Does unused data roll over, assuming you keep adding service days?
With the byop plan, do you have to have a phone with an existing plan and phone number from another company, or can I go out and buy a new gsm compatible phone and sign up using this plan?
August 28, 2015 at 11:32 AM
Anonymous said...
Sorry, now I see someone already asked about unused data!
I wanted to purchase a data card through Walmart. It asked me for my ZIP code. I put it in and got the message that the data card wouldn't work in my area. Is that true? My LG Ultimate 2 should be able to handle it. Is Walmart wrong?
September 1, 2015 at 5:12 PM
Anonymous said...
Seems like the $30 and $50 data cards are the way to go for price per MB even if the discount between those two aren't as big as the 1st two cards.
Even if you don't email or anything, those apps keep in touch with their sources online. So Gmail will keep synching up with Gmail online even if you aren't sending emails from your phone, for example.
You can slow down (but not eliminate) data drain by turning your connection OFF when you aren't actively needed to use an app that needs a data connection like My Account. Go into your Settings Menu and find "Mobile Data". Turn it off. That should help immensely (did for me).
Just remember that before you can use apps like My Account (mentioned above), you'll need to turn Mobile Data back on. To do that, just go back into Settings and turn it back on. Use the ap you need, then turn MD back off again.
I have an LG SUNSET and I am wondering if buying a data card will somehow mess up phones that have Triple Minutes for life. I currently have about 3600 minutes of talk, text and data MG. (And if I buy another one year 400 minute card, this will triple to give me a total of about 4800 in each bucket. However, if I should decide to get a data-only card at some point in the next year, could this somehow mess up the service.
The reason I ask is that I read on your site something about when you have a triple minutes phone, NEVER buy a double or triple minutes card since this will mess up the phone (in other words, always buy single minutes to get the triple minutes).
I have a Samsung S5 under tracfone's Bring Your Own Phone program. I have plenty of Data and Message minutes but no Data minutes left. I want to add data and have purchased a Android only 4Gb data card. The directions with the card say to press MENU > PREPAID > REDEEM AIRTIME.
My Galaxy S5 doess not have a MENU key and the help area has no listing for Prepaid or Redeem. So how do I add the data to my phone?
March 10, 2016 at 8:47 PM
Anonymous said...
I want to purchase either an iphone 5s or the new iphone SE. I currently have a tracfone android now with 2000 minutes, 2000 messages, and 3000 MB of data. If I begin to use the BYOP service, will the minutes, data, and text messages transfer over? And also do Verizon phones work with the BYOP serivce?
Great site. I had a bunch of questions, and will have more I am sure, but now I have hopes of finding an answer without a 1-800 queque. I love my LG sunrise from Straight talk, but the $45 a month was a little steep for me, and really I don't use it that much, now I can spend far less and enjoy it more. THANKS Question, how do I know which towers this runs off of, I am confused.
I bought a $50 data card added it to my phone it says it is there that I have 5gb of data turned my data on and off and back on again and my data isn't working also turned phone off and on and still bot working what do I do
If I get a data only plan with 1gb data does my service slow down after that gb is used or does it end completely?
June 2, 2016 at 11:09 PM
Anonymous said...
The prices are higher now. 2 gig costs $50.00. 750 meg costs $20.00.
June 9, 2016 at 1:53 PM
Pam said...
If I try to go to the internet someplace where there is no wifi, a page comes up that wants me to pay for xfinity wifi. I tried turning on my data, but the same thing still happens. Shouldn't I be able to go online using data? I have an LGL 22c tracfone
1 GB data is now available on the Tracfone website for $10. They've been changing things a bit lately.
July 11, 2016 at 5:32 PM
Pam said...
The told me that if wifi is unavailable and I want to use data to surf the net, I have to turn wifi off. That makes no sense. Shouldn't I be able to leave them BOTH on just in case there is wifi?
Are only specific phones considered by tracfone to be smartphones? I have a Samsung Galaxy Stardust and added a smartphone refill. I'm wondering if because I don't have a fancier "smartphone" it only extended my service date and that's why it hasn't added additional minutes, etc?
I bought an LG Sunset Tracfone and it is deducting 2 minutes for a 50 second call. Anyone else noticing this problem?
July 31, 2016 at 9:32 PM
Anonymous said...
no
August 17, 2016 at 7:02 AM
Marc C said...
I am trying to add a data only card from the web site (1 GB for $10) but it will not total and send me to checkout. It says I have to add an airtime card. I have all the minutes and texts I need (I added a texts only card with no trouble some time ago). Do I have to add more minutes and text
September 8, 2016 at 2:05 PM
Anonymous said...
Marc C - You did log in to your TracFone acct & selected your current phone ? or you did enter your Phone or serial # in the airtime section? Assume you DO have minutes and text still available? Seems they may not allow a plan to have only data. Sometimes on a phone it does not show everything - much easier on desktop. Hope it works out for you.
