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Phone Collector
Many of us here have experienced problems with Tracfone customer service, missing talk, texts and data, difficulty switching srevice from an old phone to a new phone, etc.
I'm wondering if any Tracfone savings is worth the trouble. It's impossible to compare "apples to apples", but I see some pretty good deals on Visible and on Verizon (if you bring 4 or more lines - I could join in with some friends).
Does anyone ever think of leaving Tracfone and switching to Visible or Verizon Mix and Match? The Tracfone 1 year unlimited plan, even with 24 GB of data, doesn't seem like that good of a deal anymore.
Post Machine
I posted this recently "I remain with TF not out of loyalty or being "faithful" but because I still have lots of units and service days that I got free through the Rewards Program. Once TF no longer benefits me, Adios".
If TF exceeds your level of toleration or no longer fits your needs, there's no compelling reason to stay.
I've got more phones than fingers
TracFone CS is horrendous and their cost for high usage is way above their competitors even on the exact same Verizon network. I stay because the rewards program has so far paid for service but we all know that is rapidly ending too.
TracFone still serves a specific niche for low usage long term coverage... Unlimited carryover is still unique and I can't think of any other Verizon based carriers that does it. Tello does something similar on TMobile unofficially and you have to pay monthly while there are multi month and yearly options on TracFone.
So I keep one line here because I am not as using points for phones and cashing out is hard so use those points for service, especially NOT on Verizon. Once that's done I am also out of here.
Phone Collector
Tracfone is worth it as long as you are low minutes/texts/data user. Nowadays most cell phone users need hardly any minutes or texts since there are better alternatives such as FaceTime, iMessage, WhatsApp, Google Voice, etc. The consumption has shifted to data. If you are mostly on WiFi, you can suffice with a couple of hundred megabytes of cellular data. This can work well with Tracfone as long as you intelligently harvest their pay-as-you-go offers. Effectively this can bring down your cost to about $2 - $6 per month.Originally Posted by Bitzer18
The trade-off is dealing with Tracfone customer service.
If you are a high data user, look somewhere else.
I've climbed a cellphone tower
I have one main phone that I actually make calls with. I have several other phones that are just internet devices. I used to have TF SIMs for those phones, but I've switched two of them to Tello and I'm running down the balance on a third.
I can get 500MB + unlimited texts for $5 a month. Unused data roll over if you renew early, manually. That's great for my internet devices. Plus they don't care about SIM swapping, so I don't need 1 SIM per device. If I start using more data, 1GB is only $6 and 10GB is $20.
Tello uses TMo which doesn't work for everyone, but on the upside they allow many more phones than AT&T or Verizon.
I can't vouch for Tello's customer service because I haven't needed any.
So, IMHO, TF is not worth the hassle anymore.
I have a blue tooth
Basically, everything undertaken on Tracfone is a gamble that it will go right. It's just not necessary when there are other companies that are one and done when you want to do something. Not ten different CSRs to hopefully fix something. Assuming that you don't ultimately get the shaft. And we even have the corporate phone numbers.
So I have been on Tello for a while. The only time I asked for customer service was when I wanted to put all three lines under one account. I had separated them for reward purposes.
The CSR got the job done and I have never needed anything since. Tracfone is not worth saving a few bucks, so I am letting my two lines expire in my desk drawer. Someone at Tracfone is providing phone number information to the spammers. I never get spam on Tello.
Phone Expert
For now, I’m keeping my one Verizon line with TracFone. However, I am also keeping my eye on Peter Adderton’s new MVNO, MobileX. It uses Verizon. You can customize its plans. Data costs $2.10/GB, and it’s never deprioritized.
I've got more phones than fingers
Another good option for Verizon with good customer service is USmobile. They are definitely pricier for lower data though (TracFone is tough to beat there) though MobileX is something that might work here (they charge $2 line fee which is a lot less than the line and fees that usmobile charges)
Phone Collector
I think Tracfone is still worth it if you are a light user and you are not too picky on the type of phone you use to keep the cost down. Tello and others will require you purchase a phone or have an unlock phone. Can't beat the cost of a Tracfone bundle.
I've climbed a cellphone tower
I am curious as to how long m/d/t and the end date will be honored. I suspect at some time to hear a giant "FLUSH" and thththhthat's all folks. How worth it is tracfone atthat point??
Why yes, that is a bag phone
I think TF is great, so long as you accept horrible CS, AND
you use very low data on that line, AND
you only buy annual renewal plans.
$30-40/year, maybe using phone bundles
Phone Collector
Does anyone have any usage experience with MobileX? It looks very new...
.
Here's the thread in the General Prepaid forum where people are posting their experiences with MobileX:
https://www.howardforums.com/showthr...ile-X-launched
I've climbed a cellphone tower
I am curious as to how long m/d/t and the end date will be honored. I suspect at some time to hear a giant "FLUSH" and thththhthat's all folks. How worth it is tracfone atthat point??
My screen is bigger than yours
I'm plotting my exit now. Gonna receive the last of my free phones purchased with rewards points in a day or two. After all of my phones get unlocked, I'm gonna somehow consolidate everything into a single device (with around 8 years worth of service days) and leave it at that. It's just gonna be a backup phone I keep in the glovebox.
It's been a frustrating, but oddly fun, run over the last 9 months. Fortunately, it's been somewhat profitable.
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