I activated a used droid x2 today via computer and everything went smoothly was done in less then 5 minutes chose to go with a new number at this time due to previous problems reported when activating i plan tranfering my number with tracfone as soon as I see how everything works out, I had previously tried a refurbished droid x2 but it would not allow me to, but I can say I did recive excellent customer service when I called concering the refurbished droid they were very helpful
July 9, 2014 at 9:18 PM
Anonymous said...
PART 2 : Update porting my old tracfone # to the new phone was anything but smooth after 4 phone calls to customer service they could not complete it once the porting took place the droid x2 lost its 3g which stopped me from completing the needed steps ,customer service then told me there was nothing more they could do and I should contact Motorola,I was at wits end .I was originally told to dial *22890 when service was transfered everytime I called it would not work as I now had no 3 g service ,so instead of calling Motorola I googled the problem .where I found I could dial *228 select option 1 and that would reprogram the phone ,this worked for me after it was reprogramed I pulled the battery out for a minute then I restarted the phone and everything was working and all minutes and service end date was correct.I believe this could have been a smoother transition had their customer service known about this option. Just thought I would share what I learned through this transition
July 12, 2014 at 2:43 PM
Anonymous said...
I had similar activation problems and solved it differently. Except for activation, porting my tracfone # from my Centura to Droid X2 went smoothly.
The activation instructions given by Tracfone seem to be generic and do not work for the Droid X2. After waiting a business day and then dialing *22890, the tracfone automated system kept telling me that my phone couldn't be activated. After reading forums and trying different things, I finally solved the problem by pressing the homescreen "Activation" button, waiting for the Verizon autosystem, dialing *22890, waiting while my phone was programmed, hanging up, waiting 15 min, the repeating the process. After the 2nd programming my phone was all set.
Can anyone tell me if they know whether a vintage Nokia CDMA phone can be put on BYOP?
I have a box full of Nokia 3585i handsets. Some are branded US Cellular, some are Sprint, and some are Alltel. I tried to activate one of them. It was originally an Alltel phone, but Alltel was bought out by Verizon. Went on the BYOP web page, bought a network access code, also bought a minutes card, and did the process.
When the system asked me to enter the handset serial or MEID number, I entered the ESN number because there is no identifiable MEID number (on label under the battery) for these Alltel 3585i phones. The BYOP system took that, listed the phone in my online Tracfone account, and told me to dial *22890 for OTA programming. Tried that and got the message "we are unable to program your phone. Please try again later". Tried again next day, then tried again with Tracfone tech support coaching me on a landline. No dice. I continued to receive the "we are unable to program your phone" message.
Sadly, I asked Tracfone to delist the phone and refund me the charges for network access code and a minutes card. They claim to have done so, but I'm waiting to see a monthly statement.
Meanwhile, I saw a relevant post here, -excerpted below:
*** I was originally told to dial *22890 when service was transfered everytime I called it would not work as I now had no 3 g service ,so instead of calling Motorola I googled the problem, where I found I could dial *228 select option 1 and that would reprogram the phone. This worked for me after it was reprogramed I pulled the battery out for a minute then I restarted the phone and everything was working and all minutes and service end date was correct." ***
Does *22890 require 3G service? I think my Alltel-branded Nokia 3585i is a 1X or 1G phone. Does anyone know of a successful registration for one of these handsets using that trick (dialing *228 instead of *22890)? I might try again, but need some assurance.
July 28, 2014 at 9:53 PM
Anonymous said...
My husband & I have been a Tracfone customer for a long time but have to use GSM (AT&T) service because of where we live. I have called, emailed, & commented on surveys numerous times to "please" include this service with the smartphones. I would love to have a smartphone but for some reason they only offer that service with CDMA/Verizon service. Does anyone have information on when they might offer this to their customers. If Straight Talk, & Net 10 can use it why not Tracfone?? I have a good bit of minutes built up & don't want to lose them. Makes one wonder what kind of deal they have with Verizon??
July 29, 2014 at 1:35 AM
Anonymous said...
The minutes you have is tracfone minutes not at&t's so I do not see why it would not transfer to your smartphone.
July 30, 2014 at 4:24 PM
Anonymous said...
The 22890 uses 1x. THERE isnt voice over 3G yet. All.calling and texting uses 1X.service
Thanks. It appears Tracfone would have to provide me by email the appropriate data so that I could manually program the handset, -not something they are likely to do.
Has anyone received that kind of info from Tracfone for the purpose of manually programming a handset, or is there a web site hack that can produce the data for a user?
You see, I was only provided with the phone number Tracfone thought was assigned to my handset after I processed a cancellation order.
August 1, 2014 at 9:24 PM
Anonymous said...
I bought iphone 4s used from amazon - e-mailed seller & they verified meid would work in my zip code. only 2 sellers would do this. Tried to do the online registration & port. The registration worked but when I tried to port my number from net10 it told me I needed a tracfone card pin. I didn't have a card so I called tracfone's number provided for paying by credit card. I talked to 2 different people. The 1st one hung up on me. The 2nd woman was very helpful but couldn't get it to work. She ended up telling me to go to the store & buy a tracfone card & call back. She gave me a direct # & pin. I called back & after the person couldn't get it to work she went to her supervisor & they said it worked. My old phone stopped working about an hour later but I couldn't get the new one to work with the * numbers they gave me. I had to wait until the next morning when they re-opened to speak to someone. They told me to try 2 different #s & when that didn't work they had me reset the settings on the phone, turn it off & back on. It then worked. So far it's working fine & iphone is great. It was worth the few hours it took to get it working on tracfone.
August 15, 2014 at 5:24 PM
Anonymous said...
I activated my iPhone 4s (Verizon) and transferred my old Tracfone phone # in about an hour. It went very smooth. Anybody know the name of the app to download and check minutes? All I could find was the StraightTalk app.
August 15, 2014 at 7:16 PM
Anonymous said...
does any one know if you use an unactivated (not previously used on any network provider) smart phone for the BYOP program?
August 16, 2014 at 1:29 PM
Anonymous said...
Try entering the MEID # on the BYOP page and see if it takes it.
That worked great, thanks so much! Now I can check the minutes on my phone.
August 18, 2014 at 11:48 AM
Anonymous said...
I called Tracfone and tried to add my iPhone to our existing Family Value Plan as a secondary phone but they will not allow it. I had to sign up for a separate Value Plan. Does anyone know how to add minutes from a card to the iPhone since there is no app?
August 20, 2014 at 10:40 AM
Anonymous said...
You would have to go online, make an account (unless you already have one), click add airtime and then you can add the minutes from there. I do wish that Tracfone would create an app for iPhone since they are allowing them on their service now, it would make it a lot easier and faster.
August 20, 2014 at 6:15 PM
Anonymous said...
Isn't that a HTC One in the Tranfone advertisement for bring you own phone, and isn't the HTC One a 4G phone. Or did they make a 3G only version that I don't know about.
If it is a 4G HTC One and they don't support 4G phones than wouldn't that be false advertising?
August 23, 2014 at 7:48 PM
Anonymous said...
I bought a used Iphone from the Verizon store after checking the IMEI on the byop tracfone website. I have not been able to activate the phone despite 5 hours on the phone with customer service. Today, I tried to add a phone to my tracfone account and I got and got the message that the serial number is under another account (the number was in no way similar to the one on the phone). I went back to the Verizon store and they told me the phone was inactivated less than a month ago. Is there a period of time that the phone has to be off the Verizon network? Any suggestions? My Valet ZTE is constantly giving me problems and I want to switch. Help!!
August 30, 2014 at 6:43 PM
Anonymous said...
From what I have read, the Galaxy S Fascinate is compatible with the service. But I am quite curious about activating the phone. It confuses me, what are the steps to activating the phone? Should I keep it shut off until activation is complete etc.?
August 31, 2014 at 3:45 PM
Anonymous said...
If I buy a brand new Samsung Galaxy s Fascinate but it has no contract, and CDMA will it work?
August 31, 2014 at 3:52 PM
Anonymous said...
will a HTC DNA work? its CDMA but the site wont let me check if i can plz help
September 1, 2014 at 9:51 AM
Anonymous said...
Just called tracfone--they said the Galaxy Ace Style has been released but would not work in my zip code. We have Verizon coverage here. What is the story ?
M
September 1, 2014 at 4:23 PM
Anonymous said...
Tracfone just told me they have released the Galaxy Ace Style but it would not work in my zip code. We have Verizon here so what is the story?
September 1, 2014 at 4:26 PM
Anonymous said...
I went to Tracfone BYOP website Sat. Aug, 23, 2014 to activate & transfer my old tracfone #,text & data. to a iPhone 4s. (bought off ebay). After about 3 min. I was told to call their 800 number. I called the number and received a live person in about 1 min. About 15 min. later it was all done. Unbelievable !! After another 20 min. to allow the transfer to go thru, I was talking on the iPhone. Checked my min., text & data online to see if they were correct. All transferred correctly. I have had tracfones for many years and never had a transfer done so quick. Maybe Tracfone is getting better.
September 1, 2014 at 6:27 PM
Anonymous said...
I am up and running on my refurbished Verizon unlocked htc incredible 2 that I bought on ebay. The whole process was great but now I don't have as good of service as I did with my regular tracfone android (Less bars) Figures, I might have to switch back. I just wish tracfone would sell better phones themselves, maybe one day they will
I was wondering if my LG Optimus Exceed 2 would work on Trafones BYOP program. Please reply :)
September 3, 2014 at 3:26 PM
Anonymous said...
I just tried to activate a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which supports both LTE and CDMA. The tracfone website just fails (don't say no, gives a generic error) but the customer support rep told me the phone was not in their system and there was not supported.
September 4, 2014 at 1:11 PM
Anonymous said...
If I use an I Phone will it act just like it does now or be slower? What about map quest will it work?
September 4, 2014 at 1:25 PM
Anonymous said...
How long after I cancel my Verizon account wil I be able to join Trac fine?
September 4, 2014 at 1:26 PM
Anonymous said...
amazon is selling blu studio 5.5s quad band that can be used at tracfone. is this true? anybody tried it yet?
September 5, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Anonymous said...
Less bars on a different phone doesn't necessarily mean you don't have as good service. It just reads the signal differently. I've seen two identical phones on the same network at the same location show as much as two bars different signal strength.
September 9, 2014 at 8:38 AM
Anonymous said...
Update: I finally got my iphone activated and it works great-however, when I transferred my minutes and account, the numbers are all wrong. I really don't have more that 1.5 million texts! On the "my account" page on the website, the numbers are correct, but the message that comes to the phone is incorrect. I tried emailing tech support, but they told me to call CS. I just can't face that again. Which will my account follow?
September 10, 2014 at 9:23 AM
Anonymous said...
I have two Samsung Convoy U640s that are CDMA ready and 3G. Would I be able to transfer them to Tracphone? I like these since they are rugged and we have had them for several years.
I use Verizon and get two bars and that works fine can I expect the same signal strength if I use the same phones at Tracphone?
Or would it be better in the long run to buy a flip phone at Tracphone since some of them have double or triple lifetime minutes?
I have thought about a smartphone to use for occasional navigation or in case of a break down to find a tow truck etc but when I read the reviews it says they are not allowed to roam and not sure if a smart phone wouldn't be reliable since it is not able to roam and find a signal.
The details for the phones are not very detailed. I want a phone that has better sound/clarity quality since I have hearing loss on the higher sounds and want to be able to adjust the sound.
I have talked with support people a few months ago but not that impressed with the knowledge these folks have of the products. I have been hesitant to deal with Tracphones problems and their support too after reading so many reviews but lately I don't think Verizon is any better : /
September 10, 2014 at 10:40 AM
Anonymous said...
Anybody know if it is possible to port a phone number from a straight talk service to a tracfone service?
September 10, 2014 at 12:13 PM
Anonymous said...
I'm getting the following message when trying to check an IMEI of a Verizon iPhone 4S -- "We are unable to process your transaction at this time." when I enter the number on the TF verification site.
I'm trying to verify an out of contract phone and I selected the "I want to upgrade my active Bring Your Own CDMA Phone to another Bring Your Own CDMA Phone" option and put in the MEID of my current ZTE Valet phone.
Anyone else had trouble verifying IMEI of iPhones on the
September 12, 2014 at 4:48 PM
wmd61 said...
entered m eid # of my used x2 they (tracfone) asked me for activation code money so i assume this x2 will work i hope so, just ordered it from amazon (havent got it yet) when i get it i will pay the 10 bucks and it should(?) work
September 12, 2014 at 9:48 PM
Anonymous said...
Will my 2 year old Net10 LG Optimus work as a BYOP, and has anyone figured out if the Triple your minutes applies to your BYOP or must you buy a new phone from Tracfone,
Byop today i activated a HTC Incredible 2 I bought used on ebay on the tracfone BYOP program with one little glitch. I went to activate a clean esn phone out of contract and the tracfone message told me the meid was acceptable and to purchase the $9.99 activation fee to continue which i did. Then it told me my new HTC would only work as a phone because the data was blocked? I stopped mid registration. I called verizon to find out if the old owner had a previous bill which they did not. After a series of Q and A it was determined that I had to remove the sim card. I removed the sim card and went back to the tracfone site and continued and this time it registered the phone as a cdma 3 g acceptable phone and data no problems I transferred my 5000+ minutes 5000+ text and a lot of data and my old phone number ported easy peasy.It took 15 minutes total. I am up and running. I transferred from a Samsung Galaxy. So if you get an HTC incredible 2 and have problems with BYOP tracfone program try removing your sim card that comes with the phone. Everything working great and I put the tracfone widget on the home screen to check minutes downloaded from google play.
BYOP Tracfone Bought used HTc tracfone on ebay. Entered Meid paid $9.99 activation. Told only phone portion would work in message and data was blocked. I stopped mid registration called verizon. After a series of Q and A it was determined that the old user did not have an unpaid bill and that I needed to remove the sim card that came with the phone. I removed sim card and restarted registration and it recognized that I was in the process. This time it worked and the message said phone and CDMA 3g. So if you have problems transfering this phone, try removing the sim card. I ported my old phone number from my Samsung Galaxy and 5000+ minutes, text and data from my old phone and was up and running in 15 minutes. Easy peasy
September 15, 2014 at 8:40 PM
Anonymous said...
Triple your minute Works with all android phones as long as you can activate it
September 17, 2014 at 11:12 AM
Anonymous said...
Will a Verizon iPhone 4s 64 gb work? The only ones listed are the 16 gb and the 32 gb.
September 17, 2014 at 5:57 PM
Anonymous said...
OK, I think I want the impossible.
I have a relative who wants an Iphone but doesn't want to pay a regular carrier, and with her usage she would be perfect for Tracfone. The Iphone4 is just fine for her.
She currently has an old phone on Sprint, and would like to keep the number. She does not have a Iphone now.
I'm wondering if I can a) buy off of Amazon or Ebay a used Iphone4s that was used on Verizon, b) clean it of all the old Apple stuff to re-register it with Apple store c) activate this on Tracfone using her old phone number, and d) do this all by remote from another state from where the phone ultimately will be used.
Crazy?
September 17, 2014 at 6:52 PM
Anonymous said...
Are there any Windows Phone that can be used with the BYOP program?
Apparently you can turn off 4G and just use 4G CDMA: http://support.sprint.com/support/tutorial/Turn_4G_on_or_off_HTC_Onereg/47845-665
September 20, 2014 at 5:19 AM
Anonymous said...
Not impossible. The Tracfone link http://www.tracfone.com/includes/content/questions/General.jsp?enId=FA10060&esId=FA10061 has most of the instructions. You would have to find a good iPhone, check the EMEI, pay for the activation, have a minute card and the required info in hand then call Tracfone. Use HER zip code, not yours. I did not do anything with Apple stores. Good Luck Jim/Wiz1 Good Luck.
September 20, 2014 at 12:32 PM
Anonymous said...
Hi! So what if I bought a Apple iPhone 4S 16GB - Black (Verizon) Clean/Good ESN would it work on tracfone's BYOP? Thank you
September 22, 2014 at 1:18 PM
Anonymous said...
My Samsung Galaxy i535 I just ordered for Tracfone is verizon cdma and says it is 3g and 4g. Because it has 3g will it work?
September 23, 2014 at 3:22 AM
Anonymous said...
I have the HTC Trophy which runs Windows Phone 7.5 and it activated and works with no problems.
September 23, 2014 at 9:27 PM
Anonymous said...
AnonymousSeptember 3, 2014 at 8:23 AM Warning! Samsung Galaxy S3, sch-i535 - doesn't work!
ReplyDelete
September 24, 2014 at 5:49 PM
Anonymous said...
in your browser type mobile.tracfone.com/view/page/p/103249/tracfone-homepage on iPhone save as favorite, on Windows7.5 IE save as favorite and pin to start and you will have a direct link to check balance, add/buy airtime, add to your plan. Jim/Wiz1
I believe it needs to be a used phone, but yes it should work. However, not all phones that meet the requirements work with Tracfone BYOP, and sometimes phones that didn't get accepted at first, were accepted after additional tries.
October 2, 2014 at 4:05 AM
Anonymous said...
Hi! So I just wanted to say I went to eBay and searched for iPhone 4s tracfone and I was in luck there was a iPhone 4s already on tracfone with 16gb! I bought it for 130.00 dollars and it was prefect I did have to buy the Network Carrier $10 when i called tracfone but that went very well :) I didn't have any problem with getting it started only had to call once. I will leave a link to some iPhone 4 already with tracfone (dont forget you have to pay $10 dollars for the Network Carrier, that means you do have to call) very simple. I was lucky to find the iPhone 4s when i did right now i only see iPhone 4 for you guys.
LINKS TO EBAY IPHONE 4 (TRACFONES) ( lowest prices I could find) #BuyItNows ~ ($ 124.99) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPhone-4-Straight-Talk-Net-10-Tracfone-Verizon-Prepaid-Page-Plus-/171483880780?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item27ed3c5d4c
(IF YOU REALLY WANT AN IPHONE 4s) ~( $224.99) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPhone-4s-Straight-Talk-Net-10-Tracfone-Verizon-Prepaid-Page-Plus-Extra-/171484183610?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item27ed40fc3a
October 3, 2014 at 2:28 PM
Anonymous said...
Will iphone 6/6 plus work?
October 6, 2014 at 4:28 PM
Anonymous said...
No, it's not 3g .
October 6, 2014 at 9:45 PM
Anonymous said...
