Walmart to offer unlimited iPhone 5 plan for $45/mo

[Mandrale]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevange ... 5-monthly/

What are your guys' thoughts/opinions on Walmart's "Straight Talk" service?

It's a no contract, monthly plan for unlimited data, talk and text - and only $45/month. The only catch is that you buy the phone at full price, which is $649.

Any opinions or experience with plans through Walmart (TracFone Wireless Inc.)?

[leonard]

$45 a month for a phone.

I would suggest sticking with a cheaper plan. Tracphone is something between $5 and $10 month. Put the extra $35 to better use.

[Browser]

There are computers cheaper than that phone.

[guitarguy]

That's a crazy price to pay for a phone. What if it breaks? To the best of my knowledge many plans don't allow you to insure iPhones.

Regarding paying more for a nice smartphone rather than "putting the extra money to good use"...this could be debated up and down. I use mine so much for both business and personal use that it's well worth the amount I pay per month (which sadly is over $45...eek). But I do get the tax deduction on half...

[furwut]

I switched my iPhone 4 from AT&T over to Straight Talk a couple of months ago. ST uses either AT&T's network or T-Mobile's so you should experience the same level of service as they do.

Before getting the iPhone 5 i would make sure that I would get LTE - otherwise what's the point.

Also - ST's "unlimited" is in reality 2GB/month. Go over and they will kick you to the curb!

[Toons]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2013/01/10/walmart-to-offer-iphone-5-off-contract-unlimited-service-for-45-monthly/

What are your guys' thoughts/opinions on Walmart's "Straight Talk" service?

It's a no contract, monthly plan for unlimited data, talk and text - and only $45/month. The only catch is that you buy the phone at full price, which is $649.

Any opinions or experience with plans through Walmart (TracFone Wireless Inc.)?

Myself and spouse have been using straight talk service about 4 years. No complaints.Wife upgraded to the Samsung Proclaim smartphone about 4 months ago.Cost 179.00 +45 month unlimited she uses it all the time,matter of fact it will be our gps for our upcoming trip.
I discovered StraightTalk years ago as I was sick and tired of Sprint 2 year contracts,surprise charges every month etc. So far so good with Walmart Straight Talk,highly recommend.Matter of fact I am headed that way today to check out Android phone for myself.

"On AT&T, having an iPhone 5 with a 2 year contract and a plan supporting unlimited voice, unlimited text, and 5GB of data will cost consumers roughly $3550. With Straight Talk’s plan, cost of ownership over 2 years is only $1729, and that includes the full price of the iPhone 5."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevange ... 5-monthly/

[BigFoot48]

I have the iPod Touch 5 32GB that I paid $299 for. I would say charging $350 for a cell phone and GPS chip and vibrator with less storage is a bit steep. I'll stick with my $100/yr Tracfone, but I do love my new Touch!

[leonard]

That's a crazy price to pay for a phone. What if it breaks? To the best of my knowledge many plans don't allow you to insure iPhones.

Regarding paying more for a nice smartphone rather than "putting the extra money to good use"...this could be debated up and down. I use mine so much for both business and personal use that it's well worth the amount I pay per month (which sadly is over $45...eek). But I do get the tax deduction on half...

$35 a month. That could equate to adding a new classic Peavey guitar or 2 to the herd every year.

[guitarguy]

That's a crazy price to pay for a phone. What if it breaks? To the best of my knowledge many plans don't allow you to insure iPhones.

Regarding paying more for a nice smartphone rather than "putting the extra money to good use"...this could be debated up and down. I use mine so much for both business and personal use that it's well worth the amount I pay per month (which sadly is over $45...eek). But I do get the tax deduction on half...

$35 a month. That could equate to adding a new classic Peavey guitar or 2 to the herd every year.

And I conduct so much business on my smartphone during the day that without it I'd be playing my guitars in my basement rather than earning more than enough to fully fund my Roth IRA with them.

Besides...I'm no collector. I have 2 guitars (a Strat and a Les Paul)...and they get played!

[leonard]

That's a crazy price to pay for a phone. What if it breaks? To the best of my knowledge many plans don't allow you to insure iPhones.

