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Thinking about switching from Verizon prepaid to annual Tracfone. My issue with Verizon is that their prepaid coverage map is different from their monthly plan coverage map - I got taken! No service at all up north on prepaid. It would roam but never connect. Anyway, I know Tracfone uses AT&T, Verizon, etc. towers. Will I have the same issue with Tracfone when I am up north? The Tracfone coverage map makes it appear to have coverage there...but I am skeptical. How can I find out for sure before I switch?
I've had Tracfone since 2000 Used it from Maine thru Wisconsin to here in Texas Never a problem. I don't use mine much so I get a card every month [trying to build up the minutes]
Generally speaking, prepaid coverage is smaller than postpaid coverage.
When you're dealing with Tracfone, you're actually working with what's known as an MVNO -- a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Put very simply, they basically buy wireless service wholesale from a major provider and resell it under their own name. Because Verizon's own prepaid service (or AT&T's, or T-Mobile's, for that matter) is actually competition for their monthly (read: high-income) plans, they tend to strip it down considerably. MVNOs, on the other hand, have some bargaining power. They have the ability to negotiate better coverage because they are serving a niche market that Verizon / AT&T / T-Mobile / Sprint can't make profitable on their own.
So you may very well see better coverage with Tracfone or any other MVNO. There are a quite a few good, solid MVNOs out there right now. I suggest also taking a look at Straight Talk and Virgin Mobile. Tracfone is really hard to beat if you barely use your phone, but Straight Talk and Virgin Mobile tend to offer better prices & services if you use your device regularly.
Thinking about switching from Verizon prepaid to annual Tracfone. My issue with Verizon is that their prepaid coverage map is different from their monthly plan coverage map - I got taken! No service at all up north on prepaid. It would roam but never connect. Anyway, I know Tracfone uses AT&T, Verizon, etc. towers. Will I have the same issue with Tracfone when I am up north? The Tracfone coverage map makes it appear to have coverage there...but I am skeptical. How can I find out for sure before I switch?
I think that the carriers allow monthly customers to roam on other carriers towers and they might not allow pre paid customers the same. Up north I think Verizon might roam in Cellular Systems Inc and maybe US Cellular in places outside cities.
I suggest also taking a look at Straight Talk and Virgin Mobile. Tracfone is really hard to beat if you barely use your phone, but Straight Talk and Virgin Mobile tend to offer better prices & services if you use your device regularly.
I might shy away from Virgin Mobile. Good if you live in a city, but very spotty outside and they don't roam well. You can look up a large number of comments (bad) about VM by users by googling. Straight Talk's Nokia phone is raved about by many - uses AT&T and supposedly has a very good built-in antennae in it and is solidly built.
This really touches on the single most important of wireless: Use whatever service / phone works best for you.
Yep.
A relative lives in the Charleston, WV area. A narrow "valley" area, geographically, where in general, cell service sort of "bites". Coverage for all of the major carriers are pretty much the same there - stay in the city and very close surrounding area, and you have service; stray, and you don't. So in one way, that disadvantage is to her advantage, as having the same signal coverage for all of them allows her to shop around and get the cheapest one for her.
Here in Atlanta once you leave the city-proper area, typically Verizon is the best with AT&T following behind it. Sprint has the 3rd best coverage, followed by T-mobile usually being the last, especially in the suburban areas. When you experiment with things like Virgin or Boost, they work great in the city, but once you stray away from the highways in the suburbs, poof, you lose your signal since they don't take advantage of the roaming ability that contract-Sprint users do.
So as with anything, mileage will vary depending on user, carrier, and location.
It has been awhile since a post on this thread but all MVNO's that use Verizon do not Roam usually and are stuck with the native Verizon network. Only when on a Verizon pre-paid plan, can you roam and are usually charged. Tracfone, Straight-talk do not roam on CDMA networks only on GSM do they roam and it is with T-Mobile.
Page-Plus is the ONLY Verizon MVNO that will roam but you have to pay .29/minute.
Make absolutely sure you check the coverage maps and remember anyone that uses a Verizon MVNO, you will have Verizon's pre-paid coverage only with no roaming.
There are two basic types of these "pre-paid" plans:
the ones that allow you to "roll over" your minutes (a genuine pay as you go plan) and the rest.
Stick with the genuine pay as you go plans and avoid the rest like the plague they are.
Also avoid comparing the service details across the two platform types.
Try to compare only apples to other apples.
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Years ago (analog days) I had a pay as you go plan that piggy backed on AT&T.
I used that all across the country and with a few exceptions coverage was fine.
I also had a Tracfone for about a year ('07-'08) when I traveled next to zero.
I have no idea who the provider was but service was fine.
It has been awhile since a post on this thread but all MVNO's that use Verizon do not Roam usually and are stuck with the native Verizon network. Only when on a Verizon pre-paid plan, can you roam and are usually charged. Tracfone, Straight-talk do not roam on CDMA networks only on GSM do they roam and it is with T-Mobile.
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