GSM 4G LTE Activation Kit for Tracfone BYOP Available

Bring Your AT&T/GSM Smartphone to Tracfone

This information regarding bringing GSM devices to use with Tracfone is brought to you by TracfoneReviewer and we will continue to update and share additional information here as we know more. Stay tuned!

News about Tracfone GSM Activation Kit

Tracfone Wireless appears to finally be allowing GSM users to bring their smartphones to use with the BYOP program. We've seen various signs of this over the past few months, and now it is becoming a reality.

Order a CDMA/GSM activation kit on the Tracfone website, have an AT&T compatible GSM device, follow the online instructions, and you should be up and running. It sounds simple, and maybe it is, but stick around as we look into bringing GSM devices to Tracfone.

For those who might not know, Tracfone is a low cost prepaid service provider. They also sell phones to use with their low cost service, as well as allow consumers to bring certain smartphones to Tracfone.

Until recently, you could only bring Verizon compatible CDMA phones to use with Tracfone. This was great, but for those who live in areas without Verizon coverage, you were out of luck.

But now Tracfone is offering the same option of bringing your own smartphone to use on Tracfone's GSM network (through AT&T). It also appears that Tracfone has released at least one GSM smartphone, the LG Sunrise.

Well let's jump straight into what you're probably looking for, how to get your unlocked GSM phone activated with Tracfone.

How to Get a GSM or CDMA Activation Kit

If the first kit is sold out, try the kit with 60 Minutes (below)

To add your unlocked AT&T (GSM) or Verizon (CDMA) 4G LTE device to Tracfone you will need a NAC (Network Access Code) and SIM card. You can get both of these in a Tracfone Activation Kit.


You get everything you need to activate either a CDMA or GSM smartphone in one kit from Tracfone. At this point, you can find the Kit in stores, or online at the Tracfone website.

We ordered our kit by visiting this link, clicking select SIM, and then choosing the Activation Kit plus 60 Minute Card, because the Kit only option was sold out. (We have since found the activation kit available on Amazon and the Walmart website)

We received the kit in about a week, coming with both the kit and minutes.

Tracfone GSM/CDMA Activation Kit (plus 60 Minutes)

Once you have the kit, and a phone, you can get started by visiting the Tracfone byop site and following the prompts for adding your phone. In some cases, consumers have had a quick and simple process of activating a new phone, while others have faced some challenges.

We will share additional updates on this once the kit arrives.

Should you Choose GSM or CDMA?

For quite a while now, Tracfone only accepted smartphones that used Verizon CDMA service. This limited smartphones to only those in areas with good Verizon coverage.

Now that is changing as people in GSM areas with AT&T coverage can also use smartphone with Tracfone service. But which one is right for you?

We created a resource that goes into the Difference between GSM and CDMA that you can take a look at if you are not sure about your situation.

For more information about bringing your own phone to use with Tracfone, visit our Tracfone BYOP page.

Will Tracfone Release more GSM Smartphones?

This is a common question we see, although usually it is, 'Will Tracfone release a GSM Phone soon?', but now that the LG Sunrise has appeared, we expect Tracfone to continue to, although perhaps slowly, release newer and better GSM smartphones. We saw this with the CDMA smartphones, and Tracfone has continued to offer newer devices with better specs.

So if you don't want to try bringing your own device to Tracfone, it shouldn't be too long before more GSM smartphone options are also available.

Check out the comments section below and leave a comment with your questions or experiences using Tracfone BYOP, and if you've been able to activate a GSM phone on their service.

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4G LTE with Tracfone BYOP

Use 4G LTE Smartphones with Tracfone BYOP program

This post details the latest on Tracfone BYOP and 4G LTE. We will continue to update it, as well as our main Tracfone BYOP page which also contains a list of compatible phones. 

Tracfone BYOP 4G LTE 

We are excited to share the news that Tracfone has now opened their BYOP program to 4G Smartphones! Previously, only Verizon compatible 3G phones were capable of being used with Tracfone BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone). This meant the best phones you could get were the iPhone 4s, Moto G, and other similar types. While these smartphones are great, they are not top of the line.