Regarding paying more for a nice smartphone rather than "putting the extra money to good use"...this could be debated up and down. I use mine so much for both business and personal use that it's well worth the amount I pay per month (which sadly is over $45...eek). But I do get the tax deduction on half...

$35 a month. That could equate to adding a new classic Peavey guitar or 2 to the herd every year.

And I conduct so much business on my smartphone during the day that without it I'd be playing my guitars in my basement rather than earning more than enough to fully fund my Roth IRA with them.

Besides...I'm no collector. I have 2 guitars (a Strat and a Les Paul)...and they get played!

Understood.

Not a collector either - I buy em and play - so best of both worlds.

[mhc]

Any opinions or experience with plans through Walmart (TracFone Wireless Inc.)?

I have been using a tracfone for 7 yrs. I pay $75/yr. Works great. No problems.

[mnnice]

I am on the fence about this. I looked at Straight Talk last summer when we moved to "Verizon land" The only true choices here are Verizon and Straight Talk off Verizon towers. I really wanted to go with the $45 plan, but DH balked at the overall non state of the artness of the phones (he wanted a better phone not the what was essentially the same phone he had used for almost two years.)

Anyway to compare price Straight Talk with lower monthly costs and an unsubsidized Iphone vs. Verizon with a subsizided Iphone and a higher monthly charges times two (DH and I in this case) it skews to Straight Talk and would be about $35 a month cheaper or about $800 for a two year contract. What I am not sure about is if you would get 4G or just 3G with the Iphone on Straight Talk.

I have seriously considered having keeping DH's Verizon smartphone and then having me go back to a "dumb" phone and getting a smaller tablet (Galaxy tab or Ipad mini) to carry around in large part because I think I can procrastinate on getting bifocals longer if I have something larger to read off of .

[dsanders79]

I have been using Straighttalk with an unlocked Google Nexus phone for about a year now. I am very happy with the service. I have heard about the 2GB limit, but I stream music and talk radio on my commute and I have not run into any issues. You can really use any AT&T phone on Straighttalk. So if you're feeling adventurous you can shop on ebay, craigslist, etc. If you are willing to pre-pay for a year (possibly only available on Straittalk's website) you get a discount - I think it worked out to one free month.

[Ricola]

We are happy with Straight Talk/Net10/Tracfone, but something to watch out for are GSM 2g phones that they sell and say will work in your area but due to AT&T discontinuing 2g support you will have problems making and receiving calls. Also most all of their 3g phones are smart phones that will cost more to buy and require higher dollar monthly plans.

[gt4715b]

One drawback to Straight Talk with an iPhone is that the Visual Voicemail feature doesn't work. You'll have to use the old "call-in" method, which I honest can't remember how works. For me it's a pretty big feature loss, but may not matter to others.

[Sidney]

I believe that STs Terms of Service limit/prohibit some things like streaming audio/video but my guess is that many people choose not to comply with the terms.

[crowd79]

$45 a month for a phone.

I would suggest sticking with a cheaper plan. Tracphone is something between $5 and $10 month. Put the extra $35 to better use.

Agree. I whip out my cheap Tracfone phone with pride while surrounded by my friends and neighbors at work, the gym, etc....They can have their iPhones and Androids, but I'll stick with my tracfone that costs me $10 per month with no contracts, no fees, no nothing.....

[protagonist]

I assume you don't have to buy the iPhone directly from Walmart?

Here are my comments on Straight Talk from a previous thread (I don't know how to reference them so I am copying them),,,,,I used Straight Talk with an iPhone 3g:

Post 1:
I've used Straight Talk for a couple of months, coming from Verizon. I haven't noticed a significant difference in call quality or coverage. It may have dropped my calls a few more times in rural VT, but not enough to affect my overall impression.

I also have not noticed the "throttling" down of 3G on a drive from MA to Canada, listening to streaming internet radio on 3G the whole way round trip, but I have never tried anything very bandwidth-demanding like downloading movies.

