Tracfone Adds Unlimited Talk/Text Plans for Smartphones
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| Tracfone Unlimited Airtime Plans |
Tracfone quietly just released three new smartphone-only airtime card options with unlimited talk and text. Below are the details and we will share how the work and if it is a good deal.
Many users have suspected Tracfone would eventually offer an unlimited option with the cost of talk and text dwindling and that day has arrived.
Over the last few years Tracfone has stopped offering Triple Minutes for Life and introduced smartphone-only airtime cards with varying amounts of talk/text/data. The smartphone-only cards are generally a better deal for those who use all three 'buckets' and Tracfone also added Text only, Talk only and Data only airtime cards as add-ons.
Now we see three smartphone-only cards available on the Tracfone website and the Tracfone My Account App for purchase that come with unlimited talk and text, 30 days of service, and between 1 and 3 GB data depending on which card you get.
Let's jump straight into how they will work:
Tracfone has confirmed in their FAQ that customers won't lose any existing talk/text when they get the unlimited plan, all balances will carry over. For example, if you have 90 service days and 200 talk minutes and purchase one of the unlimited plans, you will get 30 additional service days added to your account, and if you don't renew the unlimited plan after 30 days, you will still have the 200 talk minutes.
Auto-refill is not currently offered, so users will have to add a new unlimited card each month to continue.
It is hard to judge exactly how much 'unlimited' calling and texting are worth since it depends on how much one typically uses, but many users can go through a few hundred calling minutes each month and avid texters could use several thousand texts.
Let's look at a possible example: If you were to use about 250 talk, 1000 texts and 1 GB data in a month, that would cost individually $20 ($5 for 250 talk, $5 for 1000 texts, $10 for 1 GB data). But that doesn't include the cost of service days, which is around $5 for 30 days.
The $20 smartphone card comes with 300 talk, 1000 text, 1 GB data and 30 service days, so it is already a good deal for heavy users.
Now with the unlimited smartphone plan at $20 for the same benefits but no cap on talk and text, it is a better deal for heavy users. However, one point to note, there is no carryover for talk and text with the unlimited plan so it is really only best for those who use upwards of 300 talk and 1000 text per month.
The $30 unlimited smartphone plan is an even better deal IF you use 1-3 GB data per month. The data alone is worth the $30 so you basically get free talk, text and service. If you don't use all your data, it rolls over to the next month.
Overall these new unlimited smartphone plans are a great deal but only for Tracfone users who go through a lot of talk, text and data each month. For some users it will make more sense to continue with the other airtime card options.
If you don't use a lot of minutes, a card like the $49 365 day airtime card (with 1200 talk/text and 3GB data) is a great option right now.
We don't expect Tracfone to change the other airtime card offerings at this time.
That concludes this post on the new unlimited plans but be sure to leave a comment below if you have any thoughts or questions!
Join us on Facebook where we share the latest posts and have a growing community of helpful users sharing tips and answering questions.
If you're shopping for a smartphone, be sure to check out our List of the Best Tracfone Smartphones in 2019, which includes some of best current smartphones available from Tracfone. Additionally, our list of the Latest Tracfone Smartphones has all of the most recent releases to browse as well.
You can also Bring Your Own Phone to Tracfone, including devices like the Moto G7, iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S10.
Finally, don't miss 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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Many users have suspected Tracfone would eventually offer an unlimited option with the cost of talk and text dwindling and that day has arrived.
Over the last few years Tracfone has stopped offering Triple Minutes for Life and introduced smartphone-only airtime cards with varying amounts of talk/text/data. The smartphone-only cards are generally a better deal for those who use all three 'buckets' and Tracfone also added Text only, Talk only and Data only airtime cards as add-ons.
Now we see three smartphone-only cards available on the Tracfone website and the Tracfone My Account App for purchase that come with unlimited talk and text, 30 days of service, and between 1 and 3 GB data depending on which card you get.
Let's jump straight into how they will work:
How the New Tracfone Unlimited Plans Work
The new unlimited plans are for smartphones only and feature unlimited talk and text while also providing 30 service days. They vary on price depending how much data you want with 1, 2 and 3 GB available.- $20 plan gets 1 GB
- $25 plan gets 2 GB
- $30 plan gets 3 GB
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| Tracfone Smartphone Unlimited Plan Comparison |
Tracfone has confirmed in their FAQ that customers won't lose any existing talk/text when they get the unlimited plan, all balances will carry over. For example, if you have 90 service days and 200 talk minutes and purchase one of the unlimited plans, you will get 30 additional service days added to your account, and if you don't renew the unlimited plan after 30 days, you will still have the 200 talk minutes.
