• Maximum message length: 160 characters
• What happens to longer messages: Unknown
• Cost per message: Unknown
• More information: TracFone Text Messaging

How to send email to a TracFone: Now this gets a bit tricky, because TracFone actually purchases its cellular service from a bunch of other carriers. Each one of those carriers offers a way of sending email to their phones — but you don’t know off the bat which carrier you’ve got.

So here’s how you find out: Send a series of email messages to the following addresses. Substitute your TracFone’s number for the number in each case:

1234567890@txt.att.net
1234567890@vmobl.com
1234567890@tmomail.net
1234567890@myboostmobile.com
1234567890@messaging.sprintpcs.com
1234567890@messaging.nextel.com
1234567890@mymetropcs.com
1234567890@message.alltel.com
1234567890@questmp.com

You might also try

1234567890@cingularme.com
1234567890@mmode.com

One of those messages will probably get through to your phone. When it does, hit “reply” on your phone and send a short text message back.

You’ll get your reply in your email program — and it will show the email address of your TracFone. Easy as that!

Too much work? You could also try entering your phone number in this reverse cell phone number lookup, which will tell you which carrier “owns” that number. Then look for that carrier in the list of carriers to the right, and use the instructions there to find your phone’s email address.

(Tip of the hat to Bryan Waters for figuring this out!)