Bring Your Own Smartphone to Tracfone

Bring Your Smartphone to Tracfone

Tracfone 'Bring Your Own Phone' Program

A new program from Tracfone allows consumers to bring certain smartphones to use with Tracfone prepaid service.

A few months back Tracfone somewhat quietly launched their BYOP program, allowing access for consumers to a wide variety of new phones beyond the Tracfone branded devices.

A long standing complaint with Tracfone for many users was their typically outdated and limited phone options. Tracfone released five Android powered smartphones in 2013, but these phones didn't meet everyone's needs. The LG Optimus Dynamic II, which is probably the best phone of the five, still has certain drawbacks, and retails for close to $100.

But now with Tracfone BYOP, the game has changed. You can choose from a wide variety of Android and Apple smartphones and bring them to use with Tracfone service.

There are certain requirements for the BYOP program:

• Phone must use Verizon CDMA 3G network
• Phone must be out of contract or unlocked
• Phone cannot use 4G/LTE 

See the complete list of BYOP requirements to learn more.

What this does is make it possible to use phones like the Motorola Droid 3 and iPhone 4S with Tracfone prepaid service.

Visit our BYOP Phone List for the full updated phone list.

Many of the phones that will work with the Tracfone BYOP program can be found on Amazon or eBay for around $100 new, or below $50 used. Some people have already found really great deals on smartphones and successfully activated them with Tracfone.

It is important to note that the BYOP program might not be for everyone. It does require you to find and buy your own phone, and there is no guarantee that once you have a phone Tracfone will accept it. BYOP phones will have Triple Minutes, but they won't accept Tracfone Promo Codes.

You can test the serial number or MEID with Tracfone to check compatibility by visiting their BYOP page.

The system is still new, and some people report having a hard time activating their smartphone. Some have even had their minutes or phone number lost. So know that it might take a bit of patience to activate your smartphone.

We would appreciate any feedback from those who have successfully activated phones with BYOP. Let us know in the comments what phone you chose, and how the process went.

Visit our Tracfone BYOP page for the central resource on information, requirements, and phones that work with BYOP.

Thanks for visiting, and leave a comment if you have questions or thoughts.

Tracfone Deals and Phone Sales May 2014

A List of Great Deals, Discounts and Sales for May 2014

Deals, Discounts and Sales on Tracfone Cell Phones

Here at de9w2dsl we love to help people get minutes for free with promo codes. But we also love to help you save money by highlighting some of the best recent discounts and deals from around the web.

Tracfone is a prepaid wireless cell phone company that offers low cost phones and minutes plans around America. Sometimes you can even find their phones online at a great discount.

Today we will highlight some of the best deals, sales and discounts on Tracfone cell phones from around the web.

These discounted cell phones sometimes include great deals on minutes, so find the sale that works best for you!

Deals, Discounts and Sales on Tracfone Cell Phones

Here are 5 deals we've scooped up from around the internet. These deals don't always last long, so don't wait to check them out.

Let's get this list of deals kicked off with an Android phone from Tracfone:


1. Samsung Galaxy Centura with 1 Year/400 Minutes just $109
The Samsung Galaxy Centura is an Android powered smartphone from Tracfone with WiFi and a 3.5" touchscreen.

The Centura originally retailed for $129, but is now available on Amazon for $79 (without the minutes bundle).

This great deal includes the Samsung Galaxy Centura, plus a 1 Year/400 Minutes card (which usually costs $99) for $109 from QVC. You also get a few other accessories including a case.

Check out the Deal - Samsung Galaxy Centura plus 1 Year/400 Minutes

Read our Review of the Samsung Galaxy Centura


2. Motorola EX431G Triple Minute Phone for under $10
The Moto EX 431G is a somewhat older phone but it has a full QWERTY keyboard for fast texting and most importantly, Triple Minutes for Life.

If you're holding out with an older Tracfone that only has Double Minutes for Life, you should switch to this, or something else that has Triple Minutes for Life.

The Moto EX 431G is on sale for a low price of $7.99 on Amazon

Another option is to get the Moto EX 431G with 2000 minutes for $99 from QVC if you need the minutes!


3. LG Optimus Dynamic II for $90

LG Optimus Dynamic II

The Optimus Dynamic II is currently the newest Android smartphone offered by Tracfone and comes with Android 4.1 and the largest touchscreen at 3.8".

The phone originally retailed for $129, but is currently $89 on Amazon. There are also other deals available for the LG Optimus Dynamic II that bundle it with minutes, so keep an eye out.

Check out the Deal - LG Optimus Dynamic II for $89
Also, LG Optimus Dynamic II with 200 minute card just $99

You can read our full Review of the LG Optimus Dynamic II to learn more about the phone.


4. ZTE Valet Smartphone plus Minutes Bundle - $59
The ZTE Valet is a recent Android 4.1 powered smartphone from Tracfone. It has a 3.5" touchscreen and Triple Minutes for Life (as do all the other Android Tracfones).

This deal has the Valet plus a 200 minute phone card bundled for just $59 on Amazon.

The ZTE Valet typically retails for $60-100.

Check out the Deal - ZTE Valet plus 200 Minute Card (600 Minutes total with Triple Minutes)

Read our Review of the ZTE Valet and learn more about the current smartphones available from Tracfone.


5. LG 440G - A Simple Flip Phone for $5
The LG 440G is a durable, simple flip phone from Tracfone that is a great choice for a backup or emergency phone.

With a long battery life, camera, and 3G connectivity, the phone has all the basic features.