I have heard of iphone 5c to work because its with 3g capability :)
October 8, 2014 at 2:02 PM
Anonymous said...
so all statements are not true to all extent i bought a new droid x2 "mb870"? no contract phone witch according to this post wont work anyway my steps to make it work step one set up with tracfone this alone wont work it will get activated to your account but the phone will not go through the activation to get that to work i had to call the (verision prepaid activation number "*number" when i did this i receaved my telle (to let you know at this point i was completely pssed with tracfone and was just going to go to vrw) when i got my numbet i thought at first it was a vrw # so i went to the vrw site and entered the number but it said it wasn't a vrw number so i called back the tracfone support they said this is a tracfone number my best guess is that when i called the vrw act number it sent the unlock code well after a few min with tracfone the phone works. sory for bad English not my native laungage
October 12, 2014 at 11:22 AM
Anonymous said...
Unlocked post paid verizon Moto G worked no problem. I am guessing this phone was flashed by ebay seller. It was advertised as being good for "PagePlus" also
October 18, 2014 at 10:19 AM
Anonymous said...
Does it work with the iPhone 5?
October 22, 2014 at 7:49 PM
Anonymous said...
Would be interested in having a response to this question as well. It worked for my Iphone 4 but I could not update to ios 8 with iphone 4, so I am looking for a version 5 now.
October 23, 2014 at 1:50 PM
Anonymous said...
Would this MOTO G work with Tracfone? http://www.ebay.com/itm/221586913398?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
October 26, 2014 at 4:37 PM
Anonymous said...
Anyone know if BYOP on Tracfone will work wiht an older Jitterbug (5 years old) that was on a Verizon network? Jitterbug is not a Smartphone with no text or data plan that was connected to it. Just deactivated last month after 5 years with Jitterbug.
Does anyone know when we will be able to use the Blu Win HD on Tracfone? also, does anyone know when it will be sold on Tracfone? I would prefer using a window phone.
October 31, 2014 at 4:05 AM
Anonymous said...
I was talking to tracfone customer service about the zipcode that's required when you sign up to look at activation. I started talking about using the data portion while away from that zipcode and was told that the data option could only be used in the zipcode the phone is activated in. I travel to other city's, and states and if this is the case the tracfone would be useless to me. Can anyone shed some light on this. It is a 3g use versus Wi-Fi??
November 2, 2014 at 1:15 AM
Anonymous said...
I have been trying to get a Moto G that works on Tracfone where I have a lot of time stored up and I found something out, that there are Page Plus phone that are usable, like Moto G Verizon and Page Plus that I probably Can use with Page Plus. I will loose my mins. and time but I will have a phone I want. I was told by Customer service that the phone numbers are transferable. I will keep you posted. I going to try Tracfone again but if that fails, then HELLO Page Plus.
November 2, 2014 at 3:38 PM
Anonymous said...
I tried the BYOP on Tracphone for my 3 year old? IPhone 16 GB. It only lists an IMEI number and no MEIM number. Tracphone responded that they could do the check to see but it never said specifically that the phone was not transferable. Do you know off hand if this older IPhone will even work with Tracphone at all? Want to give it to my son to use.
November 3, 2014 at 11:07 AM
Anonymous said...
Update on:November 2, 2014 at 3:38 PM My Moto G came today and I am on Tracfone, no problems and did it on-line too. This is a fantastic phone clear picture loud sound and it is like greased lightning. $9.99 for BYOP transfer and if you have an account just pick transfer you number to new phone. Look for Moto G refurbished and Verizon and Page Plus, clean ESN and right now going for less than $70.00 on Amazon. What a buy! Now it is learn how to operate this baby!
November 4, 2014 at 3:16 AM
Anonymous said...
The numbers on the Text are not correct. Check your balance on website.
November 4, 2014 at 4:10 PM
Peppa_pot said...
Thanks for the info. I'm tempted to give it a try, but can a flashed phone benefit from the Lollipop update? I would guess not so I might wait for the Moto E and then decide.
On a side note, we don't even know if the Moto E is actually going to get the Lollipop update. It's confirmed on other carriers but tracfone is a whole different story.
November 5, 2014 at 1:25 PM
Anonymous said...
I wanted be better phone, like Moto G. I read some comments that some people bought "Motorola Moto G Smartphone - 8GB - For Verizon and Page Plus" from Amazon, they could transfer their number by BYOP program. They mentioned they bought refurbished for $70 (but now it is $90) from Mango Wireless. However, I wanted try the ones that claims new phone. I sent emails to all the sellers, asking MEID to check it with my carrier (Tracfone BYOP website). Only one of them sent me MEID, and I checked it, and it was accepted in the website. I ordered the phone for $103 as new (which is not in original sealed box for sure) and send an email to seller to send me exactly the same MEID number. I got the phone, which is not in original box, but it looks like a new phone. I transferred my number, minutes and days to new phone, however I had to have a airtime code to do the transfer because I was transferring from a smartphone (Samsung Centura) to BYOP, CS said. Any way, my number was transferred but the new card I added during transfer didn't add up. However, problem solve with a few calls to CS. My phone is KitKat 4.4.2 and now the phone downloaded KitKat 4.4.4 over wifi and ask me to update it. I am afraid the phone is a flashed boost mobile, and updating it may break the flash and phone may not work on Tracfone any more. I contacted the seller, and got answer the He GUESSES it would be ok, but double check with pageplus. Does anyone have been in this situation?
What did you do for a new sim card, did it come with one?
November 21, 2014 at 3:14 PM
Anonymous said...
Yes indeed, the BYOP program is the best thing to come along to Tracfone. Now for the question for the year??? Check out this web page for yourself. http://www.saveontracfone.com/Phones/ Am I the only person to wonder how a Tracfone reseller can offer a 4G phone (Samsung S3, 4,or 5 4G LTE or a iPhone 5 4G LTE) over the same Tracfone network interface? Then Tracfone doesn’t invite the same phones into their BYOP program. The first thing I noticed is that Quality One Wireless does not mention anything about which carrier is used. Hummm, no mention that all phone must have come from a Verizon provider. Is this a royal web page screw up or does this mean that Tracfone has expanded their smart phone network affiliation and not told anyone? Or is Tracfone throttling back the LTE access and not saying anything? I sure would like to hear more information from anyone in the know.
Just switched my iphone 4s 16gb over to the BYOP at tracfone. Here are a few tips to save yourself some headaches and save a few bucks (actually...quite a few)!
Use this link to purchase a network activation card. The actual tracfone site offers to ship a card to you for use. The site above will email you a code within an hour after purchase. Its $7 and worth it in the time you will save.
Next: My call to Verizon requesting an unlock went surprisingly well. Literally... just request your phone to be unlocked from the call rep. Most likely they will try and sell you on another plan...but stay strong and don't take the bait lol.
The port and conversion process took about an hour....it was pretty painless.
Next steps....very important!...Choosing a phone plan!
Tracfone is currently running a promotion that doubles your airtime minutes you purchase. I purchased two of the 1 year plans at $199....I also purchased a $20 double your minutes on future purchases card (also listed on the page)
That's a total of $420.....this is where it gets interesting. At this point..I'm sitting at 3000 minutes and two years of continuous service. BYOP members get triple the points though, correct? So I was actually credited 9000 minutes and even more text messages (somewhere in the millions) lol.
9000 minutes for $420 is a deal unmatched anywhere! To put this in perspective I used the data from my old Verizon account: On average I use 300 minutes a month talking on the phone. Over 1yr that is 3600 and 7200 over a 2yr period. My bill was $130/mo or roughly $1500 yearly. I literally purchased 3 years of minutes with tracfone ($400) for roughly 3 months worth of Verizon contractual service($390). Lol...so insane! The tracfone staff my not be the easiest crew to work with...but the headache has a huge payoff!
Thank you for reading....hope this helps someone out there!
November 27, 2014 at 9:03 PM
Anonymous said...
They changed the "Bring your own phone" sign up page. Has anyone found a way to check if they phone's serial number that they want to use is accepted or rejected by tracfone? Thanks, .
December 4, 2014 at 7:41 AM
Anonymous said...
Yes they did. They also lowered the price to get activation code. But until they fix the site, you can use http://www.saveontracfone.com/Bring-your-own-phone/ to check you MEID or ESN. then, if it is good, use the tracfone site, buy your code, and set up your phone. Jim/Wiz1
December 4, 2014 at 9:55 PM
Anonymous said...
Thanks for the reply and instruction, will do.
December 5, 2014 at 4:40 AM
Anonymous said...
Successfully registered a pre-owned Verizon iPhone 4s online last night. I entered the MEID and paid $10+tax during registration to get an activation code. Note that the MEID number should be entered as the serial number for Tracfone, not the serial # in the phone, otherwise you will get an error. I had to enter the MEID more than once during registration and activation. It gave me the option to get a new phone number for my area, transfer an existing number from another Tracfone, or transfer a number from another carrier. You'll need to enter an airtime card to complete the activation. I purchased a 1000-min card from Tracfone's website for $160 and everything was tripled to 3000 minutes, 3000 texts, and 3000 MB data. That's still an unannounced deal that works with Android smartphones and apparently iPhones too. Great deal, everything done online, very happy.
December 5, 2014 at 8:17 AM
Anonymous said...
Any one being told can not get on? have Tracfone with Verizon service now. the iPhone I have is good with Tracfone on web site and by phone but told not available in my zip
December 8, 2014 at 4:51 PM
Anonymous said...
I'm planning on getting used htc droid incredible from verizon but i'm not sure how the byop works. i have over 2500 mins on my current tracfone and i'm afraid that i'd loose it. can someon please tell me the steps/process on how to transfer from tracfone to htc. thanks!
December 8, 2014 at 7:47 PM
Anonymous said...
has anyone registered sprints CDMA devices yet? i just chatted with tech support and they didn't say ANYTHING about how it only has to be verizons phones and that it needs to not have LTE... i've been looking at the sharp aquos crystal, and its a CDMA phone so according to the restrictions on the website, its fair game...
December 12, 2014 at 3:57 PM
Anonymous said...
Is it true you can get a Galaxy s3-s5 through tracfone byop? I saw it on a website. The link is: http://www.saveontracfone.com/Samsung-Galaxy-S5-4G-LTE.html Or: http://www.saveontracfone.com/Phones/
I have gotten a Galaxy S on the Tracfone network. I bought it on eBay. It was previously a Verizon phone. I needed to buy a $9.99 network certificate from Tracfone. The Tracfone folks told me I needed to go to a store and buy one. They were oblivious to the fact that it could be done online.
After that, I put the Galaxy S on Tracfone.
However. Verizon problems ensued. Verizon hobbles this phone with their firmware. I couldn't install any sort of streaming audio like TuneInRadio. I couldn't go to a website and stream any audio. Ironically, I could run Netflix which is many times the bandwidth.
Verizon had a policy a while ago where they would have phone manufacturers install "special" firmware that disabled features that were standard in phones. I still have a Verizon flip phone where they disabled USB charging, USB up/download of photos and the likes for profit. The standard Motorola phone had the function but again, VZW disabled it for profit.
The Galaxy S has similar firmware in that you can't even go to a website and stream their audio.
I tried re-flashing the Operating System to Cyanogen Mod (7, 9 and 10). NONE of them would allow Google Play to run. I could install it successfully but it wouldn't show up in Apps. I've done this successfully with tablets so I know how to do it but a "previous Verizon phone" won't allow a CM OS to co-exist with Google Play.
So here I am again. Only crappy choices of "smart phones" with Tracfone.
I don't understand why Tracfone won't allow premium phones to be bought for a price, only bottom of the line phones.
Perhaps that's their business model. If they had good phones, more people would use them. Or... perhaps because they're "in bed" with Verizon with their CDMA towers, Verizon doesn't want the competition.
I HAVE A IPHONE 4S WILL IT WORK IN THE 44039 ZIP CODE AREA?
December 16, 2014 at 6:17 AM
Anonymous said...
Yes, you get 3x minutes 3x text and 3x data with BYOP Tracfone.
December 16, 2014 at 1:54 PM
Anonymous said...
Activated two refurbished Moto G phones from: ebay seller cellularstream. They were like new - Very Nice Phones Paid $50 each and then $10 each to activate less than $6 for nice DURA-FROST Fosmon cases from Amazon - Buy 1500 minutes online trippled to 450 minutes - Best deal going for Tracfone!
Happy Holidays
December 17, 2014 at 9:08 AM
Anonymous said...
http://tracfonewireless.com/byop/ is working properly again on 17 Dec 14. Go to that link, enter your ESN (MEID) and your 44039 zip. If both are good it will tell you and ask if it is active. Your NORTH RIDGEVILLE, OH area is covered for service according to Tracfone. Good Luck Jim/Wiz1
I went perusing through PhoneArena's list of Verizon phones and filtered it to "budget" android phones. Almost all of the phones are 4G but there was one I found that may not be. It's the LG G Vista. According to one comment on Verizon's website it is a 3G phone. It has a 5.7" screen with a quad-core processor.
Never mind. I just watched a video review which says the G Vista is 4G LTE and it even says so on the back of the phone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCEfTauE5eg
I'm trying really hard to find a way to get a better phone than Tracfone's current offering. Has anyone tried using a 4G phone but turning 4G off? http://teckfront.com/force-3g4g-android-4-4-kitkat-device-commands/
December 18, 2014 at 2:11 PM
Anonymous said...
Edit: 1500 minutes tripled to 4500 minutes plus 4500 texts and 4.5 GB data from Tracfone website
I never took my SIM card out of my 4s. Everything works fine.
December 20, 2014 at 9:52 PM
Anonymous said...
WILL A NET 10 SIM CARD WORK ON A TRACFONE BYOP?
December 21, 2014 at 9:07 AM
Anonymous said...
Sadly no, because Net10 uses the GSM network, while tracfone uses cdma technology which is imbedded on the phone itself. Largely depends on the phone and what you are trying to activate.
December 23, 2014 at 2:54 PM
Anonymous said...
Is this link true? http://www.phonerated.com/new-tracfone-phones-and-plans
Moto X and Samsung galaxy J are listed here as new 2015 phones.
December 23, 2014 at 3:04 PM
Anonymous said...
Samsung Galaxy J DoCoMo is a great phone, but at $350-$400 ? We're talking Tracfone where $35-$40 is more the real world norm.
December 28, 2014 at 8:30 AM
Anonymous said...
Do you guys think that Project Ara (Google's modular phones) will work with tracfone? I read somewhere that you would be able to choose between 3G and 4G chips, so to me it looks like it is possible.
December 29, 2014 at 2:29 PM
Anonymous said...
I tried to activate a used/refurbished iPhone 4S; the experience was frustrating, time-consuming, and unsuccessful. I started with TracFone's web site. Upon entering the phone's serial number, I received the go-ahead and entered the number of my current TracFone (LG Android). The next step would have been to port the number, but I received a warning that there was no "data service" in my area. I found that odd; the LG Android phone transfers data via Verizon. So, I stopped and sought tech advice from TracFone. The tech advisor was helpful, but the process was almost endless because of time needed for him to download some info. In the end, he told me to ignore the on-line info because it pertained non-smart phones (not sure about that). He then offered to complete the process on the phone. However, when he did it, he said that TracFone would not accept the iPhone's serial number. So the process stopped. I decided to try again on-line, but when I entered the iPhone's number I was informed that it was already registered. Yes, I'd registered it, but apparently it was not possible to go back and start anew with that number. I'm sending the phone back to Amazon, but might try again. The phone was too nice not have it.
December 31, 2014 at 5:16 PM
Anonymous said...
Original Message Follows: ------------------------
Mark: I have a HTC Droid Incredible 2 That your online tool says is compatible with Tracfone, but I don't want to switch unless I can get triple time, text & Data like you're offering on website to people who upgrade to an Android phone! Mariam: Hi Mark. Mariam: Thank you for visiting TracFone Wireless. Mark: Good morning Mariam: Good morning. Yes, with our Bring Your Own Phone Program you will be able to get Triple Minutes benefits. Every time that you add an airtime card to your phone you receive Triple Minutes, Text Messages and Data. Mark: That is a definate Guaratee Mariam: Yes. Mark: guarantee Mark: Kool, thanks so much for your help Mariam: You are welcome. Mariam: Thank you for chatting with TracFone Wireless. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact one of our customer care representatives at 1-800-867-7183. For your convenience, our representatives are available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 AM to 11:45 PM EST. Mark: can this chat go to my email Mariam: Yes, I will send you the transcript to your e-mail. Mark: thanks so much, Happy New year Mariam: You are welcome.
Second time was the charm. The process was quick and seamless. My TracFone number ported to the iPhone 4S in less than an hour. Process of syncing email accounts, calendars, contacts, etc. all accomplished in short order. I learned that voice mail is accessed via *86 not "1" as with the LG. Cheers.
January 7, 2015 at 6:33 PM
Anonymous said...
Regarding network activation: The activation card BYOP is $10.50, not $9.99 aa stated above.
January 14, 2015 at 5:51 PM
Anonymous said...
I recently activated an iphone 4 through the bring your own phone program and transferred my number and units from an older double minute tracfone. No additional airtime was purchased. After the transfer, all the units transferred to my new phone, only now they were labeled voice, text and data. Will the direct transfer of my number cause the byop iphone 4 to use double minutes instead of triple minutes?
January 15, 2015 at 6:46 AM
Anonymous said...
Just added my 80-year-old mom's Jitterbug (MEID) phone from her previous Tracfone Big Easy Alcatel phone and it transferred easily --- all done online in 30 minutes or less! Since Jitterbug is simple it doesn't have a text or email feature but I set her up a Tracfone account prior to the transfer and verified the minutes balance and they carried over accurately plus it gave the account an additional 30 days!
January 18, 2015 at 11:08 PM
Anonymous said...
New Tracfone cell phones. Alcatelonetouch.us shows Tracfone to have one 4 g LTE, one LTE, and 4g cell phones. The cellphone store opens on January 28, 2015. Question, how soon does Tracfone offer 4g service? Then we should be able to bring other 4 g cell phones.
January 27, 2015 at 7:48 AM
Anonymous said...
Looks like there will be a new phone for tracfone by LG. It's call LG Access. This phone will have a 4.5 inch screen, Android 4.4, 1.4 Dual Core.
The link you can view is: http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-L31L-access-lte
January 27, 2015 at 9:38 AM
Anonymous said...
I have an Alcatel one touch, it works great but it is the 3g tracfone version. They, Alcatel might make a 4g version, but it's not the tracfone Verizon version
January 28, 2015 at 2:22 AM
Anonymous said...
Interesting ! The carrier is listed as Tracfone, but the technology is listed as GSM, LTE. Tracfone might be up to something new.
January 28, 2015 at 2:25 AM
Your Mama said...