What is the difference between a Samsung Galaxy Centura tracfone, and a LG Premier Smartphone in terms of gigabytes? thank you.
September 21, 2016 at 8:53 PM
Anonymous said...
I just did BYOP w/Tracfone on a Nokia Lumia 635 smartphone. I managed to get what I thought a good deal on the new SIM and 90days minimal service plan-just testing the waters. Looks like phone still activates with AT&T. Is this normal? Yes, it was an AT&T phone. I just thought the activation would change the behavior of the opening screen. Activation took about 30 minutes late at night. Couldn't do it myself on their website. Chat was helpful but took a long long time. I hope the service is good, the price was right for me, less than 7.00 a month. I mostly use my phone for texts or calls. Suggestions are welcomed. I shut off the phone to avoid unwanted "updates/connections" using up my data. And nobody knows the phone number yet!!!
September 23, 2016 at 11:43 AM
Joe Motsay said...
What size processor in terms of GHZ does the Samsung Galaxy Centura have as compared to the LG Premier Smartphone? Thank you.
I nave a LGL39C Trac phone. In text mode it will not download attachments or the message, only the message body. Checked the balance and it shows " 0 " Data ,could that the reason ?
I am trying to use a canvassing app for a campaign away from any wi-fi connection. Will this data-only card help?
September 28, 2016 at 9:42 PM
Anonymous said...
Most likely that is the reason. I have to manually turn on data to download attachments.
October 2, 2016 at 12:43 PM
Anonymous said...
I just wasted too many airtime units trying to get a straight answer from someone working with a script. When I use my phone to check my email account. It takes about 5 seconds to load my email index and when I click on new emails it takes all of another 5 seconds to list them. I look at a couple and then logout and off of the web. Now I expected a hit in my DATA units but instead, not as well, I got a 91 unit hit in my air time for what was 3 minutes in real time. I want to know why my airtime gets beat up instead of my data units getting used. My Tracfone script reader wasn't even close to coming up with a close answer.
What phone are you using? And what app for checking your email? I only use the gmail app, and it works great, whether on WiFi or data. There are other third party apps I've heard also work very well. Are you using a smartphone?
October 6, 2016 at 5:22 PM
Anonymous said...
We just bought a 750 MB data card for our LG Sunrise. When I entered in the PIN and refreshed the stats in the My Account app for Tracfone, it only added 180 MB and increased my minutes and texts. Is this what's supposed to happen?
No, that's very odd. It sounds like the PIN was for a 60 minute card - which would give you 180 minutes, texts and data. Very strange that it got mixed in with a 750 MB card. If you purchased the card from Tracfone, might be worth contacting them to sort things out.
October 14, 2016 at 8:49 PM
Anonymous said...
When buying a phone do you first have to know who your carrier is so you don't get the wrong one by mistake and not have it work with the cell towers in your area? EX: trying to use a phone intended for AT&T towers in a Verizon area. Please advise, thank you.
October 18, 2016 at 6:33 PM
Anonymous said...
I pay every three month for my husband phone I have the internet shut off because at 88 all he uses it for is talk. Why is his phone using data?
October 19, 2016 at 3:01 PM
Anonymous said...
Thank you for all this info. FINALLY, I think I have a good understanding of how Data works...
I have an lg tribute hd. Is it compatible with byop? If so, could I use only data cards on it?
December 5, 2016 at 7:31 PM
Anonymous said...
Okay this might be a dumb question but I bought a $45 card that gives me unlimited everything. I'm only a couple days into using my phone and it's like all my data ran out yet I did say unlimited talk,text, and data. I'm confused .. did my data like run out ?
Great article! I just switched from ATT to Tracfone with a phone I got on hsn.com. It was a great deal. This article cleared up a lot of questions I had about the usage of minutes, etc. Thanks
January 29, 2017 at 5:01 PM
Anonymous said...
If you purchase 1 gig data card and have double minute plan do you get 2gigs of data?
Anonymous Anonymous said... If you purchase 1 gig data card and have double minute plan do you get 2gigs of data?
March 12, 2017 at 1:48 PM
You can only purchase data for smartphones. All smartphones come with Triple Minutes for Life. However, this doesn't include data only cards. So no, you would not get 2 GB of data, just 1 GB.
March 14, 2017 at 8:55 PM
Anonymous said...
So I recently added more airtime and data, but did so early (7 days early). The automated voice told me to not turn off my phone or else I wouldn't be able to access my added airtime. Through a series of sitting on my phone and accedently pressing buttons, it restarted and I cant access my airtime. Is there anyway to undo this? Or to reaccess my airtime? Or is it unaccessable until the expiration time of my last card?
if I am talking on my cell phone and the phones internet is off, will I use up my data ?
August 5, 2017 at 10:35 PM
Lisa said...
