Total Wireless is a prepaid mobile virtual network operator from TracFone with simple, low-price plans.
At a glance
- Plans start at $25 per month
- Notables: Very inexpensive, but bare-bones plans
Total Wireless cell phone plans
Total Wireless has two individual plans and three shared plans, all with unlimited talk and text.
Individual:
- $25 per month, unlimited talk and text only, no data
- $35 per month, 5GB of data
Shared:
- $60 per month, up to two lines, 15GB
- $85 per month, up to three lines, 20GB
- $100 per month, up to four lines, 25GB
Total Wireless’ network
Total Wireless is owned by TracFone and operates on Verizon’s network. Total’s LTE data download speeds average around 5 megabits per second but could be more, according to a Total Wireless customer service representative.
Customers on Verizon’s name-brand service can get LTE data download speeds above 20 Mbps, depending on the quality of the connection. The 5 Mbps speed isn’t necessarily slow, and it’s sufficient for most mobile online activities. However, bandwidth-intensive actions, like watching high-definition streaming video, will likely suffer.
How Total Wireless compares on prices
Total Wireless’ 5GB individual plan beats pretty much every other prepaid plan, in terms of dollars-per-gigabyte cost. You’ll usually have to pay upward of $40 for 3GB, making $35 for 5GB a steal.
Keep in mind you could be getting reduced 5 Mbps LTE data speeds in return. Data speeds at MVNOs that operate on Sprint’s network, for example, aren’t throttled. LTE data speeds at Cricket Wireless, on AT&T’s network, are reduced to 8 Mbps.
Total has competitive pricing for its family plans as well. Four lines cost $100 per month, with 25GB of data shared among everyone. That’s 6.25GB of data and $25 per person — more data than Cricket Wireless’ excellent multiline option, which provides 5GB per person for $110 per month.
Stephen Layton is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: slayton@nerdwallet.com.
Updated November 13, 2017.
