Straight Talk is a prepaid cell phone provider which works on GSM SIM Cards. The price of the cell phone plans offered by Straight Talk is very less as compared to that of the four major cell phone carriers, namely- Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Straight Talk uses the prepaid phone service of all these four major wireless cell phone carriers. However, the network on our phone keeps on switching among the four networks. So, to avoid this situation and select the home network easily, you can purchase a Straight Talk SIM Card for your compatible device. It is good for users looking for low-rate international minutes.
Where to Buy Straight Talk
First, check your cell phone is compatible with Straight Talk or not. After that, you can purchase your own Straight Talk phones, airtime cards, SIM Cards, home phone service and mobile hot spots from Wal-Mart stores or you can buy it online via Walmart.com or Straight Talk’s website.
About Straight Talk Cell Phone Plans
All the cell phone plans have the feature of unlimited messaging and some of them have unlimited minutes. Apart from that, the plans start at as low as $30. If you select the auto-pay option for your account, then a discount is offered on the monthly cell phone bill. The plans have fewer features but they are of reasonable rates. 4 G LTE high-speed web data is allotted to the user according to their cell phone plan purchase. Once the high-speed web data is complete, Straight Talk automatically converts your high-speed data to unlimited 2 G speed for the rest of your billing cycle. The International monthly plan includes international minutes to Canada, Mexico, India, and China. Only fifteen international telephone numbers are allotted to a single user for a period of 30 days.
Straight Talk Prepaid Cell Phone Plans are as follows:
Plan | Price | Validity | Minutes | Messages | MMS | Data |
All You Need | $30 | 30 Days | 1500 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100MB |
Unlimited 45 Monthly | $45 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 GB 4G LTE/ Unlimited 2 G after |
Unlimited 55 Monthly | $55 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 GB 4G LTE/ Unlimited 2 G after |
Unlimited International Monthly | $60 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 GB 4G LTE/ Unlimited 2 G after |
Unlimited 3 Months | $130 | 90 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 GB 4G LTE per month/ Unlimited 2 G after |
Unlimited 6 Months | $255 | 180 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 GB 4G LTE per month/ Unlimited 2 G after |
Unlimited 12 Months | $495 | 365 Days | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 GB 4G LTE per month/ Unlimited 2 G after |
NOTE: Unlimited International Monthly Plan of $60 consists of unlimited minutes, texting and MMS, 5 GB 4G LTE high-speed data and unlimited 2 G after plus unlimited international calling.
Straight Talk Monthly Plan Add-ons are as follows:
Type | Title | Price | Validity | Data | Notes |
Data | $15 | 30 Days | 1 GB | ||
Data | $25 | 30 Days | 2 GB | ||
Data | $40 | 60 Days | 4 GB | ||
Data | $50 | 60 Days | 5 GB | ||
Data | $75 | 60 Days | 7 GB | ||
International Talk | Global Card | $10 | 30 Days | Unlimited | Includes Mobile Calling |
Straight Talk’s Network
Straight Talk uses the network of all the four major cell phone service providers, namely- Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Since it does not have its own network, rather have a contract with others, therefore, it is called as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
You need to keep two things in mind before looking for the cell phone plans. They are:
- Place where you live
- Phone compatibility
If you are purchasing a cell phone online, then it first asks you to enter the ZIP code of your location. Then it checks the network availability of Straight Talk in that area. Once the network is found, the carrier checks whether the phone you are using is compatible with that network or not. If the phone is found compatible then well and good otherwise, it gives you a list of phone models compatible with the network in your area.
So, you will get to know all about the network availability before you even purchase a new cell phone. If you are planning to use a particular selected network, then it is better for you to buy the phone offline from a store. From there, you can ask the salesperson to give you the phone which is compatible with the network you desire.
You can check your phone compatibility by opening the website of Straight Talk and selecting the option “check compatibility”. Select the network; enter the ZIP code of your area and the unique identifying number of your phone. Alternative is to buy a Straight Talk SIM Card or activation kit for your existing phone which is approximate $1.