I bought 3x 400 airtime, text and web for 365 days for $99...is "web"=Data or do I have to purchase data separately? I have minutes showing for airtime and text only on my Account, Data shows blank...but I would think "web"=Data...? My phone is an LG Ultimate. Thanks, -Lisa
August 19, 2017 at 4:22 AM
Anonymous said...
Not sure if this is the right place to ASK a general question, but I'm asking anyway. About a year ago I brought a BYOP Iphone 5s to Tracfone. I bought a Tracfone SIM card to use the TF service. I just bought a Tracfone Iphone SE that came with a new Tracfone SIM card. (I want to give my old Iphone to my son.) Can I just switch the Tracfone SIM card from the BYOP 5S to the SE, or do I need to use the new SIM card that came with the Tracfone SE? (I bought a new TF SIM card for the phone I want to give to my son.) I'd appreciate any help or advice.
Problem with those data only cards is you don't get any "service time" at all, and in my case that's what I "really" need.
If they incl 90 or 120 days of service time on them than yeah that would be good for people like me that don't much text or even call.
My DSL provider just raised the rate again, so this stuff with WiFi free gets to be silly, since I use my home land line to do any calling at home. But without the land line (At&T) I cant have DSL.
My service end date is 3.14.2018 (I bought a one year text card in March 2017; I already had minuts, texts and data on the phone). I bouvht the phone from HSN on 10.15.2016 with 1200 free minutes. When 10.15.2017 approached I bought an airtime card because I thought the original free minutes would expire on the anniversary date. So I bought a 60 day card which will expire on 12.2.2017. Do I have to buy service time now based on the 60 day card which ends on 12.2.17? Or do I not have to buy anything because the phone's service end date is in March 2018? Thank you for reading my confusing story!
Go off of what your account expiration date says, which sounds like 3/2018. You can check this by going to the tracfone website and signing in to your account, or by using the tracfone app and checking on there.
Thanks for your quick response. I thought I could go with that date, but then the more reading I did, the more confused I got. For me and the way I use the phone, tracfone is turning out to be very economical.
Does anyone know if you use all your data will you still have like 2 G data connection?
December 4, 2017 at 7:12 AM
Anonymous said...
How are you figuring the math in this cost-per-megabyte chart??? Seems erroneous if all you're calculating is the cost of whichever card vs. amount of data received ONLY (and NOT figuring any talk and/or text into the equation)... If 1 gig = +/- 1,000 megs (1,024), then yes, the $10.00 data-only card = $.01/Mb (1 cent). But, if only figuring in data with the cost of each card (regular and smartphone alike), then the $20.00 (smartphone) card with its 1,000 megs would obviously be twice the amount of the $10.00 card, making it $.02 per Mb (2 cents)... NOT the .005 (or 1/2 of a cent) listed on the chart. How did you arrive at your various amounts??? I obviously understand the triple-minute concept of non-smartphone cards, but those don't check out, either... Just curious. Thanks. GREAT BLOGGING, by the way! Very informative! Thank you for ALL the extensive research and input... Two thumbs WAYYYYY UP!!! :-)
December 8, 2017 at 12:12 AM
Anonymous said...
Hoping someone can answer thsee 2 questions. TF my account app when set up keeps me signed in all the time is this using minutes or data?? How can you change the signed in all the time option cannot find any thread online that addresses this.
Hey thanx. This was really helpful in aiding me on my next data purchase. Have a coffee on me. Just sent you some $
::: [ ]P -----
January 18, 2018 at 8:38 AM
Anonymous said...
I bought a ZTE Cymbal in Feb. I am going broke buying data and I don't know where it goes. Help. I try to see a picture some one sent me and I can't view and in a instance all my data is gone.
I have bookmarked your website because this site contains valuable information in it. I am really happy with articles quality and presentation. Thanks a lot for keeping great stuff. I am very much thankful for this site. best data only plan
I purchased a TracFone ZTE smartphone along with a 90 day phone & data plan, however, I cannot search anything unless connected to wifi ? Any solutions?
my son uses a month to month plan, unlimited text and talk, 3 megs of data. For some reason he believes that if he uses his data up then he can't make phone calls. I have explained what data is and asurred him that he still has his 30 days of minutes regardless of data. Am I misinformed about this?
TracFone is the worst service deal I have ever purchased and I deeply regret it. This company holds you hostage by locking your phone for 12 months!!! So, you cannot switch companies to get better deals on data, which is virtually every other carrier. I will never ever recommend TracFone to anyone, and I will make sure I let as many people know that this company absolutely sucks and holds you hostage if you ever want to change companies using your phone!
January 26, 2020 at 10:42 AM
Guide to Tracfone Data Cards and How to Buy Data for your Smartphone
Welcome to the TracfoneReviewer blog! This post will share specifics on how data works on smartphones with Tracfone.[Image]How Data Works and How to Save on Data Note - We created a full breakdown and comparison of Tracfone airtime in this post: New Prices/Changes to Tracfone Smartphone Cards.
