Been hobbling for a while, but now I’m seriously thinking I should be using a burner phone as many people have recommended. Any recommendations on how and where to get one? Sorry for the stupid question, lol.
Tracfone flip phone. Pay cash for service cards. Phone is under $20. Spend $20 for 3 months of service. Available anywhere, even 7-11.
BLM69's suggestion is also good. You'll need a burner gmail account for activation. Google is still going to track your GPS and cell tower connection history. They can easily correlate it with your primary cell phone, but if you can live with that, the texting and messaging options on a smartphone are better than on a "feature" phone.
Tracfone. Buy one for cash off the rack at Walmart (preferably not the one near your house) or any convenience store, grocery store, etc. Buy refill minutes for cash the same way. Register it at a public access computer (i.e. Car Dealership service department waiting room where they don't ask you to sign in with your name). When you register it, omit the personal info (it's not required).
Alternatively, if you have an old smartphone you are no longer using, Tracfone has SIM cards available. Buy and register it the same way. Be sure to do a factory reset on your phone to erase everything and turn off location services. Less secure this way, though, because the phone ESN may be traceable to you. I'm not sure how, but I bet it's possible.
if you go the tracfone route, when you need more minutes/texts/data, just buy any of the 90day cards ($20, $30, $40, $80). the Data cards are more expensive and only last 30 days.
like this one: https://www.tracfone.com/plans/basic...an-120-minutes