# Walmart Straight Talk Phone...



## HD28 (Jan 6, 2011)

Anyone use the Straight Talk phones? What is the best phone to get that is offered now? I was thinking of the $45 Unlimited Monthly Plan. Any info, good or bad, appreciated.


----------



## Greaserbilly (Jan 6, 2011)

I use the MetroPCS. Pay as you go, and for an extra $10 you can call ANYONE ON EARTH for one low, fixed rate.


----------



## Twenty five ought six (Jan 6, 2011)

I'm using the service, and I'm satisfied with it.  Not the fastest, but it does everything it says it will do.

I have the $30.00 a month service, and the basic phone.  Coverage is a lot better than AT&T, which I dropped, plus there are no add on charges to run the cost up.

I don't play games, I don't surf the internet, I don't watch movies on my telephone --I'm sort of old fashioned and I use a telephone for a telephone.  Use the occasional text messaging.

They had some really good deals before Christmas.

Make sure you have plenty of time if you ever have to call customer service.  Fortunately you don't have to very much.


----------



## BornToHuntAndFish (Jan 6, 2011)

HD28 said:


> Anyone use the Straight Talk phones? What is the best phone to get that is offered now? I was thinking of the $45 Unlimited Monthly Plan. Any info, good or bad, appreciated.



I have one which works fine in both rural low populated areas & big city high populated areas.

I avoid 1-2 year long term contracts for everything if I can.

Walmart's NO-Contract Pay-As-You-Go Prepaid Straight Talk Smartphones can ONLY use the $45 UNlimited monthly plan, not the $30 monthly plan for lower function phones.  

Straight Talk only used Verizon's (CDMA) network up until this past 2010 Summer when AT&T's (GSM) network was added.  

Straight Talk's 1st smartphone was the Samsung Finesse r810c which had the largest display available early in 2010 but was later withdrawn & unavailable around mid-2010 due to lots of problems with it.  Since August 2010 only AT&T's Nokia E71 & & 6790 smartphones are available which say "Smartphone" on the outside package area, but some call other models smartphones if it has a keyboard which really does not make it a smartphone.  I hope Straight Talk soon comes out again with a Verizon network Smartphone.  

By definition, a smartphone runs a complete full function operating system & developers create applications to run on it.  

From what I've read, it seems the closest to a smartphone & most popular Straight Talk Verizon network phone is the Samsung R355C model. 

If GSM is on the Straight Talk phone package or if the phone model number ends with the letter "g", then it is a GSM AT&T phone handset.  If the phone package model number ends in a "c", then it is a CDMA Verizon phone handset.

If you get a Straight Talk smartphone, then you can only choose between 2 Nokia models.  If battery power is more important to you then the GSM Nokia E71 with 10.5 hours talk time with a little bit better reviews is the better choice which also has a rich history of being used in Europe for similar models.  If you prefer a larger slide out keyboard and/or larger LCD display with 4.7 hours talk time then the GSM Nokia 6790 is a better choice for you.  I'm using the E71 with a smaller keyboard that frustrates some since the keyboard is not larger but it was a higher priority for me to have the over twice as long talk time over most cell phones.  


Here's the choice of phones at the web links below:  

http://www.walmart.com/search/searc...ones&ic=48_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=3944

OR 

http://www.shopstraighttalk.com/bpd...en&siteType=&market=COGSM4&gotoPhonelist=true


dixie dawg on the forum has the most experience with Straight Talk than anyone I've come across so far.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Fletch_W (Jan 6, 2011)

i-Wireless from Kroger, you pay $50-60 for the phone, it's 10 cents a minute pre-paid, no contract, and it's a phone. If you don't talk much, it's super cheap and I get better coverage than my girlfriend's i-phone. I'm sorry I can't comment on the Walmart plan, but if you are just looking for a cheap phone, twenty-five-ought-six style, look at the i-wireless to compare with the Walmart plan.


----------



## Twenty five ought six (Jan 6, 2011)

Fletch_W said:


> i-Wireless from Kroger, you pay $50-60 for the phone, it's 10 cents a minute pre-paid, no contract, and it's a phone. If you don't talk much, it's super cheap and I get better coverage than my girlfriend's i-phone. I'm sorry I can't comment on the Walmart plan, but if you are just looking for *an INEXPENSIVE *phone, twenty-five-ought-six style, look at the i-wireless to compare with the Walmart plan.