Tracfone is a prepaid cell phone service provider that offers both phones and airtime cards. On their smartphone devices, you also get data when adding an airtime card which you can use to surf the web when not connected to WiFi.
Data is very useful on smartphones, but how does the data work on Tracfone smartphones, how can you get more, and what can you do with the data you have?
We are going to cover these questions and more in this post sharing all the details about how Tracfone Data works on smartphones.
Or you might be interested in the Tracfone BYOP program, which allows users to bring their own smartphone. Follow the link to learn more, and see a list of the possibilities.
Both the smartphones offered by Tracfone, and the BYOP devices, use data in the same way. So let's get started looking at how data works on these phones.
What is Data on Tracfone Smartphones?
Data is the term generally used to describe the amount (usually in megabytes) you can download or upload on your smartphone via the cell phone network. So data is basically information you download or upload from the internet. This can include many different activities, like checking email, posting photos on Facebook, reading webpages, or watching videos.
Data is consumed based on the amount of megabytes you download or upload. So if you download a 20 MB image, that will use 20 MB of your data. If you visit a webpage that takes 1 MB to load, you will use 1 MB of data. (further down we will share more on estimating how much different online activities will use up your data.)
On older, non-smartphone devices, data was used at a rate determined by the amount of time you were on a website, but this is not the case for smartphones which is a nice improvement.
As you can see, data works similarly to your calling minutes, in that you are charged based on how much you use. But calling minutes are based on time, rather than megabytes. (For example, if you make a 20 minute call, you will be deducted (about) 20 minutes of talk time.)
On Tracfone Smartphones and BYOP devices, airtime is split into three pools, Talk, Text and Data. Learn more about How Airtime Works with Tracfone Smartphones in our recent post.
How Can you Buy More Data for your Tracfone Device?
There are two ways to get more data for your smartphone:
Airtime Cards - You can add both Regular Airtime Cards or Smartphone Only Cards and get a certain amount of data along with talk, text and service days. Data Only Card - You get only Data, at 1 GB for $10
For most situations you will probably want to add an Airtime card to your phone to increase all your 'buckets' of talk/text/data.
But sometimes you may only want to add data, in which case the data only cards are useful. Let's take a closer look at Data cards to better understand how to use them.
What Are Data Only Cards?
As mentioned above, the Data only card increase the amount of data for your smartphone, without adding any additional texts or talk minutes.
There are some important things to be aware of the make the Data only cards unique.
First, they can only be used with smartphones, including the Android devices offered by Tracfone, and all phones offered through the BYOP program.
Second, like the Text only card, Data only cards do not triple, so you get the amount listed on the card (1 GB).
Data Card Amount and Cost Per MB Compared to Airtime Cards
Tracfone just offers one Data only card option at this time: 1 GB for $10
This results in 1 cent per MB of data.
Cost per MB for Tracfone Data cards and Airtime cards Compared:
Below is a table with all of the current airtime cards from Tracfone and how much data comes with each one. We've included both Smartphone only cards and regular airtime cards.
[Image]
Tracfone Data Amounts and Cost per MB
There are two key points to take note of from this Chart:
Smartphone only cards come with a lot more data compared to regular airtime cards
Smartphone only cards are a better deal for data (except the 1500 and 200 minute cards)
In general, if you only need data, the data only card is a good deal. But if you also need talk and texts, then the 300 or 750 minute smartphone cards are a good deal.
Where to Buy Tracfone Data Cards
Tracfone Data cards are available form a variety of sources, as is the case for Tracfone Airtime cards. You can find Data cards on the Tracfone website under Airtime.
You can also find the Tracfone Data cards in many retail stores, and even online through other retailers. We have found Data cards on eBay[Image] in various amounts.
Now let's cover one more question that we see asked quite often.
How Much Can you Do Online with 300 MB of Data?
A common question we see is, what can you do online with a certain amount of data? This is a very good question, because many people tend to estimate how many airtime minutes they will need, and then buy the airtime card that suits their needs best. But if you're unfamiliar with how much data is used by smartphones, it makes it hard to estimate.
It is a little hard to give a straight answer to this question, it all depends on what you do online Take a look at this image (provided by Tracfone) to help give you a better idea:
[Image]
Estimated usage for 300 MB of data with Tracfone
From this table we see you can visit about 245 webpages with 300 MB of data, or send/receive about 4000 emails. Hopefully this information will help you gain a better understanding of how data is used with Tracfone, and where your data is going.
If you notice, doing certain things online, like streaming music, or even more so, streaming video, will use your data quickly, while visiting webpages or sending emails, especially those with few images, will use less of your data.
Another good resource for estimating your data usage is the Data Calculator on Verizon's website. Enter your estimated activities, and it will tell you about how much data you will use in a month.
Remember, that if you want to stop using data, you can go into the settings on your device, select data, and turn it off. Using WiFi networks, like at your home or work, does not deduct from your data.
