Straight Talk Prepaid Wireless - First Look

In June of 2009, Straight Talk Prepaid cell phones hit the market with the offer of 1000 minutes plus 1000 text or multimedia messages plus 30 MB of data in a 30-day plan for $30.  Not a bad deal!  Even better, they have now added a $45 unlimited plan.

They also now have added a web-only offer where you can get a free Straight Talk phone with the purchase of an airtime card!  Click image below for more details.

Straight Talk began as a partnership between TracFone, Verizon, and WalMart, but many of their new phones are now with AT&T  The plan is administered by TracFone, runs on the Verizon or AT&T network, and the phones are currently sold exclusively by Wal Mart store and on the Straight Talk website where you can enter your zip code to see if the service is available in your area.  If no stores near you carry the phones, you can order one online and have it shipped to your door or to your favorite Wal Mart store.  

One advantage of ordering from the Straight Talk website is that you can order a phone bundled with the airtime card that you will need to activate the phone.  Or you can always order the phone "naked" and activate it online.

 

Note that by studying the coverage maps, it's clear that Straight Talk is not available on the entire Verizon network.  Straight Talk has updated their coverage map now, but definitely go to straighttalk.com to check out the coverage map to make sure it will work in your area.  

 

(I've now had a chance to do a Straight Talk Prepaid coverage area test, and in Southwest Missouri at least, the phone seems to work on the full Verizon network)

 

 

Curiosity overcame me, so I went ahead and ordered a Straight Talk Motorola W385 on walmart.com and had it shipped to my house.  I'm working on a full review, but here's a quick first look at what I've found so far.

• Although Straight Talk is administered by TracFone, most everything works differently.
• Your account balances do not rollover.  When you add a new card or refill online, it's all reset to 30 days, 1000 minutes, 1000 messages, and 30MB.  So it's use it or lose it.  Of course, that's a non-issue if you do the $45 unlimited plan.
• They have an auto-refill option where they will charge your credit card and reset your balances every 30 days, which is kind of like a postpaid contract plan except that you can cancel any time with no penalty or fee.
• They added $2.58 in taxes and fees when I paid the $30 for my first 30 days. 
• You don't get any free time with the phone.  You have to either activate it with an airtime card or pay for your first 30 days with a credit card during the activation process. 
• You can't see your remaining balance on the phone.  You have to use straighttalk.com or call the 800 number. 
• The browser is not limited to only certain sites like with TracFone.  I was able to browse www.fone-review.com and any other site that I tried.  You'll want to access the mobile version of your favorite sites, though, because Straight Talk still uses the same Openwave browser as TracFone. 

  

 

• You are not charged based on the time the browser is open, but rather on how much data is transferred.  So once a page is downloaded, you can read it at your leisure. 
• I was able to successfully copy pictures from my computer to the W385 and from the W385 to my computer with the bluetooth connection.  
• I was able to send and receive pictures to and from another phone in MMS messages and also to and from my gmail account using my computer.
• I had on hand a usb cable with the right connectors to connect the W385 to my computer.  My computer downloaded some drivers from Windows update, and the phone will now charge through the usb port on my computer.  The phone does not, however, show up as a drive on my computer where I can transfer files back and forth.   I don't know if this is because TracFone has crippled the usb on the phone, or if I just don't have the right drivers.
• The W385 does not have a removable memory card. 
• The packaging and walmart.com say that the W385 has a VGA Video Camera, but the camera only takes pictures.  I can't find any way to make it take video, and I can't find any other references anywhere to this phone having video capabilities.    
• Part of the fine print on the back of the box says, "TracFone is selling this phone to you at a discount in exchange for your agreement that it will only be used on Straight Talk's wireless service."   Another part says, "This phone will only operate with the Straight Talk service plan...".

Straight Talk claims to be "Everything you need in a cell phone without a contract", and although "everything" is a broad term, I must say I'm impressed with Straight Talk so far.  Nothing feels prepaid about it, things work like I expect them to work for the most part, and the price is definitely right for those who are at least moderately heavy cell phone users.  The $45 unlimited price is definitely right for heavy users!   Just pay attention to the coverage area and be aware that your account balances don't carry over on the $30 plan.

