Straight Talk Review 2024

    
    
    
    
    

Straight Talk is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) run by TracFone Wireless, one of the United States’ leading prepaid wireless providers. Because it’s an MVNO, it doesn’t have its own cellular towers; instead, Straight Talk uses the cell towers of other network providers, like Verizon and AT&T, making its services much more affordable. In addition to being cheaper, having tie-ups with more than one cellular network means Straight Talk can transfer you from one provider to another to get the best reception, depending on your location and device.

Straight Talk Reviews: Plans and Prices

Straight Talk has a handful of plans you can choose from, and you can purchase. They have monthly and extended plans (which run for either three months, six months, or one year), as well as unlimited and fixed plans, so it’s easy to find a plan that works best for you.

Price	Talk and Text	International Calls	Data	Hotspot
$30	Unlimited Texts + 1,500 minutes	None	100 MB	None
$35	Unlimited		5 GB High-speed
$45			25 GB High-speed
$55			Unlimited	10 GB
$60		Unlimited	25 GB High-speed, 2G after exceeding	None
$65			Unlimited	20 GB
$90 for Two Lines		None		10 GB per line

If you need mobile data to check emails, then the 30-dollar basic plan is for you. But if you require more data for streaming and browsing social media, then you might want to go for at least the 5 GB plan. Once you’ve already used up your data budget for the month, you can still use your cellular data; just don’t expect it to be fast, as it’s only at 2G speed.

As for Straight Talk’s unlimited data plans, they’re not absolutely unlimited, which is the case for most network carriers anyway. You can only use up to 60 GB of mobile data per month. If you go past that, your account is subject to review by Straight Talk.

For plans with unlimited international calling, you’re allowed to call up to 15 different telephone numbers within 30 days of service. This resets at the end of each plan. You can call both international landline and mobile numbers, but only in selected destinations. Keep in mind as well that you can only make international calls from the US and Puerto Rico. There’s no international roaming with Straight Talk.

Straight Talk also has Mobile Protect, which comes with the 65-dollar Platinum Unlimited Plan. This is more or less your phone’s insurance. It covers spills, cracked screens, and mechanical and electrical failures. If your phone has any of these issues, Straight Phone will repair or replace them free of charge.

Extended Plans

Price	Inclusion
$130	90 days of service   25 GB of high-speed data Unlimited nationwide calls and texts
$255	180 days of service   25 GB of high-speed data Unlimited nationwide calls and texts
$495	365 days of service   25 GB of high-speed data Unlimited nationwide calls and texts

 

Straight Talk has extended plans as well, which can run for either three months, six months, or a year. However, all of these plans only come with 25 GB of high-speed data, regardless of the number of service days. These plans may be best for you if you don’t use that much data or if your phone’s connected to Wi-Fi most of the time. Plus, it eliminates the hassle of having to purchase a plan every month.

If you’re eyeing that 130-dollar three-month extended plan, here’s a tip for you: consider getting the 45-dollar monthly plan instead. It costs around two dollars more than the cheapest extended plan, but it gives you 25 GB of data every month instead of for the whole three-month period. If you’d prefer not to repurchase a plan every month, sign up for auto-refill, and you’ll get a dollar off each month.

Add-Ons

Price	Inclusion
$5	1 GB of extra mobile data
$10	2 GB of extra mobile data

If you run out of data before your monthly plan ends, you can always purchase an add-on plan for as low as $5. The data usage for the add-on starts after you’ve consumed the data budget of your active service plan. You can purchase as many add-ons as you want, and any unused data will be carried over to the next month.

Monthly Plans

Price	Talk and Text	International Calls	Data	Hotspot
$30	Unlimited Texts + 1,500 minutes	None	100 MB	None
$35	Unlimited		5 GB High-speed
$45			25 GB High-speed
$55			Unlimited	10 GB
$60		Unlimited	25 GB High-speed, 2G after exceeding	None
$65			Unlimited	20 GB
$90 for Two Lines		None		10 GB per line

If you need mobile data to check emails, then the 30-dollar basic plan is for you. But if you require more data for streaming and browsing social media, then you might want to go for at least the 5 GB plan. Once you’ve already used up your data budget for the month, you can still use your cellular data; just don’t expect it to be fast, as it’s only at 2G speed.

As for Straight Talk’s unlimited data plans, they’re not absolutely unlimited, which is the case for most network carriers anyway. You can only use up to 60 GB of mobile data per month. If you go past that, your account is subject to review by Straight Talk.

For plans with unlimited international calling, you’re allowed to call up to 15 different telephone numbers within 30 days of service. This resets at the end of each plan. You can call both international landline and mobile numbers, but only in selected destinations. Keep in mind as well that you can only make international calls from the US and Puerto Rico. There’s no international roaming with Straight Talk.

Straight Talk also has Mobile Protect, which comes with the 65-dollar Platinum Unlimited Plan. This is more or less your phone’s insurance. It covers spills, cracked screens, and mechanical and electrical failures. If your phone has any of these issues, Straight Phone will repair or replace them free of charge. Make sure to check out Mobile Protect’s terms and conditions for the full details.