Based on presence in retail stores, TracFone is one of the most visible Prepaid Cell Phone providers on the market. We find that it can be of value to those who want to have the security of cellular service but will only use it on a very limited basis. You can buy an hour of airtime for $19.99 and it’s good for 90 days. That’s just $6.67 per month for cellular service. The down side is that it represents a per minute cost of $.333 so if you plan to actually use the phone much, other plans are better.
TracFone has three monthly Value Plans that differ from one another only in the monthly price and number of monthly minutes included. The least expensive plan is $9.99 per month and offers 50 minutes of airtime. The other plans are $19.99 and $29.99 monthly and provide 100 and 150 minutes, respectively. No matter how you slice it, that’s $.20 per minute. If you need additional minutes during the month, you can buy them in 50 or 100 minute increments, also at the $.20 per minute rate.
More commonly, TracFone users choose to purchase blocks of airtime which are valid for either 90 or 365 days. The more time you buy at once, the lower the cost per minute. The smallest block is the one for $19.99 that we mentioned, above. There are a total of six options but the most economical way, on a per minute basis, is to purchase 800 minutes plus the Double Minutes for Life option, which at this writing, is available for a total of $124.99. The normal package price is $139.99. Purchasing this option results in service for $.125 a minute. The Double Minutes for Life program is available for a regular price of $49.99 but is currently on sale for $24.99. It can be applied to all airtime blocks as well as the Value Plan options.
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