I'll keep plugging away on my full review, but in the meantime you can learn more about the service at www.straighttalk.com.

If you have found the information on Fone-Review more helpful than the sales clerk at your average big box retailer, please help me to continue helping everyone!

 

Comments

[weatherbill]

I was wondering if a tracphone with the $45 unlimited plan, can be used to hook up to my laptop and I could surf the web from my laptop, using the tracphone as a modem?
Can I watch youtube videos from my laptop using tracphone as a modem?

[Russell]

I believe that the people who post positive reviews work for Straight Talk. This is by far the most pathetic phone service I have ever seen. Don’t know how well the phone works because can’t get it turned on! Every call to thier customer service gives me a different answer, 24 hours, 6 hours, tomorrow. Maybe it would help if they had people with some skills instead of outsourcing the jobs to South America (at least that’s what I think Daniel Alexander said, can’t understand the accent). So buyer beware, you think you’re getting a great deal but you are actually just giving your money to a bunch of yahoos (sorry Yahoo) that don’t have a clue as to what they are doing. Thanks Free Trade Agreement glad I can help the economy of third world nations that hate us!

[Jon]

I have the LG290C on straight talk. In general, how do you send a MMS picture message to your phone from your computer? I have only been able to send from another phone. Also, has anyone been able to send an audio file via MMS? It says "not supported" when I try to do this. Thanks!

[Shanon]

I'm looking at getting the cheaper LG220C just to try out the service. Does it need a USB cable to use any of the features?

If so, where and how cheap can I find one?

Thanx...
~S~ :)

[Ashley]

I'm getting one for Christmas but i'm a little worries about it because of what a lot of people have been typing about.Like when someone said they couldn't get it activated.I'm going to get the $45 unlimited plan.Anyone have any advise to give before I get it so I can be sure to activate it right and everything?

[RayRay83]

What a great review! I got Straight Talk about a month ago and it has already saved my family money. Getting rid of our monthly cell phone contracts and switching to prepaid has been just great. Since its on the Verizon network, it has great service and reception. I got mine from Walmart for just $45 for unlimited texts/calls!

Ps. I think it would make a wonderful holiday gift for those trying to save :)

[Bil]

Got a question with the 45 unlimited plan can you talk unlimited to any carrier such as at&t and verizon wireless or does it cost extra???

[Koree]

Question: On the $45 unlimited everything plan, does that include unlimited picture messaging as well?

[Brandi]

I ordered 2 phones online that were in stock. I paid extra for overnight delivery and was sure to order before their 3pm cut off time so my phones would be here the next day. I waited all day and no phones. They didn't bother to send them out until that next day and I got them 2 days after placing my order. All that money wasted on overnight delivery. Customer service told me that I should have refused the package and they would have refunded all my money, other than that there was nothing they were going to do..I was out all that extra money. So people, overnight delivery does not mean overnight delivery.

[Mark]

No I don't work for Straight talk. I had a few problems getting the phone set up but so far have been happy. Considering they have only been on the market for less than two months they seem to be fixing the problems pretty quickly. I tried Boost before this and got spotty coverage in my area. So far I haven't found a spot where my phone didn't work even up in Maine. Again the internet use is pretty limited but the phone and text work great.

[atlantagirl]

Anyone know how to get rid of that annoying voice at the beginning of each call that announces how much time you have? Drives me crazy!

[john p.]

lol, i have net10 now and love it ($15 dollars a month is great for me a 15 year old high schooler. when i eventually get a job i plan on switching over to straighttalk but right now my cash flow is limited, plus i figure it cant hurt to wait out until they get rid of the kinks. btw straighttalk is coming out with a new touchscreen phone.

[Mark]

If you call customer support they can shut off the time remaining message at the start of each call.

[mm]

how do i check my balance from the phone, which is the lg 290? thanks. couldn't do it via the browser on the phone.

[Linda Downs]

Can I use this phone from two different areas? The terms and conditions info says that if you're out of your home area, the phone will say no service.

