What is Total Wireless? We break down the best plans, pricing, and more

The prepaid phone market has changed considerably over the last few years here in the United States. Not only are mthere ore MNVOs than ever before, but many major carriers have also invested in their prepaid sub-brands. One such brand is Total Wireless, which is owned by Verizon Wireless. In this guide, we learn more about Total Wireless plans, pricing, phone selection, and more.

Total Wireless is a prepaid phone carrier that began as a TracFone sub-brand until Verizon purchased it a few years ago. Big Red rebranded it to Total by Verizon in 2022, but just two years later it reversed course and returned to the original Total Wireless branding.

Total Wireless used to offer two plans with limited data and two with unlimited, but these days it’s simplified its offerings down to just three.

• The Base 5G Unlimited plan is a fairly decent choice for those with basic needs. The Unlimited plan gives you a single line for $40, but gets as cheap as $23 per line for those with five lines. You even get a few cool perks such as free calling to 85+ destinations and free texting to 200+ destinations.
• The Total 5G Unlimited plan is best for families. The standard plan starts at $50 a line but can drop as cheap as $25 per line for five. While the plan isn’t massively different from the base plan you get free roaming in 15+ countries, 15GB hotspot access, and a six-month trial to Disney plus. If you’re only getting a single line, base 5G Unlimited is $10 less and probably a better fit. For those with multiple lines will find that the pricing becomes pretty similar after four lines or more. At that point you’re only paying a few dollars more per line for slightly better experience.
• The Unlimited Plus plan is an excellent plan for those who want Disney Plus. Total’s top plan starts at $60 per line but goes as low $27 per line for 5 lines. Unlike the other two plans you get unlimited hotspot access and a free Disney Plus (no ads) subscription.

Total Wireless coverage

As you’ve likely sorted out, Total runs on Verizon’s network exclusively. At one point, it also had GSM access through T-Mobile and AT&T, but this ended not too long after TracFone’s purchase.

So is Total Wireless coverage identical to Verizon’s coverage? For the most part, yes. Both run on Verizon’s network, but you’ll miss out on any roaming agreements with Total that help fill in any holes in Verizon’s coverage when traveling domestically.

Check out Total’s coverage map for a better look at what you’re signing up for.

It used to be impossible to find a decent selection of phones when shopping for prepaid service, but times have changed. There are many prepaid carriers with phone catalogs that are almost as extensive as the big carriers and Total is one of them with over 50 phones to choose from! Of course, many of these are cheaper or older devices, but there are also many of the latest flagships from Samsung, Apple, and Google too.

Total isn’t without competition. Below we’ll take a look at just a few competitors that might be worth considering as an alternative.

• Visible: Probably the best Total alternative, Visible offers unlimited data starting at just $25 a month and runs on Verizon’s network. There’s also a more premium tier called Visible Plus Pro for $45, which offers the same network priority and experience as you’d get with Verizon.
• US Mobile: Another Verizon-based carrier, US Mobile has a variety of limited data plans that aren’t a bad alternative to Total’s limited plans. But really, it’s the unlimited plans that shine here. The $35 base plan isn’t nearly as exciting, but the Unlimited Premium option is $45 per line and works similarly to Visible Plus. Those with multiple lines can also choose one streaming perk if they have at least three lines, and four lines get you the choice of two. The perks offered are: Disney Plus, Netflix, Spotify Family, or PlayStation Plus.
• Mint Mobile: Mint runs on T-Mobile’s network but offers pretty aggressive pricing on its unlimited plans. You can get 12 months of service for $360 (paid at once), or what works out to the equivalent of $30 a month. That’s about $20 less a month than Total’s base unlimited package, though Total becomes a better deal for those with multiple lines.
• Google Fi Wireless: Google’s MNVO is one of the best around, especially for travelers. There are plans that start at $20 a month for unlimited talk and text, with $10 per gig for all data used, with prices falling to just $15.80 a line for those with six lines. Unlimited plans start at $50 per month for one line and drop as low as $20 per line. There’s even a Plus option with some of the world’s best international traveling rates.

Should you switch to Total Wireless?

The answer to this will depend on what you’re looking for. For most users, we’d say that there are better plans out there. That’s even true if you absolutely need a carrier that runs on Verizon’s network.

Still, the Unlimited Plus plan is actually pretty solid and is easily the plan we recommend the most out of their line-up. You get basically the same experience as the excellent Visible Plus, but you pay less for it if you have friends or family to share an account with.