I pay a little less for unlimited talk/text/3G with Straight Talk than I did for 900 minutes of talk, 250 texts, and no internet when I was with Verizon. What I most like is not having to count minutes or argue about charges, and not being on contract. It is simple. If you don't like it, you can always go back to your old carrier.

I extensively researched companies when I switched, and Page Plus and Straight Talk were the two clear winners. Ideally you want a carrier that uses either Verizon or ATT towers, since they have the two largest networks. Page Plus may have had a slight edge over Straight Talk, since Verizon has a larger network than ATT. If you have a Verizon or ATT phone you like, you might choose between ST (uses ATT) and PP (uses Verizon) on that basis. Otherwise I would buy the Verizon or ATT - compatible phone you most like on ebay and choose the network based on that. If you go with Straight Talk, you will probably get better coverage with an ATT phone than with a phone by another carrier that Straight Talk supports. When I looked at phones on eBay a couple of months ago an iPhone 4 could be obtained (refurbed or used in exc. condition) for around $200 or a bit more ...less for other brands.

Post 2:

A new issue I had not accounted for when I joined Straight Talk:
I will be out of the country for 4 months where I cannot get ST. I was hoping that I could keep my phone number on hold for when I return, possibly by buying a ST plan in advance for when I return. But ST will only, (supposedly in most cases), retain your number for 30 days before releasing it, and they reserve the right to release your number the day one of your monthly plans expires.
If you have an ATT phone, it is impossible to port your number to ATT's Go Network because of the agreement between ATT and ST.
Though you should be able to port your number to another service, I have been told by numerous reps that they have had a lot of trouble getting ST to port numbers to other carriers and one said that most of the time it doesn't work.
So in a way, this may be worse than a contractual commitment. Any time you leave you risk losing your phone number, no matter how long you have been with ST. You cannot put your account "on hold". And if you have a smartphone not purchased from ST, the cheapest monthly plan you can sign for is $45/month plus tax and fees (approx. $49 and change for me).
I'll probably just give up my number when I leave and get a new one upon returning. But if I knew I would have considered other options. It's a good deal, but it is not for everybody.

[travellight]

Can you add family members at a discounted price?

[camper]

My wife and I have used Straight Talk for a few years now. I kept my dumb phone but upgraded DW to a Samsung Galaxy Proclaim for $149.88 recently. She enjoys it a little too much, I think.

[pennstater2005]

I use straight talk on the att network with excellent coverage and service. Bought a used Samsung galaxy s2 on Ebay. Love the setup and save money too. Only regret is I should have done it sooner.

[Leesbro63]

One drawback to Straight Talk with an iPhone is that the Visual Voicemail feature doesn't work. You'll have to use the old "call-in" method, which I honest can't remember how works. For me it's a pretty big feature loss, but may not matter to others.

I hate to admit this, but I've had an iPhone 5 and don't know what you are talking about. Am I missing something "gee whiz"?

[Lollytiger]

Straight Talk is one of many MVNOs, like SimpleMobile, Good2Go, RedPocket etc. They buy coverage from the major carriers and sell it to customers.

You've always been able to buy the unlocked iPhone (well, it's not available unlocked immediately after release but the iPhone 5 has been available unlocked for a while) and use it on an AT&T MVNO. Walmart offering the iPhone is really a non-event since you can already buy it directly from Apple. There actually are a couple of catches, which apply to MVNOs in general:

1) You don't get LTE,
2) You may or may not be lower priority than the carrier's direct customers (I've heard speculation, but I don't know if it is actually the case)
3) The data is not really unlimited. Straight Talk is especially bad about this since it's not clear exactly how much data you get before you get kicked off or warned. SimpleMobile for example is much better with this as they tell you specifically how much data you get before being throttled.
4) The customer service can be really bad with horror stories of losing phone numbers etc. Also you have ridiculous stuff like Solavei being a multi level marketing scheme.