[Randal Richmond]

HORRIBLE! UNBELIEVABLE! DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE FOR ANYTHING!! I started this service on December 10th, when I was able to successfully port my previous Sprint cell phone number to my new Straight Talk phone. The phone broke within 3 days. That's not a problem. Cell phones break all the time, right? I replaced the phone no problem. HERE IS THE BAD PART: When I tried to re-port my previous phone number, the one that had been on the previous Straight Talk phone 12 hours before, I was told that THEY ARE UNABLE TO PORT THE NUMBER AGAIN. So, basically, they can port your number ONLY ONCE! As soon as your phone breaks or you try to replace it, you WILL NOT be able to keep your existing phone number. Period. 3 Supervisors in Bangalore were positive that they are not able to do it. All they said was "your number is lost". This, despite having 20 days on the original calling card, AND having signed up for auto-rebill. So my account was fully paid for and active. They are just simply unable to transfer the same number from one of their Straight Talk phones to a 2nd phone. IF YOU HAVE A NUMBER YOU WANT TO KEEP - DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE!!!!! Luckily, since the whole thing happened within a 12 hour period, I was able to call Sprint back and my previous number had not yet been re-assigned. Sure, I had to sign another 2 year contract but at that point I was happy to do it. BE WARNED! BE WARNED!!!

[billy]

Hi i just got the samsung R451C and will activate it tomorrow with the unlimited plan. I love the phone although i havent acivated it yet. The mp3 player and camera work great and i love the full keyboard. I will write back tomorrow after i activate it to let you guys know about the internet and such.

[Nuclear Option]

I switched from $print to Straight Talk (www.straighttalk.com) last week and have been completely impressed. I bought the cheapo LG100C (US$ 29.95) with the $30 plan and ported my number. In less than 24 hours my line was connected. Very impressed. I can buy a nicer phone anytime as they offer 8 models. Try that with $print and it'll cost a fortune as they tie you down for 2 years with an upgrade. For 4+years I had a lousy $print signal at home, joking that if I had a heart attack I'd have to go to the other room to call for help... Straight Talk utilizes Verizon in my area, a strong signal. Other $print disappointments such as they wouldn't honor my Berkshire Hathaway Employee discount when I switched to 200 min basic plan, wanted extra for nights to start at 7pm. Did I mention they renewed a 2 year contact? I decided to pay the $140 cancelation charge. I took the plunge, not really knowing what Straight Talk would be like but felt it couldn't be worse than $print. I can honestly sing the praises of Straight Talk now. For $33 (tax & fee incl) Internet is included with Straight Talk and when I checked my balance the first day they doubled the minutes and internet! Yesterday I signed on for 'Auto Refill' every 30 days (can use a credit or debit card) and after 12 consecutive billings they'll give a free month of service... do the math. The only unhappy moment was calling Straight Talk Tech Support which had a long wait on hold and when I got a live person she drug out the call by apologizing and thanking repeatedly. It bothers me not that this is a Walmart marketed product either. I am a child of the 'Walmart generation', raised by parents who didn't have alot of money. Straight Talk is another amazing value.

[Scott]

I bought the motorola w385 w/unlimited plan. I dont have direct access to a PC so mobile web sounded cool. Disappointed that can only download from Straighttalk page on PC. Now I am getting a untrusted server msg when try to check gmail. Browsers link to Crsh r Flsh was fun until pics quite loading. I cleared cache but no change.

[Jack]

do any of these straight phones have SIMS cards in them?? if so like to get a better phone ( version type) and use it ATT GO PHONE wILL WORK WITH ANY ATT PHONE

[Kevin]

Straight Talk Customer Service is THE WORST in the world, they haven't helped me out at all, I already ordered a new one it came in the mail today.Straight Talk Customer Service is THE WORST
...Straight Talk Customer sucks..........

[katelynlugo]

alrite so i have this phone,
and im just wondering..
why is the media player louder then the actual ringtones?
can i change this?
its starting to annoy me!

thanks.
[:

[Pat Yoe]

It's awesome!

I had Verizon then switched to AT&T but the bills were CRAZY!.

When I heard about Straight Talk I couldn't believe it but got it from Walmart and have had it now for 2 months and it is just sick! I'd heard that it was on Verizon and the coverage is rock steady, so yeah!

[David G]

I can't believe for 45 bucks a month I can talk to anybody on any network...unlimited text messages and picture messages too!!!

[tony]

can i buy a straight talk refill card and put it on my enV2?? i want to get the 1000 minutes and 1000 sms's but on a different phone.

