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TextNow: 11 Facts To Know Before You Sign Up

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TextNow plan features and starting price
Sponsored cell phone plans (scroll left and right):
Mint Mobile 15GB
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
20
/mo.
+tax
tax included
$15/mo for first 3 months
15GB
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then 128Kbps
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
No Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
No hotspot
4K Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Visible Base
1 Line
1 Line
Verizon
$
25
/mo.
+tax
tax included
Unlimited
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then None
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
5Mbps Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
5Mbps hotspot
480p SD Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Mint Mobile Unlimited
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
30
/mo.
+tax
tax included
$15/mo for first 3 months
40GB
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then 512Kbps
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
10GB Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
10GB hotspot
480p SD Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Visible+
1 Line
1 Line
Verizon
$
45
/mo.
+tax
tax included
Get $20 off with code VIP20
Unlimited
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then None
50GB priority
50GB priority
Included Hotspot
10Mbps Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
10Mbps hotspot
480p SD Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts

1. What is TextNow?

TextNow is a prepaid cell phone carrier known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO.

An MVNO is simply any cell phone carrier that does not operate its own cellular network.

Instead of building their own networks, MVNOs make agreements with the four big carriers to use their cellular networks for coverage.

In TextNow’s case, it uses the T-Mobile network for coverage.

If you are curious to learn more about how the agreements work between the big carriers and the small carriers, check out my article on how some cell phone plans can cost so much less than others.

2. What cell phone plans does TextNow offer?

TextNow offers the following cell phone plans to choose from:

TextNow 1GB (with ads): $9 for 1GB data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 1GB (with ads): $9 for no data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow Ad Free: $10 for No Data data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow Ad Free: $10 for no data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 2GB: $16 for 2GB data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 2GB: $16 for no data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 3GB: $20 for 3GB data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 3GB: $20 for no data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 5GB: $28 for 5GB data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts
TextNow 5GB: $28 for no data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts

You can see more details and features of TextNow's plans below:

Lines
Plan Duration
Discounts
Reset
TextNow 1GB (with ads)
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
9
/mo.
+tax
tax included
1GB
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then Unknown
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
No Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
No hotspot
Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Int'l texting to 100+ countries
Pay-per-minute int'l calls
1GB in CAN & MEX
-
TextNow Ad Free
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
10
/mo.
+tax
tax included
No Data
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then None
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
No Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
No hotspot
Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Int'l texting to 100+ countries
Pay-per-minute int'l calls
Talk/Text in CAN & MEX
-
TextNow 2GB
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
16
/mo.
+tax
tax included
2GB
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then Unknown
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
No Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
No hotspot
Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Int'l texting to 100+ countries
Pay-per-minute int'l calls
2GB in CAN & MEX
-
TextNow 3GB
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
20
/mo.
+tax
tax included
3GB
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then Unknown
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
No Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
No hotspot
Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Int'l texting to 100+ countries
Pay-per-minute int'l calls
3GB in CAN & MEX
-
TextNow 5GB
1 Line
1 Line
T-Mobile
$
28
/mo.
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then data stops
high-speed
high-speed, then Unknown
Deprioritized
Deprioritized
Included Hotspot
No Hotspot
Add-on Hotspot
No hotspot
Streaming
Unlimited Minutes
Unlimited Texts
Int'l texting to 100+ countries
Pay-per-minute int'l calls
5GB in CAN & MEX
-

3. What deals, discounts, or referral programs does TextNow have?

No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.

4. Does TextNow offer family plans?

TextNow offers the following family plans to choose from:

TextNow does not offer family plans at this time. Each line you have will need its own separate account.

5. Does TextNow have plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices?

No. TextNow does not offer any plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices at this time.

6. How good is TextNow's coverage?

TextNow rides on the T-Mobile network for coverage, so reception in most places is pretty good.

See the full coverage details below:

Verizon coverage information

  • Total coverage: 67.4%
  • Total square miles covered: 2,246,127
  • Total population covered: 327 million people (98.0)%
  • 5G coverage: 14.5%
  • 5G square miles covered: 484,321
  • Population covered by 5G: 230 million people (69.0%)

The above data come from the FCC and from Verizon directly.

Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.

You can also check coverage using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.

Verizon coverage map
Verizon's coverage map reported by CoverageMap.com

CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.

Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to participate in the project.

AT&T coverage information

  • Total coverage: 78.1%
  • Total square miles covered: 2,602,364
  • Total population covered: 330 million people (99.0%)
  • 5G coverage: 43.3%
  • 5G square miles covered: 1,444,381
  • Population covered by 5G: 300 million people (90.0%)

The above information comes from the FCC and from AT&T direclty.

You can check AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.

You can also check coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.

AT&T coverage map
Crowd-sourced AT&T coverage map from CoverageMap.com

CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of the cellular networks.

Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.

T-Mobile coverage information

  • Network: T-Mobile
  • Total coverage: 46.6%
  • Total square miles covered: 1,551,924
  • Total population covered: 330 million people (99.0%)
  • 5G coverage: 36.0%
  • 5G square miles covered: 1,200,851
  • Population covered by 5G: 326 million people (97.8%)

The above information comes from the FCC and from T-Mobile directly.

Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.

You can also check T-Mobile coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.

T-Mobile coverage map
Crowd-sourced T-Mobile coverage map from CoverageMap.com

CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.

You can download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.

7. What features does TextNow support?

8. What phones work on TextNow?

Most phones that are unlocked will work on
TextNow
.
An unlocked phone means it isn't tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.
Consider contacting your current carrier to see if your phone is unlocked, or what the steps are to request to have it unlocked.
You can also consider purchasing an unlocked phone below that is compatible with
TextNow
:

9. Does TextNow support international calling or data roaming?

10. What plan add-ons does TextNow offer?

No plan add-ons have been entered into our database for TextNow at this time.

11. How do you contact TextNow customer service?

TextNow

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