This service should be called Ruin Your Own Phone. I had a perfectly good Verizon iPhone 4s with a clean ESN that I tried to transfer to TracFone. Have been a long time and loyal Tracfone customer. Called to activate the iPhone and transfer my existing pre-paid TracFone plan with over a year of service left on it and the end result was that TracFone registered the ESN with Net10 (one of their sister companies) and tell me that it can not be undone. So my previously perfectly good and sellable iPhone 4S is now a worthless piece of shit. Thank's TracFone. This appears to be nothing more than a bait and switch marketing plan, making TracFone customers loose the balance of their prepaid TracFone service and 'upgrading' them to a crappy $35/mo Net10 service plan.
Will an ipad2 with 3G and CDMA work under the Tracfone BYOP program?
February 9, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Anonymous said...
I just switched over from an LG420 (flip) to a 64gb iphone 4s. This phone was a used Verizon that had no service when I received it. The hardest part was locating the 'code' on my old phone to plug into the website. I did everything online and it took about an hour after I got offline for the service to drop on my old phone and be picked up on my new phone. pretty seamless. I got the phone off ebay and though a lot of people absolutely refuse to send the IMEI or MEID number to the phone that they are selling, there are more than plenty who will, so don't get upset, just move on to the next one. At one point, I was watching 12+ iphones that would work on the tracfone network. Oh, and UNLOCKED is no guarantee that it will work on the tracfone network. Just verify the number before you buy, and you're good. Most people would think that a 3.5 inch screen is pretty small, but coming from a screen that was only 1.75, this is more than enough for me.
February 13, 2015 at 6:29 PM
TracfoneiPhoneUser said...
I am currently using an iPhone on the BYOP plan, but am looking for an android option as well. I'm looking at the Samsung Galaxy S5, and read a review on Amazon that said it is NOT a 4G device. Has anyone tested to see if it can be activated on Tracfone?
February 20, 2015 at 2:51 PM
Anonymous said...
I was able to activate a Moto G 1st Gen on Tracfone.Works great!
February 23, 2015 at 1:21 PM
Anonymous said...
I was able to upgrade my old LG 800G phone to HTC Incredible 2 on Tracfone using their BYOP web page with no problems. I got the phone unlocked with a clean MEID on Ebay. I was able to keep my same phone number by just transferring my existing account to the new phone upgrade. The only problem with the transfer was that I lost a ton of minutes (over 1400 min) down to 178 min. during the process. I am currently trying to contact Tracfone Customer support on this matter.
February 23, 2015 at 3:22 PM
Anonymous said...
"Tracfone" as a carrier also means Straight Talk and Net10. They are always ahead of native Tracfone on changes and new models. This phone is already available there and a Verizon 4G LTE network variant the L30L is coming soon.
It'd be great if Tracfone would get them soon though!
March 2, 2015 at 9:22 AM
Anonymous said...
Activated a Motorola Moto G 1st gen to Tracfone BYOP. Simple and quick!
March 7, 2015 at 5:18 PM
Anonymous said...
Yes, because it is 4G too! Unless you decide to go only the 3G route and never activating it.
March 8, 2015 at 7:07 PM
Anonymous said...
I just purchased a Moto G which was used barely over 6 months. I had no problem activating it transfering my Tracfone number to it. It works great with tracfone now.
March 9, 2015 at 12:41 AM
Anonymous said...
Bought a new iPhone 4s from BestBuy. Called Tracfone to set it up, Tracfone customer service, sorry, but useless and told me to call Verizon because they couldn't "find" my phone. Called Verizon, and they actually ended up going on the Tracfone website and walked me through. If it was worth it for me switch I would've. But you just have to type in your EISN number, go through the tutorial, and pay the $9.99. Try to go through the website, and not call customer service, and you can set it up fine, as long as it's a Verizon or unlocked phone.
Thank you for your interest in TracFone Wireless. We are responding to your recent inquiry.
You can bring a 4G LTE phone but you will not get the 4G LTE network since we only offer 3G.
For further information please go to www.tracfonebyop.com.
If you have any further questions or concerns, you may contact us via Chat or contact one of our customer care representatives at 1-800-867-7183. For your convenience, our representatives are available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 AM to 11:45 PM EST.
Thank you for being a TracFone Wireless customer. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
TracFone Wireless
I also had it confirmed in a chat, after they first told me no, but then checked for updates.
Can anyone actually confirm it with a 4G LTE phone?
FLASH!!! I was just on the TF site. They changed the BYOP page. It now shows 4 colored boxes. Box one says "at&t compatible or unlocked" (blue) Box two says "T mobile comp. phone" (purple) Box three says "Sprint comp. phone" (yellow) Box four says "other carrier/don't know" (red) Looks like TF now accepts phones by other carriers other than Verizon!!!!!!!!!! I'm worried. No mention of Verizon.
April 1, 2015 at 1:05 AM
Anonymous said...
I activated a used Moto G (Verizon non-contract) phone to the TracFone service. My account and phone number transferred over with the use of customer service (15 minutes) and TracFone added 2 months of service time (no additional time though).
April 4, 2015 at 5:59 PM
Anonymous said...
How did you get the MEID number before you bought the phone? Who was the seller?
April 4, 2015 at 10:22 PM
Anonymous said...
Yes. I activated one for my wife. Just check the MEID first.
April 5, 2015 at 8:02 PM
Anonymous said...
It looks like Tracfone is going 4G LTE, I just saw this in a popup-tracking Ad. http://www.saveontracfone.com/Phones/ Anyone know what's going on with Tracfone?
April 14, 2015 at 6:44 PM
Anonymous said...
This forum needs an update as some 4G LTE phones qualify for BYOP.
April 14, 2015 at 10:39 PM
Anonymous said...
Tracfone now has 4G LTE available, has anybody tried it? Which phone did you use? http://tracfonewireless.com/byop/
April 15, 2015 at 3:08 PM
Anonymous said...
I just purchased an iPhone 6 unlocked. Finally found the Sim card for 4G LTE at www.saveonTracFone.com. Should arrive a couple of days I will up date this site after I get it installed . I did find someone on YouTube that successfully installed TracFone on a iPhone 6+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MPm933snRU
Can someone explain the difference between "must be a Verizon phone" and an unlocked 3G or 4G phone that may work on BYOP? Can an unlocked, former Verizon phone be activated without getting locked back ?? I have a Droid3 3G phone which works fine except I would like to still be on tracfone but have it unlocked to use when I travel outside the US. I found out last year in England that it is still locked so was of no use except on wi-fi.
Any recommendations for reputable sellers on Amazon for a Galaxy S4 of S5 for BYOP?
April 26, 2015 at 5:54 PM
Anonymous said...
Filing got my iPhone6 up and running on TracFone. One problem is there is no app for iPhone to check your time and data usage. So I downloaded a android tablet on my PC: Called Andy.and installed the TracFone app. Which works fine. it Pings my iphone and give me up-to-date minute and data left. Unknowingly I purchased a Sim card from TracFone with a new number to make sure the phone was going work before transferred my existing TracFone number to the iPhone6. During the whole process with TracFone Tech support did not mention that the transfer my existing phone number that they had to send me another Sim card!!
TracFone Teck support is pretty bad !!! hard to under stand. One other problem I ran into was they suggested that I using WY-Fi for data to turn off the cellular connection. I was trying my voice mail and wasn't getting a response on the iphone for messages. Come to find out that cell phone data has to be on to receive Voice mail messages. I hope this information helps.
My gsm900v is great but tracfone apparently doesn't know how to activate it on the Verizon network where I live. I got a sim from them but they tell me there is an error transferring my service from my old Huawei glory to the new s5. First they thought there was no coverage but found out verizon had the best coverage and there were towers in my area. Now the fourth 24 to 48 hours later phone call I didn't even get a ticket number for my problem. Maybe I can find out how to contact the ceo with my issue and tell him to hire people whose FIRST language is ENGLISH so that they understand me an I them. Something needs to give here. Is there a better CS number to call for the higher departments as tracfone says they are referring my issue to? Any help is greatly appreciated.
May 4, 2015 at 8:18 PM
Anonymous said...
Where did you purchase it from? I am thinking about purchasing an iPhone plus unlocked from apple would that be compatable?
May 4, 2015 at 8:38 PM
Anonymous said...
Hello, I checked compatability for my LG 2, no luck. I would appreciate any ideas from those you had success with LG 2. Tracfone would only say the software was not compatable
I've had nothing but trouble trying to get a sim card purchases through tracfone for my Moto Razr M 4G LTE. Their website will let you submit an incomplete form by accident and to top it all off none of their phone or chat support seem to know anything about this process still. I'd maybe go somewhere else, but then customer support in this country is below techsupport when it comes to their corporate budgets...sigh
May 10, 2015 at 7:39 PM
Anonymous said...
I bought a manufacturer refurbished Droid Mini on Ebay and got it working perfectly with Tracfone
I got a Moto X to work. It was a hassle, and took a whole week from the time I received a SIM card from Tracfone. They sent me the wrong size SIM card, so I had to cut it down. Getting past Tracfone's customer support staff to a technician was a chore, but that's what I needed to do to get the SIM card activated. Then I had an SMS problem, but they fixed that after a couple days. If you are not patient, Tracfone's BYOP program may not be for you. In the end, Tracfone came through and fixed everything for me. Everyone was very polite and tried to be as helpful as they could be. I have a working phone now.
I bought a verizon iphone 5 off ebay. The meid number is ok and so was my zip code. I got an activation kit from tracfone. I put in the new sim card and got an error. I called several reps and they got errors. If I try to make a call it says not activated with verizon. Do I need to unlock from verizon? If so, how do I do that? I am willing to pay reliable party to get it done.
June 9, 2015 at 3:47 PM
Anonymous said...
Will Verizon LG Lancet work on Tracfone BYOP?
June 11, 2015 at 12:48 AM
Anonymous said...
I bought a new unlocked Verizon Galaxy S4 and connected it to Tracfone. No problems getting it hooked up. I now get 4G. Only problem thus far is determining balance of minutes/data. Tracfone"s My Account application does not work. When I check my balance online the numbers displayed are different than the amount texted to me. IMHO the quality of the phone overrides this inconvenience.
June 12, 2015 at 9:45 AM
Anonymous said...
I purchased a new Moto G phone and was told by a Tracfone Customer Representative that it will never work on Tracfone. I asked if I used it on a Verizon Program for 6 months then could I use it on Tracfone. They emphatically said No! This goes against everything I have read on their websites.
June 24, 2015 at 5:20 PM
Anonymous said...
How did you do that??? I just talked to a tracfone representative and they told me I could never use my new Moto G on tracfone even if I had it on a Verizon program for six months.
I just activated a samsung galaxy S3 and it works great, the only problem is the my account app doesn't work. I got my sim on ebay for $3.99 just type in tracfone 4g.
June 26, 2015 at 4:22 PM
Anonymous said...
Any GSM Smartphones that will work with the BYOP service?
I do not see any for sale other than old LG 306 that is not even an Android phone.
I see on the site it says only CMDA phones, but when I talked to a rep they said I could bring an unlocked GSM phone. As you know reps do not always have things straight. I am looking to buy a smartphone to use instead of my Alcatel One Touch Pop that worked fine in Texas, but in northern Wisconsin not getting any service near home. Wife has a basic GSM phone on Tracfone that works fine in home area.
July 5, 2015 at 9:08 AM
Anonymous said...
Is anyone using a Verizon Iphone5 on TracFone? Cust Svc tells me that I cannot get Triple min for this non-android byo phone. Not only that, the $20 double minutes card will not work either. Is this true?
It wasn't on the list, so I wanted to post that I recently activated a Verizon Galaxy S3 as a 4G LTE phone. It's working great, and my number and balance carried over fine (though my balance was rounded down to 300 each of texts, minutes, and MBs of data from about 360; maybe because I was coming from a flip phone without data?). I got the phone for $100 on ebay, and it's pretty great.
July 20, 2015 at 4:44 PM
dr bug said...
New Windows Phone Activated on BYOP
I just wanted to share a happy outcome. After wondering about using a Windows Phone on BYOP, I invested in a "Bring Your Own Smartphone Sim Kit" for 4G LTE phones through the online store for $6.99 which was delivered to my New York address via Fed Ex with free shipping
I had researched registering a new Go Phone (GSM on AT&T) or an unlocked new phone Windows Phone (Microsoft Lumia 935) via chat with two Tracfone representatives and both confirmed that this will work. My long term experience (good and bad) with Tracfone representatives left me a little dubious.
I called a couple of stores selling Go Phones to inquire and got answers that suggested this would not work, but I thought about it and realized I could return the phone within 14 days if things did not go well so I decided to give it a try
I ended up at a Walmart store in the Middletown, NY area where I found and purchased Microsoft Lumia 640 Go Phone (GSM), a newer and a larger model for $79.86.
I used the web site to transfer my service and number. Within a few minutes, the SIM card showed up in my Tracfone account as a transfer in progress and my old phone was already showing up as inactive.
About two hours later, the phone was active and I was able to make calls and connect via WiFi. My phone number and minutes were successfully transferred as well. When I signed into may Tracfone account, because it is not a "Tracfone", the entry shows as a registered SIM card (with image) with the nickname I selected.
To summarize, you can buy a brand new cellphone and use it with an existing or new account on the Tracfone network. It does not need to be unlocked and may not need to have been activated (my phone was brand new (unopened) and was not previously registered with AT&T). Based on my experience, the list of compatible phones is now much larger that suggested.
As for the phone itself, in this case, this AT&T Go Phone with Tracfone's SIM card boots up with the AT&T logo and had AT&T apps pre-installed for used on this Windows which is uses Windows Phone 8.1 OS and will be upgradable to Windows 10 Phone. If you never looked at a Windows Phone, you may be pleasantly surprised compared to Android or even IOS. Note that there is no Windows Phone app for Tracfone, but I was able to check on my account by going to the web site and logging into my Tracfone account on the phone via WiFi (saved as a favorite).
I had looked for others writing about upgrades to the BYOP program that began at about the end of June, 2015 to support 4G LTE phones and found nothing. I'm hoping this post will encourage others to consider phones other than those offered by Tracfone to find one that you really want whether it's an Android, Apple or Windows phone.
dr bug
July 25, 2015 at 6:08 AM
Anonymous said...
Will this phone work on Tracfone service ?Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-S968C 16GB - Carrier Tracfone..
Successfully setup my droid DNA with tracfone! Was just 94 dollars on eBay! Refurbished excellent condition.
August 5, 2015 at 2:40 PM
Anonymous said...
Can't get from a May 4, 2014 @ 8:18 PM entry to the next page that you supposedly push "Load More" and it changes to "Loading..." and never goes anywhere! It has been like this for at least 5 or 6 days now . . . PLEASE HELP Someone!
Connected an unlocked AT&T iPhone 3GS, successfully transferring the account from a Tracfone Umax Patrioit. Everything working connected to a tower called "HOME" everywhere here in NE Ohio. Only thing not working is MMS Pictures...but I can live with that, I will just send them via WIFI. Process took ~6 hours once I requested it via the Tracfone BYOP WWW page, tech support was useless to make it happen.
August 22, 2015 at 6:02 PM
Anonymous said...
I have a current tracfone. Want an Iphone 6. Will minutes still triple on an Iphone 6? Will existing minutes and phone number move over to the Iphone 6? Thank you.
August 24, 2015 at 4:51 PM
Anonymous said...
I have an iPhone 5 on the tracfone BYOP that has been recalled due to the defective sleep/wake button, has anyone had any luck with converting back to their old phone or knows whether it is possible!
August 31, 2015 at 2:14 PM
Anonymous said...
The iPhone 5 works great, you still get the triple minutes, you just aren't able to view them on your phone, your have to access your balance on the website!
August 31, 2015 at 2:20 PM
Anonymous said...
I have a iPhone 5s unlocked, will it work with the byop, and will i get triple minutes?
September 2, 2015 at 2:52 PM
Anonymous said...
does tracfone work with a Samsung galaxy edge s6 unlocked.
September 8, 2015 at 1:15 AM
Anonymous said...
Has anyone tried to activate an Amazon FIRE phone, AT&T GSM on tracfone ? Did it work ?
As far as I know, a few GSM phones that work on AT&T networks (as opposed to Verizon's) they just came out for Tracfone. But, you cannot buy them on the tracfone site - yet. One I considered is: LG L31 Access LTE, (L31L) Am not sure if it only runs on GSM 4G or if it also runs on 3G? But, it doesn't have much memory, etc. so I am here considering getting a better phone and attempting to BYOP. So far I've collected... Tracfone Bring your own 4G LTE GSM Phone List:
Good luck! ( haven't made my decision on this yet so far. Want a phone that will work both on 3G AND 4G...)
September 18, 2015 at 2:59 PM
Anonymous said...
I'm writing this comment on a Nokia Lumia Icon over Verizon LTE with Tracfone BYOP. There's no real distinction at Tracfone between Windows phone and Android, so you can just go through the regular Android procedure to activate one. Don't expect help from tech support if you break something, but it all just works if you go through the procedure correctly.
The first sim card I got didn't work for some reason (I think it might actually have been hardware damage), but I called Tracfone and they sent me a free identical replacement. The replacement worked out of the box - I activated the sim online, popped it I the phone, and 30 seconds later I had 4g LTE service through Tracfone.
You don't get the Tracfone app with Windows Phone, but the Tracfone app never worked very well for me anyway. I just pinned the websites that let you check your balance and add airtime to my start screen, and it's been working fine so far. Data sense lets you manually enter a data limit, so I just type it in every three months when I add a card.
Data speeds have been as advertised, call quality has been acceptable, text messages have come through reliably and on time, and voicemail works just like you would expect it to. MMS can be a little dodgy at times, but it was dodgy when I had an android Tracfone as well, so it may just be a network issue on tracfone's end.
Overall, Tracfone BYOP works just fine with a windows phone. Be aware that tech support probably can't help you if you have a problem, but I've been using it for a few months now without any major issues.
does this phone work it says its only lte bands but i want to know http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K15KRV6/ref=psdc_2407749011_t1_B00K15Q2B0
September 28, 2015 at 3:16 PM
Anonymous said...
My Galaxy Note 3 (Verizon) works like a charm with Tracfone! I bought my own Tracfone activation kit from www.saveontracfone.com (which comes with a micro-sized SIM card) and just followed the steps in the manual for activation. The only problem I encountered was that I lost my minutes, texts, and data. However, I was prepared for this to happen and had already taken a picture of my account balance on my old phone. I contacted Tracfone's online customer service and sent them the picture along with my explanation. Not only did I get my minutes, texts, and data back, but they DOUBLED the amount! Plus, I was able to keep my old phone number. I'm also loving the Note 3. It may be a couple generations old, but it's a HUGE upgrade over the LG Ultimate 2 (1080p video playback, high screen resolution, 32GB space, 4G, and more). The only drawback is that you can no longer use the Tracfone app on a BYOP phone. You have to check your account balance on the website from now on. I encourage others to give the BYOP program a try! :D
September 29, 2015 at 5:14 PM
Anonymous said...
