Can I Use My Iphone 5 On Tracfone Service

Do you lot want to employ an iPhone with Tracfone Wireless? Well you tin and in this commodity I'll explain what you demand to know.

Update

I just bought an new iPhone SE from Tracfone. To learn more than read my article and see my video here Using Tracfone Wireless with the New iPhone SE (2nd Gen 2020)

Tracfone Wireless offers affordable cellular service for customers with small needs for a cell telephone service. Many people would dearest to take advantages of all the benefits of using an iPhone without having to pay $600 or more per year for prison cell phone service. With Tracfone, you can take an iPhone or other smartphone with active service for as little as $125 per twelvemonth or only under $11 per calendar month. This a neat option for someone that wants to use an iPhone but doesn't talk on the telephone much and program to employ your iPhone with Wi-Fi to for Internet Service.

If y'all desire to use an iPhone with Tracfone y'all'll take a choice to buy and iPhone directly from Tracfone or y'all tin can Bring Your Own iPhone to Tracfone.

Ownership an iPhone from Tracfone

Tracfone sells equally express number of iPhone models. They commonly practice non offer the latest model iPhones instead opting to sell less expensive models from previous years. Sometimes you can go a really proficient deal on an iPhone directly from Tracfone, Run into my Tracfone Deals Page to see the latest deals and offers bachelor, Tracfone Latest Deals and Promo Codes

Bring Your Own iPhone

Do you want to sign up for Tracfone and use it with your own iPhone? Well, yous can and in this article I'll explain what yous need to know.

As of this fourth dimension there is a long list of iPhone models that can be used with Tracfone including the iPhone xi Pro Max, iPhone 11Pro, iPhone 11, iPhone SE (2nd Gen 2020) the iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone viii Plus, iPhone viii, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone half-dozen, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5. Note that as of April 2019 I do non recommend the iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, and before models for utilise with Tracfone and these phones do not support 4G LTE networks.

When y'all sign up for Tracfone, you'll have a choice yous tin buy an iPhone direct from Tracfone or you tin Bring Your Own iPhone. Tracfone doesn't take a wide choice of iPhones available but sometimes yous can go a actually good deal on an iPhone directly from Tracfone. Sometimes y'all can buy the same brand new iPhone for less from Tracfone than you could if you bought it directly from Apple and sometimes for less than you would pay for a refurbished or used iPhone online from Amazon, eBay, or Craigslist. Each calendar month I mail the latest Tracfone deals here, so check that out if y'all don't already have an iPhone to apply with Tracfone.

How Tracfone and Bring Your Own iPhone Works

Before trying to bring your own iPhone to Tracfone it's important to empathise how Tracfone works. Tracfone doesn't have their ain cellular network, instead they uses either AT&T'southward, Verizon's, or T-Mobile'due south cellular towers. When yous utilize Tracfone, your phone will exist on one of these 3 networks. When you bring your own iPhone to Tracfone you'll need to buy a Bring Your Own Phone SIM Kit in a retail store or online directly from Tracfone. If you lot already have your iPhone, yous'll need to buy or use the SIM Kit that is compatible with your phone. Nearly people that bring their iPhone to Tracfone bought that phone from their previous carrier which is most probable AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Dart.

If your iPhone was from AT&T or T-Mobile information technology will work with the Tracfone AT&T or T-Mobile SIM respectively without a problem. If your iPhone is from Verizon, it needs to exist eligible to employ it with Tracfone'due south Verizon SIM. To find out you'll need to cheque the phone's serial number on tracfone.com to see if it tin be used. Verizon requires that the serial number of any phone that is activated to use their towers. (its a Verizon thing, same for Sprint, but not AT&T or T-Mobile). If your Verizon iPhone was reported lost or stolen yous will not be able to activate it. If your Verizon iPhone is currently nether contract on a payment plan information technology volition not exist eligible.

This works out well because if you are say an AT&T customer with an AT&T iPhone y'all tin can use it with Tracfone's AT&T SIM. The iPhone is compatible with AT&T, AT&T should have service where you use your phone because y'all were an AT&T customer, and Tracfone nearly likely has coverage on the AT&T towers in the same area. The same for Verizon and T-Mobile. Where it gets a little catchy is if your iPhone came from one carrier merely you want to use it on different towers with Tracfone. For example, yous have an AT&T iPhone but want to use it with Tracfone's Verizon towers.

Your iPhone Needs To Be Uniform With The Network Or Towers You want to apply it with

Your iPhone needs to be compatible with the network or towers you want to use it with. That is, the cellular radios in your iPhone demand to be compatible with the cellular technologies and radio frequencies that network uses. Some model iPhones that Apple tree sold are uniform with all four big cellular networks, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. Some models are simply compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile. For example, Apple tree fabricated one model of the iPhone 6s that works with all four carriers. But they fabricated two dissimilar models of the iPhone 7. One that works with AT&T and T-Mobile, the other for Verizon and Sprint (but also works with AT&T and T-Mobile..)