[Tony Gotti]

Can you use an existing phone, and change to Straight Talk as your carrier? I guess the question is, does it operate on a SIM card?

[Dale R]

No sim card - Must have Straight Talk Phone.

[Charles]

I have the samsung R451C and am very pleased with it. I am having trouble saving images. I bought a memory card but when I attempt to view I just get a black screen. Any suggestions?

[Janet Edwards]

If st says the service end date is 12-31-09 & I renew on 1-01-10, will I lose the number I currently have? In other words, is there a grace period before you lose your number? Also, does the end date begin at the beginning or end of that date? Thank you

[DJ]

I have the R451C that I just purchased less then an hour ago and other then not being able to activate my phone through the website I have not had any problems accessing the web or texting. I did however have to call customer service on landline to activate the phone and I was happy with the results. It only took 3 minutes befor a live person got on the phone and the call lasted less then 10 minutes and in that time the tech rep instructed me on exactly how to activate the phone and he made sure that I could call him on the phone and that he could call me and that we could send text back and forth befor we ended the call, he even had me access the net on the phone and email him to make sure my net worked. the only issue that I am trying to figure out is if someone can send emails to my phone like my cricket did for example on cricket phone I got emails at #########@mycricket.com is there a way that someone can email my ST phone and it come straight through as a text like cricket. my email is dj_at_itt@yahoo.com

[ttfitz]

DJ - try yournumber@vtext.com

[derry]

Thanks for the helpful review Keith. Do you or anyone else know if you can tether with the Samsung R451C, or anyother ST phone?

[Sebstin]

Is there anyway I can use ST phone as a modem to my PC and connect to internet?.

[ONE QUESTION]

I just bought the LG220c and the 1000 minute plan yesterday and was not looking forward at all to having to either talk to the foreigners in CS, or going through the activation process online because I've seen people complain about both at this site and others. So, I decided to take my chances with CS to activate my phone and I never had to talk to CS. The activation process is recorded touch tone, and pretty easy, and I was up and running in a little more than an hour. My only complaint so far is I don't like the way my phone only rings about two times and then shoots the caller to my message recorder. I'd like to have a little more time to get to my phone and make a decision if the person calling is someone I want to talk to or not. And I can't figure out how to delete old info such as people who have called me, or people I have called, etc.

My question is this:

Do I have to "register" myself and or my phone through Straight Talk either via the web or by phone in a certain period of time, if ever?

Seems like I read that somewhere, but I can't find that anywhere on any of the brochures that came with my phone. Because if I don't, then this whole process so far has been very simple, and I'd just assume not give out a lot of information about myself. If I wanted that, then I'd have just got a contract phone.

[Elizabeth]

Do you know if I can keep my phone number?

[ONE QUESTION]

Yes, says in the manual you can have your old number "ported."

[bunch]

I am trying to transfer my old number to my ST phone. I talked to the Indian guy for awhile to get everything set up and then a few hours later I don't have service with my old provider and my ST phone doesn't work either. how long does it take to stransger the number or who can I call aside from the star22890 number?

[ONE QUESTION]

On this website a page or two back, someone or the owner of this blog, posted some dude's email addy, phone and extension number, and name, who works for Tracphone/Straight Talk. I don't know if the name and number are real, but if I were you I'd scroll back to the beginning page of this blog and look for that post and call that dude who has helped others.
And let me know if the name and number are real because when I run into trouble I'll call him too.
I've read where it takes some people a solid week to get their old number ported -- so, I'd be callin', dude.

[Sue]

My daughters got me the Samsung slider phone for Christmas and I love it. In less than an hour my phone was ported and Straight Talk even called me to let me know this. My problem now is accessing the download website and signing on to Ebay and such. Today I submitted my 2nd ticket to fix the problem with customer service, but I also sent an email to the Elston gentleman that was on a previous post. As soon as the problem is fixed I'll let you know. My phone and texting work great so actually the net will be just a bonus as I really just needed a keyboard to text as that seems to be what everyone is doing nowadays.

[Sue]

Per my previous post I said I'd let you know when I got my browser to work after emailing Elston and sure enough, everything is working fine now. His email address is on a previous post. I'm very happy with my Straight Talk phone.