Can you turn any phone into a tracfone?

Answer 1

There are two types of TracFones now, CDMA and GSM. This refers to the type of network used by the phone. And CDMA phone works only on CDMA networks, and same for GSM. GSM phones have SIM cards, CDMA do not (for the purpose of this discussion, anyway). I'm not clear on your reason for asking this question, but that's your answer. A CDMA phone does not have a SIM card. For more on CDMA vs. GSM Tracfones, check out this page:

http://pbush14.wordpress.com/2008/03/16/tracfone-cdma-vs-gsm/

I should also clarify here that if your phone is a GSM phone, it MUST have a SIM card installed to operate. Also, to be used as a Tracfone, a phone must have the Tracfone software installed on it. This means that it must have been purchased as a "Tracfone" model. You can NOT bring a phone from a different service and use it as a Tracfone.

Answer 2

You cannot turn any phone into a TracFone. Many cell phones are programmed to work only on certain carriers, like Verizon.