How to port number to Tracfone?

This blog post will provide you with detailed information about porting your phone number to the Tracfone.it covers the requirements and steps to port the number to Tracfone.it will also provide you with the detailed steps to port a number to Tracfone.

How to port the number to Tracfone?

You can port the number to Tracfone by using the following steps.

  • Check the compatibility of your phone.
  • Visit the page “ Transferring my number from another company” 
  • Click on the “ Agree to the terms” option.
  • Click on the “continue” option.
  • From the new Tracfone, enter the wireless serial number and then click on the “continue” option.
  • Inform your previous operator about porting the number.

What is a Tracfone?

Tracfone wireless is a well-known prepaid service provider. It is abbreviated as TFWI (TracFone Wireless, Inc.). Tracfone is a no-contract cell phone service provider. It is an MVNO and it makes use of other wireless network towers. It has rights to use the towers of T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. 

Verizon acquired TracFone Wireless in 2021, presently TFWI is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications. Earlier TracFone service was limited to their own branded phones. Because these phones were locked to the Tracfone service provider by using an internal SIM. 

In 2013 Tracfone started the” bring your phone program”, under which subscribers were able to put Tracfone SIM cards in a compatible CDMA phone like Verizon CDMA. In 2015, Tracfone extended this service for compatible GSM phones. 

Tracfone wireless network also operates several other services including straight talk, simple mobile, total wireless, net ten wireless, total cellular, etc. 

Is Tracfone MVNO?

YES, Tracfone is an MVNO. Tracfone does not have its network towers. It operates the services by using four major networks; AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. If you are a Tracfone subscriber then depending on your phone and location you will be using one of the major networks. 

But the important point is that you will not be using all four network carriers at a time. During network congestion, priority is given to the original network subscribers by all these four major networks. 

Why port number to Tracfone?

Tracfone bis no-contract prepaid network provider. Tracfone is an MVNO ( mobile virtual network operator). That means Tracfone doesn’t have its towers, but it makes use of other wireless network towers. It operates services by using the towers of T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. 

What are the key features of Tracfone?

Some important key features of Tracfone are as follows 

  • It offers a no-contract prepaid cellular service. 
  • Operates on major network carriers including AT&T, Verizon and Verizon, and T-Mobile. 
  • Offers 4G LTE and 5G data speeds. 
  • You can keep your old phone number and switch to Tracfone. 
  • Provision of Wi-Fi calling. 
  • Provision of visual voicemail. 
  • Offers multi Month discount. 

Pros of Tracfone 

Some of the important pros of Tracfone service providers are as follows. 

  • No contract prepaid cellular service and no activation fees. 
  • The least expensive cell phone plans start at $7 per month and $20 for three months. 
  • Faster data and phone connections using major network carriers including AT&T, Verizon Verizon, and T-Mobile. 
  • Cost-effective plans for moderate data usage. 
  • Supports mobile hotspot. 
  • Offers “Bring your phone service”. You can continue using your old phone number. 
  • Provision to carry over-usage credits for all plans provided that your service is active. 
  • Cheap international calling as per the plan limits. You can add the countries using the Global card. 
  • Offers three virtual Mexican phone numbers with no extra charges. So that your friends from Mexico can call you using the local calling rate. 
  • Offers customer care service by phone or chat. 

Cons  of Tracfone 

Some of the cons of Tracfone are as follows. 

  • Cell phone plans are complex. 
  • Expensive for heavy data users. 
  • Does not offer international text messaging. 
  • Video streaming at DVD quality. 

Requirements and steps to port the number to Tracfone

Porting is preferred if you want to keep your existing phone number. Your phone device must be unlocked and compatible with Tracfone. Most of the CDMA and GSM phones are compatible with Tracfone. Many MVNOs that run on the major network are also compatible with Tracfone. You can port your number to Tracfone under the “BYOP’ (Bring your phone) program.

What are the eligibility criteria?

  • The cell phone should not be reported as blocked or lost.
  •  An account concerned with the device must be active.
  • Depending upon prepaid or postpaid plans, the device should satisfy all necessary unlock requirements.
  • All your bills must be clear.

How to Unlock a Mobile device?

