TracFone Wireless
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TracFone Wireless or TracFone is a wireless provider that provides prepaid wireless service. The service allows a customer to buy airtime units to use on the cell phone at various prices. The company is a subsidiary of Latin American wireless provider América Móvil. It is formerly known as Topp Telecom. The company also operates Net10 Wireless.TracFone offers new and refurbished cell phones by Nokia and Motorola pursuant to a licensing agreement. TracFone sells digital cell phone models, although analog phones were available at one time. Depending on the customer region, TracFone service works in either a GSM, TDMA, or CDMA network. TracFone does not build its own wireless network but "resells" wireless service from more than 30 providers, as a mobile virtual network operator. In the United States, TracFone operates on the Cingular and Verizon networks.
TracFone requires the customer to "activate" a cell phone prior to use. Activation consists of purchasing units of available airtime. The customer redeems units by entering a validation code directly into the cell phone. A single unit roughly equates to one minute of telephone airtime. Text messages cost .3 units to send and free to receive (on GSM phones), and .5 units (on TDMA and CDMA phones) to send or receive them.
Additionally, a customer is required to repeatedly purchase additional units after "activating" the phone, in order to keep the service active. The schedule of these repeated purchases will vary depending on the purchase price of airtime units. If a customer does not add airtime prior to the due date that is displayed on the handset, the service, the TracFone phone number, and any remaining units are lost. If service is reactivated within 60 days, the customer retains existing units on the handset.
The phones, airtime units, and accessories are available for purchase at various stores around the United States and online at the TracFone website. Airtime units are usually sold through cards that come in denominations of 60 (USD$19.99), 120 ($29.99), 250 ($49.99), and 400 ($79.99) airtime minutes which extend the active service by 60 days. There is also a card for 250 minutes + 1 year of active service ($99.99), and another that provides 400 minutes + 1 year active service during which period minutes from other cards are doubled (e.g. a 100 minute card provides 200 minutes service, $129.99). Under some circumstances, customers may also use special 'Promotion codes', that allow extra units on airtime purchases.
The TracFone service has enjoyed popularity among some customers, partially because of the Refer-A-Friend program[link], whereby existing customers can refer their friends to TracFone in order to get free airtime units. Moreover, TracFone has attracted some customers by promoting price-comparison, as well as its pre-pay service structure.
In contrast to the popularity of the TracFone service, there have also been some complaints as well. Example complaint reports can be found at Consumer Affairs[link] regarding the quality of the product, the limitations of the service, and the business practices of the company.
Tracfone Customer Service is currently being outsourced to several companies in Latin-American countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Colombia and Belize#redirect [[Template:Fact]].
See also
Other prepaid wireless serivce providers are:
- Virgin Mobile
- *Virgin Mobile USA
- Simple Freedom by Alltel
- Boost Mobile
- GoPhone by Cingular Wireless (formerly AT&T GoPhone)
- INpulse by Verizon
- Net10 Wireless
External links
| American mobile phone companies | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alltel | Centennial Wireless | Cincinnati Bell Wireless | Cingular Wireless | Cricket Communications | Dobson Cellular | Edge Wireless | MetroPCS | Midwest Wireless | Revol | SouthernLINC Wireless | Sprint Nextel | SunCom | T-Mobile | U.S. Cellular | Unicel | Verizon Wireless | |||
| Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO)s: 7-Eleven Wireless | Amp'd Mobile | Boost Mobile | Disney Mobile | Hawaiian Telcom | Helio | Jitterbug Wireless | Jump Mobile | Mobile ESPN | Net10 Wireless | Qwest Wireless | Simple Freedom | TracFone | Virgin Mobile | |||
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