Fixed that up for you.


----------



## seaweaver (Jan 7, 2011)

Wife justswitched, says it's ok but the E71 is slower and has lees features than her Blackberry.
We are moving to a zone that is blank for Tmoble but it really dosent matter for me as I free roam. But I gave them a chance to step up to ST price and features.
I do not text or surf...but as I'm moving in to new country(NC) I'd like the web to find what I need on the run.
I have no contract. I started w/ Powertel 10 years ago, same number. But now it's $55/month vs the tricks of ST for $45.
cw


----------



## crackerdave (Jan 8, 2011)

My wife just switched to the Straight Talk.Nothing negative so far.


----------



## GA DAWG (Jan 8, 2011)

My buddy just swapped and got the  Nokia 6790..It seems to do great..I will probably swap myself. I'm just holding out a little longer for a cdma smartphone..


----------



## HD28 (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your input. I went with a Net10 No-Contract phone. I found out that Net10, StraightTalk, etc. are all TracFon based. Net10 appealed to me because the prepaid cards seem to be available at more stores. I am very happy with the choice and went with the $50.00 Unlimited Talk and Text 30-day card. 
(Net10 also provides 300 Minutes free with a purchase of thier phone.)These phones run off At&t towers it seems. To be honest, I could not get a straight answer from anywhere as to which phones used which services. It can go from At&t, Verizon or T-Mobile and no one's explanation matched the other! ?? Anywho, this route sure seems like a good deal for anyone not needing the "cool factor" for their cell phone needs. It is working great for phone, voicemail and texting. All I need. Hopefully now I will actually know for sure what my phone bill will be!


----------



## Luke0927 (Jan 18, 2011)

When my company picked up my phone tab we rolled my wife's phone from verizon over the straight talk....its a good deal not a big selection of phones but she doesn't have to have the latest and greatest...helps save a good deal of money too.


----------



## matthewsman (Jan 18, 2011)

*I had it a while*

The drawback is customer service. Set it up to come out monthly and never call them, you will want to cut your tongue out...really.

The dealbreaker for me was that they do not "roam" on some networks. I'm not up on the technology, but when I went to Indiana to hunt, my friend's Verizon phones worked fine, but I went 9 days with no phone.

I swiched to Sprint's unlimited plan. $69 and droid features etc...


----------



## bigt61 (Jan 18, 2011)

There is another alternative to the Straight Talk, that will allow you to use more phones.

It is called Page Plus.  You can find out a lot of info on this website

kittywireless.com

Yes, I know it sounds funny, but you can google it yourself and its legit.

They are an online #1 rated vendor that supports the plan and its services.


----------



## BornToHuntAndFish (Jan 19, 2011)

matthewsman said:


> The drawback is customer service. Set it up to come out monthly and never call them, you will want to cut your tongue out...really.
> 
> The dealbreaker for me was that they do not "roam" on some networks. I'm not up on the technology, but when I went to Indiana to hunt, my friend's Verizon phones worked fine, but I went 9 days with no phone.
> 
> I swiched to Sprint's unlimited plan. $69 and droid features etc...



Yep, Straight Talk's customer service if you ever need them has a bad reputation.  Fortunately, I've never needed them.  

Most of the Straight Talk phones are for using with Verizon's CDMA network & originally used Verizon until last late summer 2010 when they added some phones for the AT&T GSM network.

As you can see from the news item from Clark Howard, the Big WSB radio Consumer Advocate, on NO contract pay-as-you-go phones, you can get an even better deal for the UNlimited plan at $50/month that still uses the Sprint network by going with MetroPCS using Droid phones & features, but even lower prices with VirginMobileUSA using Droid phones & features as you can see from the web link below:  



http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/technology/best-christmas-season-deals-cell-phone-plans/nFjF/

Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 

The best Christmas season deals on cell phone plans 


By going with a pre-paid no-contract carrier, you get a much lower monthly cost and you get access to unlimited plans, while the Big 4 carriers that push contracts are all going to data caps that result in massive overages on people's bills.