Auto-refill is not currently offered, so users will have to add a new unlimited card each month to continue.
Are the Unlimited Plans a Good Deal?
Let's break down the cost and see how the value of these new airtime options from Tracfone work.It is hard to judge exactly how much 'unlimited' calling and texting are worth since it depends on how much one typically uses, but many users can go through a few hundred calling minutes each month and avid texters could use several thousand texts.
Let's look at a possible example: If you were to use about 250 talk, 1000 texts and 1 GB data in a month, that would cost individually $20 ($5 for 250 talk, $5 for 1000 texts, $10 for 1 GB data). But that doesn't include the cost of service days, which is around $5 for 30 days.
The $20 smartphone card comes with 300 talk, 1000 text, 1 GB data and 30 service days, so it is already a good deal for heavy users.
Now with the unlimited smartphone plan at $20 for the same benefits but no cap on talk and text, it is a better deal for heavy users. However, one point to note, there is no carryover for talk and text with the unlimited plan so it is really only best for those who use upwards of 300 talk and 1000 text per month.
The $30 unlimited smartphone plan is an even better deal IF you use 1-3 GB data per month. The data alone is worth the $30 so you basically get free talk, text and service. If you don't use all your data, it rolls over to the next month.
Overall these new unlimited smartphone plans are a great deal but only for Tracfone users who go through a lot of talk, text and data each month. For some users it will make more sense to continue with the other airtime card options.
If you don't use a lot of minutes, a card like the $49 365 day airtime card (with 1200 talk/text and 3GB data) is a great option right now.
We don't expect Tracfone to change the other airtime card offerings at this time.
That concludes this post on the new unlimited plans but be sure to leave a comment below if you have any thoughts or questions!
Join us on Facebook where we share the latest posts and have a growing community of helpful users sharing tips and answering questions.
If you're shopping for a smartphone, be sure to check out our List of the Best Tracfone Smartphones in 2019, which includes some of best current smartphones available from Tracfone. Additionally, our list of the Latest Tracfone Smartphones has all of the most recent releases to browse as well.
You can also Bring Your Own Phone to Tracfone, including devices like the Moto G7, iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S10.
Finally, don't miss 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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These new cards look great,but what happens if you already a huge balance on your phone and you go to use these,i/e (I have 23,000 talk, 45,000 text and 8gb of data and my expire date is 6-28-2027, does all of that dissapear and get replaced by this new plan? I would want to know upfront before I would try these new cards,looks like a great bye though!! Any thoughts...????
ReplyDeleteMyman you a true Trac foner. I thought I had a bunch
DeleteIf you have a huge balance of thousands of minutes that means you not using it and can afford to lose it for an unlimited plan.
ReplyDeleteObviously I don't know exactly how the new unlimited cards will work with existing balances, but one possibility is that once you add one of these cards your talk/text balances are frozen at current levels and will not change for 30 days no matter how much you use. When your unlimited plan ends your talk/text balances will start going down again. This is just a guess so please post your experiences if you try one of these plans.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is the big question. Please post your experiences in this area.
ReplyDeleteThis is from the FAQ on the TF web site:
ReplyDeletehttps://support.tracfone.com/expresshelp/unlimited-plans/3088934
What happens with my current benefits (minutes, text and data) if I add any of the new Unlimited Talk & Text plans?
You will keep your current benefits. None of it will be lost. Also, the current expiration date will be extended by 30 additional days when you add the new Unlimited Talk & Text plan. You can use your previous benefits once the Unlimited Talk & Text plan expires.
What happens after my Unlimited Talk & Text plan expires?
You can refill your service with an Unlimited Talk & Text plan or any other plan you want. If you have a previous balance, you will automatically begin to use it.
What happens if I want to go back to my previous plan?
If you decide to go back to your previous plan, just let the Unlimited Talk & Text plan expire. Then, you will be able to use your previous benefits/plan automatically.
TF posted new FAQ info about the new Unlimited Plan. This is one of them...most important to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens with my current benefits (minutes, text and data) if I add any of the new Unlimited Talk & Text plans? | FAQ
You will keep your current benefits. None of it will be lost. ... Also, the current expiration date will be extended by 30 additional days when you add the new Unlimited ... Talk & Text plan. ... You can use your previous benefits once the Unlimited Talk & Text plan expires.
