Crossing the border can be extremely stressful. And now your phone adds another layer. According to new figures from US Customs and Border Protection, nearly 15,000 device searches were carried out between April and June — over 1,000 of them using advanced tools that copy or analyze a phone’s contents. The rising numbers raise questions about how much personal data travelers may be handing over without realizing it. 

The answer? Buying a burner phone. It can keep you connected for calls and texts while limiting the amount of personal information stored on it. It’s not just about crossing borders either — having a stripped-down device can help cut screen time, reduce distractions and give you a mental break from constant notifications.

Even celebrities have embraced the switch. Conan O’Brien has said that carrying a simpler phone helps him stay focused, proving that sometimes less really is more. If your smartphone feels like it holds too much of your life, scaling back — whether for travel or everyday use — might be worth considering.

Read more: Best Prepaid Phone of 2025

Although carriers have offered prepaid phones since the ’90s, «burner phones» or «burners» became more popular in the 2000s following the celebrated HBO series The Wire, where they helped characters avoid getting caught by the police. Though often portrayed in that light, burners aren’t only used by criminals, but really by anyone concerned with surveillance or privacy infringement.

What is a burner phone, and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know about burners and how to get one.

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What is a burner phone?

A burner phone is a cheap prepaid phone with no commitments. It comes with a set number of prepaid call minutes, text messages or data, and it’s designed to be disposed of after use.

Burners are contract-free, and you can grab them off the counter. They’re called burner phones because you can «burn» them (trash them after use), and the phone can’t be traced back to you, which makes them appealing to criminals. Burner phones are typically used when you need a phone quickly, without intentions of long-term usage. 

Burners are different from getting a regular, contract-bound cellphone plans that require your information to be on file.

Why should you use a burner phone?

Burner phones are an easy way to avoid cellphone contracts or spam that you get on your primary phone number. Burners aren’t linked to your identity, so you can avoid being tracked down or contacted.

You don’t have to dispose of a burner phone after use. You can add more minutes and continue using it. Burner phones can still function as regular phones, minus the hassle of a contract.

You can also get a burner phone as a secondary phone for a specific purpose, like having a spare phone number for two-factor authentication texts, for business or to avoid roaming charges while traveling. Burner phones are often used by anyone concerned with privacy.

Read more: The Data Privacy Tips Digital Security Experts Wish You Knew

Burner phones, prepaid phones, smartphones and burner SIMs: What’s the difference? 

Burner phones are cheap phones with simple designs that lack the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Because they’re designed to be disposable, you only get the essentials, as seen by the most common version, the flip phone.

All burner phones are prepaid phones, but not all prepaid phones are burners. What sets a burner apart is that you won’t have to give away any personal information to get one, and it won’t be traceable back to you. Again, a burner phone is cheap enough to be destroyed after use.

Prepaid smartphones are generally low-end models. You can use any unlocked smartphone with prepaid SIM cards, essentially making it a prepaid phone.

If you want a burner, you don’t necessarily have to buy a new phone. You can get a burner SIM and use it with an existing phone. Burner SIMs are prepaid SIMs you can get without a contract or giving away personal information.

Where can you buy a burner phone?

Burner phones are available at all major retail outlets, including Best Buy, Target and Walmart. They’re also often available at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, local supermarkets, gas stations and retail phone outlets like Cricket and Metro.

You can get a burner phone with cash, and it should cost between $10 and $50, though it may cost more if you get more minutes and data. If you’re getting a burner phone specifically to avoid having the phone traced back to you, it makes sense to pay with cash instead of a credit card.

If you just want a prepaid secondary phone, you can use a credit card. Just keep in mind that credit cards leave a trail that leads back to you.

There are also many apps that let you get secondary phone numbers, including Google Fi and the Burner app. However, these aren’t burners necessarily because the providers typically have at least some of your personal information.

If you’re just looking to get a solid prepaid phone without anonymity, check out our full guide for the best prepaid phone plans available. We also have a guide for the best cheap phone plans.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Wow, 1-Across was tricky today. In short, «chicken» doesn’t always refer to the bird. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Make chicken?
Answer: SCARE

6A clue: Stretchy glove material
Answer: LATEX

7A clue: Island that’s the «A» of the so-called ABC Islands
Answer: ARUBA

8A clue: Gently play, as a guitar
Answer: STRUM

9A clue: Helpful link for a daily Spelling Bee solver
Answer: HINTS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: What’s typed instead of a question mark if you forget to press shift
Answer: SLASH

2D clue: Rapper Playboi ___
Answer: CARTI

3D clue: Take ___ for the worse
Answer: ATURN

4D clue: Make a counterargument against
Answer: REBUT

5D clue: Midterms and finals
Answer: EXAMS

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has one category that could actually go into the Connections: Sports Edition puzzle. And the yellow category, which is supposed to be the easiest, was a stumper for me. If you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Support.

Green group hint: Be careful on your computer.

Blue group hint: Blow a bubble.

Purple group hint: Are you ready for some football?

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Backing.

Green group: Malicious software.

Blue group: Gum brands.

Purple group: NFL team logos.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is backing. The four answers are aegis, guard, protection and shield.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is malicious software. The four answers are backdoor, Trojan horse, virus and worm.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is gum brands. The four answers are Extra, Ice Breakers, Orbit and Trident.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is NFL team logos.  The four answers are buffalo, fleur-de-lis, horseshoe and lightning bolt.