To unlock a mobile phone, you need to enter an unlock code. The following steps are used to unlock any mobile device.

  • First, check whether your cell phone is eligible for unlocking.
  • Request customer care for the unlock code.
  • Insert a blocked SIM and switch on the device.
  • Press the select key and enter unlock code.

Unlock policies of some major network carriers

Some network providers offer cell phones which are already unlocked. But if the cell phone is locked then there are certain policies to unlock the device.

Verizon

4G LTE smartphones of Verizon are already unlocked. So naturally, you don’t need any code to switch the network carrier.

But if you have purchased a 3G World Device cell phone from Verizon, then it is locked.

 Unlock code for 3G World Device cell phone is 000000 or 123456.

If you have a 3G prepaid phone then it can be unlocked only after 12 months.

AT&T

Prepaid phones from AT&T can be unlocked even after six months of service.

Using the device unlock portal of AT&T, one can easily unlock the device.

Sprint

The recent cell phone devices are automatically unlocked by Sprint. Along with basic criteria, an important restriction is that your cell phone device must be active for at least 50 days before unlocking.

For older phones, if you are eligible for unlocking then you will get a notification from Sprint. You will get an unlocking code from the sprint to unlock the device.

MetroPCS

There is a unique code word to unlock a Metro mobile phone. Using this codeword, it can unlock the mobile device. Once the phone is unlocked, we can insert a SIM card from other wireless carriers like T-mobile.

The unlocking process depends on whether your device has an unlock app or not.

How to unlock the phone using the unlock app.?

If your Metro device has an inbuilt unlock app. then by using the following steps you can unlock the device

  • Open the app list and select a  device “unlock app”.
  • Then click on “Continue”.
  • Select the permanent unlock option.
  • Restart the device.
How to unlock the non-app phones?

If your Metro device does not have an inbuilt unlock app, then you need to follow an alternate procedure.

  • Gather the details of your account which should include a PIN.
  • Make use of an email id that is registered with a network provider.
  • Contact customer care support and request unlock code.
  • After receiving an unlock code, enter this code to unlock the device.

T-mobile

To unlock a T-mobile phone, you need to enter an unlock code. The following steps are used to unlock the T-mobile device.

  • First, check whether your cell phone is eligible for unlocking.
  • Make a request to customer care for unlock code.
  • Insert a blocked SIM and switch on the device.
  • Press the select key and enter unlock code.
For iPhones
  •  First, check whether you have satisfied all eligibility criteria.
  •  Then contact T-Mobile customer support to submit a form for unlocking your device.
  •  Once you unlock your Device, T-Mobile’s site provides a guide for using your phone with other network carriers.
  •  Check that you are connected to the internet or T- mobile network.
  •  Go to your setting App and follow the steps on your Device. 
For Samsung phones
  •  Tap Connections
  •  Go to More Connection Settings
  •  Select the Unlock option.
For One Plus mobile
  •  First Tap Wi-Fi and internet
  •  Then select SIM and network
  •  Finally, select the Advanced option or Network Unlock option.
For LG phones
  •  First tap Network and internet.
  •  Then select Mobile networks.
  •  Finally, select the Network Unlock option and then click on select Continue.
For T-Mobile Revvlry phone
  •  First tap Network & Internet option
  •  Then go for Mobile network
  •  Finally, select the Advanced option and then the Network Unlock option.

An important step is that, on any device, select the Permanent Unlock option to unlock your phone and then restart the device.

How to use Mobile Unlock Service?

  • Outside of carrier service to unlock your phone, there are different paid services to unlock it for you.
  • If you do not meet the carrier’s eligibility criteria, you can go for these paid unlock services. Though these services are legal gray area.
  • These services are hassle-free, you just need to provide them with your IMEI number(International mobile equipment identifier). You can get it by using the following steps.
    • iPhone – Settings > General > About then finding the “IMEI” number.
    • Android – Settings > About Phone > Status then finding the “IMEI” number.

Steps to port a number to Tracfone

  • Check the compatibility of your phone.

 If you are not sure whether your cell phone is compatible with Tracfone or not, you can use the following steps to check the compatibility.