Live long and Prosper, JimWiz1
Per the Tracfone FAQ page, you keep your existing balance. They add 30 days onto the end of your expiration date. If you let the unlimited plan expire, you go back to using your existing minutes/text/data.
ReplyDeleteSo, if you had 6 months left on your plan, 500 minutes, 100 texts and 1 gig of data when you opted in to the unlimited cards, you'll still have that when you opt out.
Article states "If you don't use a lot of minutes, a card like the $49 365 day airtime card (with 1200 talk/text and 3GB data) is a great option right now." The link goes to eBay... apparently it's an eBay-exclusive offer for a bunch of data/text/talk plus a year service for $50. A great deal, BUT the balance is preloaded on a SIM card - it's not a paper card with a code you can put into your current phone like the good old days. (How many people remember getting those with cheap phones online?)
ReplyDeleteIf there's a way you could put this SIM in your existing Tracfone BYOP smartphone, and get the benefits, PLUS add back in your existing number and benefits, I'd like to hear it. And it'd better not be "Call Tracfone support". :)
to TheLanMan. wow, bummer you didn't get an answer right away. click the link for the eBay card, and use the drop down menu for what kind of card you want. At the very bottom of the list was 'current service...'. you had to do one extra scroll in the drop down to find it. It would get you just a scratch off card. But, now, those are sold out. Someone else posted on Facebook that they picked 'I'm Not sure' and got a packet with SIM cards for the 3 service towers AND a scratch off card. I ordered the I'm not sure, and that is what I got. Put the SIM packet in the drawer for some BYOP in the future for grandkids, and put the PIN number on my youngest son's phone. instant gift.
ReplyDeleteLive long and Prosper, JimWiz1
I've got a problem, I put one phone on the unlimited with 3gb data, and my son used the data to zero. I then went to the website and purchased 2gb more data. The data won't show up on the phone. Neither the website or the fastactportal show anything anymore for this phone, and the data doesn't work and I can't get any idea why this won't work.
ReplyDeleteIs there a restriction that after you use the data you paid for in the unlimited card, you can't add more data for the existing time period?
The first month (mid August - mid Sept) I had the unlimited card ($30 one), I didn't lose any minutes/texts/data from my old plan (had about 7600 mins, 1800 texts and .89gb), Sept, I purchased another $30 unlimited...a day before it was due, but just realized I've been using up the old accumulated mins and texts. This happen to anyone else?
ReplyDeleteThis nonsense sucks. I've spent over a month trying 3 different phones to work for these unlimited plans. For some reason, I can never make a call even after being on the phone with support for almost an hour numerous times for each phone. They all say the same thing: everything is fine, I don't know why you can't make calls. I'm so sick of this crap.
ReplyDeleteUnlimited talk and text seems to be working fine. It's nice not having to stress about running out of talk minutes during long winded phone conversations. I can now say from experience that PAYGO Data will automatically be pulled when UNL Data runs out. I'm now looking for an App or solution that can automatically turn WIFI back on after a certain time has passed.
ReplyDeleteJust tried link to 365 days+ 1200min/text/data for $49 which would be Perfect for my Situation of extending my rebel 4 i got with 1500 min/text BUT 1yr Contract almost up
ReplyDeleteLink Brings me to BYOP / Sim card w/ minutes
Not sure if this Is compatible PLUS ebay offering rebel 4 w/ 1500 min/text & good date for a yr at SAME Price
Hey great comments guys but an someone help me with resolving my issue. I have the 3G Alcatel 382 Big Easy. I would like to keep this phone as it is so easy to use. Had a smartphone could not figure it out went back to 3G 382. I would like to keep my phone as I have 762 minutes left.What can I do to keep this phone. My minutes expire in 12 days so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi I have an alcatel 382 big easy, 3G version that has 765 minutes left on it. I would like to keep this phone, minutes and number. Do not want a smartphone. Can someone tell me what to do? thanks.
ReplyDeleteAll 3G phones will eventually stop working. Try this new flip phone from HSN. You get a new phone with a year of service for $50. https://www.hsn.com/products/lg-classic-flip-phone-tracfone-w1200-mintextsdata-wwire/9705519
ReplyDelete3/16/22: THANK YOU for this site and all the good info and helpful comments! Are there promo codes for the new smartphone unlimited minutes for 30 days cards?
ReplyDelete