Carriers like Net10, Straight Talk and Tracfone are what we in the business know as MVNOs. Basically, they buy airtime from big networks and give you the best coverage according to your location. The problem here is that your unlock code will not always work with these carriers. Some carriers like Verizon and Sprint are CDMA and unfortunately, wont work with any unlocked phones.

If you are planning to use your unlocked phone with Net10, Straight Talk, Tracfone or any similar carrier, you need to check first if they are giving you a GSM SIM card. This means that your airtime will run on AT&T or T-Mobiles network.

If you already have your SIM card, there are several ways to check this:

1. Grab your SIM card and check the SIM card number (see picture below). Check the first 6-digits and compare it the numbers in the table below to know what carrier your SIM card runs on. As you can see in the picture below, that SIM card runs on AT&T and therefore can be used with an unlocked phone.
   • 890141 - AT&T (GSM) - Works with unlocked phone
   • 890126 - T-Mobile (GSM) - Works with unlocked phone
   • 891480 - Verizon (CDMA) - Does NOT Work with unlocked phone
   
2. Another way to check is to dial 611. You will receive a message similar to this: “Welcome to Verizon Wireless”. This will let you know what network your phone is running on.
3. AT&T Tracfone SIMs have a code on them that includes the sequence SIMC4, like TF64SIMC4. If the SIM has a code containing SIMT5, like TF128SIMT5, it's for T-Mobile. Verizon SIM codes contain SIMV9 like TF256PSIMV9DD.

If you already have a SIM card but it runs on Verizon or Sprint, please contact your new provider and ask for an exchange. Your unlocked phone will work with your carrier once you do this. Please note that choosing the correct carrier that works with an unlocked phone is the client’s responsibility and our 100% refund guarantee does not cover refund for clients who wish to use their phone with a CDMA carrier.

If you still don’t have a SIM card

Make sure you select a GSM activation kit (or one that uses AT&T or T-Mobile).

• For Tracfone, you can use: https://tinyurl.com/ybbftbnb
• For Straight Talk, you can use: https://tinyurl.com/yct7j6x6
• For Net10, you can use: https://www.net10wireless.com/