Has anyone with a Verizon Moto G (1st Generation) running on Tracfone been able to upgrade Android to KitKat or beyond? My phone always tells me my version is current. Will it upgrade over WiFi or do I have to used Tracfone's wireless connection?
This phone is on your list, its one I'm looking at
Tracfone BYOP 4G LTE GSM Phone List:
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 16 GB on Amazon
Now here's my question, (btw TF can't seem to answer it in a clear cut manner.)
On the TF site it says, "Compatible OR unlocked" I'm still trying to pin down what the hell "compatible OR unlocked" means to TF when it comes to a GSM At&T phone for their BYOP program Does it mean the same thing or not. I know about the SIM kits, but I need a verification from TF that ANY GSM At&T weather locked or unlocked phone can be registered and used on TF.
IF TF had compatible AND unlocked, that would be clear enough, so I assume even if the phone is "locked" to At&T, it's considered "compatible" and should work.
I see the Samsung s5 on this list , now my question is, was this for a GSM At&T "locked" phone, or did it have to also be "unlocked" to work with a kit?
I have seen Samsung S5 900A's listed as locked to At&T and also listed as unlocked, I need to know which TF will accept.
October 15, 2015 at 9:11 PM
Anonymous said...
I just set up using the BLU Studio C Super Camera phone (4G GSM). It only took 5 minutes to set it up. Awesome phone with a fantastic camera!
October 17, 2015 at 1:15 PM
Joyce said...
Well this just blew my hopes. Been looking at IRULU's great new v3 victory, 100% unlocked phone with a 6.5 screen and appears it's not gonna work with Tracfone. I've been very satisfied with their service for many years but trying to find a great phone I really like is impossible if I stay with them. Thanks guys, and ladies for helping clear up some of the mess.
November 2, 2015 at 10:01 PM
Anonymous said...
Someone have Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge? Whatever GSM or CDMA. I don't find this phone Unlocked CDMA.
I am confused, my phone is a nokia lumia 635 Windows phone, previously with tmobile, now unlocked. I have called Tracfone multiple times and have never gotten the same answer. I am told yes Tracfone will work and I have been told no. Also if it's eligible for double or triple minutes, and the same answers. What do you think?
I recently activated an LG V10 on Tracfone's BYOP 4G LTE CDMA service. I had to purchase through Verizon wireless. Paid retail price upfront and had to make a decision on a month to month phone plan. Once I received the phone, I activated it through Tracfone and canceled my service with Verizon. LOVE THIS PHONE!
November 9, 2015 at 9:01 PM
Anonymous said...
Tried calling TracFone (USELESS). I want to upgrade to the iPhone 5S but want to know if I can still just buy regular TracFone airtime cards, or will I have to sign up for Straightalk or other monthly service for $45.00 a month? Also, I will be buying this used unlocked iPhone 5S on eBay. TracFone said I need to know who the "previous service provider" was (Verizon, ATT, Net10, Sprint, etc) in order to find out if I can use it with TracFone. I don't know who the previous service provider is. I haven't bought the iPhone yet. I need to know this BEFORE I buy it (so I know which one to buy). For some reason, the TracFone agent said he can't tell me who the previous service provider must be until AFTER I buy the iPhone(???). Surely I don't have to "cross my fingers" and hope the used unlocked iPhone 5S I buy on eBay will work with TracFone lol! So FRUSTRATED!
November 12, 2015 at 4:38 PM
Anonymous said...
Recently transferred phone number and minutes from another android 3g phone to a used Verizon G3 cdma 4g lte. Transference was flawless and fast. Couldn't be happier with the process. Highly recommend.
Thanks to the advice from this website, I just upgraded from my ZTE tracfone to a Samsung Galaxy S5, and everything worked right away. Let me tell you what I bought and what I did.
1. I bought the Tracfone Galaxy S5 for Verizon used from Amazon.com.
2. I bought the Tracfone Verizon 4G LTE Activation Kit from saveontracfone.com. It came with GSM (AT&T) or CDMA (Verizon) and all sizes of sim cards. I punched out the Dual SIM CARD Micro for use with CDMA LTE Compatible devices.
3. I didn't put the sim card into my phone right away.
4. I Charged the battery on the Samsung and mostly set it up my new phone just using WiFi.
5. I was able to transfer over my apps and content, partly by moving my 32 Gig SDE memory card over from the ZTE to the Samsung.
6..I called Tracfone (1-800-706-3839) and told them I wanted to transfer my minutes and phone number from the ZTE to the new Samsung. Most of the numbers that I needed were in the activation kit. I found the IMEI number under the battery in the Samsung.
5. About 20 minutes after I hung up, my ZTE stopped being able to make or receive phone calls. That's when I installed the SIM card in the Samsung and tried making a phone call and everything worked.
I left a comment almost a month ago, but it hasn't appeared yet? I used the BYOP and added an LG V10, bought new through Verizon. Transfer of service was easy and I love my new phone!
November 25, 2015 at 9:44 PM
Anonymous said...
Hi, I've wanted to use an iPhone on tracfone and I would really like to use a 4G LTE phone. I've never owned an iPhone before and I've never used the BYOP plan before. I'd probably go with the iPhone 6 now that I can. But with a newer phone is the price still $7 a month on the tracfone plan? Or does it cost extra? Also would an iPhone 6 have to be unlocked to use it on the plan?
Just checked my IMEI for a new unlocked iRULU V3 on tracfone's BYOP site..they SAY it will work..I will update if I decide to use their service.
November 28, 2015 at 2:14 PM
Anonymous said...
If I BYOP, do I still buy the minutes on the tracfone site (or purchase a card) like I normally would? Also, do the BYOP's qualify for triple minutes/data/texts?
Non Android CDMA phones CAN be used with the BYOD program! I had two older Samsung Juke phones that Page Plus was no longer able to activate anymore. So, I thought as a last resort. I'll try Tracfone. I tried one at a time. And yes, I had to buy the activation card for around $10. So, they transferred my regular cdma Tracfone minutes and due date to the 2006? Samsung Juke. It took minutes. And the minutes I had were placed into the 3 different "buckets" that Tracfone does when one buys minutes for androids....Only drawback is (as was with Page Plus), is that only talk and text features will wor on a "regular" cdma phone. Even though they send an amount to your data bucket it is useless as you are unable to use Verizon's features, like music player etc. And Tracfone's CSR's think you are using an android or some other Smartphone. So if you ever decide you want to switch back to another phone...you have to get lucky and hope the CSR you speak with will understand you are not using an android phone. Tracfone, for some unknown reason, will NOT allow you to get your android minutes BACK if you want to go back to a regular phone. You have to beg. You have to try and convince them that you are unaware of this "policy" they have. Sometimes you just have to hang up on a CSR that is not "working with you" and call back. Then pray that this new CSR will actually permit you to have the minutes you are entitled to BACK!
November 29, 2015 at 7:54 AM
Anonymous said...
Any1 know if the new nexus lg 5x can work on tracfone its 299 not bad for a cell thats 16gb any tried making it work
December 1, 2015 at 5:32 AM
Anonymous said...
I purchased a Nexus6 64GB UNLOCKED phone to use with Tracfone BYOP. This phone works on both the Verizon CDMA and AT&T GSM services. The AT&t set up was easily done online, but I wanted to use Verizon CDMA towers, for some reason I kept getting an error when trying to set up for Verizon. I called TracFone Customer service and they had my phone service set up for Verizon CDMA in about 5 mnutes!
Just remember everyone, if you've never had smartphone or use one and decide to go back to a simple talk and text Tracfone for whatever reason Tracfone will not transfer any minutes back to a regular cdma "old skool" device. They can and will transfer your phone number, but that's it.No minutes. They say "that's their policy"!!!! On another positive note though they were able to transfer my minutes and number to an older model Samsung u-470 JUKE phone....I had to by a byod card for $10, but the transfer worked...please note you'll only get talk and text features, but Tracfone DOES make it a TMFL phone!!!.......for what it's worth .
Earlier today I purchased a Moto G 3rd generation unlocked cell phone at Best Buy. Using a Tracfone BYOP sim kit I was able to activate the phone using the Tracfone website and following instructions. The only problem that I encounted related to installing the micro SIM card upside down and getting " No Sim Card. Emergency calls only" message on the phone screen.
December 2, 2015 at 5:03 PM
Anonymous said...
Hi, I have successfully activated and used a Pantech Flex P8010 AT&T phone with Tracfone
Greetings everyone, does anyone know if a Nexus 5 D5820 32GB REFURBISHED phone will qualify for the Tracfone BYOP program? So, two separate questions really. Will a Nexus 5 D5820 work, second will a refurbished work. Thanks for your help. Love the site!
December 10, 2015 at 7:38 AM
Anonymous said...
are you allowed to use a old nokia flip phone on this service that is unlocked and att not blacklisted.
Considering giving my iPhone 6 a try, but I'm unsure if I will retain all the functions that I currently have, Call Forwarding, Text with Pictures etc...
Have any out there made the jump with an iPhone 6?
I was considering moving my iPhone 6 to the BYOP, but I'm still unsure about losing any of the features that I now have... It is unlocked. Is Anyone out there using the BYOP with a iPhone 6?
I have a similar problem with an unlocked Verizon Moto E bought on Ebay. The Tracfone website said that it was compatible, and as a matter of fact they sell a Tracfone Moto E on their wesite. However, they do not say if it is Gen 1, which I suspect it is. Mine is a Gen 2. I have had several trouble tickets and discussions with various customer service people. Besides the ridiculous statements they make, they have not yet been able to activate this telephone. Although it was originally noted as compatible via their website tool, they now seem to be saying it is not listed. I just can not understand their problem. I will try again in a few days. Maybe they will figure out what they need to do.
Everything you need to know about the Tracfone BYOP Program
[Image]
Tracfone BYOP Phone List
Tracfone created an option for consumers to bring their own smartphones to use with Tracfone service. They call this program 'BYOP - Bring Your Own Phone'.
While Tracfone is adding a number of new smartphones that customers can buy directly and use with their network, there are many more unlocked phones available today that can be used with the BYOP program.
Find all the info you need to get started with Tracfone BYOP in this guide including what phones are compatible, how to get a SIM kit, and how to activate.
Before we get too far, let's start with the top smartphones to use with the Tracfone BYOP program:
Best Smartphones for Tracfone BYOP
These are our current picks to use with Tracfone. They offer great performance while not breaking the bank.
[Image]
Best Unlocked Smartphone - Google Pixel 3a
The Pixel 3a is our pick for the best overall option to use with BYOP because of the great specs and features and the reasonable price. Plus, Google is quick to provide OS updates, and the phone is compatible with all major networks int he US.
See the Pixel 3a on Amazon
[Image]
Best Budget Unlocked Smartphone - Moto G7
The Moto G line has long been known to strike a balance between features and price, and the G7 continues that trend with a large screen, great performance, and reasonable price. For those looking for more battery life, check out the Moto G7 Power. Or for a cheaper option, the Moto G7 Play.
See the Moto G7 on Amazon
[Image]
Best Phone Under $100 - BLU VIVO X5
For less than $100 the BLU VIVO X5 has a lot to offer. It comes with 64 GB internal storage, 3 GB RAM, Octa-core processor, fingerprint sensor, 5.7" screen and Android 9 Pie. It comes unlocked and can be used with GSM networks only. There is a lot to like about this phone.
See the BLU VIVO X5 on Amazon
Another option under $100 is the UMIDIGI A3S which features Android 10 and a larger battery.
What is Tracfone BYOP?
The Tracfone 'Bring Your Own Phone' program is an option for users that allows them to bring many different Android and Apple smartphones to use with Tracfone's prepaid cell phone service.
Tracfone already has many Android and Apple smartphones available for customers to purchase and use (and you can see them on our Cell Phone Reviews page), but phones from Tracfone are locked to their service, and this program opens the door to many more phone possibilities.
Basically Tracfone BYOP is a way for consumers to have access to many more smartphones, compared to what Tracfone offers, while still using Tracfone's inexpensive phone service.
Tracfone's BYOP program includes service for 4G LTE devices on all their networks. Continue reading to learn more, or you can check out our recent blog post specifically detailing Tracfone BYOP 4G LTE.
General Information and Requirements for Tracfone BYOP
At this time, there are some restrictions on which phones will work with Tracfone. If you already have a smartphone and want to see if it will work with Tracfone, visit the Tracfone BYOP page and enter the serial number/MEID to find out.
Almost any unlocked smartphone should work with Tracfone BYOP as long as it is compatible with either GSM or CDMA networks depending on which you intend to use. Many phones are actually compatible with both.
If you don't have a phone already, follow the basic requirements below for finding a phone:
Requirements for Tracfone BYOP:
Can be either a 4G LTE CDMA (compatible with Verizon) phone, or a 4G LTE GSM (compatible with AT&T/T-Mobile) phone
Phone must be unlocked with a clean ESN (cannot be under contract, or reported stolen)
iPhone 4 through 11 will work - Read our Tracfone iPhone 4/4S post for details (must still be either Verizon or AT&T compatible)
Activation Kit and Airtime card or Credit/Debit card to purchase airtime card or $9.99 network activation card or Activation Kit
Activating smartphones with Tracfone BYOP has become easier as they have relaxed various restrictions, and become better at activating phones. Typically it takes a few minutes to a few hours.
If you need help, just follow the instructions on the Tracfone website for activating a new BYOP smartphone (follow the link for our new guide).
BYOP Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
We generally see some of the same questions asked about Tracfone BYOP so we will provide some of the most common questions along with answers for them, and then some additional information below.
[Image]
Tracfone 4G LTE Activation Kit - $6.99
What do I need to Activate my Smartphone with Tracfone?
Assuming you already have a phone, then you will need an Activation kit (like the one Pictured). You can get this on the Tracfone website or online retailers, visit our post on Getting an Activation Kit for Tracfone BYOP for the link to the page to buy the kit, and to learn more.
You can also just visit the Tracfone BYOP page and begin going through the process and they will prompt you to purchase the SIM card or Activation Kit when you need to. The Activation Kit will include a Network Access Code for your phone.
Additionally, you can find the Tracfone Activation kit on Amazon.
Do BYOP phones come with Triple Minutes?
New SIM kits do not include Triple Minutes for Life. Tracfone is working at phasing out that program, and are not offering it with new phones or SIM kits.
However, if you already have a phone with Triple Minutes for Life you should be able to keep it.
Note, smartphone only airtime cards do not triple.
Can I use Promo Codes with BYOP phones?
Yes! There are promo codes for both regular and smartphone only airtime cards, see them all in our Tracfone Promo Code page.
Will a (certain phone) work?
We see a number of comments asking about specific phones. If the phone meets the requirements, then it should work, but that is no guarantee. See our list below for some of the known phones that will work, but this list is by no means complete. You may want to post a comment with your question, or read some of the other comments.
How do I Check my Airtime Balance?
On older Tracfone devices, the airtime was displayed on the homescreen. But this is not the case on smartphones. You can track your airtime by going on the Tracfone website and visiting your account, or you can download the Tracfone app and use that to check your balance.
How can I tell if I have Verizon or AT&T Coverage in my Area?
AT&T and Verizon are two cell phone service providers that Tracfone contracts through to use their cell towers. AT&T uses GSM technology while Verizon uses CDMA. Most phones can only be used on one or the other, so it is important that you know which kind of phone to get.
You can go on the Tracfone website and type in your Zip code while searching for phones (or on the BYOP page) and see if CDMA or GSM phones show up in your area. If you see phones with a 'C' at the end, you should have good Verizon coverage in your Area. You can also call Tracfone and check directly.
You will need to pay attention to which network you want to use when you buy a phone, and when you activate it.
Information You Should Know about Tracfone BYOP
These are some general points of information we think are pertinent and valuable if you are planning to switch to an Android smartphone with Tracfone.
First of all, there is currently little or no roaming with Tracfone smartphones, so if you go outside the networks service area, your phone won't 'roam' on other networks. We hope Tracfone will fix this issue sometime in the near future. Fortunately, Verizon and AT&T both have fairly large coverage areas, especially in more populated areas.
Triple Minutes is included for smartphones with Tracfone. So when you add a prepaid 60 minute card to your smartphone, you will get 180 talk minutes, 180 texts, and 180mb data.
When transferring your old phone number and minutes to your new smartphone with Tracfone BYOP, some users have reported experiencing some serious problems, ranging from losing their minutes balance, to even losing their phone number. So be aware that not all of the kinks and quirks have been worked out in the system and you may want to activate a new number first. As time goes on, things should get easier and run more smoothly. More recently, many users are reporting a smoother process in activating 4G devices with Tracfone. To be safe, keep some sort of record of your airtime balance before switching phones.
Activation can be done online, but may require you to call customer service if it doesn't go well, so have a phone handy to use for this purpose. You can use this number, 1-800-876-5753, to also check the MEID number to see if your phone will work.
Lastly, to check your minutes balance, there is an app you can download, or you can simply visit the Tracfone website and sign into your account to view your current balance. Your balance won't be displayed on the home screen of the smartphone.
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of how Tracfone's BYOP program works, and some of the pro's and con's for it. As we get more information, we will add it here.
Time for the list of phones that work with Tracfone BYOP!
List of Phones for Tracfone BYOP
Below are phones that are compatible with the Tracfone BYOP program. Remember to check the requirements listed above, so you know what you should be getting.
We will continue to add to this list as we get feedback on different phones - so let us know what phone you have successfully activated with Tracfone and we will include it!
TracfoneReviewer Recommended BYOP Phones:
Here are some phones that we recommend because they are either a good value, or a very good phone. If you're unsure what BYOP phone to get, these phones might be a good place to start. We've separated our recommended phones into budget friendly, and high end.
