Straight Talk by WalMart now has nearly 30 smartphones available – using every available operating system – Android, iOS, and Windows. One phone is even available on the Verizon network. With a phone starting as low as $59.99 plus the lowest monthly rate around of $45.00 per month, there is a smartphone in your future.
If you already have a smartphone, you may be able to benefit from exiting their Verizon, Sprint or AT&T $90 to $100/month plan and go to Straight Talk at 1/2 the monthly cost.
Below, we’ll look at the smartphones available from Straight Talk, review the service plans, compare prices to the major providers, and also compare the monthly prices for unlimited service plans of several Straight Talk competitors.
Straignt Talk offers 29 smartphones in its lineup – all sporting large touch screen displays and even a couple with a slider keyboard. Email, web browsing, photo taking/viewing, GPS, text messaging, listening to MP3s, and using hundreds of thousands of apps are all possible on any of these phones giving you everything you expect in a smartphone. All you need to do is to choose a phone that matches your tastes and add a service plan. You can have a smartphone for less than 1/2 the monthly rate when compared to the service plans of the major service providers.
The Straight Talk Unlimited plan is truly unlimited – there is no minutes meter for talk and no data meter for text or web. Straight Talk service is simply priced at $30/month for Limited service, $45/month for Unlimited service, and $60/month for International Unlimited service. The smartphones are not available with the $30/month Limited plan so, you’ll need to get the $45/month Unlimited plan. You may also choose the International Plan if you need that.
If you look at the Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T ‘unlimited’ plans, you usually see a 2GB limit on data – a recognition that downloading movies is a growing phenomenon and must be restricted. You MIGHT be able to hit the limit if you stream a lot of music. However, if you’re only checking email and surfing web pages, you’ll never hit that monthly limit offered by the major service providers. But, with Straight Talk,unlimited is truly unlimited! You don’t need to think about any of your data or voice usage. Plus, with Straight Talk, you get to use the network of the major providers – either Sprint or Verizon, but you won’t need to pay the higher rates of those providers.
There are several companies competing with Straight Talk – offering service with no contracts. Their ‘unlimited’ plans cost more monthly compared to Straight Talk, are usually not ‘unlimited’, and none offer the Verizon network. Let’s compare the prices of unlimited plans from competitors:
- Straight Talk – $45/month using either Sprint or Verizon. ‘Unlimited’ is truly unlimited.
- Virgin Mobile – $55/month but the Virgin Mobile network does not have good coverage.
- Cricket – $50/month ‘Smart’ plan with a 2.5 GB data limit.
- Boost Mobile – $55/month for Android smartphones and can shrink to $40/month after 18 on time payments, and uses the Sprint network.
The following table is a complete list of smartphones as of July 2014. The first smartphone to appear was the Samsung Precedent in 2011. Since then LG, Apple, and even a Windows phone have arrived. Personally, I prefer the Verizon network because of the coverage and signal strength. There is 1 Straight Talk phone available on the Verizon network. All other Android phones use the Sprint network – a worthy network, but why choose the 2nd best.
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In conclusion, you have many great options depending on your preferences for size, camera, or operating system. You’ll pay one time for the phone, then pay $45/month, and have the best possible service. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim here.
Also, for basic information about the difference between WiFi and cellular service, read the article Smartphone WiFi and Cell Basics.
Leave us a comment if this article was helpful or if you’ve decided to get yourself a Straight Talk phone too!
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