What happens if I let my service days (not minutes) expire?  Do I lose the phone number, any remaining minutes and will the phone no longer work?  Or do I have a certain amount of time to reactivate it before that happens?

Wouldn't it be better, faster, and more accurate to find out from tracfone? Check their website, or contact them.

-- Modified on 7/10/2014 9:55:45 AM

But then didn't spend a whole lot of time looking either.  Much less time and effort to just ask on here.

"If you do not purchase and add airtime prior to the Service End Date, your TRACFONE Service will be deactivated on the Service End Date and you will lose your TRACFONE phone number even if you have minutes remaining. To prevent this from occurring, please keep your TRACFONE Service active by purchasing and adding one or more airtime cards before the Service End Date. Notwithstanding the Service End Date, TracFone reserves the right to discontinue service and deactivate any TRACFONE or BYOP for which there is no voice, text or Data Services usage for a period of twelve (12) consecutive months. If your Service is deactivated, your Service can be reactivated by purchasing and adding an Airtime Card. Once reactivated, Your TRACFONE or BYOP may be assigned a new phone number. Airtime which remained unused at the time of deactivation will still be available if Service is reactivated within 60 days from the deactivation date otherwise; any unused airtime will be lost."

They tell you if you don't renew your minutes (usually done in $20 increments good for a month) that you'll lose your number.  They bombard you with text messages telling you that as you get to your expiration date. To keep my # while I was out of the country last winter I put my number on suspension, then reactivated it when I got back.
But now I've just let it lapse and don't  know if I'll still have that # when I try to start up my account again. But who cares? I'll just get another # when I need one.  Right now I have no need for it.

By the way it was pretty easy to find that info on their website, but I guess it still was easier for you to ask here, since I'm the one who looked it up for you. Haha that makes you smarter than me.  

let mine stay expired for a couple months.  I kept getting emails telling me it was my "last chance" to reactivate and keep minutes.  Must have gotten dozens of "last chances".  Eventually I did renew and I kept my number and my old minutes (not that I care about minutes given the purpose of the phone).  Your millage may very of course

Add them, they will be added to the minutes already on your phone. You keep your number.

I eventually lost the old number. I think I let it expire for too long though. They give you a good while before they recycle it, so we can't really blame them for changing the number on us.  

if you don't need or want them.  That said, I just started my Verizon phone up after a long time and they're still trying to get me to buy more time but they don't seem to have taken back my number.

Call Tracfone and ask.  

but got to keep my number.  I've since changed my number anyway.