PSA: Don't port out your TracFone number if you want to keep your remaining service
I made a somewhat expensive mistake today, so hopefully this helps someone else.
I bought one of the QVC TracFone bundles with a phone and a year of service. After only 7 days, I ported the number to another carrier. I assumed the service would still stay available on my TracFone device/plan, and that I could just get a new TracFone number to keep using it.
That's not what happened.
As soon as the port completed, the line was deactivated. I contacted customer service, who checked with a specialist and supervisor. They told me that once a number is ported out, all remaining service is forfeited. In my case, that meant losing over 90% of a one-year plan.
The part that caught me off guard is that I don't remember seeing any clear warning that porting out the number would also permanently forfeit the remaining prepaid service (maybe I just missed it). If I had known, I would have contacted customer service first.
So if you're planning to port out your number, talk to them before you do anything. Hopefully this saves someone else from learning the hard way.