I’ve spent a lot of my time helping people to save money on Tracfone service. But it just recently occurred to me that for some people, the biggest savings may be had by switching to another prepaid service. I’ve already tried out T-Mobile To Go prepaid as well as the GoPhone option from Cingular / AT&T. In each of those services I found what turned out for me to be fatal flaws, but I’ll save that for a different post. For now, I’d like to focus on Tracfone’s sister company, Net10.
Over the last several weeks I’ve been trying out my first Net10 phone, which I acquired through a package deal similar to those frequently offered by Tracfone. I was able to pick up a nice Nokia 1600 phone along with a Net10 300 minute card, all for a total of $30 plus tax and shipping (I actually ordered two of these packages, to spread out the shipping a little). Net10, as the name implies, normally charges a flat $0.10 per minute, so essentially this offer consisted of a 300 minute card at full price, and a free phone.
But what really made this deal great was Net10′s new policy of including 300 minutes of talk time with each newly activated phone. I received the 300 sign-up minutes when I activated the Nokia 1600, plus I still had not used the 300 unit card. Since I got two packages, that meant two phones and two 300 minute cards. I ended up with a total of 1200 minutes for $68.52. This works out to 5.71 cents per minute, after taxes and shipping, and I also picked up two nice Nokia 1600 phones in the process.
The reason I wanted to go through all of this, though, is to compare Tracfone and Net10 wireless services. Because they are really just two different versions of the same company, the similaritie are more numerous than the differences. So I’ll start with the characteristics shared by both services:
Advantages of both Net10 and Tracfone compared to other prepaid providers:
-
EXCELLENT coverage with either CDMA or GSM, due to roaming agreements with major carriers [edit 10/09/08 – As Ryan pointed out in the comments, there are no phones that can do both CDMA and GSM, just one or the other – but a Trac or Net10 phone using either of these technologies will get good coverage around the US)
-
Roaming is free (except for some CDMA Tracfones)
-
Minutes never expire as long as you keep service active
-
Minutes can be transferred to another phone with the same service.
-
Number of minutes left on the phone and expiration date are clearly displayed
-
Low cost to get started
Disadvantages of both Net10 and Tracfone compared to other providers:
-
Limited selection of phones, and most are very basic.
-
No free nights and weekends
-
No free in-network calling
Okay, that pretty much covers how the two services are similar, and how Tracfone and Net10 compare to other prepaid services. Now for the differences between these two related companies:
-
Net10 generally charges more for the phones initially. This is to compensate for the 300 minutes offered on activation, and to cover the cost to Net10 of a lower rate being offered on the minutes compared to Tracfone. At least, the rate of Net10 minutes is lower if you’re paying full retail. My readers know how much I hate to do that, though, so I would say that the jury is still out on that issue. Read on…
-
With Net10, you MUST add at least 150 minutes per month. Using Net10′s full retail pricing structure, this means you will be paying a minimum of $15 per month to keep your phone number and the minutes you’ve already paid for but haven’t yet used up.
-
With Net10 there are no “bonus codes” as with Tracfone. So what you see is pretty much what you get in terms of refill cards, with the exception of the package deal I discussed at the beginning of this post. Another exception is Net10′s “Easy Minutes” offering of 1000 minutes for $75. But, honestly, if you’re talking enough to justify buying 1000 minutes at a time, prepaid probably isn’t your best option.
-
Net10′s refill cards offer more variety in terms of the number of days they extend your expiration date.
Net10 vs. Tracfone Conclusion
I enjoyed my Net10 phone, although some of that probably was due to the fact that it’s a nice little color-screen candy bar phone with polyphonic ringtones. That’s a stark contrast to my old Nokia 1100 Tracfone that I continue to cling to because of its free incoming text messages. (More on this in a future post.)
Anyway, on to what really matters for someone considering a switch to Net10 – If you are someone that uses your cell phone somewhere in the range of 150 to 300 minutes per month, I think that Net10 is the best option among prepaid providers. Other prepaid providers definitely have nicer phones, and some are comparable on the cost per minute.
But no other prepaid services compare to Net10 (or Tracfone) in terms of coverage. If you have a Net10 (or Tracfone) phone and there’s a network available, you’ll be able to use your phone. Even better, you’ll pay a flat rate regardless of whether it’s “roaming” coverage. In my experience, other prepaids can’t make this claim, either in terms of roaming on to other available networks, or charging a flat rate for calls made while “roaming.”
So if you’re considering Net10 and would actually use up the 150 minutes (minimum) you will have to buy each month, go ahead and pick up a Net10 Phone. I strongly recommend the Nokia 1600 package deal for $30 – it’s a great way to start off your service. Click here for more details.
If you are using less than 150 minutes per month, I still recommend Tracfone. There you have more options available in terms of the minimum monthly cost to keep your phone active. And with the bonus codes, and package deals, as well as the recent Double Minute for Life deal that so many of my readers were able to get in on, the cost per minute isn’t too bad either. So unless you’re a big talker, go with Tracfone. It will end up costing you less at the end of the month.