I think if you're using say a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 (the best examples of Android phones IMO) then T-Mobile's monthly4G plans are the best. You are getting service directly from one of the major carriers, and not from a MVNO. They give you unlimited voice+text+2GB data before throttling for $60, and also have a $30 plan with 5GB before throttling but only 100 minutes. They also have the fastest service since you can't get LTE on a monthly plan from anyone and T-Mobile has the next best thing, which is HSPA+42. The only catch is that their coverage is not as good as AT&T/Verizon, so if T-Mobile sucks in your area then obviously they are not an option. Also, the iPhone is not compatible with the bands they use. They are reframing their networks to be iPhone compatible in preparation for offering it this Spring I believe, but I don't know what the status of that is.

[englishgirl]

I've been looking into this.

As far as I'm aware, only the Verizon-type unlocked iPhone 5 is available. So the Straight Talk plan for the iPhone 5 will use the Verizon network. I don't believe there's an AT&T-type unlocked iPhone 5 up for grabs yet. I have been poking around other discussion forums, and it seems that Straight Talk throttles the signal if you go over 2GB a month. Actually, I've read of them just canceling your service instead of throttling the signal. That shouldn't be an issue for me, as I'm on a 2GB plan now and rarely even approach that much usage. But it does make me wonder about their "unlimited" claim, and I don't like the thought of being kicked out just for say going over in one month.

And you don't get LTE. I really don't know how big of an issue this is. MOST of my usage is in places where I am connected via wifi. But my friends with iPhone 5's rave about the speed of the thing, especially for surfing. Am I going to be paying extra for a phone and then not being able to see the speed improvements if I don't have LTE? I don't know.

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for the prepaid iPhone plans to come along. My current phone is being temperamental, so I need to do something soon. But this is underwhelming. I think I'm going to try to last out for T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile to launch their services so I can compare.

[protagonist]

Can you add family members at a discounted price?

I'm almost certain the answer is no.

[Kuota Rider]

So you will pay $1200 for the first year to use a cell phone. Yes you can amortize the phone cost over the life of the phone, but $1200 is a pretty big slice of a budget for a phone.

[protagonist]

I've been looking into this.

As far as I'm aware, only the Verizon-type unlocked iPhone 5 is available. So the Straight Talk plan for the iPhone 5 will use the Verizon network. I don't believe there's an AT&T-type unlocked iPhone 5 up for grabs yet.

Are you sure about this, Englishgirl? If this is true, it is very new, since as of when I left the US in December, Straight Talk was not using the Verizon network, and you could only use GSM phones that used a SIM card. From my research, I concluded that Page Plus, that works with Verizon phones, probably had a slight edge over Straight Talk.

And you don't get LTE. I really don't know how big of an issue this is.
.

I don't get LTE, but for me it is not much of an issue at all. Like most people I know, I don't use my phone for "serious" web surfing. I use my computer for that. My iPhone 3rd gen. is a dog, but for casual web access on the go, it's fine, and if you don't do things like watch movies on your phone, 2 Gb/month goes a long way, much more than I imagined.

[Toons]

Can you add family members at a discounted price?

I'm almost certain the answer is no.

No

[Maid of the Mist]

For those already on the StraightTalk plan, are there taxes and fees on the $45 monthly charge? If so, what are they? Thanks

[phantom]

I really hope you guys in the US get the same mobile plans we have in France soon. 2 hours (including international) + unlimited sms + all incoming calls free for 2 euros a month. Unlimited outgoing calls - 10 euros. Unlimited internet as well - 20 euros. Mind you, it wasn't always this way. The prices were as bad as in the US, and then one company just surprised everyone by coming out with this about a year ago. Now all the others are doing more or less the same thing. Wonder whether there is some reason why this can't happen in the US.

[therub]

For those already on the StraightTalk plan, are there taxes and fees on the $45 monthly charge? If so, what are they? Thanks

At least in MN (I don't know if it's sales tax or what):

Plan Amount: 45.00
Total: 49.64

My wife and I recently switched. We bought iphone 4's off craigslist for $200 each and hooked them up to straight talk. It went quite smoothly, but one does need to be sufficiently savvy to know how not to get ripped off on craigslist, the difference between GSM and CDMA, and not scared of setting your phone up yourself.

[mnnice]

I've been looking into this.

