Buying a Tracfone Card
Here's a quick rundown on buying a Tracfone card for adding airtime. You can buy them online or at any one of a bazillion locations in the USA. Once you buy the card, it's pretty simple to add your minutes to your Tracfone.
Current CardsHere's a current (September 2007) list.
Tracfone prepaid cards come in a standard set of list prices, which are currently:
- 9.99 for a 30-minute card with a 45-day service period (this card seems to have been discontinued as it's no longer available online and seems out of stock in some stores)
- 19.99 for a 60-minute card with a 90-day service period
- 29.99 for a 120-minute card with a 90-day service period
- 39.99 for a 200-minute card with a 90-day service period
- 99.99 for a 400-minute card with a one-year service period
- 139.99 for an 800-minute double time card with a one-year service period. This Tracfone card doubles the minutes you get on all subsequent airtime cards purchased before your current airtime expires.
The prices of these cards have stayed about the same, but the number of minutes and the service period has increased over time. For example, a while back, the 19.99 card only bought 40 minutes of airtime with a 60-day service period. First the number of minutes increased to 60 and then the service period increased to 90 days. (Some stores still carry these old cards. Avoid them!)
When you buy online from Tracfone, during the ordering process you will be asked if you want to further add to your minutes or to the service period.
You can get a (very) small discount on a Tracfone card at places like Walmart.
Tip: Target has a good sale on airtime cards once every one or two months.
Depending on whether you know how long you will keep your prepaid phone service and how many minutes you tend to use or just in terms of convenience, it may be better to purchase airtime cards with a one-year service period.
Tracfone also offers some good online deals on reconditioned phones packaged with airtime cards.