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March 15, 2024

How to Unlock a Tracfone Mobile Phone (Updated 2024)

Unlock Your Tracfone Mobile Phone for Free

tracfone unlock code

Unlock your Tracfone smartphone for free with this guide so that you can use your phone with other carriers in the US or even internationally. TracfoneReviewer shares the requirements and a step by step guide below!

An unlocked phone makes it easy to switch between carriers, or travel to another country and insert a new SIM card to have data and service. All Tracfone smartphones are locked to Tracfone for a certain amount of time, but now it is easier than ever to get your phone unlocked!

Tracfone is well known for not allowing their phones to be unlocked (several years ago), but because of FCC rules, and a ruling against Tracfone, they are required to unlock phones from after a certain date, offer a credit towards an exchange, or offer a partial cash refund for older devices.

Here is the free unlocking guide, with detailed requirements below.

Unlock a Tracfone Cell Phone - 3 Steps:

Our easy, step-by-step guide to unlocking your Tracfone cell phone. Be aware that not all Tracfone devices can be unlocked, many of the older phones are not eligible, and can only be traded for a small cash refund. Additionally, some newer Tracfone smartphones, including iPhones, automatically unlock after 60 days.

Step 1: Contact Tracfone for Unlock Code
Go to www.tfwunlockpolicy.com and enter your phone number at the bottom of the page. You can also call 1-888-442-5102 during normal business hours, but using the web is typically much easier.

You must have had the phone active with Tracfone service for 60 days or in some cases up to 12 months to be eligible for unlocking. See full requirements below.

Step 2: Get Unlock Code and Write it Down
If your phone is eligible, you will be able to continue the process to receive an unlock code for your phone. If your phone is not eligible to be unlocked, you may need to wait a little longer, or in some cases you may still qualify for a credit towards a new phone, or a cash refund.

We tested several older Tracfone devices and while they were 'eligible' to be unlocked, Tracfone wasn't able to unlock them due to various issues, and offered instead a cash refund of $5-$15. Many of Tracfone's older devices are unable to be unlocked due to software issues.

Step 3: Insert New SIM and Enter Unlock Code When Prompted
Once you get the unlock code from Tracfone, you can purchase a SIM card from another carrier, power off your phone, switch the SIM cards, and turn it back on. You should get a notification that your phone is locked, but there should be a place for you to enter your unlock code. After the code is entered your phone will be able to use the new SIM card. You can always switch SIM cards whenever you like, just remember to turn your phone off and back on.

And that is all it takes to unlock a Tracfone prepaid device. It is a fairly easy process, if your phone is eligible. If you have questions or need help, connect with our community on Facebook.

NOTE: Some online websites offer unlocking services for a price. We do not recommend using these, they will charge you whether or not they can unlock your phone and there is no guarantee it will work.

Going through the process of unlocking a Tracfone device doesn't seem worthwhile in most cases with the huge number of unlocked devices available on the market at very low prices. Amazon, eBay and many other online retailers have plenty of unlocked phones, and if you buy older models, or refurbished phones, you can often get a great deal.

Check out our list of the Best Unlocked Phones for Tracfone to get some ideas about the great options already available.

how to unlock a tracfone smartphone
Three Steps to Unlock a Tracfone Smartphone

Requirements for Unlocking a Tracfone Device

There are several key requirements that you must meet in order to get your phone unlocked. Here are the requirements:

Unlocking Requirements for Android devices:
TracFone will provide an unlocking code to customers who request unlocking, as long as they meet the following conditions:
  • If the TracFone device was activated with TracFone service prior to November 23, 2021, then the device must have been active on TracFone Service for no fewer than 12 months with Service Plans redeemed in no fewer than 12 months, and not have had their telephone number recycled or ported.
  • If the TracFone device was activated with new service on the Verizon network on or after November 23, 2021, then at least 60 days must have elapsed since the device was activated.
  • The device must be in working condition.
  • The device has not been reported stolen or lost, and there are no indicators of fraud.
  • (Source - www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/)
Requirements For Apple iPhone devices:
  • TracFone will automatically unlock the device when it becomes eligible for unlocking.
  • 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.
  • (Source - www.tfwunlockpolicy.com/)
(You can also check if your phone is eligible by entering your phone number or serial number at the bottom of this page)

There are a lot of requirements, but the key points are that you need to have your phone active for 12 months with Tracfone in order to unlock it unless you activated it with new service after Nov 23rd, 2021. For iPhone users, Tracfone says they will automatically unlock it when eligible, but we have not been able to confirm this.

If you have an unlocked phone, you can activate it with Tracfone BYOP. Then, if you travel to another country and need to use cell phone service, simply power off the phone, switch the SIM cards, and you are ready to use your phone in the new country. Switch the SIM cards back when you return to the US.

