A review of my experience switching from a major cell phone provider to Tracfone
I recently ditched my major cell phone carrier and went with Tracfone. I have no affiliation with Tracfone other than I use and like the service. My mother-in-law had a Tracfone and it seemed like a pretty good deal as
she described it so I gave it a try.
The basic deal is this: Tracfone provides you a cell phone for free with nationwide coverage. You buy a card for a certain number of minutes. As they say on
the website - no contracts, no bills, no surprises. I agree with all three.
I primarily use my cell phone as a phone. If you are into text messaging or use the web through your cell phone, Tracfone probably won't work for you. Other
than that the Tracfone is a pretty compelling option. It might also not be a good option if you burn through large numbers of minutes each month, but below I
detail the many benefits of talking less.
The list of Tracfone negatives is short, one item: it is easy but tedious to set it up the first time.
Any time you refresh your card, you have to type in so many numbers you begin to think you are on Candid Camera or Punk'd. You think - they have to be messing with me. I strongly recommend that when you add minutes you add a bunch and get the year card so that you only have to deal with this joyous experience once a year.
Here is what I like about Tracfone now that I have it:
I calculated that I am saving 40 bucks a month. Most of the money saved comes from simply using the phone less now that I can see how many minutes I have
remaining. The other savings comes from not paying to break a contract - there is no contract. Also, I don't pay overage fees every few months.
Tracfone incents you to be frugal. You tend to have quicker conversations. In any conversation there is usually some critical information that gets exchanged
in the first minute and then the value of the call falls off. It feels good to be able to control this expenditure yet still retain 99% of the benefit of
having a cell phone.
Talking less has many benefits:
Often you need your phone when driving. Check the actuary tables on what chatting on a phone does to the probability of dying behind the wheel. It is up
there with drinking and driving. Having a 1 minute rather than a 15 minute conversation might save your life. Tracfone encourages less chat.
It is probably safer even when you aren't driving. You don't walk around bumping into doors or walking into elevator shafts. I have almost been hit as a
pedestrian in parking lots while talking on my phone. The chance of all sorts of moronic accidents is lessened if you put the phone down.
There have been many studies indicating that cell phones are bad for you, brain tumors, etc... You might as well hang up the phone sooner and lessen the
chance of growing a pair of antlers.
Other benefits:
With our old cell provider we were in the incredibly frustrating situation where if we didn't use the 350 minutes we lost them, but if we went over we paid
through the nose. All without being able to easily determine our current minutes remaining. Why put up with that ? With Tracfone you can see your minutes
remaining all the time, the end.
Tight one month ? Don't talk and the savings are instantaneous. Your cell bill is zero that month.
Using the phone for business purposes, it makes a better impression if you are friendly but to the point. You tend to cut conversations off earlier and
appear busy and efficient. It leaves your client with a good impression.
I like to use the services of a company whose business model is honest and transparent. There are zero surprises with Tracfone. The first Tracfone I bought
charged roaming if I was out of my home area, which was mildly sneaky. Roaming meant that 3 minutes disappeared for every one minute I spoke. I upgraded to
a phone that has a single rate for all calls. Make SURE you get a newer phone with a single rate for all calling areas. I consider most of the major cell
phone carriers charging models to be borderline dishonest. An unexpected fee here, another fee there. If I wanted that sort of abuse I could sign up for
another credit card.
The coverage in my area is amazing and I live in rural North Dakota. The coverage was great on a car trip to California. If you have doubts, you could buy a
Tracfone for $29 (phone included) and see how the coverage is in your area. I just looked this up trying to convince my parents to ditch their cell provider.
Summary
Check out Tracfone. It is a pretty easy way to save money and eliminate aggravation. If many people switch to Tracfone, eventually the major cell phone
cell providers will be forced to have business models that are not based on trickery.