card to Walmart and is the 5G going to work on my 4G cell phone

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  28. Will have to purchase text what a deal

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  29. any 2015 Moto X Style Pure Edition using BYOP?

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  30. I do not see this available on their web site any longer?

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    Replies
    1. It's only avb. with a smartphone or BYOP plan.

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  31. So I just got a trac phone because Ill be out for a week, how many texts will a 10$ card get me? Answer asap please

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  32. Can you purchase the text only cards in a store?

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  33. I have not seen the text only cards in walmart or dollar general, but those are the only two places I have looked for them. I think I read on line recently that text only cards were seen in Target.

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  34. Found it!

    https://www.tracfone.com/direct/Purchase?payGo=true&app=TRACFONE&lang=en

    Scroll down a little more than half way

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  35. I ran out of texts, so I bought the 1000 texts card. I am disappointed that the only people that receive texts from me now are other tracfone customers - friends on other networks can only receive texts from me if i have texts on a regular airtime card. Defeats the purpose for the text only card.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like you have a glitch. I have been buying text only cards for months and friends on other networks have no problems receiving my texts.

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  36. Super helpful analysis/breakdown, thank you!! This is exactly what I was looking for.

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  37. Wow, that's cheap. I pay 14 pence (UK) per text on T-mobile!

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  38. Why can't I send a picture through text? When I receive on it won't download. I have an LG.

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  39. Please help! I just activated my new tracfone LG Sunrise L15G a few days ago. I thought I would be able to send and receive texts "for free" (i.e. without deductions from my tracfone balance) using my home Wifi and the texting app "Hangouts." So yesterday I set up gmail and Hangouts, changed my default message app to Hangouts (instead of "Messaging") and sent and received a bunch of texts. I checked my balance before and after. The texts have been deducted from my balance. Any advice/suggestions? Thanks, Tommy

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  40. Can I send /receive texts for free (i.e. without deductions from my tracfone balance) using Wifi and the app Hangouts?? It did not work for me. Please help!

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  41. Use a messaging app like nextplus or Facebook messenger on your data, instead of texts when you can. A data card should make sending messages via data cheaper than the 1000 text card.

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  42. $5 for 1000 texts? Yup, bought it today and only additional charge was sales tax. That works out to 1/2 cent per text. I don't even hesitate to text multiple times at that rate

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  43. I just went to the Tracfone website and checked my balances. I noticed that my balances are listed as Voice Minutes, Data MBs, and text SMS's. How are MMS messages deducted? Data? Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Exactly, MMS deducts data based on how much data it takes to download or upload the message.

      Delete
  44. Thanks for your info. It makes working with Tracfone a whole lot easier and has saved me money. Can't ask for much more than than.

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  45. I cannot enroll in auto-refill plan and add text/data? I dont get it.

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  46. The vast majority of my phone usage is texting with an occasional voice call. Do I need to have any voice minutes to text? Just thinking that I might run out of voice minutes but I'll still have texts in my "bank."

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  47. I just "spoke" with a TF CS through online chat and asked about the text only card. They said you have to call in and ask for it. I'll be trying this soon for my 14 YO prolific texter.

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  48. Does anyone know if texts are charged to the account if they are deleted without being opened? A friend initiated a group chat and before I knew it, there were hundreds of texts in my box. I deleted them all without opening but didn't check my balance before so don't know if they counted.

    Also, since group chats must be downloaded with data enabled, do they still count as texts? Thanks.

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  49. Can you get a 1000 text card without having to get an airtime or data plan, like a separate thing? If someone texts you, does that take away a text from the "1000." Does the length of the text matter, is does it only count as "one" text no matter how long the text is? Thanks for your help.

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  50. Service Days - 1 Year of Service for $50 where is this at?

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  51. Please help! I can't add texts or data for my husband. He completely ran out of both and has over 2,000 min. and service until Dec. TF cust serve said his credit card was declined. It wasnt his cc or billing address. I've done this for him a couple of times in the past online, no problem until now. He even bought a min/text/data/service card and That didn't work either! Has anyone else had this problem? Thank you in advance.

    ReplyDelete

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