Straight Talk Comparison on Price
Carriers | 1 GB or Less | 2-4 GB | 5-6 GB | 10 GB | Unlimited |
AT&T GoPhone | $30 (talk and text only) | $45 (3GB) | $60 (6GB) | ||
Boost Mobile | $30 (1GB) | $35 (2GB) $40 (3GB) | $50 (video streaming in standard definition only) | ||
Cricket Wireless | $25 (talk and text only) $30 (1GB) | $40 (2.5GB) | $50 (5GB) | $60 (10GB)
| $70 |
MetroPCS | $25 (talk and text only) $30 (1GB) | $40 (3GB) | $50 (5GB) | $60 | |
Sprint Prepaid | $35 (1GB) | $45 (3GB) | $55 (6GB) | ||
Straight Talk Wireless | $30 (1,500 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB data) | $45 (5GB) | $55 (10GB) | ||
T-Mobile Prepaid | $25 (talk and text only) $30 (100 minutes, unlimited text; 5GB data at up to 4G speeds, drops to 2G speeds after) | $40 (3GB – Simply Prepaid) $50 (2GB – Simple Choice prepaid) | $50 (5GB – Simply prepaid) $65 (6GB – Simple Choice prepaid) | $60 (10GB – Simply Prepaid) $65 (6GB – Simple Choice prepaid) | $95 |
Verizon Prepaid | $30 (basic and feature phones only; unlimited data) $30 (smartphones; no data included) | $45 (2GB)
| $60 (5GB)
| ||
Virgin Mobile | $30 (500MB) | $40 (4GB) | $50 (6GB) |
Straight Talk Comparison on Features
Carrier | Auto Pay Discount | Bonus Data | Family Plans | Unlimited Music Streaming | Mobile Hotspot | International Calls & Texts |
AT&T GoPhone | X | X | X+ | X | ||
Boost Mobile | X | X | X | X | X | X+ |
Cricket Wireless | X | X | X+ | X | ||
MetroPCS | X | X | X | X+ | ||
Sprint Prepaid | X | |||||
Straight Talk Wireless | X | X | X+ | |||
T-Mobile Prepaid | X | X | X | |||
Verizon Prepaid | X | X | X | |||
Virgin Mobile | X | X+ | X+ |
Note: Asterisk sign (*) indicate features available for an additional charge.
Straight Talk Features
- Auto pay Discount: If you select the auto pay option for your monthly cell phone plans then, you are offered a monthly discount. This discount for automatic payments is applicable only for $45 and $60 unlimited monthly plans.
- Unlimited 2 G: Every cell phone plans have limited amount of 4 G LTE high-speed data allotted to it for a fixed period of time. If you use up all the data before the expiration of the plan then, 4 G speed is converted to unlimited 2 G speed for the rest of your billing cycle. However, 2 G is very slow as compared to 4 G so uploading any kind of documents will take a lot of time.
- Family Plans: Family plans are not offered by Straight Talk. Only prepaid cell phone plans and prepaid monthly add-ons are available.
- Unlimited Music Streaming: Unlimited music streaming on Straight Talk will use your web data. However, you can download songs using Wi-Fi to save data.
- Mobile Hotspot: You can buy a mobile hotspot from the carrier but cannot use your phone as a mobile hotspot. Monthly data package for your mobile hotspot will cost you $15 for 1 GB data.
- International calling: Unlimited International Monthly Plan of $60 allows unlimited mobile-to-mobile and landline calls from U.S. to Mexico, China, India and Canada on 15 unique international numbers for a period of 30 days. Or you can also purchase a global card for an extra $10 for international minutes.
Is Straight Talk right for you?
Straight Talk uses the network service of all the four major phone carriers. Therefore, it provides good service availability. The compatible phone is required and all its cell phone plans include unlimited calls, text, and MMS along with 4G LTE high-speed data. Good international calling plans are also available which the user can choose from. However, unavailability of family plans is a disadvantage.
I have a cricket phone already purchased, I need a service for my austistic son who doesn’t like to talk on the phone. He doesn’t text. For emergencies and for him to call his dad and me to check on him. The cheapest version. I have a account with Verizon for my own phone. Help me activate a phone for him.v