Trac Fone Perfect For Limited Users By Bosoxy on Sep 28, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I am a happy TracFone customer!

I used to use Verizon, however I was paying over $40 a month for a phone that I no longer used very much at all. Verizon did not have a satisfactory plan at a lower rate so I did some looking around. At the same time that I was looking around for myself I had also wanted to get a pre-paid cell phone for my son for emergencies and to keep in touch with him when he was out of the house. I did not want to pay much for my son's cell phone as he was prone to losing things.

I found TracFone, looked into their services and then hit the message boards to find other TracFone users to get their opinions before purchasing. Then I happened upon a deal where I could get a refurbished phone and 2 60 minute cards for $10, so I was ready to give this a whirl!

At the time each basic card gave the minute value plus 60 days of service, whichever ran out first. The time or minutes could be rolled over by purchasing and adding another card before the time or minutes ran out. Currently, the basic cards give out 60 minutes and 90 days of service. There are several different increments of time and minute cards available, however this is the one that I purchase most often as it works for me.

Once the phone arrived for my son, I set it up for him and had him use it. I also used it so I could see how it worked in many different situations. I also checked the coverage map to ensure that it would work, not only at home but at the other locations where we frequent and travel to on occasion.

Everything worked really well so I opted to port my Verizon number onto my own TracFone. I selected a flip phone as I do not care for the number lock features on a cell phone and have accidentally dialed numbers in the past on my phone while it was in my purse. A flip phone covers the number pad, which works out nicely for me.

It did take a long while, I thought, for the process of porting the number to be complete. I had to pay for another month on my Verizon cell phone as a couple of weeks was not enough time… however, once the number was fully ported I received a phone call on my landline and a new sim card was sent to me, same day delivery, so I was never without my cell phone.

I love not having a contract, and my limited use of a cell phone means that I generally pay less than $6 per month to use my phone as much as I want, whereas I was previously paying over $40 per month with Verizon. There are some new ways to add on service at TracFone, including adding time only for a lesser cost if the phone still has available minutes, so I may be able to cut my phone bill ever further.

I have not had any problem with dropped calls. The line is generally clear and connects quickly. I do have to wait a bit when I first turn on my phone for the display to come up, however. I think this is because it is bringing up my available minutes and days information. It usually takes a few long seconds to come up… but it isn't too much of a both to my sometimes impatient self.

One drawback to using TracFone service is that the cell phones on the plan that can be selected to use are a lot more limited than other plans. Most of the phones are basic phones, although there are more flashy ones available lately, like the MOTORAZR, however these phones come slower… so one who wants the newest and latest cell phone gadgets would not be happy here. I personally am not worried about the type of cell phone that I have as long as when I need it, it works. Since mine does, I am quite happy with it and plan on continuing to use the services of TracFone.