Budget Friendly Smartphones we Recommend BLU R1 HD - A very budget friendly phone that still has great features and specs. Go with the 2 GB RAM/16 GB Storage version. Compatible with GSM networks (AT&T) and retailing for just $109. Moto G 4th Gen - Compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks, this phone has a winning combination of specs while still retailing for only $200. LG Google Nexus 5x - A powerful phone with very little 'bloatware' and good performance. Compare to the Moto G 4th gen. For use with GSM networks, and available for $249 Samsung Galaxy S5 (GSM - refurbished) - While it was released several years ago, the Galaxy S5 is still a great phone with features like a 16 MP camera and 5.1" display. It is compatible with either GSM or CDMA networks, depending on the model you purchase. Refurbished versions can be found for under $200 on both Amazon and eBay. iPhone 5C and 5S - The 5S has some improvements over the 5C, but both offer the iPhone experience at a reasonable price. Both have stunning 12 MP rear cameras that are a big selling point. Refurbished versions of these phones can be found on eBay for $100-200. (Tracfone also recently released the iPhone 5S for just $199)
High End Smartphones we Recommend
Sony Xperia Z5 - Sony is an often overlooked phone manufacturer, but this phone has a 23 MP rear camera that easily grabs your attention. It also has 32 GB memory, and is compatible with GSM networks. Retails for about $500 Huawei Google Nexus 6P - Currently the best Google phone, it has a stunning screen, great performance and the latest Android OS. It is also fully compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks. Retails for about $500 Samsung Galaxy S7 - Samsung's flagship phone, the S7 carries on a history of great smartphones with a 5.5" HD touchscreen, Android 6.0 and water resistent design. Compatible with GSM networks, retailing for about $600 iPhone 6S - Running iOS and featuring a fingerprint sensor, 4.7" screen and stunning 12 MP camera that can capture 4K video. It is one of the best phones available, and compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks. Retail price is about $700 iPhone 6S Plus - Like the 6S but with a larger 5.5" HD touchscreen for those who like a larger phone. Also compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks. Retails for about $700.
iPhone 7 (not yet released) - The newest iPhone, only recently announced and not yet available.
Our recommended list of smartphones is meant only to help clear through what can be an overwhelming list of phone options. Let us know your thoughts on these phones in the comments section. Below are many more great phone options for use with the BYOP program:
Tracfone BYOP 4G LTE GSM (AT&T) Phone List:
Samsung Galaxy S7 - various options on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S6 - various options on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 16 GB on Amazon and eBay[Image]
Samsung Galaxy S3 - 16 GB on eBay[Image]
LG G2 - 32 GB on eBay[Image] (refurbished currently $139)
LG G3 - 32 GB on Amazon and 32 GB on eBay[Image] (refurbished currently $189)
LG G4 - 32 GB on Amazon
Moto G 4th Gen (latest version) - 16 or 32GB on Amazon
Nexus 6p - 32, 64 or 128GB available on Amazon
Nexus 5x - 16 GB on Amazon
Motorola Moto X 4G LTE - 16 GB on Amazon
Motorola Moto G (1st gen) 4G LTE - 8 GB on Amazon
HTC 1X - 16 GB on Amazon
Blu Stdio 6.0 - 16 GB on Amazon
Asus ZenFone 2 - 16 GB on Amazon
BLU Studio C Super Camera - 8 GB on Amazon
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus - 64 GB iPhone 6 on Amazon - 64 GB iPhone 6 Plus on Amazon
iPhone 5s - 16 GB on Amazon
iPhone 5 - 16 GB on Amazon
iPhone 4/4s
Nokia Lumia 640 (Windows Phone)
And many more options, let us know in the comments what you are using!
Tracfone BYOP 3G and 4G LTE CDMA (Verizon) Phone List:
Motorola Moto G (4th Gen) 16 or 32 GB on Amazon
iPhone 6 - 16GB on Amazon (64GB and 128GB also available)
iPhone 6 Plus - 16GB on Amazon (64GB and 128GB also available)
iPhone 5 - 16GB on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 16GB on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy Note II - 16GB on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy Note III
LG G2 - 32 GB on Amazon
LG Lucid
Nexus 6 - 32GB on Amazon
Nexus 6p - 32, 64 or 128 GB available on Amazon
Nexus 5x
Moto X 2013 Edition - Amazon
Motorola Droid Razr M
iPhone 4 - 8GB or 16GB - Find on Amazon and eBay[Image]
iPhone 4S - 16GB or 32GB - Find on Amazon and eBay[Image]
Motorola Droid 1
Motorola Droid 2 - Find on Amazon
Motorola Droid 3 - Find on Amazon and eBay[Image]
Motorola Droid X
Motorola Droid X2 - Find on Amazon and eBay[Image]
HTC Droid Incredible - Find on Amazon and eBay[Image]
HTC Droid Incredible 2 - Find on eBay[Image]
Samsung Fascinate - Find on Amazon
HTC Rhyme - Find on Amazon
HTC Trophy (windows phone) - Find on Amazon
HTC One M8 (windows phone)
Moto G - Find on Amazon and eBay[Image] (we have one report suggesting a user got a used Verizon Moto G that had been active on Verizon prepaid for 6 months, and was able to activate with Tracfone, more feedback appreciated!)
This is our current list of phones that work with the Tracfone BYOP program, be sure to post in the comments any other phones that you find work.
If you have a phone already, you can test it on Tracfone's website and enter the serial number or MEID to see if it will work.
You will need an activation kit, which you can get through Tracfone, or through other sources which may be faster, like SaveOnTracfone.com.
The goal of this page is to create a resource for information on Tracfone BYOP in order to answer questions and better inform consumers about their options when choosing a phone and carrier.
You can also connect with us on Facebook and Google+ where we share the latest news and updates!
Note - At first, Tracfone only allowed consumes to bring CDMA smartphones to use on Verizon 3G, however, after some time, that is not the case anymore. Thanks for all the users that helped contact Tracfone and encourage them to branch out into both GSM and CDMA networks.
posted by TracfoneReviewer Team at 10:22 PM on Mar 30, 2020
275 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment form-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Kiev500 said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Kiev500 said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
wmd61 said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
from sunny florida said...
-
from sunny florida said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Justin said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
TracfoneReviewer Team said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Peppa_pot said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
catman142 said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
CircuitsMan said...
-
CircuitsMan said...
-
CircuitsMan said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
TracfoneReviewer Team said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Your Mama said...
-
ipad2user said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
TracfoneiPhoneUser said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
wizzer said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
zczc said...
-
Steve Youhanaie said...
-
Ednotmilkman in AL said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Wolfram v.Kiparski said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
senior citizen said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
dr bug said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Pearce34 said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Pearce34 said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
My Half Of said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Sparky said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...

Hoody said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Joyce said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
CrescentD said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
sgams said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Don ( Rochester, NY) said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Josh said...
-
Anonymous said...
-
Unknown said...
-
Unknown said...
-
levine1944 said...
1 – 200 of 275 Newer› Newest»I activated a used droid x2 today via computer and everything went smoothly was done in less then 5 minutes chose to go with a new number at this time due to previous problems reported when activating i plan tranfering my number with tracfone as soon as I see how everything works out, I had previously tried a refurbished droid x2 but it would not allow me to, but I can say I did recive excellent customer service when I called concering the refurbished droid they were very helpful
July 9, 2014 at 9:18 PM
PART 2 : Update porting my old tracfone # to the new phone was anything but smooth after 4 phone calls to customer service they could not complete it once the porting took place the droid x2 lost its 3g which stopped me from completing the needed steps ,customer service then told me there was nothing more they could do and I should contact Motorola,I was at wits end .I was originally told to dial *22890 when service was transfered everytime I called it would not work as I now had no 3 g service ,so instead of calling Motorola I googled the problem .where I found I could dial *228 select option 1 and that would reprogram the phone ,this worked for me after it was reprogramed I pulled the battery out for a minute then I restarted the phone and everything was working and all minutes and service end date was correct.I believe this could have been a smoother transition had their customer service known about this option. Just thought I would share what I learned through this transition
July 12, 2014 at 2:43 PM
I had similar activation problems and solved it differently. Except for activation, porting my tracfone # from my Centura to Droid X2 went smoothly.
The activation instructions given by Tracfone seem to be generic and do not work for the Droid X2. After waiting a business day and then dialing *22890, the tracfone automated system kept telling me that my phone couldn't be activated. After reading forums and trying different things, I finally solved the problem by pressing the homescreen "Activation" button, waiting for the Verizon autosystem, dialing *22890, waiting while my phone was programmed, hanging up, waiting 15 min, the repeating the process. After the 2nd programming my phone was all set.
July 16, 2014 at 2:58 PM
Can anyone tell me if they know whether a vintage Nokia CDMA phone can be put on BYOP?
I have a box full of Nokia 3585i handsets. Some are branded US Cellular, some are Sprint, and some are Alltel. I tried to activate one of them. It was originally an Alltel phone, but Alltel was bought out by Verizon. Went on the BYOP web page, bought a network access code, also bought a minutes card, and did the process.
When the system asked me to enter the handset serial or MEID number, I entered the ESN number because there is no identifiable MEID number (on label under the battery) for these Alltel 3585i phones. The BYOP system took that, listed the phone in my online Tracfone account, and told me to dial *22890 for OTA programming. Tried that and got the message "we are unable to program your phone. Please try again later". Tried again next day, then tried again with Tracfone tech support coaching me on a landline. No dice. I continued to receive the "we are unable to program your phone" message.
Sadly, I asked Tracfone to delist the phone and refund me the charges for network access code and a minutes card. They claim to have done so, but I'm waiting to see a monthly statement.
Meanwhile, I saw a relevant post here, -excerpted below:
***
I was originally told to dial *22890 when service was transfered everytime I called it would not work as I now had no 3 g service ,so instead of calling Motorola I googled the problem, where I found I could dial *228 select option 1 and that would reprogram the phone. This worked for me after it was reprogramed I pulled the battery out for a minute then I restarted the phone and everything was working and all minutes and service end date was correct."
***
Does *22890 require 3G service? I think my Alltel-branded Nokia 3585i is a 1X or 1G phone. Does anyone know of a successful registration for one of these handsets using that trick (dialing *228 instead of *22890)? I might try again, but need some assurance.
July 28, 2014 at 9:53 PM
My husband & I have been a Tracfone customer for a long time but have to use GSM (AT&T) service because of where we live. I have called, emailed, & commented on surveys numerous times to "please" include this service with the smartphones. I would love to have a smartphone but for some reason they only offer that service with CDMA/Verizon service. Does anyone have information on when they might offer this to their customers. If Straight Talk, & Net 10 can use it why not Tracfone?? I have a good bit of minutes built up & don't want to lose them. Makes one wonder what kind of deal they have with Verizon??
July 29, 2014 at 1:35 AM
The minutes you have is tracfone minutes not at&t's so I do not see why it would not transfer to your smartphone.
July 30, 2014 at 4:24 PM
The 22890 uses 1x. THERE isnt voice over 3G yet. All.calling and texting uses 1X.service
July 30, 2014 at 11:30 PM
Thanks. It appears Tracfone would have to provide me by email the appropriate data so that I could manually program the handset, -not something they are likely to do.
Has anyone received that kind of info from Tracfone for the purpose of manually programming a handset, or is there a web site hack that can produce the data for a user?
You see, I was only provided with the phone number Tracfone thought was assigned to my handset after I processed a cancellation order.
August 1, 2014 at 9:24 PM
I bought iphone 4s used from amazon - e-mailed seller & they verified meid would work in my zip code. only 2 sellers would do this. Tried to do the online registration & port. The registration worked but when I tried to port my number from net10 it told me I needed a tracfone card pin. I didn't have a card so I called tracfone's number provided for paying by credit card. I talked to 2 different people. The 1st one hung up on me. The 2nd woman was very helpful but couldn't get it to work. She ended up telling me to go to the store & buy a tracfone card & call back. She gave me a direct # & pin. I called back & after the person couldn't get it to work she went to her supervisor & they said it worked. My old phone stopped working about an hour later but I couldn't get the new one to work with the * numbers they gave me. I had to wait until the next morning when they re-opened to speak to someone. They told me to try 2 different #s & when that didn't work they had me reset the settings on the phone, turn it off & back on. It then worked. So far it's working fine & iphone is great. It was worth the few hours it took to get it working on tracfone.
August 15, 2014 at 5:24 PM
I activated my iPhone 4s (Verizon) and transferred my old Tracfone phone # in about an hour. It went very smooth. Anybody know the name of the app to download and check minutes? All I could find was the StraightTalk app.
August 15, 2014 at 7:16 PM
does any one know if you use an unactivated (not previously used on any network provider) smart phone for the BYOP program?
August 16, 2014 at 1:29 PM
Try entering the MEID # on the BYOP page and see if it takes it.
August 17, 2014 at 1:51 PM
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1817171-Tracfone-BYOP?p=15513527#post15513527
August 17, 2014 at 8:28 PM
That worked great, thanks so much! Now I can check the minutes on my phone.
August 18, 2014 at 11:48 AM
I called Tracfone and tried to add my iPhone to our existing Family Value Plan as a secondary phone but they will not allow it. I had to sign up for a separate Value Plan.
Does anyone know how to add minutes from a card to the iPhone since there is no app?
August 20, 2014 at 10:40 AM
You would have to go online, make an account (unless you already have one), click add airtime and then you can add the minutes from there. I do wish that Tracfone would create an app for iPhone since they are allowing them on their service now, it would make it a lot easier and faster.
August 20, 2014 at 6:15 PM
Isn't that a HTC One in the Tranfone advertisement for bring you own phone, and isn't the HTC One a 4G phone. Or did they make a 3G only version that I don't know about.
If it is a 4G HTC One and they don't support 4G phones than wouldn't that be false advertising?
August 23, 2014 at 7:48 PM
I bought a used Iphone from the Verizon store after checking the IMEI on the byop tracfone website. I have not been able to activate the phone despite 5 hours on the phone with customer service. Today, I tried to add a phone to my tracfone account and I got and got the message that the serial number is under another account (the number was in no way similar to the one on the phone). I went back to the Verizon store and they told me the phone was inactivated less than a month ago. Is there a period of time that the phone has to be off the Verizon network? Any suggestions? My Valet ZTE is constantly giving me problems and I want to switch. Help!!
August 30, 2014 at 6:43 PM
From what I have read, the Galaxy S Fascinate is compatible with the service. But I am quite curious about activating the phone. It confuses me, what are the steps to activating the phone? Should I keep it shut off until activation is complete etc.?
August 31, 2014 at 3:45 PM
If I buy a brand new Samsung Galaxy s Fascinate but it has no contract, and CDMA will it work?
August 31, 2014 at 3:52 PM
will a HTC DNA work? its CDMA but the site wont let me check if i can plz help
September 1, 2014 at 9:51 AM
Just called tracfone--they said the Galaxy Ace Style has been released but would not work in my zip code. We have Verizon coverage here. What is the story ?
M
September 1, 2014 at 4:23 PM
Tracfone just told me they have released the Galaxy Ace Style but it would not work in my zip code. We have Verizon here so what is the story?
September 1, 2014 at 4:26 PM
I went to Tracfone BYOP website Sat. Aug, 23, 2014 to activate & transfer my old tracfone #,text & data. to a iPhone 4s. (bought off ebay). After about 3 min. I was told to call their 800 number. I called the number and received a live person in about 1 min. About 15 min. later it was all done. Unbelievable !! After another 20 min. to allow the transfer to go thru, I was talking on the iPhone. Checked my min., text & data online to see if they were correct. All transferred correctly. I have had tracfones for many years and never had a transfer done so quick. Maybe Tracfone is getting better.
September 1, 2014 at 6:27 PM
I am up and running on my refurbished Verizon unlocked htc incredible 2 that I bought on ebay. The whole process was great but now I don't have as good of service as I did with my regular tracfone android (Less bars) Figures, I might have to switch back. I just wish tracfone would sell better phones themselves, maybe one day they will
September 2, 2014 at 5:05 PM
where is the ace style available? it's not on amazon yet. although they did cut the price of the dynamic II down by $5
September 2, 2014 at 10:00 PM
Warning! Samsung Galaxy S3, sch-i535 - doesn't work!
September 3, 2014 at 8:23 AM
I was wondering if my LG Optimus Exceed 2 would work on Trafones BYOP program. Please reply :)
September 3, 2014 at 3:26 PM
I just tried to activate a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which supports both LTE and CDMA. The tracfone website just fails (don't say no, gives a generic error) but the customer support rep told me the phone was not in their system and there was not supported.
September 4, 2014 at 1:11 PM
If I use an I Phone will it act just like it does now or be slower? What about map quest will it work?
September 4, 2014 at 1:25 PM
How long after I cancel my Verizon account wil I be able to join Trac fine?
September 4, 2014 at 1:26 PM
amazon is selling blu studio 5.5s quad band that can be used at tracfone. is this true? anybody tried it yet?
September 5, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Less bars on a different phone doesn't necessarily mean you don't have as good service. It just reads the signal differently. I've seen two identical phones on the same network at the same location show as much as two bars different signal strength.
September 9, 2014 at 8:38 AM
Update: I finally got my iphone activated and it works great-however, when I transferred my minutes and account, the numbers are all wrong. I really don't have more that 1.5 million texts! On the "my account" page on the website, the numbers are correct, but the message that comes to the phone is incorrect. I tried emailing tech support, but they told me to call CS. I just can't face that again. Which will my account follow?
September 10, 2014 at 9:23 AM
I have two Samsung Convoy U640s that are CDMA ready and 3G. Would I be able to transfer them to Tracphone? I like these since they are rugged and we have had them for several years.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Convoy-Verizon-Wireless-Rugged/dp/B005DNSXGW
I use Verizon and get two bars and that works fine can I expect the same signal strength if I use the same phones at Tracphone?
Or would it be better in the long run to buy a flip phone at Tracphone since some of them have double or triple lifetime minutes?
I have thought about a smartphone to use for occasional navigation or in case of a break down to find a tow truck etc but when I read the reviews it says they are not allowed to roam and not sure if a smart phone wouldn't be reliable since it is not able to roam and find a signal.
The details for the phones are not very detailed. I want a phone that has better sound/clarity quality since I have hearing loss on the higher sounds and want to be able to adjust the sound.
I have talked with support people a few months ago but not that impressed with the knowledge these folks have of the products. I have been hesitant to deal with Tracphones problems and their support too after reading so many reviews but lately I don't think Verizon is any better : /
September 10, 2014 at 10:40 AM
Anybody know if it is possible to port a phone number from a straight talk service to a tracfone service?
September 10, 2014 at 12:13 PM
I'm getting the following message when trying to check an IMEI of a Verizon iPhone 4S -- "We are unable to process your transaction at this time." when I enter the number on the TF verification site.
I'm trying to verify an out of contract phone and I selected the "I want to upgrade my active Bring Your Own CDMA Phone to another Bring Your Own CDMA Phone" option and put in the MEID of my current ZTE Valet phone.
