Is Tracfone T-Mobile?
By
HuutiMoney
In this blog post, we will answer the question, Is Tracfone T-Mobile?. We will cover topics like key features of Tracfone, Tracfone mobile phone plans, Network coverage, and phone selection.
Is Tracfone T-Mobile?
Tracfone is not T-Mobile. Tracfone is an MVNO ( mobile virtual network operator). That means Tracfone doesn’t have its towers, but it makes use of other wireless network towers. It operates services by using the towers of T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
A brief history of Tracfone
Tracfone wireless is a well-known prepaid service provider. It is abbreviated as TFWI (TracFone Wireless, Inc.). Tracfone is a contract cell phone service provider. It is an MVNO and it makes use of other wireless network towers. It has rights to use the towers of T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
Verizon acquired TracFone Wireless in 2021, presently TFWI is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications. Earlier TracFone service was limited to their own branded phones. Because these phones were locked to the Tracfone service provider by using an internal SIM.
In 2013 Tracfone started the” bring your phone program”, under which subscribers were able to put Tracfone SIM cards in a compatible CDMA phone like Verizon CDMA. In 2015, Tracfone extended this service for compatible GSM phones.
Tracfone wireless network also operates several other services including straight talk, simple mobile, total wireless, net ten wireless, total cellular, etc.
Key features of Tracfone
Some important key features of Tracfone are as follows
- It offers a no-contract prepaid cellular service.
- Operates on major network carriers including AT&T, Verizon and Verizon, and T-Mobile.
- Offers 4G LTE and 5G data speeds.
- Under “bring your phone program”, you can keep your old phone number.
- Provision of Wi-Fi calling.
- Provision of visual voicemail.
- Offers multi Month discount.
Advantages of Tracfone
Some of the important pros of Tracfone service providers are as follows.
- No contract prepaid cellular service and no activation fees.
- The least expensive cell phone plans start at $7 per month and $20 for three months.
- Faster data and phone connections using major network carriers including AT&T, Verizon Verizon, and T-Mobile.
- Cost-effective plans for moderate data usage.
- Supports mobile hotspot.
- Offers “Bring your phone service”. You can continue using your old phone number.
- Provision to carry over-usage credits for all plans provided that your service is active.
- Cheap international calling as per the plan limits. You can add the countries using the Global card.
- Offers three virtual Mexican phone numbers with no extra charges. So that your friends from Mexico can call you using the local calling rate.
- Offers customer care service by phone or chat.
Disadvantages of Tracfone
Some of the cons of Tracfone are as follows.
- Cell phone plans are complex.
- Expensive for heavy data users.
- Does not offer international text messaging.
- Video streaming at DVD quality.
Mobile phone plans
Tracfone is a prepaid service provider. It offers the following phone plans.
- Single line monthly plans.
- prepaid plan for three months.
- plans for high data users.
- As you go on plans.
- Car plans.
- Emergency connect plan
Single line monthly plans
There are five single-line monthly prepaid plans. All plans are using the 4G LTE or 5G network. There is no provision for international talk and text. All plans support Wi-Fi calling. The summary is shown in the following table.
| Plan type | Cost | Minutes and text |
| 500 MB | $14.25 | 500 |
| 1 GB | $20 | Unlimited |
| 2 GB | $25 | Unlimited |
| 3 GB | $30 | Unlimited |
| 8 GB | $40 | Unlimited |
prepaid plan for three months
It also offers a prepaid plan for three months, which includes 750 minutes of talk time and 1000 texts. It offers high-speed internet data of 1GB. But there is no provision for Wi-Fi calling and texting. It also does not include international talk and text.
plans for high data users
Two plans for high data users are available. It is inclusive of Wi-Fi calling and texting. But there is no provision of international talk and text. The summary is shown in the following table.
| Plan type | Cost per month | Annual cost | Text and minutes |
| 24GB | $ 18.75 | $ 225 | Unlimited |
| 36 GB | $ 22.08 | $ 265 | Unlimited |
As you go on plans
These plans are available in 60, 90, and 365 days increments. If any subscriber purchases a particular plan and uses all the talk time in the first few days then for the remaining days they will not be able to make or receive any calls. But to handle such situations one can always use the top-up options. These plans are summarised in the following table.
| Calling card | Minutes | Data | Text messages | Duration |
| $ 25 | 500 | 500MB | 1000 | 60 days |
| $ 35 | 750 | 1 GB | 1000 | 60 days |
| $ 45 | 750 | 1.5 GB | 1000 | 90 days |
| $ 50 | 750 | 2 GB | 1500 | 90 days |
| $ 125 | 1500 | 1.5 GB | 1500 | 365 days |
| $ 199 | Unlimited | 12 GB | Unlimited | 365 days |
Car plans
The car plan will cost you $ 99 per year. It also provides 2GB of data per month. It actually makes use of the ” connect one car smart device”. Some features of this plan are as follows. The least
- It provides maintenance reminders, fuel level indications, battery life, etc.
