What You Need to Know About Verizon Buying Tracfone Wireless
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| Verizon Buying Tracfone - What you need to know |
Verizon announced in a statement in 2020 that it had entered into an agreement to buy Tracfone Wireless from parent company América Móvil SAB for just under $7 Billion in cash and stock.
The statement, released on their website on Sept. 14th, 2020, indicated that the deal could close sometime in the second half of 2021. The deal was eventually finalized at the end of 2021, with the acquisition approved by the FCC.
For current Tracfone customers, this could lead to some big changes and we will be sharing all the details we have about this acquisition including what might change, and what it means for current customers.
What Tracfone Customers Need to Know
For many Tracfone customers, not much will change, as 13 million of Tracfone's 21 million total subscribers, already use the Verizon network. It is likely Verizon will continue to offer the same services and prices for prepaid customers going forward. In fact, Verizon just recently announced a new $30 unlimited plan for Verizon prepaid customers.
However, for the 7 million Tracfone customers not currently on Verizon's network, they may be faced with some changes.
Verizon plans to make use of its existing 4G LTE network as well as its emerging 5G network to accommodate and provide service to the new subscribers.
Verizon is also planning to phase out use of ATT and T-Mobile networks and switch all customers over to their own network. Tracfone recently updated their FAQ on their website to include information about this:
"Tracfone will have a carefully managed transition during which customers will be able to move to the Verizon network, including obtaining a device compatible with Verizon’s network if necessary. We will communicate with such customers and you do not need to worry about being surprised." - Tracfone FAQ
As more information about how this transition will occur becomes available, we will update with those details.
It is very likely that Verizon will do as much as they can to keep current Tracfone customers, and even entice new customers from other brands. The post-paid cell phone service market is fairly stagnant, with few customers changing their service provider. But for prepaid, the market is more fluid, with many consumers willing to jump to another service for a better deal. Verizon is looking to boost their own prepaid efforts, and also gain subscribers through purchasing Tracfone.
What Brands Are Affected by Verizon Buying Tracfone?
The Tracfone brand also includes a number of other brands under them that will also be affected by the acquisition:
- Tracfone Wireless
- Net 10 Wireless
- Total Wireless
- Walmart Family Mobile
- Straight Talk
- Simple Mobile
With such a broad variety of brands under Tracfone, it is possible Verizon may move to consolidate some of them.
Verizon is sure to announce more details and plans as the deal progresses, and we will update with any news or changes.
Leave a comment below with your thoughts and questions, or join us on Facebook to keep up with the latest updates.
For the best deals and sales on Tracfone devices, head over to our Deals and Discounts category which features periodically updated blog posts that share the lowest prices on Tracfone devices and minutes.
And be sure to visit our Latest List of Tracfone Smartphones to see what's newly available!
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11 comments :
Bought triple rollover 1200ea talk, text, data + lg phone via hsn 11/30/14 & bought new year & some more ttd each year. Seldom used as got it so I could let family know of travel delays each time I visited sick parent. Probably less total use than most use in 1-2 weeks but planned on banking t,t,d for when I could no longer afford att landline. Each time I renewed they said everything was fine but noticed the phone said No Data & emails quit in 2016. Couldn't access my account via the trac fone. Sending sending pics sometimes worked but no longer does; never could send videos. Then 2 yrs ago tracfone tried to force buying new due to imminent 5g.
They say you can use unlocked phone purchased elsewhere but won't honor that or benefits of unlocked or better phones without FCC enforcement & paying tracfone another year with new smart phone. Finally found what they say are my balances online which should be over 8400 ea talk, text, data but none are even close of course. It's like putting your paycheck in a savings account with only a few small withdrawals then finding out when you need your savings the bank itself has robbed you. So do I pay their high price to buy the phone I plan on buying unlocked but having to let them lock it & take away the warranty & actual support, hope they will return & properly transfer over ALL I paid for (as they continuosly promised) & hope I can use it all in that year or that Verizon gets them back on track with honest service? Or should I just write it off as another huge ripoff & loss of money, time, & hope, just another 2020 virus.
I have a Tracfone Alcatel A206g phone that's 3g. Should I switch to a 4g asap? A casual chat on Tracfone indicated my 3g may not work after Jan. 2021. True?
I live in Marathon country WI NO VERIZON only ATT and T mobile tracfones
Since this article was published over a year ago, I googled the purchase and found quite a bit more info about the progress of the sale and the effects on current TracFone customers. It appears that for those of us already on the Verizon network apparently not much will change, but those on ATT or T-Mobile may have some decisions to make.
Verizon published a FAQ for TracFone customers which can be accessed at:
https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=partner-pub-9759840060944682:1306350668&q=https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-and-tracfone-faqs&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjO0_qChbzzAhW0mGoFHUemBO0QFnoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0_z2pw3KZqmm_xPX2x2zgw
BTW, the deal is expected to be completed in 2021Q4, so it could happen any minute now.
And this will totally mess me up. I have an AT&T SIM for my main TracFone number because they cover areas Verizon provides no service. My service ends June of 2023. If they end support before then, how will I be compensated?
The Tracfone unlock policy has also been updated after the Verizon acquisition.
Any phones activated after November 23, 2021 will automatically be unlocked after 60 days.
Any phones activated before November 23, 2021 will have the old unlock policy of 12 months.
Hopefully the blogger mention this in one of his blogs.
Been getting some unwanted sass by Tracfone. I have a 4g LTE phone and I refuse to upgrade.
Do not fall for their 4g VoLTE bs.
If you add air time on the regular part of their website it wont. If you call it wont either it will tell you to upgrade.
But if you use the online chat feature they will add the airtime.
1. Air time cards say in bold on the back of the cards " THIS SERVICE PLAN IS FOR 4G LTE and 5G PHONES
2. You can return phone cards, so if they dont let you redeem the airtime, its a violation of consumer laws.
If your having trouble addidng air time just mention those 2 things as long as its 4gLTE they will have to add service.
Well, Tracfone, AKA Verizon has started forcing customers to move to Verizon towers as of the middle of March 2022. They simply shut your AT&T phone service down and you can neither make or receive calls. They will move you to Verizon service but you may be required to buy a new phone to continue to use the time you have already paid for. In my case, I have 10 months and 3800 minutes I stand to lose. It does not matter if there is no Verizon service in your home area as they do not care. The Verizon coverage map shows coverage which is a giant lie. If Tracfone has wronged you in this situation, you can file a formal complaint with the FCC. If enough people file complaints, we might get some relief.
Since the acquisition, phone, data, and customer service have all failed to meet the minimum quality levels we were forced to leave Verizon to find. Face the facts, if you want any reasonable level of service, you'll have to find a provider who is NOT a Verizon affiliate.
My wife and i have been tracphone customers for years. Recently i tried to add a 60 minute air time card to my phone and it only added minutes to the talk time. After a long chat and long phone call they finally agreed to add texts and data to my plan which i have been getting all along. When i added a 60 minute air time card to my wifes phone, it was the same senario, with a long phone call to get the texts and data added. (they tried to tell me the phone card was for talk only) I suppose this is Verizons idea when they took over tracphone, as a way to squeeze more money out of existing customers.
If you buy a phone from TracFone can you take it to a Verizon store to have it set up for use.?
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