Anyone else had trouble verifying IMEI of iPhones on the
September 12, 2014 at 4:48 PM
entered m eid # of my used x2 they (tracfone) asked me for activation code money so i assume this x2 will work i hope so, just ordered it from amazon (havent got it yet) when i get it i will pay the 10 bucks and it should(?) work
September 12, 2014 at 9:48 PM
Will my 2 year old Net10 LG Optimus work as a BYOP, and has anyone figured out if the Triple your minutes applies to your BYOP or must you buy a new phone from Tracfone,
September 13, 2014 at 9:15 PM
Byop today i activated a HTC Incredible 2 I bought used on ebay on the tracfone BYOP program with one little glitch. I went to activate a clean esn phone out of contract and the tracfone message told me the meid was acceptable and to purchase the $9.99 activation fee to continue which i did. Then it told me my new HTC would only work as a phone because the data was blocked? I stopped mid registration. I called verizon to find out if the old owner had a previous bill which they did not. After a series of Q and A it was determined that I had to remove the sim card. I removed the sim card and went back to the tracfone site and continued and this time it registered the phone as a cdma 3 g acceptable phone and data no problems I transferred my 5000+ minutes 5000+ text and a lot of data and my old phone number ported easy peasy.It took 15 minutes total. I am up and running. I transferred from a Samsung Galaxy. So if you get an HTC incredible 2 and have problems with BYOP tracfone program try removing your sim card that comes with the phone. Everything working great and I put the tracfone widget on the home screen to check minutes downloaded from google play.
September 15, 2014 at 8:32 PM
BYOP Tracfone Bought used HTc tracfone on ebay. Entered Meid paid $9.99 activation. Told only phone portion would work in message and data was blocked. I stopped mid registration called verizon. After a series of Q and A it was determined that the old user did not have an unpaid bill and that I needed to remove the sim card that came with the phone. I removed sim card and restarted registration and it recognized that I was in the process. This time it worked and the message said phone and CDMA 3g. So if you have problems transfering this phone, try removing the sim card. I ported my old phone number from my Samsung Galaxy and 5000+ minutes, text and data from my old phone and was up and running in 15 minutes. Easy peasy
September 15, 2014 at 8:40 PM
Triple your minute Works with all android phones as long as you can activate it
September 17, 2014 at 11:12 AM
Will a Verizon iPhone 4s 64 gb work? The only ones listed are the 16 gb and the 32 gb.
September 17, 2014 at 5:57 PM
OK, I think I want the impossible.
I have a relative who wants an Iphone but doesn't want to pay a regular carrier, and with her usage she would be perfect for Tracfone. The Iphone4 is just fine for her.
She currently has an old phone on Sprint, and would like to keep the number. She does not have a Iphone now.
I'm wondering if I can a) buy off of Amazon or Ebay a used Iphone4s that was used on Verizon, b) clean it of all the old Apple stuff to re-register it with Apple store c) activate this on Tracfone using her old phone number, and d) do this all by remote from another state from where the phone ultimately will be used.
Crazy?
September 17, 2014 at 6:52 PM
Are there any Windows Phone that can be used with the BYOP program?
September 18, 2014 at 11:03 AM
Apparently you can turn off 4G and just use 4G CDMA:
http://support.sprint.com/support/tutorial/Turn_4G_on_or_off_HTC_Onereg/47845-665
September 20, 2014 at 5:19 AM
Not impossible. The Tracfone link http://www.tracfone.com/includes/content/questions/General.jsp?enId=FA10060&esId=FA10061
has most of the instructions. You would have to find a good iPhone, check the EMEI, pay for the activation, have a minute card and the required info in hand then call Tracfone. Use HER zip code, not yours. I did not do anything with Apple stores. Good Luck
Jim/Wiz1
Good Luck.
September 20, 2014 at 12:32 PM
Hi! So what if I bought a Apple iPhone 4S 16GB - Black (Verizon) Clean/Good ESN would it work on tracfone's BYOP? Thank you
September 22, 2014 at 1:18 PM
My Samsung Galaxy i535 I just ordered for Tracfone is verizon cdma and says it is 3g and 4g. Because it has 3g will it work?
September 23, 2014 at 3:22 AM
I have the HTC Trophy which runs Windows Phone 7.5 and it activated and works with no problems.
September 23, 2014 at 9:27 PM
AnonymousSeptember 3, 2014 at 8:23 AM
Warning! Samsung Galaxy S3, sch-i535 - doesn't work!
ReplyDelete
September 24, 2014 at 5:49 PM
in your browser type mobile.tracfone.com/view/page/p/103249/tracfone-homepage on iPhone save as favorite, on Windows7.5 IE save as favorite and pin to start and you will have a direct link to check balance, add/buy airtime, add to your plan.
Jim/Wiz1
September 27, 2014 at 11:58 PM
I believe it needs to be a used phone, but yes it should work. However, not all phones that meet the requirements work with Tracfone BYOP, and sometimes phones that didn't get accepted at first, were accepted after additional tries.
October 2, 2014 at 4:05 AM
Hi! So I just wanted to say I went to eBay and searched for iPhone 4s tracfone and I was in luck there was a iPhone 4s already on tracfone with 16gb! I bought it for 130.00 dollars and it was prefect I did have to buy the Network Carrier $10 when i called tracfone but that went very well :) I didn't have any problem with getting it started only had to call once. I will leave a link to some iPhone 4 already with tracfone (dont forget you have to pay $10 dollars for the Network Carrier, that means you do have to call) very simple. I was lucky to find the iPhone 4s when i did right now i only see iPhone 4 for you guys.
LINKS TO EBAY IPHONE 4 (TRACFONES) ( lowest prices I could find) #BuyItNows
~ ($ 124.99) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPhone-4-Straight-Talk-Net-10-Tracfone-Verizon-Prepaid-Page-Plus-/171483880780?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item27ed3c5d4c
~ ($119.99) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPhone-4-Straight-Talk-Net-10-Tracfone-Verizon-Prepaid-Page-Plus-/171475778137?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item27ecc0ba59
(IF YOU REALLY WANT AN IPHONE 4s) ~( $224.99) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPhone-4s-Straight-Talk-Net-10-Tracfone-Verizon-Prepaid-Page-Plus-Extra-/171484183610?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item27ed40fc3a
October 3, 2014 at 2:28 PM
Will iphone 6/6 plus work?
October 6, 2014 at 4:28 PM
No, it's not 3g .
October 6, 2014 at 9:45 PM
I have heard of iphone 5c to work because its with 3g capability :)
October 8, 2014 at 2:02 PM
so all statements are not true to all extent i bought a new droid x2 "mb870"? no contract phone witch according to this post wont work anyway my steps to make it work step one set up with tracfone this alone wont work it will get activated to your account but the phone will not go through the activation to get that to work i had to call the (verision prepaid activation number "*number" when i did this i receaved my telle (to let you know at this point i was completely pssed with tracfone and was just going to go to vrw) when i got my numbet i thought at first it was a vrw # so i went to the vrw site and entered the number but it said it wasn't a vrw number so i called back the tracfone support they said this is a tracfone number my best guess is that when i called the vrw act number it sent the unlock code well after a few min with tracfone the phone works. sory for bad English not my native laungage
October 12, 2014 at 11:22 AM
Unlocked post paid verizon Moto G worked no problem. I am guessing this phone was flashed by ebay seller. It was advertised as being good for "PagePlus" also
October 18, 2014 at 10:19 AM
Does it work with the iPhone 5?
October 22, 2014 at 7:49 PM
Would be interested in having a response to this question as well. It worked for my Iphone 4 but I could not update to ios 8 with iphone 4, so I am looking for a version 5 now.
October 23, 2014 at 1:50 PM
Would this MOTO G work with Tracfone?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221586913398?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
October 26, 2014 at 4:37 PM
Anyone know if BYOP on Tracfone will work wiht an older Jitterbug (5 years old) that was on a Verizon network? Jitterbug is not a Smartphone with no text or data plan that was connected to it. Just deactivated last month after 5 years with Jitterbug.
October 29, 2014 at 8:31 AM
http://www.amazon.com/5-Inch-Windows-Camera-Unlocked-Phones/dp/B00NQGFQ7C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414746103&sr=8-1&keywords=blu+win+hd
Does anyone know when we will be able to use the Blu Win HD on Tracfone? also, does anyone know when it will be sold on Tracfone? I would prefer using a window phone.
October 31, 2014 at 4:05 AM
I was talking to tracfone customer service about the zipcode that's required when you sign up to look at activation. I started talking about using the data portion while away from that zipcode and was told that the data option could only be used in the zipcode the phone is activated in. I travel to other city's, and states and if this is the case the tracfone would be useless to me. Can anyone shed some light on this. It is a 3g use versus Wi-Fi??
November 2, 2014 at 1:15 AM
I have been trying to get a Moto G that works on Tracfone where I have a lot of time stored up and I found something out, that there are Page Plus phone that are usable, like Moto G Verizon and Page Plus that I probably Can use with Page Plus. I will loose my mins. and time but I will have a phone I want. I was told by Customer service that the phone numbers are transferable.
I will keep you posted. I going to try Tracfone again but if that fails, then HELLO Page Plus.
November 2, 2014 at 3:38 PM
I tried the BYOP on Tracphone for my 3 year old? IPhone 16 GB. It only lists an IMEI number and no MEIM number. Tracphone responded that they could do the check to see but it never said specifically that the phone was not transferable. Do you know off hand if this older IPhone will even work with Tracphone at all? Want to give it to my son to use.
November 3, 2014 at 11:07 AM
Update on:November 2, 2014 at 3:38 PM My Moto G came today and I am on Tracfone, no problems and did it on-line too. This is a fantastic phone clear picture loud sound and it is like greased lightning. $9.99 for BYOP transfer and if you have an account just pick transfer you number to new phone. Look for Moto G refurbished and Verizon and Page Plus, clean ESN and right now going for less than $70.00 on Amazon. What a buy! Now it is learn how to operate this baby!
November 4, 2014 at 3:16 AM
The numbers on the Text are not correct. Check your balance on website.
November 4, 2014 at 4:10 PM
Thanks for the info. I'm tempted to give it a try, but can a flashed phone benefit from the Lollipop update? I would guess not so I might wait for the Moto E and then decide.
On a side note, we don't even know if the Moto E is actually going to get the Lollipop update. It's confirmed on other carriers but tracfone is a whole different story.
November 5, 2014 at 1:25 PM
I wanted be better phone, like Moto G. I read some comments that some people bought "Motorola Moto G Smartphone - 8GB - For Verizon and Page Plus" from Amazon, they could transfer their number by BYOP program. They mentioned they bought refurbished for $70 (but now it is $90) from Mango Wireless. However, I wanted try the ones that claims new phone. I sent emails to all the sellers, asking MEID to check it with my carrier (Tracfone BYOP website). Only one of them sent me MEID, and I checked it, and it was accepted in the website. I ordered the phone for $103 as new (which is not in original sealed box for sure) and send an email to seller to send me exactly the same MEID number. I got the phone, which is not in original box, but it looks like a new phone. I transferred my number, minutes and days to new phone, however I had to have a airtime code to do the transfer because I was transferring from a smartphone (Samsung Centura) to BYOP, CS said. Any way, my number was transferred but the new card I added during transfer didn't add up. However, problem solve with a few calls to CS.
My phone is KitKat 4.4.2 and now the phone downloaded KitKat 4.4.4 over wifi and ask me to update it. I am afraid the phone is a flashed boost mobile, and updating it may break the flash and phone may not work on Tracfone any more. I contacted the seller, and got answer the He GUESSES it would be ok, but double check with pageplus. Does anyone have been in this situation?
November 16, 2014 at 7:48 PM
What did you do for a new sim card, did it come with one?
November 21, 2014 at 3:14 PM
Yes indeed, the BYOP program is the best thing to come along to Tracfone. Now for the question for the year??? Check out this web page for yourself. http://www.saveontracfone.com/Phones/ Am I the only person to wonder how a Tracfone reseller can offer a 4G phone (Samsung S3, 4,or 5 4G LTE or a iPhone 5 4G LTE) over the same Tracfone network interface? Then Tracfone doesn’t invite the same phones into their BYOP program. The first thing I noticed is that Quality One Wireless does not mention anything about which carrier is used. Hummm, no mention that all phone must have come from a Verizon provider. Is this a royal web page screw up or does this mean that Tracfone has expanded their smart phone network affiliation and not told anyone? Or is Tracfone throttling back the LTE access and not saying anything? I sure would like to hear more information from anyone in the know.
November 26, 2014 at 7:21 PM
Do you get "triple" minutes with 'BYOP'?
November 27, 2014 at 3:20 PM
Just switched my iphone 4s 16gb over to the BYOP at tracfone. Here are a few tips to save yourself some headaches and save a few bucks (actually...quite a few)!
First:
http://www.saveontracfone.com/TracFone-CDMA-Activation-Kit.html
Use this link to purchase a network activation card. The actual tracfone site offers to ship a card to you for use. The site above will email you a code within an hour after purchase. Its $7 and worth it in the time you will save.
Next:
My call to Verizon requesting an unlock went surprisingly well. Literally... just request your phone to be unlocked from the call rep. Most likely they will try and sell you on another plan...but stay strong and don't take the bait lol.
The port and conversion process took about an hour....it was pretty painless.
Next steps....very important!...Choosing a phone plan!
https://www.tracfone.com/direct/Purchase?app=TRACFONE&lang=en&fromPopup=yes&payGo=true&promoId=69980&cardType=TSAPP4001Y
Tracfone is currently running a promotion that doubles your airtime minutes you purchase. I purchased two of the 1 year plans at $199....I also purchased a $20 double your minutes on future purchases card (also listed on the page)
That's a total of $420.....this is where it gets interesting. At this point..I'm sitting at 3000 minutes and two years of continuous service. BYOP members get triple the points though, correct? So I was actually credited 9000 minutes and even more text messages (somewhere in the millions) lol.
9000 minutes for $420 is a deal unmatched anywhere! To put this in perspective I used the data from my old Verizon account:
On average I use 300 minutes a month talking on the phone. Over 1yr that is 3600 and 7200 over a 2yr period. My bill was $130/mo or roughly $1500 yearly. I literally purchased 3 years of minutes with tracfone ($400) for roughly 3 months worth of Verizon contractual service($390). Lol...so insane! The tracfone staff my not be the easiest crew to work with...but the headache has a huge payoff!
Thank you for reading....hope this helps someone out there!
November 27, 2014 at 9:03 PM
They changed the "Bring your own phone" sign up page.
Has anyone found a way to check if they phone's serial number that they want to use is accepted or rejected by tracfone?
Thanks,
.
December 4, 2014 at 7:41 AM
Yes they did. They also lowered the price to get activation code. But until they fix the site, you can use http://www.saveontracfone.com/Bring-your-own-phone/ to check you MEID or ESN. then, if it is good, use the tracfone site, buy your code, and set up your phone.
Jim/Wiz1
December 4, 2014 at 9:55 PM
Thanks for the reply and instruction, will do.
December 5, 2014 at 4:40 AM
Successfully registered a pre-owned Verizon iPhone 4s online last night. I entered the MEID and paid $10+tax during registration to get an activation code. Note that the MEID number should be entered as the serial number for Tracfone, not the serial # in the phone, otherwise you will get an error. I had to enter the MEID more than once during registration and activation. It gave me the option to get a new phone number for my area, transfer an existing number from another Tracfone, or transfer a number from another carrier. You'll need to enter an airtime card to complete the activation. I purchased a 1000-min card from Tracfone's website for $160 and everything was tripled to 3000 minutes, 3000 texts, and 3000 MB data. That's still an unannounced deal that works with Android smartphones and apparently iPhones too. Great deal, everything done online, very happy.
December 5, 2014 at 8:17 AM
Any one being told can not get on? have Tracfone with Verizon service now. the iPhone I have is good with Tracfone on web site and by phone but told not available in my zip
December 8, 2014 at 4:51 PM
I'm planning on getting used htc droid incredible from verizon but i'm not sure how the byop works. i have over 2500 mins on my current tracfone and i'm afraid that i'd loose it. can someon please tell me the steps/process on how to transfer from tracfone to htc. thanks!
December 8, 2014 at 7:47 PM
has anyone registered sprints CDMA devices yet? i just chatted with tech support and they didn't say ANYTHING about how it only has to be verizons phones and that it needs to not have LTE... i've been looking at the sharp aquos crystal, and its a CDMA phone so according to the restrictions on the website, its fair game...
December 12, 2014 at 3:57 PM
Is it true you can get a Galaxy s3-s5 through tracfone byop? I saw it on a website.
The link is: http://www.saveontracfone.com/Samsung-Galaxy-S5-4G-LTE.html
Or: http://www.saveontracfone.com/Phones/
Thanks.
December 13, 2014 at 12:02 AM
I have gotten a Galaxy S on the Tracfone network. I bought it on eBay. It was previously a Verizon phone. I needed to buy a $9.99 network certificate from Tracfone. The Tracfone folks told me I needed to go to a store and buy one. They were oblivious to the fact that it could be done online.
After that, I put the Galaxy S on Tracfone.
However. Verizon problems ensued. Verizon hobbles this phone with their firmware. I couldn't install any sort of streaming audio like TuneInRadio. I couldn't go to a website and stream any audio. Ironically, I could run Netflix which is many times the bandwidth.
Verizon had a policy a while ago where they would have phone manufacturers install "special" firmware that disabled features that were standard in phones. I still have a Verizon flip phone where they disabled USB charging, USB up/download of photos and the likes for profit. The standard Motorola phone had the function but again, VZW disabled it for profit.
The Galaxy S has similar firmware in that you can't even go to a website and stream their audio.
I tried re-flashing the Operating System to Cyanogen Mod (7, 9 and 10). NONE of them would allow Google Play to run. I could install it successfully but it wouldn't show up in Apps. I've done this successfully with tablets so I know how to do it but a "previous Verizon phone" won't allow a CM OS to co-exist with Google Play.
So here I am again. Only crappy choices of "smart phones" with Tracfone.
I don't understand why Tracfone won't allow premium phones to be bought for a price, only bottom of the line phones.
Perhaps that's their business model. If they had good phones, more people would use them. Or... perhaps because they're "in bed" with Verizon with their CDMA towers, Verizon doesn't want the competition.
December 13, 2014 at 11:52 PM
DOUBLE DUCE
I HAVE A IPHONE 4S WILL IT WORK IN THE 44039 ZIP CODE AREA?
December 16, 2014 at 6:17 AM
Yes, you get 3x minutes 3x text and 3x data with BYOP Tracfone.
December 16, 2014 at 1:54 PM
Activated two refurbished Moto G phones from:
ebay seller cellularstream. They were like new - Very Nice Phones
Paid $50 each and then $10 each to activate less than $6 for nice DURA-FROST Fosmon cases from Amazon - Buy 1500 minutes online trippled to 450 minutes - Best deal going for Tracfone!
Happy Holidays
December 17, 2014 at 9:08 AM
http://tracfonewireless.com/byop/ is working properly again on 17 Dec 14. Go to that link, enter your ESN (MEID) and your 44039 zip. If both are good it will tell you and ask if it is active. Your NORTH RIDGEVILLE, OH area is covered for service according to Tracfone.
