Consumer Cellular vs. Tracfone

Consumer Cellular vs. Tracfone: Plans and Costs

Consumer Cellular plans start as low as $15 per month for unlimited talk. Since most people also use their phones to text, we recommend upgrading to the next plan, which costs $20 per month and includes unlimited talk and text messages, as well as 1 GB of data. Consumer Cellular also offers plans with 10 GB of data for $35 per month or unlimited data for $50 per month.

Consumer Cellular Plans Compared

With Consumer Cellular, additional lines cost only $15 regardless of the plan. The unlimited data plan, for example, costs $50 per month for one line, $65 for two lines ($32.50 per line), $80 for three lines, and so on up to seven lines.

There are no overage charges with Consumer Cellular. If you exceed your plan’s allowance in a given month, you’ll automatically be upgraded to the next plan for that billing period.

Tracfone’s plans operate a bit differently. Instead of paying on a monthly basis, you must prepay in 30-, 60-, 90-, or 365-day increments. As you might expect, paying more up front will give you a discount. The plan with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 2GB of data, for example, costs $20 for 30 days or $199 for 365 days, which amounts to roughly $16.60 per month.

One notable difference with Tracfone is the company’s approach to overage charges. On the plus side, you won’t have to deal with overage charges of any sort. If you use up your talk, text, or data allowance, however, you’ll need to purchase a refill.

Another noteworthy difference is that Tracfone does not offer any plans with unlimited data, unlike Consumer Cellular.

Tracfone Plans Compared

Tracfone’s plans start out exceedingly affordable, but the more data you add, the more expensive they become. If you plan to use your phone to browse the web, stream music, or watch videos, Consumer Cellular is most likely the better option.

Senior Plan Availability

Nearly all of Consumer Cellular’s plans are available to people of any age, but the company offers a special discounted plan for AARP members. The plan includes two lines of unlimited talk, text, and data for $55, and it requires no contracts or up-front payments. For all other Consumer Cellular plans, AARP members can save 5 percent on their monthly bill.

There is no specific Tracfone plan for seniors, but one of the brand’s affordable unlimited talk and text plans would likely be a good fit for older adults.

Consumer Cellular vs. Tracfone: Phones and Devices

Both Consumer Cellular and Tracfone allow you to bring your own phone to use on their networks with one of their SIM cards. You can use the compatibility tools on the companies’ websites to see if your current phone will work with their networks. Both companies also allow you to keep your existing phone number in some cases.

Both providers offer a similar lineup of new phones at similar price points. Consumer Cellular, for example, offers the senior-friendly iPhone SE for $429, while Tracfone sells it for $399. Across the board, you’ll find similar prices on smartphones from Samsung, Apple, and Google.

Tracfone offers a slightly larger selection of flip phones — five compared to one from Consumer Cellular — but that likely won’t be a deciding factor between the networks.

Consumer Cellular vs. Tracfone: Coverage

Both Consumer Cellular and Tracfone are mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, which means they lease their networks from other providers. Tracfone uses AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile’s networks, while Consumer Cellular uses AT&T and T-Mobile.

The downside of an MVNO is that during times of heavy data usage, T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T will deprioritize service for MVNO users. You can expect it with both Tracfone and Consumer Cellular.

In our tests, however, we didn’t notice it with either provider.

Our Favorite

Both Consumer Cellular and Tracfone are among our favorite cellular providers, but we think Consumer Cellular is the better option for most people.

Consumer Cellular’s plans start at $15 per month for unlimited talk and text, and adding data is relatively affordable. We also appreciated that heavy users can get unlimited data for under $30 per line, provided you’re an AARP member.

Tracfone, however, does not offer any unlimited data options. Its lower-tier plans are pretty affordable, but it imposes heavy limits on talk minutes, which we think should be a thing of the past.

To learn more about Consumer Cellular, read our full Consumer Cellular review.