In an age when every tap, text, and location ping is tracked, there are times when a little anonymity goes a long way. Whether you’re traveling through a dicey region or working on a top-secret project, a burner phone can provide a level of privacy and security that your primary device simply can’t. The ability to buy and use one under the radar is a bit of know-how worth having — even if you never need to use it.

These days, you can actually purchase a smartphone that’s meant to be a burner and has access to the internet and apps. But they’re more expensive, often require some type of account setup or sign-in, and have shorter battery life. It’s best to stick with the simplest available option like the old school flip phone or brick-style model that doesn’t do much besides calls and texts. The fewer features, the fewer ways your anonymity can be compromised.

Using a burner phone effectively takes more than just buying a cheap prepaid flip phone, though. To stay truly off the grid, you need to understand how and when to use it, what not to do, and how to properly dispose of it when you’re done. Follow these steps above to ensure your short-term phone serves its purpose: keeping you connected when needed, and untraceable when not.

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.