As far as I'm aware, only the Verizon-type unlocked iPhone 5 is available. So the Straight Talk plan for the iPhone 5 will use the Verizon network. I don't believe there's an AT&T-type unlocked iPhone 5 up for grabs yet.

Are you sure about this, Englishgirl? If this is true, it is very new, since as of when I left the US in December, Straight Talk was not using the Verizon network, and you could only use GSM phones that used a SIM card. From my research, I concluded that Page Plus, that works with Verizon phones, probably had a slight edge over Straight Talk.

[quote="englishgirl"]

I think it depends on the market you are in. I could get Verizon towers/CDMA phones at Wal-mart locally in June 2012 and when you look online it asks for zip code and only CDMA phones show up for my zip code since then are functionally the only thing that is going to work well.

The part I can't figure out his how you can use unlocked phones. When I asked at Wal-mart they claimed it was not possible. On the website there are no bring your own phone choices and this flashing thing seems risky. Personally, I would prefer my current CDMA Android phone to the Iphone 5 anyway. I just wish I could figure out how to get it to work (once my contract expires in July).

[Trev H]

Myself, my wife and my daughter currently use 3 different providers.

Me - Tracfone - I don't spend much time at all talking on cell, and almost no time texting so TracFone works great for me, and is very cheap.

My wife - StraightTalk - 30.00 (all you need plan). She gets 1000 minutes, 1000 text, 30 MB web monthy... and that really is all she needs.

My daughter - ATT Go Phone - 25.00 monthly - 250 minutes, umlimited text. She hardly ever talks and never uses all the minutes, but wears the texting part out.

All 3 work exceptionally well for us.

Trev H

[englishgirl]

I've been looking into this.

As far as I'm aware, only the Verizon-type unlocked iPhone 5 is available. So the Straight Talk plan for the iPhone 5 will use the Verizon network. I don't believe there's an AT&T-type unlocked iPhone 5 up for grabs yet.

Are you sure about this, Englishgirl? If this is true, it is very new, since as of when I left the US in December, Straight Talk was not using the Verizon network, and you could only use GSM phones that used a SIM card. From my research, I concluded that Page Plus, that works with Verizon phones, probably had a slight edge over Straight Talk.

I am never sure about anything, and on this forum, apparently I am frequently wrong. So, having gone back and googled further, I now see that the iPhone 5 will be the AT&T-type, using GSM. But the "no LTE" thing is right, as it is HSPA+. Or whatever that is called.

Anyway, I'm still not convinced that Straight Talk is the way to go.

[Indexfan]

I suggest a prepaid (no contract) T-Mobile phone plan. When you buy $100 worth of T-Mobile minutes, you become be a T-Mobile rewards gold member and you earn 15% more minutes with your $100 prepaid purchase with T-Mobile. Use Callingmart.com to purchase the $100 of minutes and you will get 5% off costing you about $95.00. This plan is for cell minutes and text messages only not data. Minutes are good for 1 year, and they last me about 5 months.

I have used this T-Mobile plan for about 5 years now and my cell bill is about $8.00 per month. I donot purchase a data plan from T-Mobile and use free WiFi hotspots and my home router to access the internet with my smart phone. I recently bought my first smart phone (used) on Ebay for $150 (HTC Radar4G) and was pleasently surprised to learn from the T-Mobile phone rep that I could use the same $100 prepaid minute plan with my new (used) smart phone.

Indexfan

[Diogenes]

I really hope you guys in the US get the same mobile plans we have in France soon. 2 hours (including international) + unlimited sms + all incoming calls free for 2 euros a month. Unlimited outgoing calls - 10 euros. Unlimited internet as well - 20 euros. Mind you, it wasn't always this way. The prices were as bad as in the US, and then one company just surprised everyone by coming out with this about a year ago. Now all the others are doing more or less the same thing. Wonder whether there is some reason why this can't happen in the US.

Phantom,

Can you suggest a sim provider for this? I will be spending a couple of months in France in about a month and was thinking of LeFrench Mobile, but perhaps there is something better?

