Telcel America was a prepaid US carrier founded in 2012, with plans that worked in both the US and Mexico. In January 2021 its home page told customers they would soon be part of the Simple Mobile family. Telcel America no longer sells service, and telcelamerica.com now redirects to simplemobile.com.
Telcel America was merged
Telcel America launched in 2012 with the tagline “One plan. Two countries. One service.” Its plans covered the US and Mexico. On January 14, 2021, NWIDA reported that the Telcel home page said customers would soon be part of the Simple Mobile family. Today telcelamerica.com sends visitors straight to simplemobile.com. The exact date the brand stopped selling plans is not stated in the sources.
If you had a Telcel America line
Telcel America customers went to Simple Mobile. If your line still shows Telcel, the account number is your phone’s IMEI (dial *#06#), or the last 15 digits of your SIM for a bring-your-own-phone line. Find your Current Security PIN under Update Personal Profile in My Account. If you moved again, ask your current carrier.
How Telcel America ended
- 2012: Telcel America launches with plans that work in the US and Mexico.
- September 14, 2020: Verizon announces it will buy Tracfone, which owns Simple Mobile.
- January 14, 2021: NWIDA reports the Telcel home page says customers will soon be part of the Simple Mobile family.
- November 23, 2021: Verizon closes its purchase of Tracfone, including Simple Mobile.
- 2026: telcelamerica.com redirects to simplemobile.com.
Why Telcel America ended
No official reason was published. NWIDA reported the move in January 2021 under the headline “The consolidation has begun,” while Verizon was preparing to buy Tracfone, the company behind Simple Mobile. NWIDA noted that Simple Mobile already offered the same features as Telcel and more, including international roaming in Mexico and 16 Latin American countries. Telcel customers were folded into Simple Mobile, and the Telcel brand stopped selling plans.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Telcel America
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Telcel America counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Telcel America
Is Telcel America still available?
No. Telcel America merged into Simple Mobile in 2021, and telcelamerica.com now redirects to simplemobile.com. New customers who want a similar US and Mexico plan should look at Simple Mobile.
Which network did Telcel America use?
The sources BestCellular.com checked do not state Telcel America’s host network. Its successor, Simple Mobile, runs on the Verizon network today, according to Wikipedia’s Tracfone page.
What happened to Telcel America customers?
In January 2021 Telcel told customers they would soon be part of the Simple Mobile family. Customers moved to Simple Mobile. To port an old Telcel line, use your IMEI as the account number and your Current Security PIN.
Did Telcel America work in Mexico?
Yes. Telcel America’s plans worked in both the US and Mexico and included international calling to select landlines and mobile phones. Simple Mobile offers roaming in Mexico and 16 Latin American countries.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- NWIDA: The consolidation has begun: January 14, 2021: Telcel home page said customers will soon be part of the Simple Mobile family; Telcel founded 2012; US and Mexico plans.
- Telcel America home page (302 redirect to Simple Mobile): Checked October 13, 2026: returns a 302 redirect to https://www.simplemobile.com/.
- US Mobile: Carrier porting info: Telcel America account number (IMEI or last 15 SIM digits) and Current Security PIN location.
- Wikipedia: Tracfone Wireless: Simple Mobile runs on the Verizon network; Verizon announced the Tracfone deal September 14, 2020 and closed it November 23, 2021.
Best Cellular. “Telcel America: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/telcel-america/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Live carriers to look at instead
Former Telcel America customers were pointed to Simple Mobile. These carriers run today.