What top-up combination do you use?

**b1geast** · 07-09-2017, 10:01 AM

I'm curious what top-up combination a typical Tracfone user purchases each month/year?

Many of the top-up combinations don't make much sense to me. The $45 top-up has fewer minutes than buying a $20 + $25 card. The $50 top-up is also a bad value for data because you can purchase 1GB for $10 along with the $25 and $20 card. The $15 top-up is a poor value against the $25 card. Even the 1-year $125 card is more expensive than $50 1-year card plus any other top-up combination.

Running through the various combinations, I'm finding it hard to see how you can save money compared to the monthly unlimited plans.

For example:
Ultra Mobile Flex offers unlimited talk + text + 250mb (unlimited rollover) for $12.50
Xfinity Mobile offers unlimited talk + text + 1GB for $12
Tello offer pay-go at 0.03/min, 0.02/MB, and 0.01/SMS
RedPocket offers 500 min, 500 sms, and 100MB for $10

Any of the above combinations would be $25 or more on Tracfone.

**tfusr19** · 07-09-2017, 10:14 AM

TracFone offers unlimited rollover of all buckets as long as you have service days remaining. Depending on your monthly usage needs, TracFone won't necessarily be better than other companies. If you really need an unlimited plan, you're better off using something other than TracFone.

I can buy a 1 year 1200x3 buckets plan for $100 and it covers my current needs and I usually have leftovers to roll over

I can also buy the $5 text refill, take the $50 year upgrade, and be good for another year based on my current buckets and usage.

**TacoDan** · 07-09-2017, 10:24 AM

I'm still feeding my phones FD cards from last fall

Have service out to 2020

But before that we used the one year $100. Or the $19.99 90 day cards

I use about 1-2 hrs talk and about 200 txt and 200MB a month

So when Tracfone prices themselves out of my range I'll go somewhere else.

I love the look on friends faces when they ask how much you pay a month for service on your iPhone

**whacker** · 07-09-2017, 11:27 AM

As time has gone by (especially since 2012 or so - maybe earlier), there has developed a growing lack of comprehension of the value of traditional PAYGO services, especially those like TracFone that are retaining endless rollover (just pay a monthly cost for easy peace of mind; the rest is disposable). With that one feature alone the modest user can use every bit of service they've paid for. So it's another factor we inherently take into consideration, in addition to whatever time-based usage stats and annual total costs we foresee. Those coming from a strictly monthly usage perspective don't always get that aspect. I suspect this is another indicator of the schism between those who've had to make cell phones their only phone and web access device, versus others like homeowners that likely have wired internet access of some sort, and thus many more options for service available.

**b1geast** · 07-09-2017, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by whacker

As time has gone by (especially since 2012 or so - maybe earlier), there has developed a growing lack of comprehension of the value of traditional PAYGO services, especially those like TracFone that are retaining endless rollover (just pay a monthly cost for easy peace of mind; the rest is disposable). With that one feature alone the modest user can use every bit of service they've paid for. So it's another factor we inherently take into consideration, in addition to whatever time-based usage stats and annual total costs we foresee. Those coming from a strictly monthly usage perspective don't always get that aspect. I suspect this is another indicator of the schism between those who've had to make cell phones their only phone and web access device, versus others like homeowners that likely have wired internet access of some sort, and thus many more options for service available.

That's what I don't understand. With unlimited talk/text on every plan, whats the point of endless rollover? Tracfone requires you to pay for service days (something that doesn't have inherent value). Basically you're paying to not use your phone. It's free money to Tracfone when you pay for service but use none of it. It seems to make much more economical sense to pay a nominal monthly fee to get unlimited service because most people cannot anticipate their monthly usage ahead of time. Isn't it smarter to pay $15/month every month for unlimited talk/text than $10 some months and $20 others? This reminds of the Cingular days with "rollover minutes". The logic was that if you're rolling over minutes, then you've purchased too much service. Its very similar to T-Mobile and Data Stash, just a gimmick.

Just one single month of excessive usage on Tracfone and you're savings are completely gone. Have you calculated what you're paying monthly?

**b1geast** · 07-09-2017, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by tfusr19

TracFone offers unlimited rollover of all buckets as long as you have service days remaining. Depending on your monthly usage needs, TracFone won't necessarily be better than other companies. If you really need an unlimited plan, you're better off using something other than TracFone.

I can buy a 1 year 1200x3 buckets plan for $100 and it covers my current needs and I usually have leftovers to roll over

I can also buy the $5 text refill, take the $50 year upgrade, and be good for another year based on my current buckets and usage.

If you're buying $155 worth of service for 1-year ($16/month) wouldn't be simpler to just get a $15-20 monthly plan that also gives you more data? Those savings seem too small to be worth the effort buying top-up cards. I question the value of rollover with so many unlimited plans. Basically stocking up on units feels like giving Tracfone free money.

**hpham** · 07-09-2017, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by tfusr19

I can buy a 1 year 1200x3 buckets plan for $100 and it covers my current needs and I usually have leftovers to roll over I can also buy the $5 text refill, take the $50 year upgrade, and be good for another year based on my current buckets and usage.