Sure, you'll pay a little more for the phone with the no-contract carriers, but you'll lose the handcuff of the 2-year contract. Remember, the big cost of a cell phone is not the phone itself, but the expensive payment each month over 24 months if you're in a contract.  

Here's a quick rundown of the greatest deals this Christmas season, as I see them.

MetroPCS.com now offers nationwide coverage for $50/month for an Android phone including unlimited everything. Their Android phones tend to cost between $169 and $249.

VirginMobileUSA.com is great for the data-oriented younger consumers. They sell an Android phone and calling plan with unlimited data that starts at $25/month and goes up as you add additional call time. Their Android phones tend to cost between $169 and $249.

StraightTalk.com has two tracks: You can either get a free basic phone at Wal-Mart locations in return for your first month of non-contract service at $45/month. Or if you want a fancy phone, there are now two Nokia phones that you can buy for $199 each. Each runs on the Symbian operating system. Either way, you're still paying $45/month for unlimited everything service.

CommonCentsMobile.com might be the best deal for light volume users. You can either pay $150 for a few thousand minutes (and texts) or pay as you go at a flat rate of 7 cents/minute.


----------



## donald-f (Jan 19, 2011)

If any of you are retired or disabled you can get a free phone and 250 min. per month free by calling 1-800-SAFELINK. I have it and get good service.


----------



## Twenty five ought six (Jan 19, 2011)

matthewsman said:


> The drawback is customer service. Set it up to come out monthly and never call them, you will want to cut your tongue out...really.



True that.  

If you have to use customer service, you will know where the inspiration for the "Peggy" commercial came from.

That said, I do like Mattewsman and avoid CS, and still am satisfied with the service.

If you want to buy a phone, do it online -- there's a better selection, and if you want to really save some money on a basic phone, they are selling reconditioned phones with a service plan, where the phone is actually free ($30.00 service plan and phone for $30.000


----------



## robertyb (Jan 22, 2011)

I just read a post on another forum where a guy said he liked everything about his Straight Talk phone but gave it up cause he got sick and tired of having to listen to Walmart advertisments before being able to place calls every time he used it.

Any truth to this?


----------



## Twenty five ought six (Jan 22, 2011)

robertyb said:


> I just read a post on another forum where a guy said he liked everything about his Straight Talk phone but gave it up cause he got sick and tired of having to listen to Walmart advertisments before being able to place calls every time he used it.
> 
> Any truth to this?



Not on mine.  Operates just like any other telephone.

The most irritating thing it does is when you place a call, on the limited plan (1000 minutes and so on) there's a recorded voice that says "you have 15 hours and 45 minutes remaining" -- don't know if that's phone specific, or if it can be turned off --it's not that annoying.  I'm assuming you don't get that message on the unlimited plan.

Once you buy the phone, Wal-mart is pretty much out of the picture.

I've cruised around looking for pro's and con's and never have seen a reference to the ad thing.  Comments pretty much follow those here --good value, not state of the art phones, customer service totally sucks.


----------



## BornToHuntAndFish (Jan 22, 2011)

robertyb said:


> I just read a post on another forum where a guy said he liked everything about his Straight Talk phone but gave it up cause he got sick and tired of having to listen to Walmart advertisments before being able to place calls every time he used it.
> 
> Any truth to this?



x2, NO truth to that.  I NEVER had anything mention Walmart since my purchase.  Sounds like that other forum guy has a bad motivation against Walmart.

Anyone can avoid Walmart & can buy the phones & services by going to Straight Talk's web site or calling ST over the phone with Walmart NEVER being mentioned during the ordering & purchase process.


----------



## GA DAWG (Jan 22, 2011)

If I get one I want one of the new smartphone ones. So I can get on Gon. Any of yall have the smartphone?


----------



## robertyb (Jan 22, 2011)

GA DAWG said:


> If I get one I want one of the new smartphone ones. So I can get on Gon. Any of yall have the smartphone?



I do not have one yet but have been reviewing them a lot. The Nokia E71 looks like the best deal as it has WiFi and GPS built in. It is available from Walmart.com for $187.00 or in store at $199.00 without airtime. If I decide to go this way I will order online as I can use paypal and shipping to the store is free.


