Have an old smartphone lying around and want to get cheap monthly cell service? I have discovered a way to use my old iPhone 4 with TracFone and I can tell you that it works.

If you don’t need one of those costly unlimited plans and just want to use your phone for a quick call home and for emergency situations then a TracFone plan is the way to go.

Some of us aren’t addicted to mobile phones believe it or not!

I’ll give you the rundown on how I got my iPhone to work with TracFone.

The Process

At first I went on over to TracFone’s website and shopped for a Bring Your Own Phone plan. Then I proceeded to activate it. It asks “What type of smartphone are you going to activate today?” and I selected the “I’m Bringing My Own Smartphone” option.

It then asks if I have a TracFone sim card which I do not. Then they ask what carrier is your phone compatible with? I have a Verizon CDMA model.

TracFone prompts you for an IMEI or MEID number for verification purposes. Being that I have a Verizon CDMA model I had to find the MEID number.

On my iPhone I went to the Settings app and then to General and About. The MEID was listed there, but the TracFone website would not accept it. Turns out I had to use a MEID converter because the phone lists it in a hexadecimal format and it needs to be converted to a decimal format. I copy and pasted the MEID DEC number and it worked perfectly.

Only $15 A Month For Cell Service

I chose the cheapest plan for only $15 a month with the auto-fill option. This gives me 200 minutes of talk time, 500 text messages, and 500MB of data on a monthly basis. Base your decision on how much you will be using it and what you can afford to spend.

Use Your Home Address For The Zip Code

Be sure to use your local ZIP code during the setup process. Your phone number’s area code will be reflected upon what you enter.

After your purchase is finalized you will need to call *22890 using your phone’s keypad. You will need service during this process. It took about half a minute until I received a text message from TracFone which gave me a designated phone number.

In Case You Chose The Wrong Zip Code

I put in the wrong ZIP code and had to chat with TracFone’s customer service to get my number changed.

If you would ever like to change your phone number you will need to get in touch with TracFone’s customer service via phone or chat (the chat option gives you a human being). You will have to call the *22890 number again to get your new number to activate on your phone.