We hope this information has been helpful. Leave a comment below with any questions or thoughts, and also share your experiences.

We are also on Facebook, with a large community who help answer questions, share news and much more.

New to Tracfone or still trying to figure things out? Visit our Beginners Guide.

Also take a look at our List of the Best Tracfone Smartphones under $100

See our latest post about the Best Tracfone Deals, Discounts and Sales including several recent smartphones with airtime bundles. 

Thanks for visiting!

March 12, 2024

Tracfone Deals and Sales List - March 2024

 Best Tracfone Smartphone Deals and Bundles for March 2024

tracfone discount smartphone deals

Shop this list of the lowest prices on Tracfone smartphones and airtime bundles from around the web. We track and update these deals each month for our readers to save money and get great discounts!

Prices, bundles and deals change often online and it can be hard to know where the best deal can be found. Often deals we list here include airtime bundles, and others just the phone. (The best value usually includes airtime bundles!).

Prices and availability change quickly, and we update this list as often as we can. If you are looking for a new phone, also check out our List of the Latest Tracfone Smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, for example, has just been released this year.

We've included new smartphones just released on Tracfone last month!


Best Deals on Tracfone Smartphones - Updated for March 2024


These are the lowest prices from around the web on some of the latest and greatest smartphones from Tracfone.

(New) Samsung Galaxy A15 5G - $119 (limited time deal)
6.5" Super AMOLED screen, 128GB internal storage, 4GB RAM, triple rear camera and 5G

Google Pixel 6a - $219 w/ airtime bundle
6.1" screen, 128GB internal storage, 6GB RAM, Tensor processor, dual 12MP cameras and 5G
QVC with airtime bundle ($200 value) $239 | HSN with airtime bundle ($200 value) $219

Moto G Power 5G (2023) - $89
6.5" full HD screen, 4GB RAM/128 GB internal storage, 5G network access, great battery life. (Read our full review of the Moto G Power 5G)
Target (Discount available for new activations)
Amazon (on sale for $99)

Samsung Galaxy A03s - $49
6.5" touchscreen, 3 GB RAM/32 GB storage,  (read our full Galaxy A03s Review)

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G - $119 (sale ended)
6.6" full HD screen, 4GB RAM/64GB storage, 5G network access, NFC, newly released (Read our full review of the Galaxy A14 5G)

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G - $307
6.4" Super AMOLED touchscreen, 6 GB RAM/128 GB storage (Read our review of the A54 5G)
QVC with airtime bundle ($200 value) | Amazon (device only)

Moto G Play 2023 - $59
6.5" touchscreen, 3GB RAM/32GB storage, newly released (read our full review of the Moto G Play 2023)

Moto G Stylus 2023 - $119
6.5" screen, 4GB RAM/64GB storage, Android 13, newly released

Moto G Stylus (2022) - $125
6.8" touchscreen, 4 GB RAM/128 GB storage, (Read our full review of the Stylus)

Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) - $145 w/ airtime bundle
6.8" touchscreen, 4 GB RAM/128, 5G network compatible, Snapdragon 695 processor
QVC with airtime bundle (limited time deal)

Top Phones and Deals on Unlocked Smartphones (For Tracfone BYOP)


Oneplus Nord N30 5G (Unlocked) - $249 ($50 off)
6.7" display, 108MP camera, Snapdragon 695 processor and 8GB RAM/128GB storage

Samsung Galaxy A15 5G (Unlocked) $199
6.5" Super AMOLED screen, 128GB internal storage, 4GB RAM, triple rear camera and 5G

Moto G Power 5G (2023) (Unlocked) - $199 ($100 off)
6.5" screen, 6 GB RAM/256 GB storage, 5G network compatible

That concludes our deals and sales list and hope these help you get the best price on a new smartphone!

Leave a comment below with any thoughts or questions and also join us on Facebook to connect with our growing community and get the latest info.

We just shared our thoughts on whether Alcatel, TCL and ZTE phones from Tracfone are any good, and some of the information we share might be surprising.

All the phones in our list above are VoLTE capable according to Tracfone, but you may want to take a look at updates to our post about Tracfone Closing their 3G CDMA network and how it may affect you.

Keep up with the latest in 5G network access with Tracfone including 5G Coverage maps! And a list of Tracfone 5G phones.

If you're new to Tracfone, start with our Beginners Guide which shares helpful information about how it all works or we just created, The 10 Most Common Tracfone Questions Answered.

And finally don't miss out on our Tracfone Promo Code list with many different codes to get free minutes when adding airtime!

Thanks for visiting!