TextNow Phones & Service
How does your service work?
Will my TextNow phone work like any other phone?
Does your service work without WiFi?
What do I need to do to get started once I get the phone?
Can I buy more than one phone for my account?
What exactly do you mean by "refurbished": will my phone look used?
Can I take my TextNow phone to a different carrier, if I decide to?
How do I upgrade my phone with you?
Is there warranty and insurance coverage for your phones?
How does the warranty work?
What is your return policy
What is your refund policy?
How do I pay my monthly bill?
What are the acceptable monthly payment options?
My credit score is not the greatest - can you work with me?
Can TextNow receive collect calls?
Bringing My Own Sprint Device
Can I bring my phone to you?
Do you have SIM cards?
Are there differences between using my phone and one of yours?
How does your service work?
At first glance TextNow might look like any other wireless service. But what sets us apart is our technology makes our phone service extremely affordable and able to do more than other traditional phone services!
We are the FIRST to offer FREE Nationwide Talk & Text for FREE in the U.S.
All of our Data Add-On options include the following:
- Unlimited texting, calling, and data*
- No contracts, credit checks, or hidden fees
- Visual voicemail and call forwarding
- Call waiting
- Ability to use your TextNow phone number on devices other than your phone such as your computer, iPod Touch, and tablet
*each plan includes a different amount of data at 4G/3G (faster) speed. Data at 2G (slower) speed is unlimited.
Will my TextNow phone work like any other phone?
Absolutely! TextNow phones are full-featured smartphones, and are able to run any app in the Google Play Store that is compatible with the version of Android installed on your phone. All factory-standard apps integrate seamlessly with TextNow's service, and all phones come working out of the box - no additional software installation is necessary to get the phone working!
Does your service work without WiFi?
Yes! If you have Ad Free+ or a Data Add-On your phone will work without WiFi. When there is no WiFi available, our phones and SIM cards will use the Nationwide Sprint® Network*. Use this map to confirm there is 3G/4G/LTE/Voice coverage in your area.
What do I need to do to get started once I receive my phone?
All phones arrive activated. Once you receive the phone, simply put the battery in (unless battery is built in) and turn it on. Afterwards, just sign into your TextNow account using the same username and password you used to purchase the phone.
Can I buy more than one phone for my account?
Each account is meant to have one TextNow device. If you would like to purchase more phones for family/household members or your business, please use an unique TextNow username & account for each line/device. You are welcome to use the same payment card on all of your accounts with us.
What exactly do you mean by "refurbished"? Will my phone look used?
Your phone will arrive looking shiny and new! We invest a lot of time not only into the quality checks (hence our ability to offer 12 month warranties), but also into the phone's appearances. You can expect for your phone to look the same as if you had purchased it brand new directly from the manufacturer.
Can I take my TextNow phone to a different carrier, if I decide to?
TextNow devices cannot be used with another carrier. The software on the devices are made specifically for TextNow Wireless service.
Also please note: If the device's firmware has been modified or tampered with, it will void the 1-year warranty on the device.
How do I upgrade my phone with you?
To upgrade your device, please go to textnow.com/wireless and select the phone of your choice while signed in with your existing TextNow account. All of your account information, including phone number, will stay the same. Once you receive the new phone, remember to sign in with the same username. Doing so will automatically switch the subscription from the original phone to the new one.
Your old phone can still serve a purpose! Give it (or sell it) to someone else. It can be activated with a new subscription.
Is there warranty and insurance coverage for your phones?
New and refurbished devices come with a 1-year warranty and used devices come with a 60-day warranty on software and hardware. Physical abuse, cracked screen, water damage, custom software modification (i.e. flashing or rooting), and lost or stolen devices are not covered under warranty. In addition, your warranty is voided if your subscription with us become inactive at any time within the one year.
We do not offer insurance or extended warranties on TextNow phones at this time.
How does the warranty work?
Once our Support department has determined the problem with your phone cannot be solved by troubleshooting, we will email you a printable, pre-paid mailing label to use with UPS to send back your device. The email will also contain instructions for packaging your device. After packaging your device, take your packaged phone to a UPS store to have them scan the label; once our system knows the label is scanned, your replacement device will be shipped out.
You can also choose to put a refundable deposit down on a replacement phone first, which we would then ship out to you along with a prepaid label to use to send your old device back.
The label we send will be good for forty-five (45) days after issuance.
What is your return policy?
All devices qualify for a return for refund within the first 30 days of purchase. Please note: Devices with any physical or water damage will not be accepted.
What is your refund policy?
Should you choose to return your device to us within the first 30 days, we will refund the cost of the phone to you (free return shipping). If the device is in it's original perfect condition, and you have the original packaging and accessories, the cost of the device, including shipping and service fees, will be refunded to you upon successful return.
Outside of the initial 30 days, if you cancel your subscription, refunds will only be eligible with 0MB of data usage during a billing cycle. Refunds are a one-time exception, and will not be applied toward multiple billing cycles.
Upon cancelling, a refund will be processed automatically if it meets the above criteria.
How do I pay for my subscription?
Once you subscribe to a monthly plan with us, we will use the same payment card to automatically renew your service on a monthly basis. If you'd like to update the payment card used on your account, please go to your TextNow app, tap the main menu button (3 horizontal lines in the top left corner) and select My Account. Alternatively, you can sign into textnow.com and click the My Account tab to modify payment/billing information.
What are the acceptable monthly payment options?
We accept all major debit, credit, and prepaid cards:
- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- JCB
- Discover
- Diners Club
For those who prefer to use cash, you can purchase a prepaid card or gift card with a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express logo (from a local grocery store/gas station/big box store) and use it to pay for your initial purchase as well as the monthly subscription.
My credit score is not the greatest - can you work with me?
Absolutely! If you do not have access to a credit card (bad credit or under 18), you can sign up using a prepaid card or debit card as long as it has one of the following logos on it.
- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- JCB
- Discover
- Diners Club
Can TextNow receive collect calls, or calls from a correctional facility?
No, I'm afraid the TextNow system cannot accept collect calls, as we have no way to bill you for individual calls. All calls to and from your TextNow phone from the US and Canada are free.
Correctional facilities will often have a list of phone carriers and services that will work with their phone systems. TextNow is generally not compatible with these; contact the correctional facility's head office for more information.
Can I bring my own phone to you?
You can! We can activate some Sprint, Boost and Virgin Mobile devices directly, and we also sell Activation Kits to use with your compatible CDMA phone! Click here to get started activating your devices.
We do! If you have a CDMA device that we can't activate directly with TextNow, you can purchase an Activation Kit from us to use with your device. To find the card compatible with your device, click Buy Now on our SIM card page.
Are there differences between using my own Sprint phone and one of yours?
The main difference is the audio quality. A TextNow phone is programmed to utilize both the data on the Nationwide Sprint® Network* and the cellular voice on the Nationwide Sprint® Network* for calling. The Sprint phone will not have access to the cellular voice on the Nationwide Sprint® Network* . As a result, the call quality outside of WiFi will be impacted. If call quality is important to you, we strongly recommend purchasing an affordably priced device from us.
*Although TextNow provides its subscribers access to the Nationwide Sprint® Network and to its wireless services, TextNow is responsible to its subscribers for the service. Please call TextNow with any questions or comments about services. Sprint is a registered trademark of Sprint.*
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