  • Open the official website of Tracfone
  • Select the “shop” option.
  • Click on the “Bring your own phone” option.
  • Select the “ check compatibility” option.
  • Go to the page “ Transferring my number from another company” and read all the instructions.
  • Click on the “ Agree to the terms” option.
  • Click on the “continue” option.
  • From the new Tracfone, enter the wireless serial number and then click on the “continue” option.
  • Inform your previous operator about porting the number.

How can I activate my old Tracfone number?

You can activate your old Tracfone number by using the following steps

  • Open the official website of Tracfone.
  • Log in to your account.
  • Select the option “I have a Tracfone phone”
  • Enter the IMEI number of the phone.
  • Read and accept the terms and conditions.

Options available by registration with Tracfone

Once you will register for the Tracfone services, you will be eligible to opt for several options from the service provider.

  • Purchase a new phone from Tracfone, you will get a new sim card and a new number.
  • You can swap the sim card between Tracfone phones.
  • You can port your phone number to a new network provider.

But before porting your number, you need to satisfy certain criteria. You need to contact customer service to get the relevant information for porting. Porting is usually done if you want to keep your existing phone number.

Below are other TracFone Wireless articles you may be interested in:

How to change your Tracfone number?

Conclusion:

 This blog post addressed the topic, “How to port the number to Tracfone?” Here we understood the major pros and cons of Tracfone. This article outlined the steps used to port your number to the Tracfone number.

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): How to port the number to Tracfone?

Is Tracfone the same as T-mobile? 

T mobile is a major cell phone carrier. T-Mobile makes use of its network. It has roaming agreements with other major carriers to improve the network coverage.

Tracfone does not have its towers. It is MVNO(a Mobile virtual network operator). The Tracfone uses four major carriers, namely Verizon, AT& T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. But you don’t have a choice to move from one network carrier to another. 

Is a Tracfone SIM card compatible with unlocked GSM phones? 

Tracfone makes use of a SIM card. So you can easily switch to the Tracfone network from other network carriers. If you have an unlocked GSM or CDMA phone then you can use a Tracfone SIM card. 

What are the pros of Tracfone? 

Some of the important pros of Tracfone service providers are as follows. 

  • No contract prepaid cellular service and no activation fees. 
  • The least expensive cell phone plans start at $7 per month and $20 for three months. 
  • Faster data and phone connections using major network carriers including AT&T, Verizon Verizon, and T-Mobile. 
  • Cost-effective plans for moderate data usage. 
  • Supports mobile hotspot. 
  • Offers “Bring your phone service”. You can continue using your old phone number. 
  • Provision to carry over-usage credits for all plans provided that your service is active. 
  • Cheap international calling as per the plan limits. You can add the countries using the Global card. 
  • Offers three virtual Mexican phone numbers with no extra charges. So that your friends from Mexico can call you using the local calling rate. 
  • Offers customer care service by phone or chat. 

What networks does Tracfone use? 

Tracfone does not have its network towers. It operates the services by using four major networks; AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. If you are a Tracfone subscriber then depending on your phone and location you will be using one of the major networks. 

What are the cons of Tracfone? 

Some of the cons of Tracfone are as follows. 

  • Cell phone plans are complex. 
  • Expensive for heavy data users. 
  • Does not offer international text messaging. 
  • Video streaming at DVD quality. 

What are “As you go on plans”? 

These plants are available in 60, 90, and 365 days increments. If any subscriber purchases a particular plan and uses all the Talktime in the first few days then for the remaining days they will not be able to make or receive any calls. But to handle such situations one can always use the least top-up options. 

References : 

How to Switch a TracFone Number to Another TracFone

By Maya Walker

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-switch-a-tracfone-number-to-another-tracfone

Guide to Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

How To Transfer Your Tracfone Number

And Keep Your Minutes

https://www.prepfone.com/transfer-tracfone-number.html

How to Port a Number to a Tracfone

By Angela Reinholz

https://itstillworks.com/port-number-tracfone-7166731.html

What Phones Are Compatible with Tracfone

Herrick Justin by Herrick Justin

https://phonedealstoday.com/2021/09/01/tracfone-compatible-phones/

Can You Transfer Your TracFone Number to Another Service?

By Ryan Cockerham Updated March 15, 2019

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/can-you-transfer-your-tracfone-number-to-another-service