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TextNow: New and Existing Customers: 1GB/Month Free Essential Data (Limited Apps)

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$5 Sim Kit Req'd for New Members
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TextNow is offering 1GB/Month Free Essential Data Plan (Limited Apps) for Free to new and current subscribers. New subscribers may order a Sim Kit for $4.99 (click the Get Sim button on the home page).

Thanks to community member ROB.E.REIN for finding this deal.

Plan Details:
  • With Free Essential Data, you can use most email, calendar, maps, notes, and rideshare apps without needing to be connected to Wi-Fi (see eligible apps on the details page)
  • TextNow app required
  • Make sure you're logged into an account with an active TextNow SIM card. If you have an active SIM in an area with cellular coverage available, you'll automatically have access to 1GB of Free Essential Data each month.
  • 350MB of data per month at regular speeds, then you'll have access to data at slightly slower speeds up to 1GB.
  • This is in additional to the free texting/calls from via the TextNow app

Additional Details:

Original Post

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Edited May 11, 2024 at 05:39 AM by
TextNow's New "Free Essential Data" plan provides unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of data monthly for essential apps like email, maps, and rideshare. This plan is free except for a one-time $4.99 fee for the SIM card, and is supported by occasional ads. The first 350MB is at regular speeds, followed by slower speeds up to 1GB. Users can buy data passes starting at $0.99 for 300MB.

Phone IMEI check: www.textnow.com/device-checker

Coverage Map: https://www.textnow.com/check-coverage

Sign Up: www.textnow.com/signup

More info: https://help.textnow.com/hc/en-us...ntial-Data
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Created 05-11-2024 at 04:37 AM by ROB.E.REIN
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Community Wiki

Last Edited by MisterDude May 11, 2024 at 08:43 PM
If you already have a TextNow SIM card but find it no longer works you may need to update your APN settings inside your smartphone. One can use the TextNow support chatbot to get the new APN settings. These settings can also be found online in their support article: https://help.textnow.com/hc/en-us...er-network Once I input the new APN info data worked perfectly on older SIM and sure enough the app is showing my free essentials data because I used the app to activate the SIM several years back. Sweet deal!woot

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Featured Comments

As an experienced user of Textnow, those considering it should understand:

1) The usage requirement to keep your phone number alive and active seems to vary by area code, yet not specified to the user, although they do send out warning emails. It can vary from once every couple of weeks, to every couple of days. Once you lose your phone number, you can sign up for a new one.

2) Many, if not most of the SMS verification services will not work with Textnow numbers. I'm not going into all the details, but this is not a traditional carrier where your SIM card phone number is governed by the SIM card. In fact while there is a phone number associated to the SIM card, that number isn't usable to the customer. Instead Textnow assigns you another number, which is in effect a voice over IP number that it uses over your wifi connection, or when not present, Textnow's data connection.

3) They are notorious for suddenly cancelling your account if you have any use of a VPN on your phone. Apparently they view this as something non US users do to try to get a free Textnow account from overseas, and so cancel your account, without warning, upon detecting this.

4) The ads that are show on your phone, over time, are becoming more intrusive and more video orientated. Before, I hardly noticed the ads. Now they do bother me.

As such, I don't see this suitable for most people as their main cell number, but instead as something for a second, or backup phone, if you can accept the downsides to this service.
For those looking for onetime SMS verification, companies like SMSPool provide numbers you can rent for 24 hours or longer, that are guaranteed to work with the selected service. I needed one for a Claude Ai account initial setup and rented it for 36 cents.
So you're getting the SIM card AND 1GB of data every month, all for a 1 time $4.99 charge? Do the calls and texts use up the 1GB of data? How long will the 1GB/mo of data last for free?

I'm confused....when I go to sign up, I see nothing about an Free Essentials Plan with 1GB data/mo. Where is a link to that? In the app I downloaded, it goes straight to buying the SIM card. When do I pick the plan?

Where does it say anything about a free 1GB data/mo? Don't see that.

Edit: I found this page which explains the types of apps you can use the 1GB of data with. Apparently, it's NOT data that you can use for just anything you want to:

https://help.textnow.com/hc/en-us...ntial-Data

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Joined Nov 2013
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> bubble2 5,593 Posts
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ROB.E.REIN
05-20-2024 at 04:37 PM.
05-20-2024 at 04:37 PM.
Quote from fw10001 :
Has anyone been able to use TextNow with a TCL Flip or TCL Flip2 basic flip phone? I have one from the $19.99 ebay Tracfone deal, but have not been able to install any apps on its strange OS. Thanks.
You can install apps on a TCL flip phone through the KaiOS store, which you can find in the app menu as a small shopping bag or storefront icon. Some models may also support sideloading apps through webADB, but you'll need to be connected to Wi-Fi to install apps. The TextNow deal only lets you execute the apps, not install them from the free service, if your phone allows for the installation of those apps in the first place.✌️
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Last edited by ROB.E.REIN May 20, 2024 at 04:40 PM.
Joined May 2013
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> bubble2 283 Posts
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fw10001
05-20-2024 at 07:10 PM.
05-20-2024 at 07:10 PM.
Quote from ROB.E.REIN :
You can install apps on a TCL flip phone through the KaiOS store, which you can find in the app menu as a small shopping bag or storefront icon. Some models may also support sideloading apps through webADB, but you'll need to be connected to Wi-Fi to install apps. The TextNow deal only lets you execute the apps, not install them from the free service, if your phone allows for the installation of those apps in the first place.✌️
Thank you so much, Rob!
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ubthca11
05-21-2024 at 02:55 PM.
05-21-2024 at 02:55 PM.
Quote from fw10001 :
Thank you so much, Rob!
Love slickdeals! I have the exact same issue, $20 flip phone and can't figure it out. I don't see the Kaios store/app. Any chance you'd tell me how you did this? Thanks!
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