This post is used to track low-cost phone deals on the TracFone website.

TracFone phones can now be unlocked after just 2 months of normal use, which makes them a very attractive option for picking up a cheap phone.

TracFone offer (be sure to go through a Shopping Portal)

The best cashback site right now is TopCashback

TracFone has a referral bonus. After activating the phone, you can join the Rewards system, with each referral earning $80 in service credit

  • You can enter the referral code on the website or in the app (some may already be full; if so, try the next one):
  • LHYM-C0E2 (the middle digit is 0), BVLN-5642, LPSP-2436

For the follow-up plan, you can choose the $10 version. After 2 months of personal use it can be unlocked (tested: even without renewing service, leaving it in a drawer for 2 months still works). You can also trade it in directly, or use SIM cards from Simple Mobile, Total Wireless, and similar brands.

  • TracFone phones support Wi-Fi Calling, and they work perfectly outside the U.S. (including China).

[2023.4 update] This post hasn't been updated in a long time, so here's a refresh. TracFone recently started allowing points to be redeemed for Amazon/Walmart gift cards, but the rate is pretty bad at 0.2c/point, and you can only redeem one card at a time. 5,000 points gets you $10. For people who don't mind the points, this doesn't matter. Joining the points system through a referral code can give you 5,000-8,000 points, which means you can at least get back $10, so that's not bad either.

  • You can enter the referral code on the website or in the app (some may already be full; if so, try the next one):
  • LHYM-C0E2 (the middle digit is 0), BVLN-5642, LPSP-2436

Also, on the website, the better phone deals are:

  • Refurbished iPhone XR, 64G for $99.99
  • Refurbished iPhone 11, 64G for $164.99

If you just need a phone for personal use, go with the new XR or 11. If you're only after the deal and want to trade it in later, refurbished is definitely a good fit for you (trade-in prices are the same for new and refurbished phones). Purchase link:

[2022.1 update] TracFone updated the unlock terms for Apple devices on its website:

  • Devices purchased before November 23, 2021 can be automatically unlocked after 12 months of normal TracFone service
  • Devices using Verizon network service and purchased on or after November 23, 2021 can be automatically unlocked after 2 months of normal use

If there is a good phone promotion, TracFone iPhones can be a very solid deal.

See the official explanation:

For all Apple devices activated with TracFone prior to November 23, 2021, the device will be automatically unlocked after 12 months of active TracFone service.

For Apple devices activated with new TracFone service on the Verizon network on or after November 23, 2021, the device will be automatically unlocked 60 days after activation in the absence of an indication of fraud.


[2021.3 update] The $50 off method is no longer working. Now, stacking two codes only gives $30 off.

Background

Recently, TracFone phone deals (locked) have been pretty decent. In particular, the iPhone SE2 can be had for $161 pre-tax, and the SE2 is excellent value. In addition, Simple Mobile, TracFone, and Total Wireless are all under the same company and share the same T-Mobile channel, so their locked phones can be used interchangeably. A while back, many people picked up TracFone SIM cards with huge amounts of service credit, and those can be put to use here as well.

HT: WeChat reader V1ctor

How to buy

All discounts combined at TracFone cannot exceed $30:

Get the 25% first-order code [optional, alone it can be $50 off]

First, go to the official website, scroll to the bottom of the page, find this, and enter your email.

Wait up to 5 minutes, and you'll receive an email with your exclusive 25% off code.

Get the 15% SE2 discount code [optional]

This depends on your luck. Stay on the SE2 purchase page for a few minutes and it may be pushed to you; it's only 15% off.

Buy on the official website

Go through a Shopping Portal (currently TCB 12%) to make the purchase on the official site:

Find the iPhone SE2. It must be purchased with a bundled plan. Choose the lowest $25 plan.

Use codes

  • First code: the exclusive 25% or 15% code you received by email above
  • Second code: ERTG10
  • Third code: ERTG15
  • Fourth code: NYE21
  • No matter how you stack them, the maximum discount is $30 off

After applying the codes, the checkout price becomes $194.99 pre-tax.

Trade-in supported

As shown above, TracFone allows phone trade-ins. You can try trading in a few bricks for some purchase credit. DP reports are welcome!

Checkout

Checkout can only be paid with a credit card. You may want to use a card that earns extra rewards on wireless purchases, such as:

This can save you at least another 6.25% (assuming points are valued at 1.25c/point). Order approval is almost effortless, and you can choose FedEx 2-day shipping (free) or 1-day shipping ($4.95).

TracFone phone orders do have some cancellation risk, so feel free to share any ordering tips.

Cost summary

Pre-tax total cost: $194.99 * (1 - 12%) * (1 - 6.25%) = $161.

After tax, the cost is roughly between $170 and $180.

After activating the phone, using a referral code can get you $100-$160 in service credit.

Phone activation

TracFone has a referral bonus. You can try redeeming it separately on the web and in the app. Each referral gives $80 in service credit, which means you can get $100-$160 in service credit.

  • You can enter the referral code on the website or in the app (some may already be full; if so, try the next one):
  • KWKB-B711, QIMW-400A (the two digits are 0), CDHJ-2F9A

Path: My Dashboard -> My Rewards -> open My Dashboard -> find Enter Code, then redeem it

What to do next with the phone

TracFone requires 12 consecutive months of use before it can be unlocked (you can change plans in the second month). In addition, you may want to consider:

Trade-in

Just don't use it and trade the phone in directly. There isn't currently a particularly good buyer.

Keep using it

There are two main ways:

1️ Earn service credit through being referred and referring others (the bonus needs to stay pending for two months), then use the lowest-cost plan. Keep it active for 12 months to unlock.

2️ Keep it locked and use SIM cards from other brands in the same family. For example, the TracFone SIM cards introduced on the blog before. Many readers also earned service credit through referrals, with the highest total reaching $1,600. If you choose the $10 plan, that's enough for 160 months of use.

Using a SIM interposer

If you plan to use a SIM interposer long term, it is not recommended as your primary phone.

Forced unlock

This method applies to most locked iPhones (unknown whether it still works).

  • First use the SIM interposer to unlock the phone
  • Go to Settings -> SIM card application -> ICCID and enter 89014104279605344555
  • Send/accept the activation, then remove the SIM interposer!

Note: after unlocking, do not factory reset the phone; you can update iOS.

What to do with the phone number

If you don't want to keep using it, don't forget to port it out to another carrier within one month and take advantage of port-in promotions, such as the ones introduced on the blog:

Port-away details:

  • Acct: the last 15 digits of the SIM card ID number
  • Pin: the PIN used when creating the account

Closing

This deal is still pretty good. The cost is slightly higher than Cricket at its lowest price, but the referral bonus is very generous. It is suitable as a primary secondary line.