Tips for Reducing Data Use [Image]
Here are some helpful tips to reduce the amount of data you use.
Keep track of your data use and set data use warnings to help
Turn off background data (learn more here)
Download/upload large files over WiFi as much as possible
If you use Google Maps often in a certain area, download the map of that area over WiFi. Here is some helpful information about using Google Maps without using data.
Download songs/podcasts over WiFi instead of streaming them.
Set your Apps to only update over WiFi.
Download Images/Videos only when using WiFi
As you can see, the best way to reduce data usage is to avoid using it for large downloads or uploads, which will quickly drain your data. Using free WiFi whenever possible will go a long way in extending your data.
Here is a helpful article on what online activities use data, and some other basic details about data usage from an AT&T Forum.
We hope you found this information helpful, and please leave a comment with any questions, or if you have something to add!
90 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formSo purchasing a data card will not change your service end date and unused data will never expire. Do I have this correct?
August 27, 2015 at 5:18 PM
that's correct, and data will not expire as long as you still have service days.
August 27, 2015 at 5:19 PM
Thanks
August 27, 2015 at 5:27 PM
Does unused data roll over, assuming you keep adding service days?
With the byop plan, do you have to have a phone with an existing plan and phone number from another company, or can I go out and buy a new gsm compatible phone and sign up using this plan?
August 28, 2015 at 11:32 AM
Sorry, now I see someone already asked about unused data!
August 28, 2015 at 11:51 AM
Tracfone updated their website (it had been down for two days) the LG Sunrise is now available.
August 28, 2015 at 11:58 AM
I wanted to purchase a data card through Walmart. It asked me for my ZIP code. I put it in and got the message that the data card wouldn't work in my area. Is that true? My LG Ultimate 2 should be able to handle it. Is Walmart wrong?
September 1, 2015 at 5:12 PM
Seems like the $30 and $50 data cards are the way to go for price per MB even if the discount between those two aren't as big as the 1st two cards.
September 1, 2015 at 6:38 PM
Does it Support with Australian networks and phones? Where can I buy them except ebay?
September 1, 2015 at 7:46 PM
Why do the Tracfone Data only cards say "For Android powered phones only"?
September 19, 2015 at 5:44 PM
I cannot find out how to min on my Samsung d101 android tablet. Help please need to call out
September 29, 2015 at 2:36 PM
Picked up 2 Sunrises now marked down to $9.82 each. Apparently on closeout now, surprisingly the Walmart display had more Tracphones than in the past.
October 17, 2015 at 6:19 PM
It's mid December now, and WM still has plenty of Sunrises.
December 16, 2015 at 10:25 PM
How do add a data card to my phone? I have an lg destiny
December 18, 2015 at 9:22 PM
My data seems to keep getting used up but I don't access the web, fb or email so where does it keep going? I only use my phone for calls and texting.
December 25, 2015 at 8:17 PM
Even if you don't email or anything, those apps keep in touch with their sources online. So Gmail will keep synching up with Gmail online even if you aren't sending emails from your phone, for example.
You can slow down (but not eliminate) data drain by turning your connection OFF when you aren't actively needed to use an app that needs a data connection like My Account. Go into your Settings Menu and find "Mobile Data". Turn it off. That should help immensely (did for me).
Just remember that before you can use apps like My Account (mentioned above), you'll need to turn Mobile Data back on. To do that, just go back into Settings and turn it back on. Use the ap you need, then turn MD back off again.
December 27, 2015 at 8:54 AM
Great info! Thanks!
January 13, 2016 at 12:47 PM
I have an LG SUNSET and I am wondering if buying a data card will somehow mess up phones that have Triple Minutes for life. I currently have about 3600 minutes of talk, text and data MG. (And if I buy another one year 400 minute card, this will triple to give me a total of about 4800 in each bucket. However, if I should decide to get a data-only card at some point in the next year, could this somehow mess up the service.
The reason I ask is that I read on your site something about when you have a triple minutes phone, NEVER buy a double or triple minutes card since this will mess up the phone (in other words, always buy single minutes to get the triple minutes).
Would a 300 MB data card triple as well.
Sorry this is confusing.
January 21, 2016 at 11:56 AM
I thought 1 gigabyte is 1024 megabytes
January 21, 2016 at 5:23 PM
Technically yes, but sometimes it is rounded to 1000 for simplicity.
January 21, 2016 at 7:59 PM
Can it be used for a net10 phone since its through through tracfone?
February 3, 2016 at 12:57 AM
I have a Samsung S5 under tracfone's Bring Your Own Phone program. I have plenty of Data and Message minutes but no Data minutes left. I want to add data and have purchased a Android only 4Gb data card. The directions with the card say to press MENU > PREPAID > REDEEM AIRTIME.
My Galaxy S5 doess not have a MENU key and the help area has no listing for Prepaid or Redeem. So how do I add the data to my phone?