- Provides GPS tracking.
- Monitor the car when it is parked.
- Monitors the drivers
Emergency connect plan
It will cost you 15$ per month. It requires a 4G LTE compatible” Moxee tracker device”. This device along with the associated plan provides information about the subscriber’s location.
Network coverage
Tracfone does not have its network towers. It operates the services by using four major networks; AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. If you are a Tracfone subscriber then depending on your phone and location you will be using one of the major networks.
But the important point is that you will not be using all four network carriers at a time. During network congestion, priority is given to the original network subscribers by all these four major networks.
Phone selection
You can purchase a new phone, but Tracfone sells a Limited number of phones compared to others. Under the “bring your own phone” program, you can use any unlocked GSM phone from T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and CDMA compatible phones.
But the device must be compatible with Tracfone. To check the compatibility of your phone, open Tracfone’s official website and click on the “Get started” option.
Below are other T-Mobile articles you may be interested in:
How do I cancel my T-mobile account?
How much is a prepaid sim card for T-mobile?
Conclusion:
This blog post addressed the topic, “ Is Tracfone T-Mobile? “Here we understood the major difference between Tracfone and T-Mobile. This article outlined the Tracfone phone plans, Network coverage, and phone selection.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Is Tracfone T-Mobile?
What is the major difference between T-mobile and Tracfone?
T mobile is a major cell phone carrier. T-Mobile makes use of its network. It has roaming agreements with other major carriers to improve the network coverage.
Tracfone does not have its towers. It is MVNO(a Mobile virtual network operator). The Tracfone uses four major carriers, namely Verizon, AT& T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. But you don’t have a choice to move from one network carrier to another.
Is a Tracfone SIM card compatible with unlocked GSM phones?
Tracfone makes use of a SIM card. So you can easily switch to the Tracfone network from other network carriers. If you have an unlocked GSM or CDMA phone then you can use a Tracfone SIM card.
What are the pros of Tracfone?
Some of the important pros of Tracfone service providers are as follows.
- No contract prepaid cellular service and no activation fees.
- The least expensive cell phone plans start at $7 per month and $20 for three months.
- Faster data and phone connections using major network carriers including AT&T, Verizon Verizon, and T-Mobile.
- Cost-effective plans for moderate data usage.
- Supports mobile hotspot.
- Offers “Bring your phone service”. You can continue using your old phone number.
- Provision to carry over-usage credits for all plans provided that your service is active.
- Cheap international calling as per the plan limits. You can add the countries using the Global card.
- Offers three virtual Mexican phone numbers with no extra charges. So that your friends from Mexico can call you using the local calling rate.
- Offers customer care service by phone or chat.
What networks does Tracfone use?
Tracfone does not have its network towers. It operates the services by using four major networks; AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. If you are a Tracfone subscriber then depending on your phone and location you will be using one of the major networks.
What are the cons of Tracfone?
Some of the cons of Tracfone are as follows.
- Cell phone plans are complex.
- Expensive for heavy data users.
- Does not offer international text messaging.
- Video streaming at DVD quality.
What are “As you go on plans”?
These plants are available in 60, 90, and 365 days increments. If any subscriber purchases a particular plan and uses all the Talktime in the first few days then for the remaining days they will not be able to make or receive any calls. But to handle such situations one can always use the least top-up options.
References:
5 Things to Know Before you sign up for Tracfone wireless
By Michael Timmermann | March 9th,2020
Tracfone In 2022: What You Need To Know
How to Determine Which Carrier a TracFone Uses
By Fred Decker Updated September 4, 2019,
Tracfone Beginners Guide – New to Tracfone? Start Here!
How to Get Started with Tracfone Prepaid Service
Updated August 2020
TracFone Wireless Review