----------



## BornToHuntAndFish (Jan 22, 2011)

GA DAWG said:


> If I get one I want one of the new smartphone ones. So I can get on Gon. Any of yall have the smartphone?



Yes, I have the Nokia E71 & have tested it viewing & posting on the forum here which works OK, but remember it has a small 2.36" LCD display screen with very small QWERTY keyboard keys.  I'm so accustomed to using all my fingers on both hands to type on a computer that it's a bit frustrating how long it takes using only 2 fingers or thumbs with so many key strokes needed for web browsing, moving the mouse pointer, & posting to threads, especially with images.





robertyb said:


> I do not have one yet but have been reviewing them a lot. The Nokia E71 looks like the best deal as it has WiFi and GPS built in. It is available from Walmart.com for $187.00 or in store at $199.00 without airtime. If I decide to go this way I will order online as I can use paypal and shipping to the store is free.



Yep, many times you can find a better deal on the Walmart web site.  

http://www.walmart.com/search/searc...ones&ic=48_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=3944





If ya'll are not in a hurry, you may want to wait for the next wave of Straight Talk phones that are NOT announced yet, but there should be more options & better phones coming in 2011 soon hopefully, which I would expect sometime this year before the end of the Summer at the latest, which hopefully includes the rumors of Droid phones & lower price ranges of approx $150.  Big consumer advocate Clark Howard expects $100 smartphones by the end of 2011, but news articles are expecting smartphones to drop to approx. $50 price ranges, especially for Google Android O/S based phones.  The Jan. 2011 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas revealed 6-7" screen phones to replace 2010's 4-5" screen phones.  Also remember that NO-contract pay-as-you-go Straight Talk phone models typically will not be as good as those available for 1-2 year contracts on & directly from Verizon and AT&T where the big cell phone make much more money directly so will offer better phones.

Currently, Straight Talk smartphones are only for the GSM AT&T network, but their 1st smartphone for the CDMA Verizon network & was removed before Summer 2010 because it had too many problems. ST has definitely needed a Verizon GSM smartphone replacement for a long time so that they can have a smartphone for each of the 2 networks ST uses.

Remember Straight Talk's recent history of smartphones.  By definition, a QWERTY keyboard does not mean a device is a smartphone, but the phone must have a full function operating system to be a smartphone (runs apps, full html web browser, etc.).  

1Qtr2010 which I think was in January, Straight Talk (ST) came out with their 1st smartphone for the Verizon network which was a Samsung R810C Finesse model with a large 3.2-inch screen, but there were too many problems so it was pulled before Summer 2010.  In July/August 2010, Straight Talk announced an agreement with AT&T to use their network, too.  This probably was expected by many because AT&T owns $7.5 Billion of TracFone which is the parent company of ST.  Sept./Oct. 2010 arrives with AT&T GSM Nokia E71 (2.36" LCD) & 6790 (2.4" LCD & larger slide-out keyboard) smartphones becoming available as part of Straight Talk's offerings.  The Nokia E71 is a very popular model in Europe & generally a little bit better reviews.  

To compare the specs on the Nokia E71 & 6790, see the web link below for more details:  

http://www9.dealtime.com/xSBS-Nokia-Surge-Nokia-E71-87122366~PT-xPO~P-1~PRDLT-87122366-87528128


Hope this helps.


----------



## Twenty five ought six (Jan 24, 2011)

If you are not real fussy about what phone you actually have, StraightTalk has two reconditioned phones on its website where the phone is free ($30 for the $30.00 plan plus phone, same for the $45 plan)-- shipping is free.


----------



## robertyb (Jan 24, 2011)

I contacted them yesterday about updates on phones for 2011 and was informed that as of this time there are no planned updates.  Here is a cut N paste.

Please be informed that there's no update yet for new release phones for this year. However, we are continually working on improving and expanding our products and services. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact one of ourcustomer care representatives at 1-888-251-8163. For your convenience, our representatives are available Monday-Sunday


----------



## GA DAWG (Jan 24, 2011)

I was planning to swap before turkey season because my phones camera has went out. I may just get a used at&t phone and wait untill ST prices comes down a little or they come out with a new phone.


----------