March 10, 2016 at 8:47 PM
I want to purchase either an iphone 5s or the new iphone SE. I currently have a tracfone android now with 2000 minutes, 2000 messages, and 3000 MB of data. If I begin to use the BYOP service, will the minutes, data, and text messages transfer over?
And also do Verizon phones work with the BYOP serivce?
March 23, 2016 at 12:14 PM
Good site!
April 8, 2016 at 11:59 PM
You can add airtime/data by signing into your account on the Tracfone website, or on your smartphone by downloading the "Tracfone My Account" app.
April 26, 2016 at 9:13 AM
Great site. I had a bunch of questions, and will have more I am sure, but now I have hopes of finding an answer without a 1-800 queque. I love my LG sunrise from Straight talk, but the $45 a month was a little steep for me, and really I don't use it that much, now I can spend far less and enjoy it more. THANKS Question, how do I know which towers this runs off of, I am confused.
April 29, 2016 at 10:48 PM
Not sure if this has been answered. Can you use the phone for Data ONLY. No airtime minutes. Basically, just an internet device?
May 5, 2016 at 10:47 AM
No. While they're both owned by the same company (American Movil), they are not interchangeable.
May 6, 2016 at 1:04 PM
Does leftover data roll over to the next month.
May 12, 2016 at 10:26 PM
I bought a $50 data card added it to my phone it says it is there that I have 5gb of data turned my data on and off and back on again and my data isn't working also turned phone off and on and still bot working what do I do
May 17, 2016 at 2:41 AM
My wife bought me a Tracfone, LG Sunset. How much data comes with it?
June 1, 2016 at 11:55 AM
If I get a data only card with 1 gb does service slow down after the 1 gb is used or does it end completely ?
June 2, 2016 at 11:06 PM
If I get a data only plan with 1gb data does my service slow down after that gb is used or does it end completely?
June 2, 2016 at 11:09 PM
The prices are higher now. 2 gig costs $50.00. 750 meg costs $20.00.
June 9, 2016 at 1:53 PM
If I try to go to the internet someplace where there is no wifi, a page comes up that wants me to pay for xfinity wifi. I tried turning on my data, but the same thing still happens. Shouldn't I be able to go online using data? I have an LGL 22c tracfone
July 11, 2016 at 1:38 PM
Yes, you should probably contact Tracfone about this.
July 11, 2016 at 5:31 PM
1 GB data is now available on the Tracfone website for $10. They've been changing things a bit lately.
July 11, 2016 at 5:32 PM
The told me that if wifi is unavailable and I want to use data to surf the net, I have to turn wifi off. That makes no sense. Shouldn't I be able to leave them BOTH on just in case there is wifi?
July 15, 2016 at 1:36 PM
Hmm, yes, that sounds very strange.
July 15, 2016 at 8:58 PM
Are only specific phones considered by tracfone to be smartphones? I have a Samsung Galaxy Stardust and added a smartphone refill. I'm wondering if because I don't have a fancier "smartphone" it only extended my service date and that's why it hasn't added additional minutes, etc?
July 25, 2016 at 5:49 AM
Can you also put this on tablets?
July 28, 2016 at 7:08 PM
I bought an LG Sunset Tracfone and it is deducting 2 minutes for a 50 second call. Anyone else noticing this problem?
July 31, 2016 at 9:32 PM
no
August 17, 2016 at 7:02 AM
I am trying to add a data only card from the web site (1 GB for $10) but it will not total and send me to checkout. It says I have to add an airtime card. I have all the minutes and texts I need (I added a texts only card with no trouble some time ago). Do I have to add more minutes and text
September 8, 2016 at 2:05 PM
Marc C - You did log in to your TracFone acct & selected your current phone ? or you did enter your Phone or serial # in the airtime section? Assume you DO have minutes and text still available? Seems they may not allow a plan to have only data. Sometimes on a phone it does not show everything - much easier on desktop. Hope it works out for you.
September 9, 2016 at 3:15 PM
What is the difference between a Samsung Galaxy Centura tracfone, and a LG Premier Smartphone in terms of gigabytes? thank you.
September 21, 2016 at 8:53 PM
I just did BYOP w/Tracfone on a Nokia Lumia 635 smartphone. I managed to get what I thought a good deal on the new SIM and 90days minimal service plan-just testing the waters. Looks like phone still activates with AT&T. Is this normal? Yes, it was an AT&T phone. I just thought the activation would change the behavior of the opening screen. Activation took about 30 minutes late at night. Couldn't do it myself on their website. Chat was helpful but took a long long time. I hope the service is good, the price was right for me, less than 7.00 a month. I mostly use my phone for texts or calls. Suggestions are welcomed. I shut off the phone to avoid unwanted "updates/connections" using up my data. And nobody knows the phone number yet!!!
September 23, 2016 at 11:43 AM
What size processor in terms of GHZ does the Samsung Galaxy Centura have as compared to the LG Premier Smartphone? Thank you.