Best of all the LG 440G is currently on sale for just $5.

Check out the Deal - LG 440G for $5 from BestBuy online.

Read our Reveiw of the LG 440G


That's the current best deals we've found. We hope you find this list useful, and get a great deal if you are buying a new phone.

Be sure to visit our Tracfone Promo Code page for codes to get free minutes when you add a new minutes card. But note, the Android smartphones won't accept promo codes.

Follow us on Facebook where we post updates and news, and our community keeps each other informed on the latest deals from around the web.

Thanks for visiting, and leave a comment with your thoughts or questions!

How to find your lost iPhone.

(This story is told through the eyes and words of an iPhone)

The memories are foggy as to how my owner lost me, but that's not really what's important here.  What is important is that she found me, thanks to a really knowledgeable and awesome dude (The MacMentor), and a really smart mom (who kept her Apple ID and Password safe).

So here's what I remember...I was having a blast with my owner, down at the beach.  She was living it up, tanning and having fun with her friends, it was a great day!  A few hours go by, the sun started to set, and the next thing I know, she's gone!  Left without me.  I was so sad!  I didn't know what to do, so I waited, and waited and waited.  Thankfully I had a full battery charge.  My only hope was that my owner (who asked to remain anonymous here) remembered her Apple ID, and password.

So here's what happened next (I know because she told me).  My owner was so nervous that her mom was going to go berserk, but thankfully she has a Mac Guy who could help her, his name is The MacMentor (aka, Geoff Horwitz).  She called The MacMentor and told him of her terrible situation and asked him what to do.  The MacMentor asked her if she knew her Apple ID.  She gave him the ID she thought she used, and The MacMentor went to his trusty Mac, opened up Safari and proceeded to go to http://icloud.com.

Once there, he entered the Apple ID and Password my owner gave him (hidden for obvious reasons).  Sadly, he got a message back from iCloud that the Apple ID and password had not been set up!  The MacMentor shook his head in disbelief.  If iCloud had not been set up, how on earth would I (the iPhone) be found?  The MacMentor was sure that my owner had set up her iCloud, so he had her call her mom.  What happened next was just plain awesome!  Thankfully mom had written down the Apple ID and password my owner used for iCloud.  So, mom opened up Safari, went to iCloud.com and signed in with my owners Apple ID and password.

When mom did that she came to the screen capture above.  Next, mom pressed the Find my iPhone button which took her to a map, similar to the one below, but for security reasons, the map below is simply being used as an example.

It's a little hard to see, but on the top right of the screen capture above, there's a window with me, the iPhone, and underneath three buttons.  Play Sound, Lost Mode and Erase iPhone.  Mom was able to locate the iPhone on the beach where my owner had forgotten me, but it was dark out, and it would be really hard to find me!  So, mom called The MacMentor, and he told her to press the Play Sound button (I tell you, that MacMentor dude is a genius!).  This story keeps getting better!  You see, thankfully my battery still had plenty of charge, and I was still on.  So when mom pressed the Play Sound button on iCloud I started making a loud sonar noise.  And low and behold, a few minutes later, even though it was dark, my owner and her friends heard me calling her and she came and got me!  Yeah!  I love stories with a happy ending, and thanks to the wonderful MacMentor, and a resourceful mom,  I didn't get washed up in the tide and lost at sea!

So the moral of the story is this.  If you own an iPhone, make sure you sign in to iCloud, and make sure you remember your Apple ID and password!  And it would help if you knew The MacMentor as well...:).

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to keep your iPhone and iPad safe, using iCloud!

Tracfone Promo Codes for May 2014

List of New Tracfone Promo Codes May 2014

Provided below are a list of promo codes for Tracfone cell phones updated for May 2014. These codes are collected and provided by de9w2dsl.

Tracfone Promo Codes May 2014

Tracfone Wireless is a cell phone company offering low cost prepaid cell phones and service plans to people across America. They sell prepaid minute cards in most stores, as well as online.

When adding a prepaid minutes card to your phone, you can also use a promo code to get additional minutes for free, as a bonus!

We have collected these codes just for the month of May, to make it easy to find a code that is working. If you want more codes, visit our full Tracfone Promo Codes page!

You don't need to do anything to get these codes, simply find them below and enter one as you add a new phone card.

We hope you find this list of codes useful, be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts and questions, and also like our Facebook page where we update with the latest news and codes!

Now here are the promo codes for May 2014:

Tracfone Promo Codes for May 2014

These codes work with 60 minute cards up to 450 minute cards. Codes will work for a certain minutes card, and any card of larger value. (So the code for a 60 minute card will work for all minutes cards)

60 Minute Card - Use code 84464 and get 30 bonus minutes.

120 Minute Card - Enter promo code 69665 for 30 bonus minutes.

200 Minute Card - Put in code 72524 and get 40 bonus minutes.

450 Minute Card - Use promo code 93528 or 63257 for 50 bonus minutes.

400 Minutes/1 Year Card - Enter code 93729 for a great bonus of 250 minutes free.

These are the codes for May! Hope you find this useful and get some free minutes! Leave a comment with which codes you used and worked, and share this with others who might find it useful.

Please note, the new Android phones from Tracfone don't work with Promo Codes, but they are pretty good nonetheless. Check out our cell phone reviews page to see all our reviews, or read our post about iPhone 4/4S available on Tracfone.

Didn't find a code to suit your style? Visit our full promo code page for many more options!

Also check out our Deals, Discounts and Sales for May 2014 on Tracfone Cell Phones!

Thanks for visiting!