Following the 2020 acquisition, Verizon is finally redesigning TracFone’s service, and under the appropriate circumstances, the new service might catch your attention. The recently launched Total seems to be geared on competing with major prepaid providers like Cricket from AT&T and Metro from T-Mobile. You’ll receive a few new benefits in addition to pricing that are more affordable than Verizon’s self-branded choice (more on that later). Every plan includes 5G, unlimited talking, and texting to Canada and Mexico. Additionally, all unlimited plans now include with a Disney+ subscription, which is valid for either six months with the $50 plan or perpetually with the $60 tier.
Service starts at $30 per month for 5GB of fast data and 5GB of hotspot data (you save 5% with auto-refills). 15GB of fast data with matching hotspot capabilities are included in a $0 plan. The 10GB hotspot data maximum on the $50 unlimited plan is increased to 20GB with the $60 plan, which also includes ultra-wideband 5G. International roaming is accessible if you have two or more lines on at least the $40 plan, and additional lines cost $35 each.
Depending on what you’re looking for, you may or may not find this to be a decent deal. In general, Total is a better deal than Verizon’s own-brand prepaid plan. Unless you’ve been with the provider for three months ($25 after nine months), that doesn’t drop to $30 a month, and Verizon is typically more frugal with freebies. Disney+ is not included in any plans for periods longer than six months, and to receive unlimited calls and texts to Canada and Mexico, you must pay at least $50 per month ($35 after nine months). The standard for video streaming is 480p, however you can ask support to raise it.
Contrary providers are a another matter. Cricket doesn’t even provide 480p video streaming until you pay for the $55 unlimited plan, whereas Total offers more advantages even at $30 per month. You might be drawn in by the included HBO Max and 150GB of cloud storage in Cricket’s $60 level ($55 with auto-pay). It becomes more challenging with Metro. The $30 5GB package is basic, but for only $40 you can receive unlimited bandwidth and a year of ViX+ streaming in Spanish. Metro charges a minimum of $50 per month for hotspot data (and only 5GB at that), but you also receive a 100GB Google One subscription with that sum. For an additional $60, you can also get Amazon Prime.
As a result, Total isn’t always a sure thing. It does, however, make Verizon much more appealing to the no-contract set than it was previously. If you want Disney+ and don’t plan to transfer carriers very soon, it might also be appealing, especially in light of future price increases for standalone subscriptions.