Locked, Unlocked, and SIM-Free iPhones

I get a number of questions well-nigh whether or non your iPhone can be locked or unlocked to use it with Tracfone. It depends. If your AT&T iPhone is locked you can still apply it with Tracfone'south AT&T SIM card. Same for a T-Mobile SIM iPhone. Verizon iPhones are not locked but you need to cheque the serial number to make sure information technology can be used with Tracfone's Verizon SIM. Ironically because Verizon iPhones are unlocked and compatible with the AT&T and T-Mobile networks you lot can use the phone with either Tracfone's AT&T SIM or Tracfone's T-Mobile SIM.

A locked iPhone is when your wireless carrier prepare your phone to preclude it from being used with a SIM card from another wireless company. Sometimes wireless carriers exercise this to prevent you from taking a telephone on a contract or payment plan and using it with another service earlier you lot have completed your payments. So even if your iPhone is uniform with another network, it won't operate with another companies' SIM card. Well-nigh carriers will unlock an iPhone for free after you accept met their requirements in their unlocking policy, see Unlocking Your AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint iPhone. If you are unsure whether your phone is locked or non you can borrow a SIM from a friends phone (that uses a unlike carrier) and effort information technology in your phone. If you can make a call with it, the telephone is unlocked.

If you want to purchase a brand new iPhone that is unlocked and can be used on whatever of the four networks in the US, Apple sells what they phone call the "SIM-costless" selection of each model phone they sell. The phone is unlocked and tin can be activated on any service that uses the AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or Dart networks. No other retailer sells SIM-Costless models, except for Best Buy that currently sells only the SIM-Free iPhone 10.

New Customer

If you lot are a new customer signing up for Tracfone you lot'll have a choice of keeping your current phone number or have Tracfone assign you a new i. If you choose to transfer your electric current home or cellular number to tracfone you'll need to make check with Tracfone to make certain your number is eligible to exist transferred. In add-on to your telephone number you'll need to know your account number and pivot for with your electric current phone company. Your account number may or may not be your phone number. Your account PIN is a countersign prepare on your business relationship to foreclose someone else from transferring your phone number without your permission. Notation this isn't the PIN code you may have fix to unlokc your phone.

Existing Customers

If you are currently a Tracfone client yous can transfer your current phone number and existing balance of minutes, text, MBs, and service days to your new iPhone. Notation that when you transfer service to a new phone your new phone may not exist eligible for some programme features such equally triple infinitesimal plans and i year service days add-ons. Equally of 2019 nigh tracfone smartphones are not eligible for such features.

Tracfone's I Twelvemonth Plan

Note that all Tracfone smartphone plans include a fixed corporeality of minutes for calls, messages for texts, megabytes (MBs) for data (internet), and service days. The $125 plan describes above comes with 365 days of service, and 1500 minutes of talk, 1500 text messages, and 1500 Mb of data (1,5GB). So while your account will remain active for one year if you utilize up your minutes, letters, or data you'll need to buy more.

Tracfone's Networks or Tower

Tracfone does not have their own cellular network. Instead they use AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile's towers. If you purchase an iPhone direct from Tracfone it volition probabally employ Verizon'due south towers. Before you buy your telephone, y'all can enquire their customer service agents which towers the phone will use. Tell them the model telephone you want to buy and the nil lawmaking where you want to use the phone.

If you are going to bring your own iPhone to Tracfone, you'll accept the option of using their AT&T, Verizon, or T-mobile SIM carte du jour. Option the network that works best in your area and one that your iPhone is compatible with. If you desire to use their Verizon towers, you lot'll need to make cheque the serial number of your phone with Tracfone to brand certain it that it is eligible to be registered on their Verizon networks. Some model iPhones are compatible with more one carrier. If your iPhone is locked to AT&T or T-Mobile it should even so work with Tracfone'southward AT&T or T-Mobile SIM respectively. If your iPhone is unlocked, you may have a selection of which network to use.

More Information

I updated this article for 2019 as I noticed that it was still pop. If you are interested in some of my before articles and videos nigh using the iPhone or another smartphone with Tracfone run across the links below.
Tracfone Bring Your Own Smartphone SIM Activation Kit at Kmart and Walmart
Opening a Tracfone Bring Your Ain Smartphone SIM Activation Kit

Choosing a Tracfone Network

Signing Up For Tracfone Bring Your Ain Smartphone GSM LTE Network

Tracfone Bring Your Ain Smartphone ATT GSM LTE Network Demo

SpeedTest Results for Tracfone'south ATT GSM LTE Network

Adding Data To My Tracfone Account On The iPhone 6

How Much Does Tracfone Data Cost?

Tracfone and Visual Voicemail On The iPhone 6

Looking Upward the APN Settings For Your Tracfone Wireless Bring Your Own Smartphone Account

Foreign Text Messages From Tracfone

Tracfone Bring Your Own Smartphone SIM Activation Kit At Walmart

Tracfone Bring Your Own Smartphone SIM Activation Kit From KMart