I have a sad story here as well.
1) We used tracfones before successfully, using LGL41C's, which are CDMA phones. We moved from Wisconsin to Arizona which effectively changed our zip code, but the phones continued to operate OK.
2) We decided to upgrade to a different phone for both of us, Moto G5S Plus's. These were different for us as these required SIM cards. My wife got T-Mobile compiant SIMMs and she activated her new phone first, effectively transferring her old phone number from our old zip code, 53045.
3) I then transferred mine and this went OK....for one day. Then, mysteriously, my phone lost connection with the carrier and I basically had an non-operative phone.
4) I called Tracfone support the next day and, after a lengthy discussion, the agent agreed to send me a new T-Mobile SIMM. After waiting a few days, the SIMM showed up. I was also instructed NOT to try the migration without their support.
5) I called today to get this done amd the whole process totally failed. After a circular discussion where I kept asking why my wife's phone worked and not mine, I finally got escalated to a supervisor. The same discussion ensued, but I think I finally got an answer. Apparently the migration process used my new zip code, 85755, and it appears that T-Mobile does not have towers in that area. So the reason my wife succeeded and I did not is that she used our old zip code. When I asked if they could switch the zip codes out to my old code in association with the SIMM card number in the migration process, I was told their tools would not allow this.
6) All right.... I then asked if I could get my old phone's access. I was told this could be done. The supervisor indicated that the process to do so had been inaugurated on his end and was told to wait for an hour or so before trying to use the old phone. So here I am now, about seven hours later and no active phone at all.
I am obviously going to have to go back at Tracfone again. I am told I have to buy a new SIMM for a carrier that is active in my zip code. I understand that, but this is a huge inconvenience as my old number from the CDMA phone is referenced in so many places as a contact number. What I am struggling to understand is wht Tracfone cannot route this issue to someone with enough database permissions to fix this issue of the SIMM card number/zip code association. I also don't get why activating my old phone seems so time consuming. I am hoping tomorrow morning will at least show my old phone active again, but I am pessimistic that will happen.
If someone from Tracfone is monitoring this, I sure could use some help. So far, the agents at the Help Desk have not helped me at all.......