September 26, 2016 at 10:19 AM
I nave a LGL39C Trac phone. In text mode it will not download attachments or the message, only the message body. Checked the balance and it shows " 0 " Data ,could that the reason ?
September 28, 2016 at 7:50 PM
I am trying to use a canvassing app for a campaign away from any wi-fi connection. Will this data-only card help?
September 28, 2016 at 9:42 PM
Most likely that is the reason. I have to manually turn on data to download attachments.
October 2, 2016 at 12:43 PM
I just wasted too many airtime units trying to get a straight answer from someone working with a script. When I use my phone to check my email account. It takes about 5 seconds to load my email index and when I click on new emails it takes all of another 5 seconds to list them. I look at a couple and then logout and off of the web. Now I expected a hit in my DATA units but instead, not as well, I got a 91 unit hit in my air time for what was 3 minutes in real time. I want to know why my airtime gets beat up instead of my data units getting used. My Tracfone script reader wasn't even close to coming up with a close answer.
October 6, 2016 at 9:41 AM
What phone are you using? And what app for checking your email? I only use the gmail app, and it works great, whether on WiFi or data. There are other third party apps I've heard also work very well. Are you using a smartphone?
October 6, 2016 at 5:22 PM
We just bought a 750 MB data card for our LG Sunrise. When I entered in the PIN and refreshed the stats in the My Account app for Tracfone, it only added 180 MB and increased my minutes and texts. Is this what's supposed to happen?
October 14, 2016 at 4:36 PM
No, that's very odd. It sounds like the PIN was for a 60 minute card - which would give you 180 minutes, texts and data. Very strange that it got mixed in with a 750 MB card. If you purchased the card from Tracfone, might be worth contacting them to sort things out.
October 14, 2016 at 8:49 PM
When buying a phone do you first have to know who your carrier is so you don't get the wrong one by mistake and not have it work with the cell towers in your area? EX: trying to use a phone intended for AT&T towers in a Verizon area. Please advise, thank you.
October 18, 2016 at 6:33 PM
I pay every three month for my husband phone I have the internet shut off because at 88 all he uses it for is talk. Why is his phone using data?
October 19, 2016 at 3:01 PM
Thank you for all this info. FINALLY, I think I have a good understanding of how Data works...
October 28, 2016 at 10:46 AM
Is the LG840G considered a Smart Phone? Can I add data to it with a data card?
November 4, 2016 at 9:40 PM
Yes
November 13, 2016 at 3:33 PM
I have an lg tribute hd. Is it compatible with byop? If so, could I use only data cards on it?
December 5, 2016 at 7:31 PM
Okay this might be a dumb question but I bought a $45 card that gives me unlimited everything. I'm only a couple days into using my phone and it's like all my data ran out yet I did say unlimited talk,text, and data. I'm confused .. did my data like run out ?
January 29, 2017 at 4:04 AM
Great article! I just switched from ATT to Tracfone with a phone I got on hsn.com. It was a great deal. This article cleared up a lot of questions I had about the usage of minutes, etc. Thanks
January 29, 2017 at 5:01 PM
If you purchase 1 gig data card and have double minute plan do you get 2gigs of data?
March 12, 2017 at 1:48 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
If you purchase 1 gig data card and have double minute plan do you get 2gigs of data?
March 12, 2017 at 1:48 PM
You can only purchase data for smartphones. All smartphones come with Triple Minutes for Life. However, this doesn't include data only cards. So no, you would not get 2 GB of data, just 1 GB.
March 14, 2017 at 8:55 PM
So I recently added more airtime and data, but did so early (7 days early). The automated voice told me to not turn off my phone or else I wouldn't be able to access my added airtime. Through a series of sitting on my phone and accedently pressing buttons, it restarted and I cant access my airtime. Is there anyway to undo this? Or to reaccess my airtime? Or is it unaccessable until the expiration time of my last card?
March 24, 2017 at 3:18 PM
I've found 1GB 'data only' cards at Walmart for $10.00 ; far less expensive than EBAY or Amazon.
April 18, 2017 at 5:12 AM
It should work
May 24, 2017 at 8:08 AM
if I am talking on my cell phone and the phones internet is off, will I use up my data ?
August 5, 2017 at 10:35 PM
I bought 3x 400 airtime, text and web for 365 days for $99...is "web"=Data or do I have to purchase data separately? I have minutes showing for airtime and text only on my Account, Data shows blank...but I would think "web"=Data...? My phone is an LG Ultimate. Thanks, -Lisa
August 19, 2017 at 4:22 AM
Not sure if this is the right place to ASK a general question, but I'm asking anyway.
