Where’s the best place to get a burner phone?

Have you ever thought about where’s the best place to get a burner phone?

These days, lots of places make it easy for you to buy a burner phone.

Walmart has them. Amazon has them. Even your average thrift store might have them too.

But before you get a burner phone from just anywhere, you might want to read this first.

Because what you’re really buying, isn’t exactly a burner phone after all.

The best place to get a burner phone is…

If you’ve read our takes on what makes burner phones traceable, you might already have a few clues.

Remember - how you use and buy a burner phone matters.

To make sure your burner phone is actually protecting your privacy, you should buy it from somewhere that:

Tip 1: isn’t a major retailer or mobile carrier

(image credit: Fibre2Fashion) Avoid getting a burner phone from major retailers like Walmart

With the big retailers like Walmart or mobile carriers like T-Mobile, making a purchase with them often requires a mandatory identity registration

This applies even for burner phones.

Thing is, when you provide your personal details to them, you already lose your privacy cover even before using the burner phone.

Any burner phone bought from these stores technically don’t work like burner phones anymore.

Tip 2: doesn’t require you to sign a contract

Never, ever buy a burner phone on a contract

In other places, the seller may require you to sign a mobile contract when making a purchase.

Again, the same caveat applies: by disclosing personally identifiable information, your privacy has already been exposed.

Tip 3: allows payment in cash

When it comes to buying burner phones right, it's upfront cash payments or nothing else

If how you buy a burner phone matters just as much as how you use it, then you’d want to pay for one as discreetly as possible too.

And to do so, that means no card payments or online transactions.

Only cold, hard cash.

If you’re getting a burner phone and the seller insists on no cash payments, drop the deal and walk away.

Tip 4: isn’t an online store

(image credit: Amazon) You should avoid buying burner phones from online stores like Amazon.

Remember what we said about no online payments?

It’s true that online retailers tend to sell burner phones more cheaply. With better packages sometimes, too.

But unless you’re planning to get a burner phone as a second phone number for long-term use, you’ll want to stay well away from those if privacy is your top concern.

Tip 5: doesn’t sell only “locked” burner phones

(Image Credit: NonPub) Take note to avoid purchasing "locked" burner phones

Last but not least, you should also be aware that not all burner phones are created equal.

Some places may only sell what’s known as “locked” burner phones.

Burner phones that are “locked” have their SIM cards fixed to a particular mobile carrier.

These kinds of burner phones also tend to require identity registration.

And because they’re linked to a single phone number, these phones are completely traceable by mobile carriers.

Forget burner phones – get Phoner instead

Ultimately, where you choose to buy a burner phone matters just as much as how you plan to use it.

You could stick to our quick tips, but you’ve probably also realized how easy it actually is to expose your privacy with a burner phone that’s bought wrongly.

Want a truly worry-free privacy experience? Try Phoner instead.

Get Phoner for a truly worry-free privacy experience today

When you use Phoner, you’ll never have to worry about buying your privacy protection wrong.

Simply download the app for free on Google Play or the Apple Store, and use them for as long as you wish.

So forget about figuring out where the best place to buy a burner phone is, because the best place to protect your privacy is right here on your cell phone.

Keep your phone number privacy safe with Phoner for Android and iOS today!