_D_

[protagonist]

For those already on the StraightTalk plan, are there taxes and fees on the $45 monthly charge? If so, what are they? Thanks

Yes. My bill was about $49 plus change/month. That said, the taxes and bullsh...fees Verizon was charging amounted to a fair amount more.

[protagonist]

I have used this T-Mobile plan for about 5 years now and my cell bill is about $8.00 per month.
Indexfan

How many minutes/month do you get for $8, and is this your primary phone? My internet connection here in Venezuela is very bad, so I cannot practically websurf to get all details, but a cursory glance at the Tracfone site suggested that for $29 you get only 200 minutes. For a primary phone, that doesn't seem like a very good deal to me, cf. $45/mo. for unlimited talk, text and semi-unlimited 3G. I'd burn through 200 minutes in a week, and I don't think I use a phone more than the average person.

[protagonist]

I really hope you guys in the US get the same mobile plans we have in France soon. 2 hours (including international) + unlimited sms + all incoming calls free for 2 euros a month. Unlimited outgoing calls - 10 euros. Unlimited internet as well - 20 euros. Mind you, it wasn't always this way. The prices were as bad as in the US, and then one company just surprised everyone by coming out with this about a year ago. Now all the others are doing more or less the same thing. Wonder whether there is some reason why this can't happen in the US.

Can I jump aboard when I am in France for a few weeks in the summer if I buy a SIM card for an unlocked phone, and if so, could you please provide me with details? Thanks in advance.

[protagonist]

uote]

I am never sure about anything, and on this forum, apparently I am frequently wrong..

Same here. (laughing...)

[Bustoff]

We bought a Boost Samsung Galaxy Prevail from WalMart. The Boost plan is unlimited talk, text, web, email for $55/mo and the mo. payment decreases by $5 every 6mo.

The phone cost $99 (they are cheaper now). My wife uses it most of the time and she is very happy with it.

She previously had a Blackberry from her job and hated it. She hated the phone too.

[Hexdump]

Can you add family members at a discounted price?

I'm almost certain the answer is no.

We just added me to an ATT family plan and bought the phone for $127.00 plus $30.00 activation fee and $9.99 for the 3rd line. Wife and son are already on the plan.

While I was at Walmart I tried all kinds of angles to get the best deat.
The $127.00 was for service with ATT, if I wanted Straight Talk, I had to pay full price for the phone.
The same phone and deal at the ATT store was $190.00 for the phone.

In order to add me to the family plan, I had to have my son (the acct holder), buy the phone and put it on the account.
He lives in Austin whereas I am in Houston. It was a busy evening but we got er done.

[Kelmscott]

I just dumped my contract with AT&T when it ended last month and switched to Straight Talk for my iPhone 4.

Easy to switch, no difference in service/coverage whatsoever (since ST uses the ATT network), and it sure is nice saving about $35 per month!

[JupiterJones]

There are computers cheaper than that phone.

The phone is a computer.

JJ

[travellight]

thanks for the feedback and info.

[Chilitopper]

I suggest a prepaid (no contract) T-Mobile phone plan. When you buy $100 worth of T-Mobile minutes, you become be a T-Mobile rewards gold member and you earn 15% more minutes with your $100 prepaid purchase with T-Mobile. Use Callingmart.com to purchase the $100 of minutes and you will get 5% off costing you about $95.00. This plan is for cell minutes and text messages only not data. Minutes are good for 1 year, and they last me about 5 months.

I have used this T-Mobile plan for about 5 years now and my cell bill is about $8.00 per month. I donot purchase a data plan from T-Mobile and use free WiFi hotspots and my home router to access the internet with my smart phone. I recently bought my first smart phone (used) on Ebay for $150 (HTC Radar4G) and was pleasently surprised to learn from the T-Mobile phone rep that I could use the same $100 prepaid minute plan with my new (used) smart phone.

Indexfan

I'm a prepaid T-Mobile customer too, and buy the 1000 minutes every 7-9 months. I like the sound of your plan and want to try it. Some people say that you need to pay for a data plan too, but your post sounds like you don't. Did you just transfer the SIM card from your old phone? When you use the wi-fi, I'm assuming you don't pay for minutes?

Chilitopper