With 4G LTE now available with Tracfone, you can use the iPhone 6, or a Samsung Galaxy S6, or many other high-end devices and get the fastest data speeds. The only requirement is that it must be able to connect with Verizon 4G service to activate.

We will dive into more details on activating your phone and what kind of requirements there are after we cover the basics of how the Tracfone BYOP program works.

UPDATE: Tracfone is now offering Activation Kits for both CDMA and GSM devices. It appears that you can bring GSM devices compatible with AT&T to use with Tracfone BYOP. We will be sharing more details about this in a new post very soon.

How Tracfone BYOP 4G LTE Works

Using a 4G LTE device with Tracfone BYOP works similarly to bringing a 3G device to Tracfone. You will need to have your own smartphone, and it needs to be compatible with Verizon service.

Tracfone contracts with Verizon to use their cell towers for service, but everything goes through Tracfone. If you go outside the coverage of Verizon, you may lose service, or run on lower speeds.

To get started with Tracfone BYOP, you will visit this Tracfone page and check that your phone is compatible by entering your ZIP code and MEID/ESN. Following the steps, you will be prompted to buy an activation kit, which will give you a SIM card and Network Access Code.

Additionally, you can go over to SaveonTracfone.com and buy the Activation kit there. You can choose between the 4G LTE and 3G kits, and it might be a few dollars cheaper.

Most users are reporting a quick and painless process, but you should be prepared if something doesn't work right, and you need to make a phone call to customer service.

Phone Requirements and Activating on Tracfone BYOP

Activation Card for 4G LTE

The requirements for what kind of phone can be activated with 4G service on Tracfone seems a little more straightforward than before. You need a device that is compatible with Verizon 4G LTE, which includes a wide variety of top of the line devices. It also needs a clean ESN, which means it can't be in contract, or stolen.

A 4G LTE device will need a SIM card to connect with Tracfone, and this will come with your activation kit. On a side note, once you have activated a Verizon compatible 4G LTE device, you can take the SIM and move it to many other devices that would not be able to activate on their own. Not all the details are clear on this, but many users are confirming switching between devices.

This could be very convenient for those who want to have a backup device, since you could just buy another phone, and then switch the SIM card to it if you ever needed to.

To activate your phone, make sure you have the 4G LTE activation kit (or start by getting it, which will be mailed to you in about a day) and then proceed through the steps on the Tracfone website or by calling Tracfone.

To review, here are the steps:

1. Get a 4G LTE compatible smartphone that runs on Verizon and has a clean ESN (is not on contract or stolen) and test it on the Tracfone BYOP website.

2. Follow the steps on Tracfone and purchase your Activation kit (SIM card) and Network Access Code. The SIM card will be mailed to you. You can Also purchase this through SaveOnTracfone.com.

3. Activate your 4G device only at Tracfone.com or over the phone.

If you have thoughts or questions on this process, check out the comments below.

Where to Find Phones for Tracfone BYOP

You need a 4G LTE capable device that is for Verizon service (CDMA) to use it with Tracfone BYOP. Fortunately, there are many different phone options, and many different retailers to choose from. Used or new will work, as long as they are not currently under contract.

One of the cheapest and easiest places to find phones is online. You can quickly browse many different options and price points, as well as used, new and refurbished. Follow the links below to get started and see some of the options. Once you have a certain phone in mind, you can search for that device.

Search for Verizon 4G LTE phones on Amazon

Search for Verizon 4G LTE phones on eBay

There are many more retailers to search including Newegg, BestBuy and more.

To get some ideas, and for a full list of compatible phones for both 3G and 4G LTE, visit our Tracfone BYOP page.

We hope this covers the exciting news about Tracfone's slow expansion into 4G LTE and hope that they will also add support for 4G on GSM networks.

Please let us know if we missed anything, we strive to provide accurate and helpful information!

If you're interested in other phone options, visit our Cell Phone Reviews page which includes many Android devices like the LG Ultimate 2, which was our pick for the Best Tracfone Smartphone.

We have also created a list of the best Apps for Android with more than 40 great apps, almost all of which are free. I have found Clean Master App to be very handy for keeping my phone running well, and reducing wasted space.

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