Good Luck
Jim/Wiz1
December 17, 2014 at 2:10 PM
I went perusing through PhoneArena's list of Verizon phones and filtered it to "budget" android phones. Almost all of the phones are 4G but there was one I found that may not be. It's the LG G Vista. According to one comment on Verizon's website it is a 3G phone. It has a 5.7" screen with a quad-core processor.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/carriers/Verizon
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/LG-G-Vista_id8737
http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/g-vista/
December 17, 2014 at 8:42 PM
Never mind. I just watched a video review which says the G Vista is 4G LTE and it even says so on the back of the phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCEfTauE5eg
December 17, 2014 at 9:31 PM
I'm trying really hard to find a way to get a better phone than Tracfone's current offering. Has anyone tried using a 4G phone but turning 4G off? http://teckfront.com/force-3g4g-android-4-4-kitkat-device-commands/
December 18, 2014 at 2:11 PM
Edit: 1500 minutes tripled to 4500 minutes plus 4500 texts and 4.5 GB data from Tracfone website
Merry Christmas
December 20, 2014 at 10:32 AM
I never took my SIM card out of my 4s. Everything works fine.
December 20, 2014 at 9:52 PM
WILL A NET 10 SIM CARD WORK ON A TRACFONE BYOP?
December 21, 2014 at 9:07 AM
Sadly no, because Net10 uses the GSM network, while tracfone uses cdma technology which is imbedded on the phone itself. Largely depends on the phone and what you are trying to activate.
December 23, 2014 at 2:54 PM
Is this link true? http://www.phonerated.com/new-tracfone-phones-and-plans
Moto X and Samsung galaxy J are listed here as new 2015 phones.
December 23, 2014 at 3:04 PM
Samsung Galaxy J DoCoMo is a great phone, but at $350-$400 ?
We're talking Tracfone where $35-$40 is more the real world norm.
December 28, 2014 at 8:30 AM
Do you guys think that Project Ara (Google's modular phones) will work with tracfone? I read somewhere that you would be able to choose between 3G and 4G chips, so to me it looks like it is possible.
December 29, 2014 at 2:29 PM
I tried to activate a used/refurbished iPhone 4S; the experience was frustrating, time-consuming, and unsuccessful. I started with TracFone's web site. Upon entering the phone's serial number, I received the go-ahead and entered the number of my current TracFone (LG Android). The next step would have been to port the number, but I received a warning that there was no "data service" in my area. I found that odd; the LG Android phone transfers data via Verizon. So, I stopped and sought tech advice from TracFone. The tech advisor was helpful, but the process was almost endless because of time needed for him to download some info. In the end, he told me to ignore the on-line info because it pertained non-smart phones (not sure about that). He then offered to complete the process on the phone. However, when he did it, he said that TracFone would not accept the iPhone's serial number. So the process stopped. I decided to try again on-line, but when I entered the iPhone's number I was informed that it was already registered. Yes, I'd registered it, but apparently it was not possible to go back and start anew with that number. I'm sending the phone back to Amazon, but might try again. The phone was too nice not have it.
December 31, 2014 at 5:16 PM
Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Mark: I have a HTC Droid Incredible 2 That your online tool says is
compatible with Tracfone, but I don't want to switch unless I can get
triple time, text & Data like you're offering on website to people who
upgrade to an Android phone!
Mariam: Hi Mark.
Mariam: Thank you for visiting TracFone Wireless.
Mark: Good morning
Mariam: Good morning.
Yes, with our Bring Your Own Phone Program you will be able to get
Triple Minutes benefits. Every time that you add an airtime card to your
phone you receive Triple Minutes, Text Messages and Data.
Mark: That is a definate Guaratee
Mariam: Yes.
Mark: guarantee
Mark: Kool, thanks so much for your help
Mariam: You are welcome.
Mariam: Thank you for chatting with TracFone Wireless. If you have any
further questions or concerns, please contact one of our customer care
representatives at 1-800-867-7183. For your convenience, our
representatives are available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 AM to 11:45 PM
EST.
Mark: can this chat go to my email
Mariam: Yes, I will send you the transcript to your e-mail.
Mark: thanks so much, Happy New year
Mariam: You are welcome.
January 5, 2015 at 9:04 AM
Thanks for sharing confirmation on this!
January 6, 2015 at 12:29 AM
Second time was the charm. The process was quick and seamless. My TracFone number ported to the iPhone 4S in less than an hour. Process of syncing email accounts, calendars, contacts, etc. all accomplished in short order. I learned that voice mail is accessed via *86 not "1" as with the LG. Cheers.
January 7, 2015 at 6:33 PM
Regarding network activation: The activation card BYOP is $10.50, not $9.99 aa stated above.
January 14, 2015 at 5:51 PM
I recently activated an iphone 4 through the bring your own phone program and transferred my number and units from an older double minute tracfone. No additional airtime was purchased. After the transfer, all the units transferred to my new phone, only now they were labeled voice, text and data. Will the direct transfer of my number cause the byop iphone 4 to use double minutes instead of triple minutes?
January 15, 2015 at 6:46 AM
Just added my 80-year-old mom's Jitterbug (MEID) phone from her previous Tracfone Big Easy Alcatel phone and it transferred easily --- all done online in 30 minutes or less! Since Jitterbug is simple it doesn't have a text or email feature but I set her up a Tracfone account prior to the transfer and verified the minutes balance and they carried over accurately plus it gave the account an additional 30 days!
January 18, 2015 at 11:08 PM
New Tracfone cell phones. Alcatelonetouch.us shows Tracfone to have one 4 g LTE, one LTE, and 4g cell phones. The cellphone store opens on January 28, 2015. Question, how soon does Tracfone offer 4g service? Then we should be able to bring other 4 g cell phones.
January 27, 2015 at 7:48 AM
Looks like there will be a new phone for tracfone by LG. It's call LG Access. This phone will have a 4.5 inch screen, Android 4.4, 1.4 Dual Core.
The link you can view is: http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-L31L-access-lte
January 27, 2015 at 9:38 AM
I have an Alcatel one touch, it works great but it is the 3g tracfone version.
They, Alcatel might make a 4g version, but it's not the tracfone Verizon version
January 28, 2015 at 2:22 AM
Interesting !
The carrier is listed as Tracfone, but the technology is listed as GSM, LTE.
Tracfone might be up to something new.
January 28, 2015 at 2:25 AM
This service should be called Ruin Your Own Phone.
I had a perfectly good Verizon iPhone 4s with a clean ESN that I tried to transfer to TracFone. Have been a long time and loyal Tracfone customer. Called to activate the iPhone and transfer my existing pre-paid TracFone plan with over a year of service left on it and the end result was that TracFone registered the ESN with Net10 (one of their sister companies) and tell me that it can not be undone. So my previously perfectly good and sellable iPhone 4S is now a worthless piece of shit. Thank's TracFone.
This appears to be nothing more than a bait and switch marketing plan, making TracFone customers loose the balance of their prepaid TracFone service and 'upgrading' them to a crappy $35/mo Net10 service plan.
February 6, 2015 at 2:54 PM
Will an ipad2 with 3G and CDMA work under the Tracfone BYOP program?
February 9, 2015 at 9:25 AM
I just switched over from an LG420 (flip) to a 64gb iphone 4s. This phone was a used Verizon that had no service when I received it. The hardest part was locating the 'code' on my old phone to plug into the website. I did everything online and it took about an hour after I got offline for the service to drop on my old phone and be picked up on my new phone. pretty seamless. I got the phone off ebay and though a lot of people absolutely refuse to send the IMEI or MEID number to the phone that they are selling, there are more than plenty who will, so don't get upset, just move on to the next one. At one point, I was watching 12+ iphones that would work on the tracfone network. Oh, and UNLOCKED is no guarantee that it will work on the tracfone network. Just verify the number before you buy, and you're good. Most people would think that a 3.5 inch screen is pretty small, but coming from a screen that was only 1.75, this is more than enough for me.
February 13, 2015 at 6:29 PM
I am currently using an iPhone on the BYOP plan, but am looking for an android option as well. I'm looking at the Samsung Galaxy S5, and read a review on Amazon that said it is NOT a 4G device. Has anyone tested to see if it can be activated on Tracfone?
February 20, 2015 at 2:51 PM
I was able to activate a Moto G 1st Gen on Tracfone.Works great!
February 23, 2015 at 1:21 PM
I was able to upgrade my old LG 800G phone to HTC Incredible 2 on Tracfone using their BYOP web page with no problems. I got the phone unlocked with a clean MEID on Ebay. I was able to keep my same phone number by just transferring my existing account to the new phone upgrade. The only problem with the transfer was that I lost a ton of minutes (over 1400 min) down to 178 min. during the process. I am currently trying to contact Tracfone Customer support on this matter.
February 23, 2015 at 3:22 PM
"Tracfone" as a carrier also means Straight Talk and Net10. They are always ahead of native Tracfone on changes and new models. This phone is already available there and a Verizon 4G LTE network variant the L30L is coming soon.
It'd be great if Tracfone would get them soon though!
March 2, 2015 at 9:22 AM
Activated a Motorola Moto G 1st gen to Tracfone BYOP. Simple and quick!
March 7, 2015 at 5:18 PM
Yes, because it is 4G too! Unless you decide to go only the 3G route and never activating it.
March 8, 2015 at 7:07 PM
I just purchased a Moto G which was used barely over 6 months. I had no problem activating it transfering my Tracfone number to it. It works great with tracfone now.
March 9, 2015 at 12:41 AM
Bought a new iPhone 4s from BestBuy. Called Tracfone to set it up, Tracfone customer service, sorry, but useless and told me to call Verizon because they couldn't "find" my phone. Called Verizon, and they actually ended up going on the Tracfone website and walked me through. If it was worth it for me switch I would've. But you just have to type in your EISN number, go through the tutorial, and pay the $9.99. Try to go through the website, and not call customer service, and you can set it up fine, as long as it's a Verizon or unlocked phone.
March 10, 2015 at 5:16 PM
I received this email from Tracfone today:
Thank you for your interest in TracFone Wireless. We are responding to your recent inquiry.
You can bring a 4G LTE phone but you will not get the 4G LTE network since we only offer 3G.
For further information please go to www.tracfonebyop.com.
If you have any further questions or concerns, you may contact us via Chat or contact one of our customer care representatives at 1-800-867-7183. For your convenience, our representatives are available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 AM to 11:45 PM EST.
Thank you for being a TracFone Wireless customer. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
TracFone Wireless
I also had it confirmed in a chat, after they first told me no, but then checked for updates.
Can anyone actually confirm it with a 4G LTE phone?
March 11, 2015 at 3:50 PM
FLASH!!! I was just on the TF site. They changed the BYOP page. It now shows 4 colored boxes.
Box one says "at&t compatible or unlocked" (blue)
Box two says "T mobile comp. phone" (purple)
Box three says "Sprint comp. phone" (yellow)
Box four says "other carrier/don't know" (red)
Looks like TF now accepts phones by other carriers other than Verizon!!!!!!!!!!
I'm worried. No mention of Verizon.
April 1, 2015 at 1:05 AM
I activated a used Moto G (Verizon non-contract) phone to the TracFone service. My account and phone number transferred over with the use of customer service (15 minutes) and TracFone added 2 months of service time (no additional time though).
April 4, 2015 at 5:59 PM
How did you get the MEID number before you bought the phone? Who was the seller?
April 4, 2015 at 10:22 PM
Yes. I activated one for my wife. Just check the MEID first.
April 5, 2015 at 8:02 PM
It looks like Tracfone is going 4G LTE, I just saw this in a popup-tracking Ad.
http://www.saveontracfone.com/Phones/
Anyone know what's going on with Tracfone?
April 14, 2015 at 6:44 PM
This forum needs an update as some 4G LTE phones qualify for BYOP.
April 14, 2015 at 10:39 PM
Tracfone now has 4G LTE available, has anybody tried it?
Which phone did you use?
http://tracfonewireless.com/byop/
April 15, 2015 at 3:08 PM
I just purchased an iPhone 6 unlocked. Finally found the Sim card for 4G LTE at www.saveonTracFone.com. Should arrive a couple of days I will up date this site after I get it installed . I did find someone on YouTube that successfully installed TracFone on a iPhone 6+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MPm933snRU
April 16, 2015 at 8:19 AM
Wouldn't any VZW CDMA phone work? I know there is a Verizon CDMA Galaxy note 4...
April 23, 2015 at 2:11 PM
i bought a used 1st gen moto g verizon prepaid phone, and just switched over to tracfone...piece of cake!!!
April 24, 2015 at 5:36 PM
Can someone explain the difference between "must be a Verizon phone" and an unlocked 3G or 4G phone that may work on BYOP? Can an unlocked, former Verizon phone be activated without getting locked back ?? I have a Droid3 3G phone which works fine except I would like to still be on tracfone but have it unlocked to use when I travel outside the US. I found out last year in England that it is still locked so was of no use except on wi-fi.
April 25, 2015 at 6:58 PM
Any recommendations for reputable sellers on Amazon for a Galaxy S4 of S5 for BYOP?
April 26, 2015 at 5:54 PM
Filing got my iPhone6 up and running on TracFone. One problem is there is no app for iPhone to check your time and data usage. So I downloaded a android tablet on my PC: Called Andy.and installed the TracFone app. Which works fine. it Pings my iphone and give me up-to-date minute and data left. Unknowingly I purchased a Sim card from TracFone with a new number to make sure the phone was going work before transferred my existing TracFone number to the iPhone6.
During the whole process with TracFone Tech support did not mention that the transfer my existing phone number that they had to send me another Sim card!!
TracFone Teck support is pretty bad !!! hard to under stand. One other problem I ran into was they suggested that I using WY-Fi for data to turn off the cellular connection. I was trying my voice mail and wasn't getting a response on the iphone for messages. Come to find out that cell phone data has to be on to receive Voice mail messages.
I hope this information helps.
May 2, 2015 at 10:11 AM
Will the One Plus One every going to work with this program?
May 3, 2015 at 1:38 PM
My gsm900v is great but tracfone apparently doesn't know how to activate it on the Verizon network where I live. I got a sim from them but they tell me there is an error transferring my service from my old Huawei glory to the new s5. First they thought there was no coverage but found out verizon had the best coverage and there were towers in my area. Now the fourth 24 to 48 hours later phone call I didn't even get a ticket number for my problem. Maybe I can find out how to contact the ceo with my issue and tell him to hire people whose FIRST language is ENGLISH so that they understand me an I them. Something needs to give here. Is there a better CS number to call for the higher departments as tracfone says they are referring my issue to? Any help is greatly appreciated.
May 4, 2015 at 8:18 PM
Where did you purchase it from? I am thinking about purchasing an iPhone plus unlocked from apple would that be compatable?
May 4, 2015 at 8:38 PM
Hello, I checked compatability for my LG 2, no luck. I would appreciate any ideas from those you had success with LG 2. Tracfone would only say the software was not compatable
May 7, 2015 at 7:43 PM
I've had nothing but trouble trying to get a sim card purchases through tracfone for my Moto Razr M 4G LTE. Their website will let you submit an incomplete form by accident and to top it all off none of their phone or chat support seem to know anything about this process still. I'd maybe go somewhere else, but then customer support in this country is below techsupport when it comes to their corporate budgets...sigh
May 10, 2015 at 7:39 PM
I bought a manufacturer refurbished Droid Mini on Ebay and got it working perfectly with Tracfone
May 11, 2015 at 10:30 PM
I got a Moto X to work. It was a hassle, and took a whole week from the time I received a SIM card from Tracfone. They sent me the wrong size SIM card, so I had to cut it down. Getting past Tracfone's customer support staff to a technician was a chore, but that's what I needed to do to get the SIM card activated. Then I had an SMS problem, but they fixed that after a couple days. If you are not patient, Tracfone's BYOP program may not be for you. In the end, Tracfone came through and fixed everything for me. Everyone was very polite and tried to be as helpful as they could be. I have a working phone now.
May 27, 2015 at 1:27 PM
will a moto g 2nd gen and a moto e 2nd gen work
June 3, 2015 at 3:46 PM
I bought a verizon iphone 5 off ebay. The meid number is ok and so was my zip code. I got an activation kit from tracfone. I put in the new sim card and got an error. I called several reps and they got errors. If I try to make a call it says not activated with verizon. Do I need to unlock from verizon? If so, how do I do that? I am willing to pay reliable party to get it done.
June 9, 2015 at 3:47 PM
Will Verizon LG Lancet work on Tracfone BYOP?
June 11, 2015 at 12:48 AM
I bought a new unlocked Verizon Galaxy S4 and connected it to Tracfone. No problems getting it hooked up. I now get 4G.
Only problem thus far is determining balance of minutes/data. Tracfone"s My Account application does not work. When I check my balance online the numbers displayed are different than the amount texted to me.
IMHO the quality of the phone overrides this inconvenience.
June 12, 2015 at 9:45 AM
I purchased a new Moto G phone and was told by a Tracfone Customer Representative that it will never work on Tracfone. I asked if I used it on a Verizon Program for 6 months then could I use it on Tracfone. They emphatically said No! This goes against everything I have read on their websites.
June 24, 2015 at 5:20 PM
How did you do that??? I just talked to a tracfone representative and they told me I could never use my new Moto G on tracfone even if I had it on a Verizon program for six months.
June 24, 2015 at 5:25 PM
I just activated a samsung galaxy S3 and it works great, the only problem is the my account app doesn't work. I got my sim on ebay for $3.99 just type in tracfone 4g.
June 26, 2015 at 4:22 PM
Any GSM Smartphones that will work with the BYOP service?
I do not see any for sale other than old LG 306 that is not even an Android phone.
I see on the site it says only CMDA phones, but when I talked to a rep they said I could bring an unlocked GSM phone. As you know reps do not always have things straight. I am looking to buy a smartphone to use instead of my Alcatel One Touch Pop that worked fine in Texas, but in northern Wisconsin not getting any service near home. Wife has a basic GSM phone on Tracfone that works fine in home area.
July 5, 2015 at 9:08 AM
Is anyone using a Verizon Iphone5 on TracFone?
Cust Svc tells me that I cannot get Triple min for this non-android byo phone.
Not only that, the $20 double minutes card will not work either.
Is this true?
July 7, 2015 at 2:49 PM
It wasn't on the list, so I wanted to post that I recently activated a Verizon Galaxy S3 as a 4G LTE phone. It's working great, and my number and balance carried over fine (though my balance was rounded down to 300 each of texts, minutes, and MBs of data from about 360; maybe because I was coming from a flip phone without data?). I got the phone for $100 on ebay, and it's pretty great.