About a year ago I brought a BYOP Iphone 5s to Tracfone. I bought a Tracfone SIM card to use the TF service. I just bought a Tracfone Iphone SE that came with a new Tracfone SIM card. (I want to give my old Iphone to my son.) Can I just switch the Tracfone SIM card from the BYOP 5S to the SE, or do I need to use the new SIM card that came with the Tracfone SE? (I bought a new TF SIM card for the phone I want to give to my son.)
I'd appreciate any help or advice.
November 18, 2017 at 4:26 PM
Problem with those data only cards is you don't get any "service time" at all, and in my case that's what I "really" need.
If they incl 90 or 120 days of service time on them than yeah that would be good for people like me that don't much text or even call.
My DSL provider just raised the rate again, so this stuff with WiFi free gets to be silly, since I use my home land line to do any calling at home. But without the land line (At&T) I cant have DSL.
November 19, 2017 at 11:11 AM
My service end date is 3.14.2018 (I bought a one year text card in March 2017; I already had minuts, texts and data on the phone). I bouvht the phone from HSN on 10.15.2016 with 1200 free minutes. When 10.15.2017 approached I bought an airtime card because I thought the original free minutes would expire on the anniversary date. So I bought a 60 day card which will expire on 12.2.2017. Do I have to buy service time now based on the 60 day card which ends on 12.2.17? Or do I not have to buy anything because the phone's service end date is in March 2018? Thank you for reading my confusing story!
November 27, 2017 at 10:19 AM
RE: Kathleen C
Go off of what your account expiration date says, which sounds like 3/2018. You can check this by going to the tracfone website and signing in to your account, or by using the tracfone app and checking on there.
November 27, 2017 at 7:57 PM
Thanks for your quick response. I thought I could go with that date, but then the more reading I did, the more confused I got. For me and the way I use the phone, tracfone is turning out to be very economical.
November 27, 2017 at 8:15 PM
Does anyone know if you use all your data will you still have like 2 G data connection?
December 4, 2017 at 7:12 AM
How are you figuring the math in this cost-per-megabyte chart??? Seems erroneous if all you're calculating is the cost of whichever card vs. amount of data received ONLY (and NOT figuring any talk and/or text into the equation)... If 1 gig = +/- 1,000 megs (1,024), then yes, the $10.00 data-only card = $.01/Mb (1 cent). But, if only figuring in data with the cost of each card (regular and smartphone alike), then the $20.00 (smartphone) card with its 1,000 megs would obviously be twice the amount of the $10.00 card, making it $.02 per Mb (2 cents)... NOT the .005 (or 1/2 of a cent) listed on the chart. How did you arrive at your various amounts??? I obviously understand the triple-minute concept of non-smartphone cards, but those don't check out, either... Just curious. Thanks. GREAT BLOGGING, by the way! Very informative! Thank you for ALL the extensive research and input... Two thumbs WAYYYYY UP!!! :-)
December 8, 2017 at 12:12 AM
Hoping someone can answer thsee 2 questions. TF my account app when set up keeps me signed in all the time is this using minutes or data?? How can you change the signed in all the time option cannot find any thread online that addresses this.
January 14, 2018 at 6:18 PM
Hey thanx. This was really helpful in aiding me on my next data purchase.
Have a coffee on me. Just sent you some $
:::
[ ]P
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January 18, 2018 at 8:38 AM
I bought a ZTE Cymbal in Feb. I am going broke buying data and I don't know where it goes. Help. I try to see a picture some one sent me and I can't view and in a instance all my data is gone.
April 22, 2018 at 10:30 PM
Download my TracFone my account from play store
September 3, 2018 at 9:00 PM
Disable your mobile data in Android settings
September 3, 2018 at 9:01 PM
Ends completey
September 3, 2018 at 9:02 PM
The cellphone data connection will interfere with your WiFi connection best to turn off WiFi I had same issue just use one or the other
September 3, 2018 at 9:04 PM
Looks like the new Rebel 4 is available at Tracfone.com. Just FYI.
September 18, 2018 at 1:37 PM
If I run out of service days on my TF can I still use Wi-Fi do download apps and sure the web?
October 2, 2018 at 8:03 PM
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best data only plan
January 30, 2019 at 9:58 AM
I purchased a TracFone ZTE smartphone along with a 90 day phone & data plan, however, I cannot search anything unless connected to wifi ?
Any solutions?
March 21, 2019 at 9:43 AM
my son uses a month to month plan, unlimited text and talk, 3 megs of data. For some reason he believes that if he uses his data up then he can't make phone calls. I have explained what data is and asurred him that he still has his 30 days of minutes regardless of data. Am I misinformed about this?
July 19, 2019 at 9:50 PM
TracFone is the worst service deal I have ever purchased and I deeply regret it. This company holds you hostage by locking your phone for 12 months!!! So, you cannot switch companies to get better deals on data, which is virtually every other carrier. I will never ever recommend TracFone to anyone, and I will make sure I let as many people know that this company absolutely sucks and holds you hostage if you ever want to change companies using your phone!
January 26, 2020 at 10:42 AM