Tracfone Phones and Plans for Seniors in 2024
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November 21, 2024
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Tracfone Senior Plans: Takeaways
- Using Verizon’s network, Tracfone offers prepaid phone plans that start at $15 per month.
- As of 2024, Tracfone does not offer a specific plan or discount for seniors; however, their affordable talk and text plans are a great option for casual phone users.
- Although Tracfone’s basic plans are affordable, data costs can quickly add up. If you’re looking for unlimited data for under $30, then we’d recommend T-Mobile 55+ plans.
FYI: If you’d rather pay on a monthly basis as opposed to prepaid, then check out our guide to senior cell phone plans, where you’ll find providers that cost as low as $10 per month.
Tracfone Pros and Cons
Tracfone Pros
- Affordable plans: Tracfone offers plans for as low as $15 per month, making it one of the most affordable wireless providers in the nation.
- No contracts: Tracfone service works on a prepaid basis, so you’ll never have to commit to a long-term contract. It does, however, offer discounts for contracted auto-refill plans.
- Wide range of devices: From the latest smartphones to basic flip phones, Tracfone sells devices for any type of user. The company also allows you to bring your own phone to its service.
- Rewards program: By purchasing cellular service and devices through Tracfone, you earn points that can be used toward additional minutes, messages, and data.
Tracfone Cons
- No family plans: Tracfone offers no family plans or discounts for multiple lines. Instead, you prepay for each line of service individually.
- No unlimited data plans: Several of Tracfone’s plans come with unlimited talk and text, but none of them have unlimited data.
Tracfone Plans and Pricing
Tracfone is a prepaid provider, meaning that you have to “refill” your service with them each billing period. However, if you pay for three, six, or 12 months of service in advance, then you can get discounted rates.
Another thing to note with Tracfone is that their data will roll over to the next month. For example, if you purchase their plan with 2GB of data and you only use 1 GB in a given 30 days, then that extra 1 GB will carry over to the next billing period.
Tracfone Service Plans
| Cost | Talk and Text | Data | Duration |
| $15 | Unlimited | None | 30 days |
| $20 | Unlimited | 2 GB | 30 days |
| $25 | Unlimited | 3 GB | 30 days |
| $30 | Unlimited | 5 GB | 30 days |
| $40 | Unlimited | 10 GB | 30 days |
Tracfone Plans for Seniors
Tracfone does not offer a specific plan or discount for seniors, but it offers several plans that would be great for older adults.
For starters, Tracfone offers a plan with unlimited talk and text for $15 per month. For people who don’t use their phone too heavily but still need some data, this plan would be a great option.
The Tracfone $99.99 plan is also a great deal. This talk-only plan costs $99.99 for an entire year, which breaks down to about $9 per month. If you need a cell phone only for emergencies, this would be one of the most affordable plans out there.
Did You Know: To learn more about our favorite providers, check out our rundown of senior cell phone plans.
How to Purchase Tracfone
To purchase a phone and service from Tracfone, start by visiting the company’s website. You can find more information about each of its service plans and the devices it currently offers. You can also purchase a device or Tracfone plan at CVS, 7-Eleven, Total Wireless, and other authorized retailers.
Tracfone at Walmart
Walmart is also a popular retailer of Tracfone phones and service plans. They can be purchased either over the internet or in person, which is particularly useful since Tracfone doesn’t automatically renew unless you want it to. If you wish to extend your service or add extra minutes, then you can quickly head to Walmart to do so.
Tracfone Prices
Compared with other wireless providers, Tracfone is one of the most affordable options. In addition to no long-term contracts, its cellular service can be as cheap as $9 per month. If you wish to pay month to month, then its plans start as low as $15 per month.
Your talk, text, and data allowance also roll over to your next service period, provided your phone stays continually activated. If you let your service lapse, then it will not roll over.
Tracfone and Overage Charges
Unlike many other providers, Tracfone does not have overage charges. When you use up your monthly allowance of minutes, messages, or data, your service is simply cut off.
Considering other providers charge extra money by the minute, message, or MB of data, this can be a handy feature. Some, however, may find it annoying to have to purchase extra coverage when they use up their allowance.
Extra minutes, messages, and data cost the following:
- $5 for 1,000 messages
- $10 for 500 minutes
- $10 for 1 GB of data
Tracfone vs. Straight Talk
Tracfone and Straight Talk are two of the most popular prepaid wireless providers, but they differ in price, data allowances, and rollover abilities.
If you plan to use large amounts of data, then Straight Talk is the better option. If you don’t need unlimited data and you want your service allowances to roll over each month, then Tracfone may be the better option.
| Tracfone | Straight Talk | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting month-to-month price | $15 | $30 |
| Minutes, messages, and data rollover | Yes | Only with add-on purchases |
| 5G access | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited data | Not offered | Starts at $55 per month |
| Long-term commitment | Not required | Not required |
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for an affordable wireless provider with no long-term contract required, then Tracfone could be a great option. Particularly for people who use their cell phone minimally, one of the company’s 365-day plans can be a great way to have a phone for emergencies that costs less than $10 per month.
If you plan to use your phone for streaming video or browsing the web, then Tracfone can quickly get more costly than other providers. For example, T-Mobile senior plans start at $27.50 per month, and they include unlimited talk, text, and data.
Still, if you want a month-to-month way to keep in touch with loved ones, Tracfone is worth considering.
To learn more about our favorite wireless providers, check out our helpful guides:
Tracfone Frequently Asked Questions
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Which Tracfone is best for seniors?
The best plan will vary from person to person, but we think Tracfone’s 365-day plan with 400 minutes is a great option for seniors. It costs less than $10 per month, and it’s a great way to have an active cell phone in case of emergencies.
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Do Tracfone minutes roll over to the next month?
As long as you don’t let your service lapse between months, your unused minutes, messages, and data will carry over to subsequent months.
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Can I bring my own phone to Tracfone?
If you have an unlocked cell phone, then you can use it with Tracfone service.
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Can I buy Tracfone at Walmart?
Yes, you can buy Tracfone service, add-ons, and compatible cell phones from Walmart, both online and in store.