Tracfone: Which plan is the best one for you?
Tracfone is well known for offering inexpensive limited data plans. They provide their network services through all three major networks, which offer the widest 5G coverage in the country. Tracfone offers several different plans, but which plan is best for you?
In this article, we’ll cover:
- What each Tracfone plan offers
- What deals Tracfone offers for its users
- Which Tracfone plan is the best deal
Unsure of what you need out of a phone plan? Read our guide on how to choose the best one to suit your needs.
What to expect from Tracfone
Tracfone only offers limited plans.
What makes Tracfone unique from their competitors is that they only offer limited data plans – nothing marketed as “unlimited”. They also offer several plans with limited minutes and texts, and many of their plans offer several months of service. All plans are deprioritized, which means your access slows down in busy areas.
Their plans offer up to 480p SD resolution when streaming. Tracfone offers add-on calling in Mexico and Canada as well as access to international calling services as an add-on.
Coverage
Tracfone uses all three major networks to give users the fastest speeds.
As Tracfone is an MVNO, they buy coverage from the main network providers with their own infrastructure. Some networks only offer service from one of the main providers, while Tracfone offers service from all three major carriers.
T-Mobile is widely considered some of the best 5G coverage nationally, but the best coverage for you comes down to your location. It’s important to compare between providers on a coverage map of your specific city. Ookla’s coverage map allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. Comparing tower locations can help you determine which of the big 3 network providers meet your needs.
The Plans
Tracfone offers unlimited and limited talk and text, but only limited data.
It’s important to note that many of the plans Tracfone offers include limited talk and text on some of their plans, as well as multiple months of service. It’s important to note that Tracfone does not offer hotspot service with their plans. The average phone user uses about 20GB of data per month, so the 24GB annual plan is the best one for the average user. Some plans also offer an Autopay discount, but not all plans. Taxes and fees are not included.
Talk + Text, No Data (Monthly)
500 Minutes, 500 Texts, 500MB (Monthly)
500 Minutes, 1000 Texts, 500MB 2 Months
750 Minutes, 1000 Texts, 1GB 2 Months
750 Minutes, 1000 Texts, 1.5GB 3 Months
1500 Minutes, 1500 Texts, 1.5GB Annual
750 Minutes, 1500 Texts, 2GB Data 3 Months
2GB Monthly
3GB Monthly
5GB Monthly
10GB Monthly
Let’s talk about each Tracfone plan individually, and what they offer for their customers.
Best Overall: 24GB Annual
With Tracfone’s biggest plan, you get 24GB per month at full speeds with unlimited talk and text. Data stops once you hit the cap. This plan renews annually, so you pay once a year for 24GB each month.
The plan costs $199 per month, and $16.58 per month. At this rate, you pay $0.69 per GB.
Pros: 24GB of full speed data
Cons: data cap
Conclusion: Best for average data users
Runner Up: 10GB Monthly
This plan gives you 10GB at full speeds and unlimited talk and text each month. You don’t get hotspot access, and data stops at the cap.
The plan costs $40 per month at full price, and $35 with the 2 month Autopay discount. At full price, you pay $4 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for light data users
5GB Monthly
The 5GB plan gives you 5GB of full speed data as well as unlimited talk and text. Data stops at the cap, and it renews monthly.
The plan costs $30 per month, and $25 with Autopay. At full price, you pay $6 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for light data users
3GB Monthly
The 3GB plan gives you 3GB of full speeds, but no hotspot access. Again, you get unlimited talk and text. It renews monthly, and
The plan costs $25 per month, and $20 with Autopay. At full price, you pay $8.33 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for light data users
2GB Monthly
This plan includes unlimited talk and text and 2GB of data. Data stops at the cap, and it does not offer hotspot access. It renews monthly.
The plan costs $20 per month at full price, and $15 with the Autopay discount. At full price, you pay $10 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for light data users
750 Minutes, 1500 Texts, 2GB Data (3 Months)
Unlike the other version of this plan, you get 750 minutes and 1500 texts each month. You also get 2GB of data. However, all of your access stops at these limits.
The plan costs $50 per 3 months, and $16.67 per month. At this rate, you get 2GB at $8.33 per GB.
Pros: limited talk and text (if you prefer it)
Cons: no Autopay
Conclusion: best for light phone users
1500 Minutes, 1500 Texts, 1.5GB (Annual)
This version of the plan gives you 1500 minutes and 1500 texts. You also get 1.5GB per month. Once you hit the caps, access stops until the next month. You pay once per year and access renews each month.
The plan costs $125 per year, and $10.42 per month. You get 1.5GB per month at $6.95 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for light phone users
750 Minutes, 1000 Texts, 1.5GB (3 Months)
This plan gives you 750 minutes, 1000 texts, and 1.5GB of full speed data each month. Access stops once you hit these caps. You pay once every 3 months and access renews each month.
The plan costs $45 per 3 months and $15 per month. At this rate, you get 1.5GB per month at $10 per GB.
Pros: limited talk and text (if you prefer it)
Cons: no Autopay
Conclusion: best for lighter phone users
750 Minutes, 1000 Texts, 1GB (2 Months)
This plan gives you 750 minutes, 1000 texts, and 1GB of full speed data each month. Your access for these stops at the cap. You pay once every 2 months, but access renews each month.
The plan costs $35 per 2 months, and $17.50 per month. It costs $33.25 with Autopay.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for lighter phone users
500 Minutes, 1000 Texts, 500MB (2 Months)
This plan offers 500 minutes, 1000 texts, and 500MB of full speed data each month. Access stops once you reach your monthly cap. You pay once every 2 months, but access renews each month.
The plan costs $25 per 2 months and $12.50 per month. It costs $23.75 with Autopay. At this rate, you get 2GB at $6.25 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for lightest phone users
500 Minutes, 500 Texts, 500MB (Monthly)
This is the smallest plan Tracfone offers because you get 500 minutes, 500 texts, and 500MB of full speed data each month. Access stops at the cap, and the plan doesn’t include hotspot access.
The plan costs $15 per month, and $14.25 with Autopay. At full price, you get 500MB at $30 per GB.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no hotspot access
Conclusion: best for lightest phone users
Talk + Text, No Data (Monthly)
This plan doesn’t offer any data. You do, however, get unlimited talk and text each month without any limits.
The plan costs $15 per month, and $10 with the 2 month Autopay discount.
Pros: Autopay
Cons: no data
Conclusion: best for light phone users
Family Plan Offerings
Tracfone does not offer multi-line discounts.
Tracfone allows up to 5 lines on one account, and users can pay for each line individually.
Features
Tracfone’s offered features include Pandora Premium.
Tracfone also offers a 3 month Pandora Premium membership upon signing up for their services. They offer several other features their users can take advantage of, which include:
feature
details
Customer Service
Tracfone customer service occurs entirely online.
Tracfone offers their support online, with chat support being completely self-service. There are several ways to contact their customer support lines:
chat support
phone support
Conclusion
Tracfone’s 24GB plan is the best option.
While Tracfone offers great limited options, many of their smaller data plans can be quite expensive. The 24GB plan offers a great price per GB, which makes it their best plan.
To have a comprehensive picture of how much data you use month to month and what plan you need, we’d recommend checking your data usage before committing to a plan.
Want to compare other carriers?
Really.com helps users compare between features, coverage, price, reviews, and more!
Are you still unsure if you want to go with a Tracfone plan? Use really.com to compare your top choices and find the best deal to fit your needs. Really allows you to compare and sort between most phone plans on the market without the hassle!