Straight Talk Phones: No Contracts, No Limits
Update: Straight Talk recently released its latest and third Android phone, LG Optimus Black. The first thing that grabs you with this phone is the brilliant color touch screen. It’s a gorgeous WVGA Nova screen, which means it’s incredibly vivid and bright. It comes with a 5 mp camera/video recorder and runs on the Straight Talk Unlimited plan. Read more about this phone at StraightTalk.com
Prepaid cell phone plans, or more commonly known as pay-as-you-go plans, have registered a notable increase in market share in the past few years. Last year alone, sales under this category grew by 13 percent in the North American market according to Pali Research, a financial advisory firm. Wireless companies like Straight Talk have benefited from these new customers, who they help save money on their phone bills.
See the two new prepaid smartphones, the Nokia 6790 and E71, at StraightTalk.com.
The appeal of prepaid mobile phones rests on the absence of a multi-year contract, which binds the user to a monthly rate during the plan period. Over the years, consumers have grown wary of cell phone companies tying them to multi-year contracts and penalizing them when they cancel their plans prematurely.
Since the services are purchased in advance, pay-as-you-go phone plans also provide advantages such as the absence of a credit check and no-deposit requirements.
However, prepaid plans are also noted for their disadvantages. Chief among these is that calls and text messaging are relatively more expensive than in billed phones. Certain pay-as-you-go phones also have limitations such as expiration of minutes after a certain period of time. Some no-contract carriers likewise require you to use your credits within a specific period, beyond which they are rendered invalid.
But then Straight Talk cell phones came onto the scene with its Unlimited prepaid plan, which for a fixed price, gives users unlimited use of their phone service with no additional charges. And no contract.
These limitations seem to be disappearing as can be seen from the increasing number of prepaid consumers who see the value of some of the new prepaid deals that are being released. This growth has encouraged competition, which, according to prepaidreviews.com, is now numbered at 25 prepaid carriers across the country. In addition to Straight Talk’s prepaid phones, Boost Mobile also has a prominent Unlimited plan, which costs $50 per month. MetroPCS and Sprint are in the mix as well, working to find plans that capture a solid section of the market.
Among these providers, Straight Talk Cell Phones seem to have the best deals available in the prepaid market. Straight Talk has two plans: the first one is a $30 per 30-day plan that offers 1,000 minutes, 1,000 SMS or MMS text messages, 30 MB of data plus unlimited 411 calls. The second is a $45 30-day offering that provides unlimited voice, unlimited messaging, unlimited data and unlimited 411 calls.
Straight Talk Cell Phones are available online at StraightTalk.com. The company’s website provides a simple 3-step process on how to avail its services: the consumer first selects the phone of his or her choice, then he or she has the option to keep the existing phone number or get a new one and then, register for a plan via the site.
As of this writing, the company’s site has 9 models to choose from; the cheapest at $29.99 are the LG100 and LG 200c models while the most expensive is the Samsung Finesse R810c smartphone at $328.99 (pictured below).
Consumers rave about the cheap monthly rates and most agree that the minutes, SMS, and data limits are enough for them. It should be noted that under the $30 plan unused credits do not rollover and that adding a new card resets the 30-day period and the limits on minutes, SMS and data. An auto-refill option is available where charges can be automatically made to your credit card if you want to “set it and forget it.”
Prepaidreviews.com rates Straight Talk Cell Phones three and a half stars and cites the cheap rates as one of its greatest benefits. Some consumers, however, feel that customer service leaves a lot to be desired, which is a common complaint for all prepaid companies.
Straight Talk is managed by TracFone and operates on the Verizon network giving it a wide area of coverage. The phones are available through the official Straight Talk website, www.StraightTalk.com
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
For years, I was frustrated by the hidden charges and overage fees charged by my contract carrier. I was less than thrilled with the signal strength as well. So I really shopped around once I decided to move to a pre-paid plan. And what I found was that Straight Talk offered the best monthly rates, along with the best reception. I’ve been with ST for 6 months now, and have never looked back.
Glad to hear it Caroline. I’ve heard mostly good things about Straight Talk phones. I’ve heard some complaints as well, but overall it seems that Straight Talk does have some of the best pricing in the business for what you get. Did you purchase the unlimited plan?
Hi Chris, Yes I have been buying the $45 Unlimited plan. It’s such a bargain!
Hi Caroline! I’m thinking about switching to straight talk to save some money. While doing my research I came across several articles saying that their customer service isn’t the best. Do you have any experiences related, bad or good? I also heard they’re on facebook. You know anything about that?
I have read some of these comments but can assure people out there that Straighttalk are without doubt the premier suppliers of cellphones in the USA. I and most of my family have been with them for over a year and cannot fault them. The service plans are good, quality of phones excellent and the prices even better
Pingback: The Nokia 6790: Is it Straight Talk’s iPhone? | Samsung Finesse Phone