July 20, 2015 at 4:44 PM
New Windows Phone Activated on BYOP
I just wanted to share a happy outcome. After wondering about using a Windows Phone on BYOP, I invested in a "Bring Your Own Smartphone Sim Kit" for 4G LTE phones through the online store for $6.99 which was delivered to my New York address via Fed Ex with free shipping
I had researched registering a new Go Phone (GSM on AT&T) or an unlocked new phone Windows Phone (Microsoft Lumia 935) via chat with two Tracfone representatives and both confirmed that this will work. My long term experience (good and bad) with Tracfone representatives left me a little dubious.
I called a couple of stores selling Go Phones to inquire and got answers that suggested this would not work, but I thought about it and realized I could return the phone within 14 days if things did not go well so I decided to give it a try
I ended up at a Walmart store in the Middletown, NY area where I found and purchased Microsoft Lumia 640 Go Phone (GSM), a newer and a larger model for $79.86.
I used the web site to transfer my service and number. Within a few minutes, the SIM card showed up in my Tracfone account as a transfer in progress and my old phone was already showing up as inactive.
About two hours later, the phone was active and I was able to make calls and connect via WiFi. My phone number and minutes were successfully transferred as well. When I signed into may Tracfone account, because it is not a "Tracfone", the entry shows as a registered SIM card (with image) with the nickname I selected.
To summarize, you can buy a brand new cellphone and use it with an existing or new account on the Tracfone network. It does not need to be unlocked and may not need to have been activated (my phone was brand new (unopened) and was not previously registered with AT&T). Based on my experience, the list of compatible phones is now much larger that suggested.
As for the phone itself, in this case, this AT&T Go Phone with Tracfone's SIM card boots up with the AT&T logo and had AT&T apps pre-installed for used on this Windows which is uses Windows Phone 8.1 OS and will be upgradable to Windows 10 Phone. If you never looked at a Windows Phone, you may be pleasantly surprised compared to Android or even IOS. Note that there is no Windows Phone app for Tracfone, but I was able to check on my account by going to the web site and logging into my Tracfone account on the phone via WiFi (saved as a favorite).
I had looked for others writing about upgrades to the BYOP program that began at about the end of June, 2015 to support 4G LTE phones and found nothing. I'm hoping this post will encourage others to consider phones other than those offered by Tracfone to find one that you really want whether it's an Android, Apple or Windows phone.
dr bug
July 25, 2015 at 6:08 AM
Will this phone work on Tracfone service ?Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-S968C 16GB - Carrier Tracfone..
July 25, 2015 at 1:11 PM
Successfully setup my droid DNA with tracfone! Was just 94 dollars on eBay! Refurbished excellent condition.
August 5, 2015 at 2:40 PM
Can't get from a May 4, 2014 @ 8:18 PM entry to the next page that you supposedly push "Load More" and it changes to "Loading..." and never goes anywhere! It has been like this for at least 5 or 6 days now . . . PLEASE HELP Someone!
August 6, 2015 at 1:31 AM
Any GSM byop's???
August 8, 2015 at 2:51 PM
Yes worked for me is what I'm using now.
August 10, 2015 at 4:56 AM
Connected an unlocked AT&T iPhone 3GS, successfully transferring the account from a Tracfone Umax Patrioit. Everything working connected to a tower called "HOME" everywhere here in NE Ohio. Only thing not working is MMS Pictures...but I can live with that, I will just send them via WIFI. Process took ~6 hours once I requested it via the Tracfone BYOP WWW page, tech support was useless to make it happen.
August 22, 2015 at 6:02 PM
I have a current tracfone. Want an Iphone 6. Will minutes still triple on an Iphone 6? Will existing minutes and phone number move over to the Iphone 6?
Thank you.
August 24, 2015 at 4:51 PM
I have an iPhone 5 on the tracfone BYOP that has been recalled due to the defective sleep/wake button, has anyone had any luck with converting back to their old phone or knows whether it is possible!
August 31, 2015 at 2:14 PM
The iPhone 5 works great, you still get the triple minutes, you just aren't able to view them on your phone, your have to access your balance on the website!
August 31, 2015 at 2:20 PM
I have a iPhone 5s unlocked, will it work with the byop, and will i get triple minutes?
September 2, 2015 at 2:52 PM
does tracfone work with a Samsung galaxy edge s6 unlocked.
September 8, 2015 at 1:15 AM
Has anyone tried to activate an Amazon FIRE phone, AT&T GSM on tracfone ? Did it work ?
September 12, 2015 at 4:00 AM
As far as I know, a few GSM phones that work on AT&T networks (as opposed to Verizon's) they just came out for Tracfone. But, you cannot buy them on the tracfone site - yet.
One I considered is: LG L31 Access LTE, (L31L) Am not sure if it only runs on GSM 4G or if it also runs on 3G? But, it doesn't have much memory, etc. so I am here considering getting a better phone and attempting to BYOP.
So far I've collected...
Tracfone Bring your own 4G LTE GSM Phone List:
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 16 GB
Samsung Galaxy S3
LG G3 - 32 GB
Motorola Moto X 4G LTE - 16 GB
Motorola Moto G 4G LTE - 8 GB
HTC 1X - 16 GB
Blu Stdio 6.0 - 16 GB
Asus ZenFone 2 - 16 GB
Good luck!
( haven't made my decision on this yet so far. Want a phone that will work both on 3G AND 4G...)
September 18, 2015 at 2:59 PM
I'm writing this comment on a Nokia Lumia Icon over Verizon LTE with Tracfone BYOP. There's no real distinction at Tracfone between Windows phone and Android, so you can just go through the regular Android procedure to activate one. Don't expect help from tech support if you break something, but it all just works if you go through the procedure correctly.
The first sim card I got didn't work for some reason (I think it might actually have been hardware damage), but I called Tracfone and they sent me a free identical replacement. The replacement worked out of the box - I activated the sim online, popped it I the phone, and 30 seconds later I had 4g LTE service through Tracfone.
You don't get the Tracfone app with Windows Phone, but the Tracfone app never worked very well for me anyway. I just pinned the websites that let you check your balance and add airtime to my start screen, and it's been working fine so far. Data sense lets you manually enter a data limit, so I just type it in every three months when I add a card.
Data speeds have been as advertised, call quality has been acceptable, text messages have come through reliably and on time, and voicemail works just like you would expect it to. MMS can be a little dodgy at times, but it was dodgy when I had an android Tracfone as well, so it may just be a network issue on tracfone's end.
Overall, Tracfone BYOP works just fine with a windows phone. Be aware that tech support probably can't help you if you have a problem, but I've been using it for a few months now without any major issues.
September 19, 2015 at 6:08 PM
I just activated a Moto X Pure Edition on Tracfone. It took a bit of finagling, but it works really well now.
September 24, 2015 at 6:05 AM
does this phone work it says its only lte bands but i want to know
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K15KRV6/ref=psdc_2407749011_t1_B00K15Q2B0
September 28, 2015 at 3:16 PM
My Galaxy Note 3 (Verizon) works like a charm with Tracfone! I bought my own Tracfone activation kit from www.saveontracfone.com (which comes with a micro-sized SIM card) and just followed the steps in the manual for activation. The only problem I encountered was that I lost my minutes, texts, and data. However, I was prepared for this to happen and had already taken a picture of my account balance on my old phone. I contacted Tracfone's online customer service and sent them the picture along with my explanation. Not only did I get my minutes, texts, and data back, but they DOUBLED the amount! Plus, I was able to keep my old phone number. I'm also loving the Note 3. It may be a couple generations old, but it's a HUGE upgrade over the LG Ultimate 2 (1080p video playback, high screen resolution, 32GB space, 4G, and more). The only drawback is that you can no longer use the Tracfone app on a BYOP phone. You have to check your account balance on the website from now on. I encourage others to give the BYOP program a try! :D
September 29, 2015 at 5:14 PM
Has anyone with a Verizon Moto G (1st Generation) running on Tracfone been able to upgrade Android to KitKat or beyond? My phone always tells me my version is current. Will it upgrade over WiFi or do I have to used Tracfone's wireless connection?
September 30, 2015 at 10:49 PM
So the Samsung galaxy 3 MINI would connect ?
October 4, 2015 at 9:35 PM
OK I have a question,
This phone is on your list, its one I'm looking at
Tracfone BYOP 4G LTE GSM Phone List:
Samsung Galaxy S5 - 16 GB on Amazon
Now here's my question, (btw TF can't seem to answer it in a clear cut manner.)
On the TF site it says, "Compatible OR unlocked" I'm still trying to pin down what the hell "compatible OR unlocked" means to TF when it comes to a GSM At&T phone for their BYOP program Does it mean the same thing or not. I know about the SIM kits, but I need a verification from TF that ANY GSM At&T weather locked or unlocked phone can be registered and used on TF.
IF TF had compatible AND unlocked, that would be clear enough, so I assume even if the phone is "locked" to At&T, it's considered "compatible" and should work.
I see the Samsung s5 on this list , now my question is, was this for a GSM At&T "locked" phone, or did it have to also be "unlocked" to work with a kit?
I have seen Samsung S5 900A's listed as locked to At&T and also listed as unlocked, I need to know which TF will accept.
October 15, 2015 at 9:11 PM
I just set up using the BLU Studio C Super Camera phone (4G GSM). It only took 5 minutes to set it up. Awesome phone with a fantastic camera!
October 17, 2015 at 1:15 PM
Well this just blew my hopes. Been looking at IRULU's great new v3 victory, 100% unlocked phone with a 6.5 screen and appears it's not gonna work with Tracfone. I've been very satisfied with their service for many years but trying to find a great phone I really like is impossible if I stay with them. Thanks guys, and ladies for helping clear up some of the mess.
November 2, 2015 at 10:01 PM
Someone have Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge? Whatever GSM or CDMA.
I don't find this phone Unlocked CDMA.
November 3, 2015 at 2:23 AM
I successfully purchased a Verizon LG G2 and got it on tracfone. Thank you very much for the articles and forum!
How does this phone get Android updates now? I'd like to get 5.1.1 as there are some Lollipop bugs on the phone.
November 4, 2015 at 4:04 PM
I am confused, my phone is a nokia lumia 635 Windows phone, previously with tmobile, now unlocked. I have called Tracfone multiple times and have never gotten the same answer. I am told yes Tracfone will work and I have been told no. Also if it's eligible for double or triple minutes, and the same answers. What do you think?
November 9, 2015 at 12:37 PM
I recently activated an LG V10 on Tracfone's BYOP 4G LTE CDMA service. I had to purchase through Verizon wireless. Paid retail price upfront and had to make a decision on a month to month phone plan. Once I received the phone, I activated it through Tracfone and canceled my service with Verizon. LOVE THIS PHONE!
November 9, 2015 at 9:01 PM
Tried calling TracFone (USELESS). I want to upgrade to the iPhone 5S but want to know if I can still just buy regular TracFone airtime cards, or will I have to sign up for Straightalk or other monthly service for $45.00 a month?
Also, I will be buying this used unlocked iPhone 5S on eBay. TracFone said I need to know who the "previous service provider" was (Verizon, ATT, Net10, Sprint, etc) in order to find out if I can use it with TracFone.
I don't know who the previous service provider is.
I haven't bought the iPhone yet.
I need to know this BEFORE I buy it (so I know which one to buy). For some reason, the TracFone agent said he can't tell me who the previous service provider must be until AFTER I buy the iPhone(???).
Surely I don't have to "cross my fingers" and hope the used unlocked iPhone 5S I buy on eBay will work with TracFone lol! So FRUSTRATED!
November 12, 2015 at 4:38 PM
Recently transferred phone number and minutes from another android 3g phone to a used Verizon G3 cdma 4g lte. Transference was flawless and fast. Couldn't be happier with the process. Highly recommend.
November 13, 2015 at 6:08 PM
Did you ever get it to work?
November 20, 2015 at 5:39 AM
Can I buy a Verizon gsm lg g4 and put it on tracfone service?
November 23, 2015 at 12:22 PM
Thanks to the advice from this website, I just upgraded from my ZTE tracfone to a Samsung Galaxy S5, and everything worked right away. Let me tell you what I bought and what I did.
1. I bought the Tracfone Galaxy S5 for Verizon used from Amazon.com.
2. I bought the Tracfone Verizon 4G LTE Activation Kit from saveontracfone.com. It came with GSM (AT&T) or CDMA (Verizon) and all sizes of sim cards. I punched out the Dual SIM CARD Micro for use with CDMA LTE Compatible devices.
3. I didn't put the sim card into my phone right away.
4. I Charged the battery on the Samsung and mostly set it up my new phone just using WiFi.
5. I was able to transfer over my apps and content, partly by moving my 32 Gig SDE memory card over from the ZTE to the Samsung.
6..I called Tracfone (1-800-706-3839) and told them I wanted to transfer my minutes and phone number from the ZTE to the new Samsung. Most of the numbers that I needed were in the activation kit. I found the IMEI number under the battery in the Samsung.
5. About 20 minutes after I hung up, my ZTE stopped being able to make or receive phone calls. That's when I installed the SIM card in the Samsung and tried making a phone call and everything worked.
November 23, 2015 at 1:20 PM
I left a comment almost a month ago, but it hasn't appeared yet? I used the BYOP and added an LG V10, bought new through Verizon. Transfer of service was easy and I love my new phone!
November 25, 2015 at 9:44 PM
Hi, I've wanted to use an iPhone on tracfone and I would really like to use a 4G LTE phone. I've never owned an iPhone before and I've never used the BYOP plan before. I'd probably go with the iPhone 6 now that I can. But with a newer phone is the price still $7 a month on the tracfone plan? Or does it cost extra? Also would an iPhone 6 have to be unlocked to use it on the plan?
November 26, 2015 at 9:47 PM
Just checked my IMEI for a new unlocked iRULU V3 on tracfone's BYOP site..they SAY it will work..I will update if I decide to use their service.
November 28, 2015 at 2:14 PM
If I BYOP, do I still buy the minutes on the tracfone site (or purchase a card) like I normally would? Also, do the BYOP's qualify for triple minutes/data/texts?
November 28, 2015 at 3:45 PM
Non Android CDMA phones CAN be used with the BYOD program! I had two older Samsung Juke phones that Page Plus was no longer able to activate anymore. So, I thought as a last resort. I'll try Tracfone. I tried one at a time. And yes, I had to buy the activation card for around $10. So, they transferred my regular cdma Tracfone minutes and due date to the 2006? Samsung Juke. It took minutes. And the minutes I had were placed into the 3 different "buckets" that Tracfone does when one buys minutes for androids....Only drawback is (as was with Page Plus), is that only talk and text features will wor on a "regular" cdma phone. Even though they send an amount to your data bucket it is useless as you are unable to use Verizon's features, like music player etc. And Tracfone's CSR's think you are using an android or some other Smartphone. So if you ever decide you want to switch back to another phone...you have to get lucky and hope the CSR you speak with will understand you are not using an android phone. Tracfone, for some unknown reason, will NOT allow you to get your android minutes BACK if you want to go back to a regular phone. You have to beg. You have to try and convince them that you are unaware of this "policy" they have. Sometimes you just have to hang up on a CSR that is not "working with you" and call back. Then pray that this new CSR will actually permit you to have the minutes you are entitled to BACK!
November 29, 2015 at 7:54 AM
Any1 know if the new nexus lg 5x can work on tracfone its
299 not bad for a cell thats 16gb any tried making it work
December 1, 2015 at 5:32 AM
I purchased a Nexus6 64GB UNLOCKED phone to use with Tracfone BYOP. This phone works on both the Verizon CDMA and AT&T GSM services. The AT&t set up was easily done online, but I wanted to use Verizon CDMA towers, for some reason I kept getting an error when trying to set up for Verizon. I called TracFone Customer service and they had my phone service set up for Verizon CDMA in about 5 mnutes!
December 2, 2015 at 11:00 AM
Just remember everyone, if you've never had smartphone or use one and decide to go back to a simple talk and text Tracfone for whatever reason Tracfone will not transfer any minutes back to a regular cdma "old skool" device. They can and will transfer your phone number, but that's it.No minutes. They say "that's their policy"!!!! On another positive note though they were able to transfer my minutes and number to an older model Samsung u-470 JUKE phone....I had to by a byod card for $10, but the transfer worked...please note you'll only get talk and text features, but Tracfone DOES make it a TMFL phone!!!.......for what it's worth .
December 2, 2015 at 3:02 PM
Earlier today I purchased a Moto G 3rd generation unlocked cell phone at Best Buy. Using a Tracfone BYOP sim kit I was able to activate the phone using the Tracfone website and following instructions. The only problem that I encounted related to installing the micro SIM card upside down and getting " No Sim Card. Emergency calls only" message on the phone screen.
December 2, 2015 at 5:03 PM
Hi,
I have successfully activated and used a Pantech Flex P8010 AT&T phone with Tracfone
December 3, 2015 at 9:05 PM
Greetings everyone, does anyone know if a Nexus 5 D5820 32GB REFURBISHED phone will qualify for the Tracfone BYOP program? So, two separate questions really. Will a Nexus 5 D5820 work, second will a refurbished work. Thanks for your help. Love the site!
December 10, 2015 at 7:38 AM
are you allowed to use a old nokia flip phone on this service that is unlocked and att not blacklisted.
December 10, 2015 at 9:20 AM
Will I be able to keep my number if I change from my cdma s3 to a gsm blu phone?
December 12, 2015 at 11:33 AM
I have a galaxy s4 straight talk phone and was told I couldn't use as a tracfone, but when I turn on the phone it has the tracfone logo?
December 15, 2015 at 11:09 AM
Considering giving my iPhone 6 a try, but I'm unsure if I will retain all the functions that I currently have, Call Forwarding, Text with Pictures etc...
Have any out there made the jump with an iPhone 6?
December 21, 2015 at 11:44 AM
I was considering moving my iPhone 6 to the BYOP, but I'm still unsure about losing any of the features that I now have... It is unlocked. Is Anyone out there using the BYOP with a iPhone 6?
December 21, 2015 at 11:47 AM
I have a similar problem with an unlocked Verizon Moto E bought on Ebay. The Tracfone website said that it was compatible, and as a matter of fact they sell a Tracfone Moto E on their wesite. However, they do not say if it is Gen 1, which I suspect it is. Mine is a Gen 2. I have had several trouble tickets and discussions with various customer service people. Besides the ridiculous statements they make, they have not yet been able to activate this telephone. Although it was originally noted as compatible via their website tool, they now seem to be saying it is not listed. I just can not understand their problem. I will try again in a few days. Maybe they will figure out what they need to do.
December 21, 2015 at 6:31 PM