Best Reviewed
Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
- Prepaid cell phone plan with advanced phones Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk *Est. $25
- Best prepaid phone plan for occasional use T-Mobile Prepaid *Est. $10
- Prepaid phone plan with international calling TracFone *Est. $10
- Best as an emergency phone T-Mobile Prepaid (annual plan) *Est. $100
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Prepaid phone plan with international calling
- Good call quality and coverage
- Wide variety of plan/minute options
- Affordable plans and phones
- Mixed reviews for customer service
- Limited handset choice
In customer surveys, TracFone receives high scores for network coverage, pricing, plan options and low-cost phones, placing first in PCMag.com's reader survey and tying for second overall in J.D. Power and Associates' consumer survey. Service is cheap -- plans start at $10 for 30 minutes -- and TracFone offers very inexpensive phones starting at $10, but all TracFone handsets are very basic, unlike the phones you can get with T-Mobile Prepaid (*Est. $10 for 30 min. and up) or Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk (*Est. $25 per month and up). TracFone does offer some unique advantages -- such as a vast nationwide network that rivals that of Verizon Wireless and free international long-distance to locations in 81 countries -- but although some users are very happy with TracFone, others report poor customer service.
Top reviews of TracFone prepaid wireless service include large user surveys at ConsumerReports.org, J.D. Power and Associates and PCMag.com. PrepaidReviews.com's editors compare and rank prepaid wireless plans; the site also posts user comments.
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
TracFone is one of six prepaid wireless service providers ranked in this latest report at ConsumerReports.org, based on feedback from more than 58,000 cell phone users.
Review: Prepaid Cell Phone Service Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, Jan. 2011
TracFone ties for second place -- right behind its own subsidiary, Net10 -- in this survey of about 5,400 prepaid wireless cell phone users. TracFone earns 4 out of 5 stars for overall customer satisfaction.
Review: 2010 Wireless Non-Contract Customer Satisfaction Index Study, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, Aug. 2010
In this reader survey, TracFone ranks first among six prepaid wireless service providers. It earns especially good scores for fees, plan options, coverage and call quality, but it gets low marks for choice of handsets.
Review: Cellular Service Providers: Prepaid Providers, Ben Gottesman, Sept. 7, 2010
Editors at PrepaidReviews.com give TracFone a 4-star rating (out of 5), praising its simple, low-cost phones and carry-over minutes. Customer reviews, however, give TracFone an overall rating of 2 stars, with many citing problems with customer service.
Review: TracFone Prepaid Cell Phone Plans, Editors of PrepaidReviews.com
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